News, Developments: Thursday, June 16, 2023

NYU LANGONE OPENS NEW FAMILY HEALTH CENTER IN RED HOOK MAL CARE

RED HOOK – NYU Langone’s Red Hook Family Health Center opened this week on Van Brunt Street, the first in nearly 12 years. This is the ninth medical and dental clinic and school pediatric site that the Family Health Centers have opened at NYU Langone, one of the largest networks of federally qualified health centers in New York, with a mission to bring more primary and preventive ambulatory care to area residents. The new 4,500-square-foot facility offers primary care, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health and dental services. Support services are available on-site, connect patients to health and social networks to address food insecurity, and provide workforce development opportunities and multilingual translation services.

The Family Health Center, which hosted an open house and tours Tuesday, was part of NYU’s commitment and contract to open a clinic in Cobble Hill.

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THE FAMOUS COMIC ARTIST JOHN ROMITA SENIOR DEAD, 93 years old

NASSAU – Comic book artist John Romita, Sr., born in Brooklyn in 1930, died Tuesday at age 93 at his home in Floral Park. reports the Hollywood Reporter, after a legendary career creating art at Marvel Comics and other studios. Romita began drawing cartoons at age 19 while serving in the military in the 1940s, before making a name for himself working on the then-new Spider-Man series for Marvel. The artist helped create popular characters Mary Jane Watson, Wolverine, Luke Cage and the Punisher, and served as the company’s art director for two decades.

Romita is survived by his wife, Virginia, and two sons, John Jr. and Victor

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NEW CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL COMES TO VINEGARD HILL

VINEGAR HILL – Bed-Stuy charter school operator Ember Charter Schools recently closed on a deal to build a new high school in a former office building turned factory in Vinegar Hill, reports the Commercial Observer, signing a 17-year lease for 25,000 square feet of space on two floors. Sources have told the Observer that the school will occupy a ground floor of the building until the renovations of its planned location on the fourth and fifth floors, scheduled for late summer, are completed.

Increasing school capacity has long been a priority for DUMBO and Vinegar Hill parents; the opening of the Dock Street High School in September 2016 it was hailed as a huge win for local children and their families.

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THE FORMER MAYOR OF BLASIO SANCTIONED FOR MISUSE OF CITY RESOURCES

IN THE CITY — Former NYC Bill de Blasio faces largest Conflicts of Interest Board fine in history for misusing city resources for private purposes and acting in conflict of interest officersthe New York City Conflict of Interest Board ruled on Thursday, June 15. Mr. de Blasio must pay a $155,000 fine and reimburse New York City an additional $320,000 for taking his security detail with him on an out-of-state campaign trip in 2019, during the his unsuccessful presidential run. The ethics law prohibits elected officials from using city resources, including law enforcement personnel, for non-city purposes.

The COIB ruling gives de Blasio just 30 days to pay the $474,794.20. However, he has the right to appeal the sentence to the state court.

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NEW CITY AGREEMENT WITH UFT INCREASE STARTING SALARIES

IN THE CITY — Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s second-largest union, the United Federation of Teachers, reached a tentative five-year agreement Tuesday, June 13, that significantly increases the starting salaries of newly hired teachers and includes a major expansion of distance learning. The agreement raises starting salaries for new teachers to $72,349, including bonuses, from the current $61,070, according to the UFT. The deal, which must now be approved by the union’s 120,000 members, guarantees increases from 17.58% to 20.42% in 2026, including wage increases and bonuses.

In addition, the agreement expands an existing pilot on remote learning: middle schools and combined high schools will be able to offer virtual learning programs after school and on weekends, with students and teachers volunteering to participate .

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THE CITY ACHIEVES THE PROVISIONAL EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT WITH UNIFORMED POLICY, SECURITY AND SANITATION WORKERS

IN THE CITY — The Coalition of Uniformed Officers is the latest union group to reach a tentative contract agreement with the city. Mayor Eric Adams and Bureau of Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion announced Thursday, June 15, a tentative five-year contract agreement with the coalition of unions representing more than 32,000 city employees. The UOC represents 11 unions from all uniformed agencies in the city, including the Fire Department, the City of New York, the New York Police Department and its officers, detectives, sergeants and captains unions and the Department of Sanitation

The tentative agreement, which now places 75% of the city’s workforce under contract, includes wage increases ranging from 3.25% to 4.00% over the contract period and follows agreements with the Council of District 37 in February and the United Federation of Teachers earlier this week.

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PESTICIDE COMPANY MUST PAY RESTITUTION FOR FALSE MARKETING OF ITS PRODUCTS’ SAFETY

STATEwide: Bayer and Monsanto must pay millions of dollars in restitution to New York State and stop advertising their products as safe and non-toxic. according to an important agreement that the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, has made with them. The two pesticide giants had been found to be falsely advertising their products, including Roundup® and others containing the chemical glyphosate, and persisted in doing so even after an earlier settlement in 1996 ordered them to stop and they gave up After a 2020 investigation into whether Monsanto, and its current owner Bayer, once again engaged in false advertising of its Roundup® products, Attorney General James concluded that the companies’ claims about those products violated the laws of New York against persistent commercial fraud and false and misleading statements. advertising and breached Monsanto’s obligations under the prior agreement.

As a result of the agreement announced today, Bayer and Monsanto will pay $6.9 million to OAG, which will be used to prevent, reduce, restore, mitigate or control the impacts of toxic pesticides on pollinators or aquatic species.

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NY ATTORNEY GENERAL EXPORTS CRYPTO COMPANY COINEX FROM OPERATING IN THE UNITED STATES

STATEwide — Cryptocurrency platform CoinEx will withdraw from operating in the United States and refund more than $1.1 million to thousands of New Yorkers as part of a settlement New York Attorney General Letitia James was contacted on Thursday, June 15. The Attorney General’s Office recovered more than $1.7 million from COINEX (CoinEx) in a lawsuit, after the platform failed to register as a securities and commodities broker and falsely. it was represented as a cryptographic exchange.

As part of today’s consent order, CoinEx is prohibited from offering, selling or buying securities and commodities in New York and from making its platform available in the state, to which it must also pay $600,000 in penalties

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BILL WOULD PROTECT SMALL BUSINESSES FROM PREDATORY LOANS

ACROSS THE NATION: Small business borrowers would be protected from predatory lenders in a new bill introduced by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-7th District), ranking member of the House Small Business Committee with New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. The Small Business Financing Disclosure Act also aims to protect small business borrowers from financing options with unfair terms and conditions. It would also guarantee the guarantees that are already required in consumer loans, through the Truth in Lending Act. The bill would strengthen the role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in monitoring small business financing and bring greater transparency to small business startups.

Under the Velázquez and Menéndez bill, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) would have the same oversight authority over small business financing that the agency has over consumer financial products and services, and would require small business lenders to clearly disclose their annual percentage rate. rate; loan financing costs; loan conditions; payment amounts and collateral requirements.