What’s News, Breaking: Monday, April 22, 2024

April 22, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS SPREAD TO NYU, THE NEW SCHOOL

MANHATTAN — PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS ERUPTED AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY in Manhattan on Monday afternoon, as protesters breached school barricades and behaved in a “disorderly, disruptive and antagonizing” manner, officials told the New York Times. The protests follow arrests at Yale on Monday morning and at Columbia last week. Columbia University switched to remote classes on Monday to assuage the fears of Jewish students. A pro-Palestinian encampment was set up at The New School in Manhattan as well, the Daily New reported.

President Joe Biden condemned “antisemitic protests” Monday afternoon. “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians,” he said, according to the White House press pool.

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STATE’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS GET $36B
IN HISTORIC FUNDING LEVEL

STATEWIDE — NEARLY $36 BILLION in Total School Aid for the next academic year is being allocated to New York state’s public schools, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, April 22. Considered the highest level of school funding in State history, this money is part of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and will be in place for the 2024-2025 school year for preschool through grade 12. Gov. Hochul also signed her ‘Back to Basics’ legislation to improve literacy education. The reading plan ensures every school district utilizes instructional best practices grounded in the science of reading to improve reading proficiency among New York’s children. The State Education Department will, by Jan. 1, 2025, provide instructional best practices to school districts in the teaching of reading to students in prekindergarten through grade three.

The Budget also extends mayoral control of New York City schools for two years and commissions a study to examine the Foundation Aid formula to ensure the long-term fiscal sustainability of education funding.

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SWITCHES TO REMOTE CLASSES
FOLLOWING VEHEMENT CAMPUS PROTESTS

MANHATTAN AND CITYWIDE — COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY students residing off the Ivy-League institution’s Upper-Manhattan campus are attending class remotely, after the announcement early Monday in the wake of vehement protests against the Israeli government that left Jewish students and faculty feeling unsafe. The New York Times and other media quoted Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, in her letter to the community, “We need a reset,” to “deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.” She urged students who do not live on campus not to travel there. The campus has been embroiled in protests since last week, with pro-Palestinian students — as well as some allies unrelated to the university — setting up an encampment and calling for a ceasefire and “end to the genocide” in Gaza. Some students believed that the protesters were calling for the genocide of Jews, based on a number of the more vehemently phrased placards supporting an intifada.

The switch to full remote comes in the hours leading up to Passover — a major Jewish festival commemorating the exodus of Israelite slaves from Egypt.

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KEY FINDINGS FROM CITY’S STORM RESPONSE
WILL BE SHARED AT PRESS CONFERENCE

PIER 15 AND CITYWIDE — THE KEY FINDINGS of an investigation into New York City’s Storm Response & Preparedness will be the topic of a press conference that NYC Comptroller Brad Lander is holding Monday morning, April 22. Comptroller Brad Lander will also share the recommendations from his office’s investigation into the City’s response to and preparedness for extreme weather. He launched the investigation after the city experienced flooding from 8.65 inches of total rainfall on Sept. 29, 2023, as a result of Tropical Storm Ophelia. The storm resulted in major closures and disruptions to subways, highways and emergency services, particularly in Brooklyn.

“Floods were reported from Gowanus to Williamsburg, from Park Slope to East New York. Prospect Park Lake overflowed, inundating the surrounding neighborhoods and flooding basements,” according to Brooklyn Eagle reporter Raanan Geberer.

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LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST FOCUSES ON REVERSING
INEQUITABLE MATERNAL CARE

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — RACIAL DISPARITIES IN MATERNAL CARE is the focus of The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s Annual Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, April 24, with elected officials, hospital and community leaders taking part. Errol I. Byer, Jr., The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s Chair of OB/GYN, will give the presentation on understanding and reversing these disparities.

Since 1845, The Brooklyn Hospital Center has been dedicated to providing outstanding health services, education and research to keep the people of Brooklyn and greater New York healthy.

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FDNY: EASTER DAY CHURCH FIRE WAS ACCIDENTAL

WILLIAMSBURG — A FIRE THAT DAMAGED part of a Williamsburg church on Easter Sunday has been officially deemed accidental, according to the FDNY and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. FDNY investigators determined that the fire at Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii was caused by a hot object and hot embers. There were no fatalities and a closed door prevented the fire from spreading into the church’s sanctuary. However, the blaze destroyed the parish center and the priests’ residence. Diocesan Bishop Robert J. Brennan said that the Diocese of Brooklyn plans to work with the FDNY to review fire safety and prevention measures, and emphasized the safety of attendees is their priority.

The Sunday following the fire, Bishop Brennan led Mass for the parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii at their aligned parish, All Saints Church, where he asked for a round of applause to show the parish’s appreciation for the FDNY and law enforcement personnel who responded.

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EXPECT PERIODIC LANE CLOSURES THIS WEEK
ON WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE

WILLIAMSBURG — MOTORISTS, CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS using the Williamsburg Bridge are advised to consider alternate routes and allow extra travel this coming week, due to planned work. Intermittent single-lane closures, including of the bike lane and walkway, on the Williamsburg Bridge will occur in both directions between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The closures will take place from Monday, April 22, to Monday, April 29. The NYC DOT’s website states that the rehabilitation project focuses on structural steel repairs and other miscellaneous rehabilitation, with an expected completion in Spring 2026. The project scope involves a seismic retrofit of the main bridge (side spans), rehabilitation of intermediate towers and partial pavement repairs and anchorage joint replacement.

The Williamsburg Bridge, which marked the 120th anniversary of its opening on Dec. 31, 2023, was primarily the work of Chief Engineer L. L. Buck, with the bridge’s structural design incorporating ideas from several leading bridge engineers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ website.

The Williamsburg Bridge is pictured during July 1903 construction before its grand opening on New Year’s Eve that year. The now 120-year-old bridge is getting some much-needed rehabilitation to its side spans, towers, anchorage and pavement.
Photo courtesy Municipal Archives, City of New York

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CELL PHONE-LINKED PARKING METERS START ROLL OUT IN MAY

CITYWIDE — NEW CELL PHONE-LINKED PARKING METERS will make short-term parking easier and more efficient, Mayor Eric Adams told interviewer JR Giddings on GMGT Live’s ‘The Reset Talk Show’ on Friday. Instead of placing a paper receipt from a meter on their dashboard, “All the driver will have to do is enter their license plate number via the ParkNYC app or a parking kiosk,” Adams said. Using the app, the drivers can feed the meter from their smartphone while on the go.

The program will impact 80,000 metered parking spaces in NYC starting in May in northern Manhattan, and meters citywide will be upgraded over the next few years, Adams said.

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ADAMS GRANTED MAYORAL CONTROL OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR TWO MORE YEARS

CITYWIDE — THE STATE LEGISLATURE GRANTED Mayor Eric Adams continued oversight of the city’s public schools for two more years, New York Focus reports. Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul had pushed for four more years. A 296-page report commissioned by the State Department of Education was ambivalent as to whether it would be helpful to keep the Bloomberg-era system.

Adams said the study ignored the progress city schools have made on standardized tests compared to other NYS cities, Chalkbeat reported.

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IN MEMORIAM
TERRY ANDERSON, AP JOURNALIST
WHO BECAME LONGEST-HELD HOSTAGE, DIES AT 76

GREENWOOD LAKE, NY — TERRY ANDERSON, the international Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages after he was kidnapped in Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years, has died at 76, that news agency reported on Sunday, April 21. Anderson was one of several Westerners abducted by members of the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah during a time of war that had plunged Lebanon into chaos. He remained in captivity for almost seven years, from March 16, 1985, until Dec. 4, 1991. During his captivity, he suffered beatings, death threats at gunpoint and solitary confinement.

Anderson was the longest-held of several Western hostages Hezbollah abducted over the years, including Terry Waite, the former envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had arrived to try to negotiate Anderson’s release. After his release, he returned to a hero’s welcome at AP’s New York headquarters.

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YACHT PARTY TURNS VIOLENT NEAR
BROOKLYN ARMY TERMINAL

SUNSET PARK — A FIGHT THAT BROKE OUT on a party yacht docked at Pier 4 near the Brooklyn Army Terminal on Saturday evening led to three hospitalizations, reports 1010 WINS. Two men aboard the Cornucopia Majesty, ages 32 and 40, were stabbed in the torso. A third man, age 28, sustained head injuries when he was bashed with a bottle. Police responding to the 911 call in Sunset Park near 58th St. encountered a fight that had already turned violent. One Brooklyn partygoer, Kevaun Whitely, told the New York Times that the fight had started when a bunch of intoxicated people had attempted to disembark all at once through a single exit. The yacht’s thousand passengers were evacuated. All three of the assaulted men were taken to NYU Langone Hospital, also in Sunset Park.

The Cornucopia Majesty is described as a party cruise yacht with a 1,200-person capacity, according to both the website Manhattan Yacht Charters and a New York Times article published Saturday night.

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CONGENITAL SYPHILIS RISES TO RECORD LEVELS IN NYC

CITYWIDE — THE RATE OF CONGENITAL SYPHILIS, a preventable infectious disease that can have devastating effects on newborns, has risen to record levels in New York City, Crain’s New York reported, relying on data in the NYC Department of Health’s preliminary mayor’s management report. There was a 133% increase in cases between the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years. Elizabeth Finley, a spokeswoman for the National Coalition of STD Directors, told Crain’s that the increase represents a sign of “a much bigger problem” with the public health system.

NYC DOH had a 23% vacancy rate in the department that handles sexually transmitted infection testing during the first few months of the 2024 fiscal year, according to Crain’s.

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SNUCK UP BEHIND SENIOR AND STRUCK HIM ON THE HEAD

EAST NEW YORK — AN UNIDENTIFIED MALE SNUCK UP ON A 74-YEAR-OLD MAN from behind and struck him on the back of the head with an unknown object, and then fled the scene, police said. The attack took place on Sunday, April 14, at roughly 3:34 p.m., in the vicinity of Ashford Street and Sutter Avenue. The victim was transported by EMS to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in stable condition.

The suspect is described as 25 to 30 years old, dark complexion, 5’ 9” inches tall, 180 pounds, slim build and dreads. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, red t-shirt, black pants and white and black colored sneakers. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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NEW VISION FOR GRAND ARMY PLAZA

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — NYC DOT AND COMMUNITY BOARDS 6, 8 and 9 hosted a Public Realm meeting on April 15 to explore options for redesigning the historic Grand Army Plaza. The goals include creating a “world class public space;” improving pedestrian connections; supporting Open Streets and Bike Boulevard on Vanderbilt and Underhill avenues; improving bicycle connections; speeding up buses; and simplifying traffic and vehicular access. A construction timeline will be announced this winter.

The presentation can be seen online.

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NEW 3D MAMMOGRAPHY MACHINE AT GOTHAM HEALTH HELPS FIGHT INEQUITIES IN MEDICAL CARE

EAST NEW YORK — NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/GOTHAM HEALTH HAS ACQUIRED A STATE-OF-THE-ART 3D MAMMOGRAM MACHINE, which provides the latest innovation in breast cancer detection and a more comfortable experience for patients. While traditional two-dimensional mammograms provide flat images of breast tissue, this sometimes leads to false positives or the need for additional tests. By contrast, 3D mammography, also known as breast tomosynthesis, captures multiple images of the breast from different angles, creating a more detailed and accurate representation of the breast tissue. It features an innovative paddle designed for comfort, conforming to the breast’s shape with rounded corners for the most comfortable compression with higher quality 3D images for radiologists, enhanced comfort for patients and improved workflow for technologists. This system delivers sharper images and smarter technologies to detect invasive cancers regardless of age or breast density.

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said, “Residents of East New York face some of the worst health inequities… Gotham Health is doing critical work to address these disparities.”

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Michelle Lewis, NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO, celebrate the new state-of-the-art 3D mammogram machine at Gotham Health, East New York.
Photo: NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health

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AGREEMENT REACHED TO KEEP SUNY DOWNSTATE OPEN

EAST FLATBUSH — SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER IS OFF THE CHOPPING BLOCK, after state legislators, hearing protests from their constituents, reached a deal to keep the financially troubled hospital open. Crain’s New York Business reports that state lawmakers, including State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-20) whose district includes SUNY Downstate, have reached an agreement with Gov. Kathy Hochul to halt the closure of the East Flatbush teaching hospital while officials appoint an advisory commission to examine the hospital’s services and financial status. Meanwhile, SUNY Downstate, which has been running an annual deficit of about $100 million, will continue to receive funding. The agreement will prohibit SUNY Downstate from cutting any of its inpatient services or submitting service reduction plans to state health officials until the commission releases recommendations.

Moreover, the commission will be required to work with the public’s input and to convene at least three public hearings.

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EAST FLATBUSH COMMUNITY RALLIES TO SAVE EMBATTLED HOSPITAL

EAST NEW YORK — AN ORGANIZED MARCH ON THURSDAY WITH GODSQUAD/67TH PRECINCT CLERGY COUNCIL and other faith-based groups may have been instrumental in saving Downstate Medical Center. GodSquad, a liaison group between the NYPD and the East Flatbush community that Downstate Medical Center serves, helped organize the April 18 Prayer Rally and March with the group Concerned Clergy of NYC, SUNY employees, unions and business owners. The march, with the slogan, “Brooklyn Needs Downstate,” began at Lenox Road Baptist Church near Nostrand Avenue and proceeded to SUNY Downstate to oppose what was then the hospital’s imminent risk of closure. The state’s initial plan was a reorganization that would have involved transferring medical services to other hospitals, including neighboring Kings County Medical Center (which is one of the city’s public hospitals). However, that met fierce resistance from hospital workers as well as faith and other community leaders.

State Sen. Myrie told Crain’s on Friday that the agreement to appoint an advisory panel will include community members in a “robust conversation” about how to sustain Downstate.

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CITY WILL HAVE AUTHORITY TO LOWER SPEED LIMIT

CITYWIDE — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ON THURSDAY ANNOUNCED that as part of this year’s state budget agreement, New York City will be granted the authority to vote to lower its speed limit below the current 25 miles per hour, reports Gothamist. Streets with three or more lanes of traffic in one direction are exempted. Street safety advocates and city politicians have long championed a bill that would set the speed limit at 20 miles per hour, known as “Sammy’s Law,” in honor of 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was struck and killed by a speeding van in 2013 near his Park Slope home; his mother, Amy Cohen, welcomed the news, telling Gothamist, “It’s been 10 years since Sammy died, and every day is hard, but days like this, when we are fighting for change in the name of those we have lost, is huge.”

The Adams administration and City Council, which will have to sign off on speed limit changes, have both expressed strong support for Sammy’s Law; a spokesperson for City Hall wrote in an email, “No family should have to suffer through the loss of a loved one due to traffic violence… New York City needs the tools to keep everyone safe on our streets.”

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REP. CLARKE DIRECTS $963K TO ‘GODSQUAD’ TEAM

EAST FLATBUSH — THE ‘GODSQUAD,’ ALSO KNOWN AS THE 67TH PRECINCT CLERGY COUNCIL, WILL RECEIVE $963K in federal funds, thanks to an investment that U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-09) has directed to the advocacy group. The investment underscores Cong. Clarke’s commitment to uplifting communities in Central Brooklyn by addressing underlying issues that stem from gun violence, and fostering positive change. The funding will bolster Project ECHO, a community-driven initiative aimed at tackling unresolved trauma and resource disparities. Project ECHO focuses on grassroots solutions and aims to provide vital support and opportunities for individuals deemed “at risk,” equipping them with essential skills and pathways to personal growth.

Moreover, Project ECHO addresses the pressing need for trauma counseling, mentorship and mental health services within the community, as well as engagement activities, to empower residents and mitigate the impact of violence, particularly among young men, in the East Flatbush area.

Members of the GodSquad team with Congressmember Yvette Clarke, (wearing red jacket).
Photo: GodSquad/67th Precinct Clergy Council

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THIEF STOLE SENIOR’S BELOVED SHIH TZU PUP ‘ROMEO RIVERA’

EAST NEW YORK — A THIEF STOLE A SHIH TZU DOG BELONGING TO A 74-YEAR-OLD WOMAN from her yard in East New York last month, and police hope to get it back. On Monday, March 18, around 9:30 a.m., the woman allowed her pup Romeo Rivera to go outside for a bathroom break at her residence in the vicinity of Jerome Street and Pitkin Avenue. Video shows an unknown man approach the house, watch the pup playing behind a fence and then take it, fleeing southbound on Jerome Street toward Pitkin. The man is described as having a light complexion and medium build. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, black sneakers and a red baseball hat.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) or by visiting Crime Stoppers online.

Romeo Rivera, stolen shih tsu.
Photo: NYPD

Suspect wanted for stealing pup Romeo Rivera.
Photo: NYPD

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GIRL SCOUTS LAUNCH ‘ENCORE WEEK,’ COOKIE SALES TO SUPPORT SPECIAL TROOP 600

CROWN HEIGHTS AND CITYWIDE — THE BROOKLYN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM IS ONE OF THE MANY POPULAR SPOTS hosting Girl Scout Cooking Encore Week, starting April 20. Encore Week — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 20-27 — is the last chance for New Yorkers to buy Girl Scout Cookies until 2025. Girl Scouts across New York City will devote their spring break to running booths at popular locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan as a final push to drive cookie sales for the 2024 season, with a goal of 100,000 boxes of cookies to support programming and troop activities. Proceeds from the sale will also go towards supporting Troop 6000, which launched in 2017 as a first-of-its-kind program to serve families living in temporary housing in the New York City shelter system.

This past year, Troop 6000 expanded to serve the influx of asylum seekers who came into New York City. Girls in Troop 6000 will have a digital cookie sale website and in-person booth sales throughout April.

Girl Scouts and leaders from Troop 600, specially geared for the families of asylum seekers.
Photo: Girl Scouts of Greater New York

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MIAMI-BASED FOOD PRODUCER RECALLS ORGANIC BASIL

EAST COAST — A RECALL OF ORGANIC BASIL SOLD AT TRADER JOE’S STORES HAS EXPANDED as the producer as well as the supermarket chain that have now removed certain batches of organic basil from stock, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced on April 18. Infinite Herbs LLC of Miami, Florida, has voluntarily recalled 2.5-ounce packages of Infinite Herbs fresh organic basil, imported from the South American country of Colombia, and sold between Feb. 1 and April 6, 2024, and bearing the UPC 8 18042 02147 7 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalls (covered in the Eagle on Thursday) were initiated after 12 illnesses were reported. The affected product was shipped directly to Trade Joe’s retail distribution centers from Connecticut to Florida. This recall does not include or impact non-organic basil in any package and other package sizes of organic basil.

Although the recalled product is out-of-date and no longer being sold, consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers.