News, Developments: Thursday, July 20, 2023

DOW COMMISSIONER’S ‘BROOKLYN DAY’ HIGHLIGHTS VISION ZERO NEEDS, SECURITY AND DELIVERIES

BOROUGHWIDE – City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez celebrated Wednesday, July 19, as “Brooklyn Day.” one dedicated to touring Kings County to gain insight into the township’s transportation needs and issues. He began the morning by making opening remarks for Vision Zero Safety Education Day with the NYPD, an event that highlighted a traffic and pedestrian safety education campaign at a busy intersection. Other stops on his schedule included riding a Citi bike to Restoration Plaza at Fulton Street and New York Avenue for a discussion with local civic and faith leaders, transportation experts and local organizations; and a stop in the Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights area for a talk about safety issues, the New York DOT helmet fit program and giveaways.

The day marked the Commissioner’s fourth event in your township, and Rodriguez plans more district-specific visits to continue discussions about transportation needs.

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LITHIUM ION BATTERIES POSSIBLE CAUSE OF FLATBUSH DELI FIRE

FLATBUSH – Firefighters battled a smoldering fire at a Flatbush deli that was possibly started by lithium-ion batteries Monday night. AMNY reports. FDNY responds at approximately 11:22 PM to the Promise Food Deli at 4201 Farragut Rd. they encountered heavy smoke “from behind the roll-up doors,” AMNY reported. Three hazmat companies removed several electric bikes and batteries from the premises, but one official investigation on the cause of the fire is not complete.

There were no injuries, but the fire caused severe damage to the apartments on the second floor above the store.

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THE PERCENTAGE OF BK PIPES CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD

AROUND THE WITCH — As many as one in five New Yorkers may be drinking water from lead pipesreports Gothamist, and Brooklyn has more polluted pipes than the city average. Gothamist cites a new study on lead pipes from the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning. The study found that 13% of Brooklyn Pipes were contaminated with lead, while 33% were possibly contaminated. Some neighborhoods, such as Coney Island, Greenpoint, Borough Park, Flatbush, Sunset Park, and others, are “hot spots.”

Lead is a dangerous heavy metal that can cause permanent brain damage and other developmental problems in children if consumed.

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PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITED ON AMENDMENTS TO BROOKLYN SUBWAY REPAIR PROJECTS

CROWN HEIGHTS AND EAST NEW YORK – Two Brooklyn subway stations are the focus of a public comment period that begins Wednesday, July 19th and runs through July 28th. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council welcomes comments on the proposed amendments to the Transportation Improvement Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2023-2027. The Brooklyn projects are (T8041256) a repair or replacement of platform components at the New Lots Avenue station on the New Lots Line (3 train between the Utica Avenue stop in Crown Heights and the New Lots in East New York; and full ADA accessibility). at the New Lots Avenue station. An additional project involves the purchase of 90 fully electric articulated buses throughout the city. The details of the actions mentioned above and all the proposed changes to the program can be consulted at https://bit.ly/PFAC0719.

However, two other projects for Brooklyn’s Broadway Junction have been scrapped because of grant proposal delays for federal money and are moving forward only with funds from the sponsoring agency. The work would involve the replacement of escalators, electrical systems, surveillance panels and other components, all of which are considered “at the end of their useful life”.

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SUNY DOWNSTATE AWARDS RENEWAL GRANT FOR HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH TRAINING

FLATBUSH —SUNY DOWNSTATE has secured a second $10 million NIH grant to accelerate health equity research training. The $10 million John Lewis NIMHD Research Endowment Grant (here, a renewal grant) will increase the original 2017 research endowment to $20 million, expanding capacity for transformative health equity research, allowing SUNY Downstate to continue the work of its Program Translational Training in Health Disparities Research (TRANSPORT). This project focuses on recruiting and training health equity researchers from underrepresented groups in the biomedical sciences.

The renewal grant will also establish a new Health Equity Research Institute as a centralized hub for the administrative functions of the grant programs. The institute will enhance Downstate’s capacity for educational programs in Brooklyn.

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REBECCA WEINER, OF BROOKLYN, APPROACHED FOR THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERTERRORISM IN NEW YORK

IN THE CITY — New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday the appointment of Brooklyn resident Rebecca Ulam Weiner as deputy intelligence and counterterrorism commissioner. for the NYPD. A 17-year veteran of the NYPD with a resume a mile long, Weiner has overseen investigative, analytical, operational and engagement efforts in counterterrorism, counterintelligence, criminal intelligence and many other domains. Weiner also served as legal counsel for the NYPD Intelligence Bureau’s Intelligence Analysis Unit and as team leader for the Middle East and North Africa. Weiner, who is the first woman to hold that capacity, lives with her husband Drake and two sons, Xavier and Damien, whom she called “Brooklyn born and raised.”

Weiner graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature and cum laude from Harvard Law School with a juris doctorate. The service runs in his family: After immigrating to the United States from Poland, Weiner’s grandfather served as a mathematician for the Manhattan Project.

Rebecca Weiner testifies in September 2019 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC during a discussion comparing international and domestic terrorism. At the time, she was the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Analysis. Photo used with permission from C-SPAN

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POLICE: 90-YEAR-OLD BUSHWICK MISSING

BUSHWICK – A 90-year-old Bushwick resident went missing Monday morning, and police are asking the public to contact them if they have any information that could help them find him. Gabriel Ismael was last seen around 8 a.m. Monday at his residence near Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue. He is described as 6’2″ tall and 150 pounds, with black eyes, black hair and a mustache.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at

Police are looking for Bushwick resident Gabriel Ismael. Photo: NYPD

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CONTROLLER INTERVENTION AT UPS: RESOLVING PART-TIME PAY CONCERNS AND AVOIDING A STRIKE

IN THE CITY: Warning that a prolonged strike could hurt the economy, New York Comptroller Brad Lander wrote to the CEO of United Parcel Service, Carol Tomé, urging the shipping and package delivery company to address part-time employee pay issues in its contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Lander, who sent the letter with just two weeks to go before the Aug. 1 deadline for negotiations, stressed the critical need for a resolution amid potential ripple effects on the nation’s economy. “We believe a protracted strike could have long-term damaging effects on the company, destroying shareholder value and long-term returns. His office has warned that failure to reach a resolution threatens not only to delay delivery for consumers, but also cause supply chain disruptions for vulnerable industries such as small businesses and hospitals.

Part-time employees make up nearly 50% of UPS employees and perform crucial roles as package handlers, loaders and unloaders throughout the package system.