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FORT GREENE PARK TO HOLD NAT’L POETRY MONTH WORKSHOP

FORT GREENE — THE FORT GREENE PARK CONSERVANCY WILL BE HOLDING A National Poetry Month celebration next month, featuring an open mic, performances from local poets, a book giveaway and a blackout poetry activity with the Brooklyn Public Library. Dedicated wordsmiths can also join the free (Nothing but) Flowers workshop session led by Brooklyn-based poet Najee Omar, focusing on drawing artistic inspiration from great poets of the past and from the natural world. 

The Fort Greene Poetry in the Park event will take place on Saturday, April 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Seats for the workshop are limited, so the conservancy strongly advises RSVPing online through Classy.

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REAL ESTATE’S ‘FUTURE OF NEW YORK’ CONFERENCE THURSDAY

CITYWIDE — DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP’S REGINA MYER and other Brooklyn real-estate-connected figures will be speaking at REBNY and Commercial Observer’s Future of New York event on Thursday, March 28. Future of New York, dubbed the real estate industry’s “State of the Union,” takes place Thursday, March 28, in Manhattan at 5 Times Square, 29th Floor.

“The Future of NY event will provide visibility for the work that is being done behind the scenes to continuously reinforce and strengthen NYC’s economic resilience and global position,” event organizers said in a release. Register online. 

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16-YEAR-OLD BOY ATTACKED, ROBBED
NEAR BARCLAYS CENTER

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — 16-YEAR-OLD BOY WAS WALKING NEAR BARCLAYS CENTER on Tuesday, March 12, at roughly 4:45 p.m. when four strangers approached him and attacked, punching and kicking him. The attackers forcefully removed the victim’s Moose Knuckle jacket and stole his wallet, metro card, cash app card and a charger, police said. The robbers fled towards Flatbush Avenue to parts unknown. EMS responded and transported the victim to Brooklyn Hospital in stable condition with a laceration to the top of his head.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/

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SMORGASBURG AND BROOKLYN FLEA SET TO
REOPEN IN APRIL

BOROUGH-WIDE — FROM ETHIOPIAN STEWS TO KOREAN MEDICINE COOKIES, Montreal potato puff poutine, Colombian hot dogs and French-American pastries — food and drink from around the world will be available as Smorgasburg’s 14th season gets underway. Of the nearly 20 newcomers joining Smorgasburg’s returning roster of 60 vendors, six are first-generation immigrant-owned businesses, and 11 are husband-and-wife- or family-run, Smorgasbord said in a release Tuesday. All markets return the first weekend of April: Saturdays in Williamsburg, Sundays at Prospect Park and Fridays at World Trade Center. 

On a related note, the Brooklyn Flea antique and vintage market will reopen in DUMBO under and adjacent to the Manhattan Bridge Archway on weekends starting April 6.

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BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS, ACCLAIMED BARITONE
DAVÓNE TINES CELEBRATE BLACK DIASPORA THROUGH SONG 

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus presents “AND SING!,” a one-night-only conversational concert celebrating music of the Black Diaspora in May. The evening will feature performances by acclaimed bass-baritone and BAM Artist-in-Residence Davóne Tines May 6 at the Harvey in BAM Strong. Brooklyn Youth Chorus’s 2024 Spring Gala, titled “Lift Ev’ry Voice,” will bookend ‘AND SING!’, with a pre-concert toast to launch the evening at the Harvey Theater and a dinner honoring Mr. Tines following the performance next door at BRIC. “AND SING! is a “conversational concert” that Davóne Tines created and will serve as the culmination of his artistic residency at BAM. Both events represent the Chorus’ work this season to deepen understanding of the rich traditions of Black choral music from the U.S. and around the world.

The gala will provide critical mission support for Brooklyn Youth Chorus, giving more than 500 New York City school children a year’s access to unparalleled voice training, extraordinary performance opportunities, and a community that nurtures their skills and friendships.

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LOCAL LEADERS DELIVER TO CITY HALL
52K-SIGNATURE PETITIONS AGAINST MEN’S SHELTER 

GRAVESEND TO CITY HALL — AS PART OF A MONTHS-LONG CAMPAIGN TO STOP A GRAVESEND SITE FROM BECOMING A HOMELESS SHELTER, Assemblymember William Colton (D-47) and City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-43) delivered petitions containing approximately 52,000 signatures in opposition to the planned homeless shelter in their districts. Colton had already pre-empted a shelter on Bath Avenue whose developer, Tejpal Sandhu of 86th Street NY LLC, is the same as for the proposed men’s homeless shelter at 86th St. and 25th Avenue in Gravesend. Colton alleges that the Sandhu Group has made a practice of building so-called hotels in unexpected locations, then leases them to the city at a cost of thousands of dollars per resident per month, all financed from taxpayer dollars.

Calling the proposed shelter a “human warehouse,” Colton and Zhuang said the city must find permanent ways of addressing homelessness through sustainable-wage jobs and permanent housing for low-income and senior persons.

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LITHIUM-ION BATTERY SAFETY BILL
GETS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN SENATE

CAPITOL HILL — The Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act now has bipartisan support in the Senate, with two Republican Senators becoming co-sponsors of this safety-focused legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Tuesday, March 26. Schumer and Gillibrand, Democrats from New York, named Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Mike Braun (R-IN) as the Republican co-sponsors. The bill would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to decree a final consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and other micromobility devices to protect against the risk of fires caused by such batteries. The FDNY reports that, in New York City alone, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have caused more than 600 fires since 2021. Last year saw 268 e-bike and e-mobility device battery fires in NYC, a dramatic increase from three years earlier.

The bill, which also has bipartisan support in the House, passed committee unanimously, 42-0. Among the House members from Brooklyn who also support this bill are Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-9), Dan Goldman (D-10 and Nicole Malliotakis (R-11/southwestern Brooklyn).

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MIKE TYSON’S CANNABIS GUMMIES, SHAPED LIKE EARS MISSING A CHUNK, LAUNCH IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN — CANNABIS-INFUSED GUMMIES LAUNCHED BY BROOKLYN-BORN BOXING GREAT MIKE TYSON go on sale today, and he is bringing them to his native borough. “Mike’s Bites” are available at Grow Together, one of the few legal weed shops in King’s County, along with the Housing Works cannabis store in Manhattan. The gummies are shaped like an ear with a bite taken out of them, recreating Tyson’s notorious 1997 boxing match with Evander Holyfield during which he bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear and started a near riot, ESPN reported. “Growing up in Brooklyn, I could have never imagined a time when cannabis would be legally utilized to enhance both mental and physical well-being. Yet, here we are,” Tyson said in a statement Tuesday.

Tyson, 57, has been much in the news lately as he is slated to fight Jake Paul, 27, in a controversial match to be streamed on Netflix on July 20. Tyson has not fought professionally since 2005, while Paul, 30 years his junior, has a height and reach advantage. Still, numerous boxing analysts give former world champ Tyson the odds.

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MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS PLACED IN PROSPECT PARK, IN NYC PILOT PROGRAM

PROSPECT PARK — MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS WILL BE PLACED AT KEY LOCATIONS around Prospect Park and at park events as part of a pilot program launched by the Prospect Park Alliance and the NYC Department of Health, the park announced on Tuesday. The pilot program, Open Air Care Connections, seeks to remove the stigma around mental health care through community health outreach, events and educational programs. Health workers and referrals will be provided by the nonprofit Neighborhood Housing Services of Brooklyn (NHS Brooklyn).

According to the NYC DOH, nearly 25% of all New Yorkers experience anxiety, and nearly 18% depression. The pilot will run through June 30.

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NEW YORK OFFERS TO ASSIST COMMERCE FLOW AFTER BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE

EAST COAST — NEW YORK STATE STANDS READY to assist the flow of commerce following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland early Tuesday morning, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. The shocking near-total collapse followed the collision of an out-of-control container ship with a bridge support. Video shows a nearly instantaneous collapse, with vehicles plunging into the water. “New York Harbor stands ready to assist any way we can [to] continue the flow of commerce, so it’s not disrupted. We have over 66 bridges in our harbor area, so we know the vulnerability of what can happen when one is down,” Hochul told Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe broadcast Tuesday. According to the New York Times, the massive vessel issued a Mayday alert before the crash, allowing some construction workers to escape in time.

The bridge, part of Interstate 695, is a major Baltimore traffic route, and the main artery used to travel from New York City to Washington, according to Bloomberg Daybreak’s U.S. podcast.

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POLICE SEEK 7 BURGLARS WHO HIT COMMERCIAL SITE NEAR BROOKLYN COSTCO

SUNSET PARK — POLICE HAVE RELEASED SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS OF SEVEN BURGLARS who broke into a commercial building in Sunset Park, swiping $8,000 in cash and $2,250 worth of electronic merchandise before fleeing. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, around 8 p.m., the group of young men and women forcibly entered the building, located at 4100 1st Ave. just a couple blocks from Costco on 2nd Avenue. Media released by police shows the individuals traipsing in a carefree manner through the site.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit the CrimeStoppers website.

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REPORT: WESTERN BK RESIDENTS ‘HAPPIEST’ WITH NEIGHBORHOODS, IN A LESS-HAPPY CITY

WESTERN BROOKLYN — RESIDENTS OF A SWATH OF BROOKLYN FROM DUMBO TO RED HOOK gave their neighborhoods the city’s highest scores, according to research conducted by the Citizens Budget Commission — with 83.4% of CB6 (Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Park Slope) residents rating their neighborhoods excellent or good, followed closely by residents of CB2 neighborhoods (Brooklyn Heights, Downtown, Fort Greene), where 82.2% of residents gave their neighborhood the highest scores. CBC’s 2023 Resident Survey, released March 19, shows sharp drops in overall citywide satisfaction ratings from the pre-pandemic days of 2017, however.

CB6 District Manager Mike Racioppo on Friday noted the importance of the distribution of resources. “Resources such as access to schools, parks, and, most importantly, housing can all be made more accessible with better policy choices,” Racioppo wrote in CB6’s newsletter.

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MAMDANI, VELAZQUEZ: USE CONGESTION PRICING TO FUND MORE FREE BUS ROUTES

WILLIAMSBURG — BACKING A BILL TO EXPAND NYC’S FREE-FARE BUS LINES from 5 to 15, Rep. Nydia Velázquez (Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City) braved Saturday’s downpour to join Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (Astoria) on the B60 bus, which runs from Williamsburg to Canarsie. Mamdani introduced the legislation that created the fare-free bus pilot. His “Get Congestion Pricing Right” proposal includes millions to expand the pilot and increase bus frequency and reliability. “These fare-free routes … ensure we deliver on the promise of congestion pricing on the first day of the toll,” Mamdani said in a statement.

Velazquez said the free-fare program “is helping to bring equity to our public transportation system and ensure that New Yorkers can commute to school, work, or wherever they need to travel regardless of their income level.”

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ONE QUEENS-BOUND BQE LANE CLOSED OVERNIGHT UNTIL APRIL 12

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSE one lane of the Queens-bound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, from Atlantic Avenue to Clark Street, during overnight/early morning hours (midnight to 5 a.m.) until April 12. During the right lane closure, the Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp to the Queens-bound BQE will also be closed. These closures are required for saw cutting and concrete removal of pavement for interim repairs, and are dependent on weather and field conditions, DOT Liaison Anita Navalurkar said via email.

Also, an alert about the upcoming full closure: The Queens-bound BQE will be fully closed from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street from 2 a.m. Saturday, April 13, until or before 4 a.m. Monday, April 15, Navalurkar adds.

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PURIM JOY: MASBIA HOSTS DINNER FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

BOROUGH PARK — MARILYN F., AGE 9, SPENT PURIM WITH HER FRIENDS ON SUNDAY — volunteering for less fortunate families. The youths, who through school do volunteer work with Masbia of Borough Park on New Utrecht Avenue, assembled care packages that were delivered to families with widowed and divorced mothers. Marilyn’s mother, Sylvia, is a private chef who also teaches Jewish cultural cooking to people of all ages. Meanwhile, Chef Ruben Diaz created a grand Purim feast at the Masbia Soup Kitchen’s dining room, complete with all the traditional Jewish foods and a giant apricot Hamantaschen, for needy families in Brooklyn.

Purim (this year March 23-24) which celebrates the courageous heroism of the Persian king’s Jewish wife, and the survival of the Jewish people as chronicled in the Book of Esther, is the most significant charity-giving day in the Hebrew calendar. Delivering food baskets in one’s community is a time-honored Jewish tradition.

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FERRY SERVICE EXPANDS WITH NEW SPRING SCHEDULE

CITYWIDE — THE NYC FERRY IS OFFERING EXPANDED SERVICE STARTING THIS SATURDAY with its new spring schedule: the South Brooklyn route from Red Hook’s Pier 11 and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 to Governor’s Island on weekdays and weekends is back on the menu just in time for warmer temperatures, while cruise passengers can catch early-morning shuttles between Pier 11 and the Red Hook ferry stop on dates in April and May when ships are docked at the Red Hook Terminal. Additionally, some departure times on the South Brooklyn and Astoria routes have been moved in order to provide more consistent service during peak times, according to NYC Ferry.

The new spring schedules can be viewed online on the ferry service’s website, or through the NYC Ferry app.

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BISHOP BRENNAN USHERS IN HOLY WEEK WITH PALM SUNDAY NEIGHBORHOOD PROCESSION

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — BROOKLYN DIOCESAN BISHOP BRENNAN ON PALM SUNDAY LED MORE THAN 250 PEOPLE IN A PUBLIC WITNESS OF FAITH with their blessed palms down Vanderbilt Avenue to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on Pacific Street. After an opening prayer and blessing, Bishop Brennan thanked the NYPD for its logistical and safety measures, and said, “In this procession, we walk with Jesus remembering that Jesus always walks with us. Today we gave public witness to our Catholic faith on the streets of Brooklyn, showing the greatness of God to those who walked, drove, biked, and jogged by us as we walked.” Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, as chronicled in all four Gospels.

Following the procession, Bishop Brennan celebrated the Spanish Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. The Diocese observes Holy Week with several special Masses and observances including, on March 25, Reconciliation Monday.

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SAM’S CLUB SALAD PRODUCT CLEARED FROM RECALL

NATIONWIDE — A CONSUMER RECALL FOR A SOUTHWEST SALAD KIT SOLD AT SAM’S CLUB locations around the U.S. has ended, according to a local store manager interviewed on Saturday, March 23. Member’s Mark Southwest Salad was recalled as a precaution in early February as part of a widespread recall of similar products and bottled dressing, because the cotija cheese and queso fresco listed as ingredients were determined to be infected with Listeria monocytogenes. While several store brands, including Trader Joe’s, were believed to be part of the infected cheese batch, the Sam’s Club product was not listed in the FDA’s advisory. A store manager told the Brooklyn Eagle on March 23 that the product had been pulled preemptively and was now back in stock.

The Listeria had been traced to cheese products of Rizo-Lopez Foods and had caused illnesses and at least two deaths. The recall is still in effect for some of these products.

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COUNCILMEMBER RESTLER SPONSORS ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DRIVE

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS/DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN —RESIDENTS OF CITY COUNCILMEMBER LINCOLN RESTLER’S DISTRICT WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO DROP OFF AND RECYCLE their old electronics at an e-Waste Day he is sponsoring at the Borough Hall Greenmarket on Saturday, April 6. No registration is needed, and residents can drop off computers, printers and other peripherals from 9 a.m. to noon that day.

However, the following items will not be accepted: air conditioners, appliances, batteries and lightbulbs.

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ELECTROMAGNETIC STORM DISRUPTS GPS AND SOME POWER GRID SYSTEMS

NEIGHBORHOOD — A SEVERE ELECTROMAGNETIC STORM REPORTEDLY DISRUPTED GPS NAVIGATION AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS over much of the northern United States, including New York, on Sunday afternoon, March 24, according to an advisory that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sent yesterday around 5 p.m. The NOAA alert, defining this kind of storm as “a major disturbance of the earth’s magnetic field,” indicated that it could cause “possible widespread voltage control problems and some protective systems may mistakenly trip out key assets from the power grid. Satellite navigation (GPS) could be degraded or inoperable for hours.” 

The storm and its disruption to GPS systems were expected to end overnight. As of 10 a.m., on Monday, March 25, 2024, advisories on this issue had been removed from NOAA’s website.

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MTA WILL EXEMPT MUNICIPAL FLEET, SCHOOL AND COMMUTER BUSES FROM CONGESTION PRICING

CITYWIDE — A LARGE PART OF THE CITY’S MUNICIPAL VEHICLE FLEET, SCHOOL BUSES AND SOME COMMERCIAL BUSES WILL BE EXEMPT FROM THE MTA’s CONGESTION PRICING PLAN, the Daily News reported on Monday, March 25. While city-operated vehicles such as fire engines and garbage trucks were already exempt, the policy now expands to include city-owned vehicles conducting government business, and yellow school buses that have contracts with the city’s Department of Education, including those transporting children to some charter and private schools. Likewise, long-distance commuter buses that are publicly accessible and have regular schedules — including the Hampton Jitney — will be exempt whether the city or a private company operates them.

However, the exemptions will not be extended to employee shuttles, buses without regular schedules, or private vehicles belonging to public employees.

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FDA’S VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING WILL FOCUS ON NEW WAYS TO ENSURE FOOD SAFETY

NATIONWIDE —THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) INVITES THE PUBLIC TO REGISTER FOR A VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING aimed at facilitating data and technology to advance food safety. The daylong virtual meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is titled “Data and Technology in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” covering an eponymous initiative that the FDA launched in 2019. The New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint has four core elements: Tech-enabled Traceability, Smarter Tools and Approaches for Prevention and Outbreak Response, New Business Models and Retail Modernization and Food Safety Culture. The MTA aims to coordinate these elements to create a safer and more digital, traceable food system.

The morning session will consist of FDA presentations on the agency’s current thinking on the potential for new, innovative or different data and technology activities to create a safer food system. Public comments and stakeholder feedback will be heard during the afternoon session.

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BROOKLYN ACTIVIST LEADS ‘SEX STRIKE’ CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF ABANDONED WIVES

FLATBUSH AND KIRYAS JOEL/ORANGE COUNTY — AN ORTHODOX JEWISH WOMAN IN BROOKLYN IS LEADING A ‘SEX STRIKE’ TO END THE PRACTICE OF ORTHODOX HUSBANDS REFUSING to grant a divorce (or get) to the wives they have abandoned, reports Gothamist. Men in many cases can and have withheld the religious and ceremonious divorce document, called a get, that a rabbinic court must first approve. Without the document, women are not free to remarry, and many have become destitute as their erstwhile husbands exploit the traditional get to exert power over them, asserts Brooklyn Orthodox activist Adina Sash, who has launched the sex boycott on behalf of Malky Berkowitz, an Orange County woman whose life has been on hold for years. Jewish law mandates that women ritually cleanse themselves at a mikvah, following their menstrual periods, before their husbands can resume intimacy with them. By boycotting the mikvah, women are essentially withholding sex.

Not all Orthodox women support the “Free Malky” campaign. Others complain that the public mikvah boycott threatens to dissolve the sanctity of the Jewish household.

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CHINESE NATIONALS CHARGED WITH LENGTHY HACKING SCHEME THAT TARGETED U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

 DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — SEVEN NATIONALS FROM THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA WERE CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT IN BROOKLYN on Monday, March 25, with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges involved the defendants’ involvement in a PRC-based hacking group that spent approximately 14 years targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses and political officials in furtherance of PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives. According to court filings, the defendants conducted global campaigns of computer hackers targeting political dissidents located inside and outside of China, government and political officials, candidates and campaign personnel in the United States and elsewhere, and American companies. The defendants and others in the APT31 Group successfully compromised the targets’ networks, email accounts, cloud storage accounts and telephone call records. Some surveillance of compromised email accounts lasted for years.

The targeted U.S. government officials included White House staff and employees of the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury and State, as well as U.S. senators and representatives of both political parties.

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WSJ HOLDS SWIM IN HONOR OF JOURNALIST JAILED IN RUSSIA

BRIGHTON BEACH — REPORTERS FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ON MONDAY gathered on the Brighton Beach boardwalk to hold a swim in support of their colleague Evan Gershkovich, a New Jersey native and Journal reporter, to commemorate the upcoming one-year anniversary of his detention in Russia on espionage charges. The swim, joined by the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers club, is one of several being held in solidarity around the world, including events in California, the U.K., Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, in what the Journal says is a nod to Gershkovich’s love for Brighton Beach and England’s Brighton seaside resort. 

The U.S. State Department has declared Gershkovich’s detention to be unlawful; the Journal has called repeatedly for his release, and says it is working with the government and his family to press for his return. 

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