Day: January 31, 2025

A New York doctor was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday for allegedly prescribing an abortion pill online in the Deep South state.

The post New York doctor indicted for prescribing abortion pill in Louisiana appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Jonathan Campos, a 34-year-old Coney Island high school graduate, was identified as one of the 67 victims killed in the devastating midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.

The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. as the American Airlines flight operated by PSA Airlines, captained by Campos, approached the airport runway. The plane, carrying 60 passengers and three other crew members, collided with the Black Hawk helicopter, which had three crew members aboard. Both aircrafts plummeted into the Potomac River, sparking a massive search-and-rescue operation.

As of Friday, rescue crews continued to search for missing individuals in the river while investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked to determine the cause of the collision.

The family of 28-year-old Melissa Nicandri confirmed to Pix11 the New York woman was also among the victims who died.

Mayor Eric Adams took to X to pay tribute to Nicandri. “At just 28 years old, her life was tragically cut short,” Adams posted. “My heart and my prayers go out to her loved ones.”

Campos, a seasoned pilot with a passion for aviation, was remembered as an extraordinary individual by his alma mater. A 2008 graduate of John Dewey High School in Coney Island, Campos had dreamed of becoming a pilot from a young age.

“He was an amazing young man who had his life cut short at age 34. I was fortunate enough to follow his career path,” said Lane Rosen, a science teacher at John Dewey High School, in a Facebook post. “Jonathan was active, social and highly adventurous. He raced motorcycles, was licensed to fly helicopters, was a flight instructor and an aircraft mechanic. He was a certified scuba diver and had a passion for aviation and a zest for life.

After graduating from John Dewey, Campos relocated to Florida in 2008 to pursue his aviation dreams at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, where he earned his degree in 2015. He later trained as a certified flight instructor at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach before becoming a captain in 2022.

Epic Flight Academy paid tribute to Campos on social media, calling him a “skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying.” The academy added, “Our deepest condolences go out to Jonathan’s family, friends, and all those who lost their lives or were impacted by this devastating tragedy.”

Local media in North Carolina reports that Campos and his fellow crew members were based in Charlotte. The first officer on the flight, Sam Lilley, was due to get married this fall, according to this father.

Timothy Lilley said in a Facebook post that his 28-year-old son’s tragic death “hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”

“I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking. He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall,” Lilley wrote. “It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.”

The proposal, submitted to the New York State Public Service Commission on Friday, calls for an average 11.4% increase in electric bills and a 13.3% increase in gas bills starting Jan. 1, 2026. The utility giant says it is raising rates to generate an additional $1.6 billion to enhance its electric delivery system and $400 million to upgrade its gas infrastructure.

The rate request begins an 11-month review process during which the Public Service Commission will hold hearings and allow elected officials, consumer groups, environmental advocates, and others to provide testimony.

Con Edison, which provides electricity to customers across the five boroughs and Westchester County, said it is upgrading its infrastructure to meet rising demand driven by building and transportation electrification, along with new development.  The utility said more customers are switching to heat pumps and electric vehicles in alignment with New York State’s climate laws, and the proposed investments will ensure the grid is prepared for this transition.

The company, which provides gas service to customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens, and Westchester County, said its gas plan includes investments to maintain the safety and reliability of its system. The company seeks to continue replacing cast iron and unprotected steel mains with durable plastic piping.

“Con Edison is proud to serve more than 9 million people in New York City and Westchester County, supporting the vital economic, health, and transportation networks that keep our region thriving,” said Matthew Ketschke, president of Con Edison, in a statement. “Our proposed investment plan will support critical work and investments in reliability, resiliency and clean energy infrastructure to meet the high expectations of our customers.”

The plan also calls for greater outreach to low-income New Yorkers to help them enroll in customer affordability programs.

Con Edison acknowledged the economic difficulties many customers face and is seeking additional funding to expand enrollment in its Energy Affordability Program (EAP). In 2024, Con Edison provided more than $300 million in bill discounts to those enrolled in the EAP.

The company says that a significant portion of the proposed rate hike is tied to rising property taxes on energy infrastructure.

The plan estimates that nearly 27% of the proposed electric revenue increase and about 14.5% of the proposed gas revenue increase stem from higher property taxes. 

SEN. GILLIBRAND said Friday that Trump’s plan to “buy out” federal workers would make it harder for seniors to get Social Security benefits.

The post Gillibrand: Trump’s buyout of federal workers threatens Social Security Administration  appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

THE MODERN “JEW-ISH” DINER, Gertie, located in Williamsburg, is opening a bagel pop-up this month at Amorina in Prospect Heights.

The post Gertie to host bagel pop-up in February appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN COMMUNITY members joined to support Lynn Sanders, the owner of CUE Boutique, after Sanders last summer suffered a stroke.

The post Bay Ridge store owner seeks support after medical incident appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Applications are now open for New York City’s e-bike trade-in program for food delivery workers, NYC DOT announced.

The post NYC DOT opens applications for e-bike trade-in program for food delivery workers appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday refused to disclose her recent conversations with President Trump on the fate of New York City’s congestion pricing program following reports on Thursday that he may scuttle the fairly new tolling system.

Hochul, during an unrelated Jan. 31 Manhattan news conference, said she would not reveal details of her two phone conversations with Trump this week, even as the New York Times reported that he is considering pulling a key approval for congestion pricing. The program charges drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street a $9 base toll — with the goal of reducing traffic and generating much-needed funds to update the city’s aging transit system.

“I’m not going to disclose the contents of the conversations I’ve had with the president,” Hochul said.

The revenue generated by congestion pricing will be used by the MTA to secure $15 billion in bonds that can then be used to update the city’s decaying public transportation system. The funding will go toward major infrastructure projects like modernizing the decades-old signal systems used on several subway lines and making many more train stations accessible to those with disabilities.

Hochul is reportedly due to speak to Trump once again, as well as Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Brooklyn), about the topic on Friday. She is also set to speak to the president about it a fourth time next week.

The governor cited anecdotal evidence that congestion pricing, which took effect on Jan. 5, has significantly shortened many people’s commutes by reducing traffic in Manhattan. Yet she also declined to say whether she sung the program’s praises in her conversation with the president.

“I’m aware of the change in patterns that resulted in, certainly for many people’s commutes, less time on the road,” Hochul said. “I cannot say that he knows about those stories, but there will certainly be more information as the MTA collects data.”

However, according to a report from the New York Post citing anonymous sources, Hochul did go to bat for keeping the program in place during a call with Trump on Thursday morning.

Trump previously vowed to halt congestion pricing as soon as he assumed office earlier this month. New York’s Republican Congressional delegation has also repeatedly urged Trump to recind the program’s federal approval.

“[Trump] and the people around him have said they are not supporting this,” she said. “Well, my job is to advocate on behalf of New York State and our policies with every tool that I have…I don’t know what the outcome will be, all I know is that I’ll do my best to fight.”

The govenror has had a complicated relationship with congestion pricing. She abruptly paused the program last June, just weeks before it was set to start, reportedly because she did not want it to interfere with several vital House races in the city’s suburbs.

But she restarted it, reducing the base toll from $15 to $9, after Trump was elected in November.

For his part, MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber said, during a Citizens Budget Commission breakest in Manhattan on Friday, that ending congestion pricing could have far-reaching consequences.

Specifically, Lieber argued that halting the scheme could hurt other localities that have used a similar model of securing bonds through toll revenues.

“The idea that the federal government would summarily rescind agreements with the states and localities, that has national implications,” Lieber said. “We have all these toll roads in Texas and Florida and Ohio that have been approved, and they bonded those revenues. If all of a sudden, those agreements could be rescinded on a dime, bondholders are going to charge a lot more. It has a lot of consequences nationally.”