Day: September 20, 2024

The feds recently issued a subpoena to a Catholic church in Brooklyn requesting information in relation to the dealings between one of its lead pastors, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, and hizzoner’s ex-chief of staff, Frank Carone, according to those familiar with the matter.

Residents living near Brooklyn’s toxic Gowanus Canal will be able to find out within weeks if their building is contaminated with cancer-causing vapors – but only if they can talk their landlord into letting the state come on their property and do tests, The Post has learned. Building owners have the right to bar the…

A city-owned concrete facility is producing dust and noise in the Columbia Waterfront District, and local leaders say something needs to be done.

Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation moved its concrete recycling facility from the South Brooklyn Army Terminal to a lot near the piers on Columbia Street. The move is temporary — necessitated by the construction of offshore wind infrastructure at the terminal — but residents took notice almost immediately. 

Council Member Shahana Hanif, who represents the area, said constituents have been coming to her office with complaints since the facility opened in February, but things escalated as the weather got warmer. 

One of the first problems were the trucks driving in and out of the facility. Residents said they were loud and clogging up local streets — but that was addressed fairly quickly, Hanif said, once brought to DOT.

The more persistent issue is concrete dust in the air around the neighborhood.

Concrete recycling facilities like DOT’s crush up old or wasted concrete to create Recycled Concrete Aggregate, which can be used in new construction projects. The process is largely seen as eco-friendly, since it cuts down on concrete waste being sent to landfill. 

But it creates plenty of dust, which residents say spreads far and wide. Neighbors told the Red Hook Star-Revue that the material gathers on their windowsills, and can be seen blowing off the site on windy days.

In the short term, concrete dust can cause irritation to the eyes, skin and respiratory system, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Long-term exposure can cause more serious conditions, including silicosis, caused by tiny silica particles found in concrete dust.

Hanif, her counterparts in the state legislature, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, and Community Board 6 on Friday penned an open letter to DOT Brooklyn Commissioner Keith Bray, urging him to act. 

DOT already has some dust mitigation measures in place, a spokesperson told Brooklyn Paper. Water is pumped into the concrete crushed and sprayed onto piles of crushed material to keep the dust down.

But, the letter states, that hasn’t been enough. 

“The existing mitigation efforts are insufficient,” the missive reads. “Our offices respectfully request that the DOT reassess and improve these efforts. Community members cannot be expected to tolerate constant dust accumulation that impacts their ability to breathe and covers their sidewalks, cars, and homes.”

An air quality monitor on Baltic Street, about a block from the facility, has regularly registered weekly air quality averages considered moderate or unhealthy, according to PurpleAir.com. While some of those spikes pre-date the facility, particulate matter in the air was at much higher than average levels between early June and late August of this year. 

Since February, locals have also filed a number of 311 complaints related to dust, construction, and demolition in the vicinity of the facility — though it’s unclear whether those complaints were specifically about the concrete recycling facility or another industrial business near the piers. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection did not immediately respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for clarification about the complaints. 

The pols are asking Bray to implement new dust control measures, educate residents on the facility by creating and distributing a pamphlet, and create a public-facing, project-specific liaison residents can go to with questions and concerns. They also want DOT to commit to repaving Columbia Street and surrounding roadways to improve the damaged roads. 

Hanif visited the facility in July to better understand what’s already being done, she said. She saw the water-spraying apparatuses in action, but said that on windy days, they aren’t doing enough — and it’s not clear if they operate on weekends, when no one is on the site.

The council member said that since that visit, the DOT has not done “anything substantial” to address the dust issues. 

“As an elected official, it is up to me and my colleagues to push the DOT, or any other agency, to be transparent,” Hanif said. “And if they’re saying there’s no issue, well, OK, present that in a way where residents feel less anxious, residents know what’s going on and they know who to call up if there’s an exacerbation of dust or noise.”

Gounardes said that while DOT has been relatively responsive to the politician’s requests, sending an open letter is an escalation of sorts.

“It’s a reflection of the urgency by which our own constituents are coming to us, asking for help,” he said. “I think that we’ve tried to work with the agency over a period of time, they’ve been somewhat responsive, but not fully, and this is the next iteration of how we continue to try to work to resolve the [concerns.]”

A spokesperson said DOT plans to relocate the plant as soon as an alternative site can be found. During a recent call, Hanif said, Bray said they are actively searching for a new location and are fairly close to locking one down. 

Given that — and the letter sent to Bray on Friday — Hanif said she feels fairly confident the issue could be resolved in the relatively near future.

“With the escalation, I think we’ll be able to garner more awareness that this is a big concern and it’s not been addressed,” she said. “I understand the challenges the agency is experiencing, the need for them to have relocated, and finding a city-owned waterfront space … but at this point, without escalation, we’re not getting any answers. If they’re able to relocate sooner, then great. But I do think, no matter where they end up, if they’re surrounded by a community of people, they should do their due diligence to ensure that there’s a lot more transparency if they’re going to be working side-by-side in a community.”

‘NO TIPPING’ IS THE POLICY at several Brooklyn coffee shops that have opened in the past couple of years, reported Gothamist.

The post Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs on suicide watch in Brooklyn’s ‘hellhole’ jail appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

1 dead, 3 hurt, including 1 firefighter, in Flatbush, Brooklyn house fire  ABC7 New York

NYC federal corruption probe linked to agency pulling contract over Terence Banks’ role  New York Daily News

Alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh may have targeted Trump over Putin, former co-worker says  New York Post

A GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN FOR THE FAMILY OF THE BOY who was killed Monday while train surfing has surpassed $5,000.

The post Some BK coffee shops ask customers to stop tipping appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Sept. 20, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan

A vivid portrait of U.S Rep. Nydia Velázquez, which blends her Puerto Rican identity and New York constituency, was unveiled in Congress on Tuesday. 

The ceremony was attended by high-ranking members of the Democratic party, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who also hails from Puerto Rico. More locally, North Brooklyn city council members Lincoln Rester, Sandy Nurse, and Jennifer Gutiérrez traveled to Washington, D.C., for the event. 

“Everyone who saw it came to the conclusion that the Capitol will never be the same,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries at the unveiling, according to El Nuevo Dia. 

Now serving her 16th term representing Brooklyn and Queens, Velázquez made history as the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House of Representatives in 1992. It was only fitting that the painting was showcased during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

The artist behind the portrait is Antonio Martorell, a Puerto Rican painter and writer who is one of the island’s most celebrated artists. Last year, President Biden awarded him the National Medal of Arts. 

In an interview with the Queens Post, he shared that while he’s done plenty of caricatures of politicians over the years, this marked his first portrait of a sitting elected official. 

“It all began more than 30 years ago,” said Martorell, recounting their first meeting in New York. “I was very impressed by her character so I wanted to do a portrait then. I knew she would go a long way. But the whole idea got postponed indefinitely.”

Velázquez became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a ranking member of a full House committee, the Small Business Committee. And in 2006, she made history again by being elected chairperson of the HSBC, a first for a Latina representative. 

About a year and a half ago, he got a call from the congresswoman in Washington who told him it was finally time for that portrait. Over three sitting sessions, two of which were out of his studio in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he painted the congresswoman with full artistic independence. 

Martorell insisted that she had to be standing up in the portrait, in opposition to traditional portraits of elected officials. He also knew that it would be colorful, so he zoomed out enough to display various elements of Puerto Rico and NYC in a more fluid and abstract way.

“The rest of the portraits are all very traditional, quite dark, very realistic and somber. And now this one is powerful,” he said, noting that most of the other portraits on display in the Capitol building are of white male leaders. “We had to be different.” 

To her left stands a Flamboyan tree, also known as a flame tree, which frequently appears as a symbol in Puerto Rican art. The background showcases the Brooklyn Bridge at night. 

A gavel and a mallet sit on the chair next to her as symbols of authority. At the bottom of the painting is a tiled floor commonly found in homes on the island. 

He recalls that the entire project took around six months to complete. When he deemed the portrait complete last year, he mailed it to Washington, D.C., to be framed. 

It wasn’t until Tuesday evening that he saw it again. Sitting among first time viewers, in what he said felt like his first time too, when a heavy red curtain was lifted. It displayed what is now one of the most colorful and non-traditional portraits in the Capitol.

“She has broken barriers and delivered for small businesses and families, especially when the nation needed it most during the pandemic. This is a proud and inspiring moment for Latinas, women, and leaders across the country,” shared Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx, on social media. 

As New York Senator Chuck Schumer pointed out, Rep. Velázquez is nicknamed La Luchadora after a female Mexican wrestler character, a reminder of her toughness and perseverance. 

“She doesn’t take no for an answer, she goes forward. She’s a fighter. She’s done a good job both for her constituency in this state and for the people of Puerto Rico,” said Martorell. “To represent that in a painting is meaningful.”