Month: August 2026

The corner was formerly the site of a six-story commercial building housing a TD Bank branch, which has moved down the block.

The post Construction begins on 51-story luxury tower in Brooklyn Heights appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Floodwaters swamp Coney Island streets as drivers navigate dangerous conditions  News12 | Brooklyn

Floodwaters swamp Coney Island streets as drivers navigate dangerous conditions  News12 | Brooklyn

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The neighborhood mourns the Rev. Erika Meyer, associate rector for Pastoral Care and Community Life at Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights, who died peacefully on July 14 after a battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held in September for Meyer, who built a ministry around guiding people through the grieving […]

The post Rev. Erika Meyer mourned and remembered for her pastoral gifts appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

On the heels of a July 29 crash that killed a teenage e-moto rider, state Attorney General Letitia James last week issued an alert reminding consumers and businesses alike that it is illegal to buy or sell microbility devices that are marketed as e-bikes or e-scooters but can exceed New York’s strict speed limits for the two-wheelers.

James’ office’s alert makes clear that two-wheeled electric-assisted vehicles that go faster than 25 miles per hour inside of New York City and 20 mph across the rest of the state do not qualify as e-bikes or e-scooters under state law. Instead, New York classifies them as e-motos, mopeds, or motorcycles, all of which may require additional licensing, registration, and insurance compared to e-bikes and e-scooters.

James, in a statement, said the strict legal limits are aimed at keeping New Yorkers safe and that those who ignore them are placing “everyone on our streets in danger.”

“I urge businesses and consumers throughout our state to follow the law and keep unlicensed and unregistered motor vehicles off our streets,” James said. “No one should have to fear for their lives when crossing the street, and I encourage New Yorkers to follow the law and report those selling illegal e-bikes and e-scooters to my office.”

The attorney general’s office urged New Yorkers to file consumer complaints about companies they find to be selling devices illegally marketed as e-bikes or e-scooters in the city, including those sold online.

James’ office issued the alert following a couple of recent incidents where riders of illegal motorized two-wheelers got into fatal crashes. It came just two days after a 17-year-old, whom several news outlets identified as Gabriel Nacato, riding an illegal e-moto device, was killed by colliding with an SUV on Center Street in Lower Manhattan.

Nacato was riding an e-moto produced by the company Deepower, according to local officials and safe streets advocates.

The device is marketed as an e-bike, even though it weighs 100-pounds, can reach a top speed of 30 mph, and has a 1500-watt motor, according to Deepower’s website. Given those specs, it exceeds the legal limits for both e-bike speeds and motor power in the city.

Legal e-bikes in the Big Apple, none of which can have an electric motor that exceeds 750 watts of power, are divided into three classes, the consumer alert says.

Class 1 and 2 e-bikes — those that are low-speed pedal-assist and low-speed throttle-assist respectively — can both only help the rider with electric power up to 20 mph in the five boroughs, according to the alert. Class 3 e-bikes also use a throttle, but can go up to 25 mph with assistance.

E-scooters, meanwhile, must have a maximum speed of 20 mph in the city and are illegal to ride over 15 mph, James’ office warned.

However, officials and advocates have warned that while such devices cannot be sold as e-bikes and e-scooters under state law, the companies that make them often get around those restrictions by selling online.

Ben Furnas, executive director of the safe streets advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, applauded James’ consumer alert in a July 31 statement, saying it is “beginning to turn the tide on these companies’ deceptive practices.”

“New Yorkers deserve to know whether they’re buying something safe and legal, or dangerous and illegal,” Furnas said. “It’s unconscionable that companies have been falsely marketing illegal high-speed devices as street-legal and selling them to unwitting New Yorkers, leading to multiple deadly crashes on our streets.”

A PLAN FOR MORE CONVENIENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING in the neighborhoods south of Prospect Park is moving forward.

The post South of Prospect Neighborhood Plan is focus of public meeting   appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Russian Opposition Politician Flees to France  The New York Times

ELDERLY AND DISABLED MUNICIPAL RETIREES will receive refunds for unlawfully charged medical copays, as part of a $53 million settlement.

The post City and Emblem Health will refund copays to retirees as part of settlement   appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

The wait is almost over as the hit series “Gravesend” prepares to return for its highly anticipated third season.

The independently produced crime drama, written, created by and starring Brooklyn native William DeMeo, has wrapped production on its newest season and is set to return to Amazon Prime in two parts. The first six episodes are expected to debut in late September or October, with a trailer slated for release this week.

“It’s a long process because we shot a lot of episodes,” DeMeo told Brooklyn Paper. “To do it independently is not easy for us to be able to pull off what we did.”

Season three expands the show’s already recognizable cast with several high-profile additions, including Tony Danza, Talia Shire, Vince Curatola, rapper Maino, Peter Gunz, Big Daddy Kane and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal.

For DeMeo, working alongside actors and entertainers he admired growing up has remained one of the most rewarding parts of producing the Brooklyn-based series. 

“It’s amazing,” he said. “For me to work with people who I grew up admiring — Tony Danza, who’s originally from East New York, and all these people like Vinny Pastore and Chazz Palminteri and Dominic Chianese, who was in ‘The Godfather,’ and Talia Shire, who was in ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Rocky’. Just to have these icons in the show, it’s really, really remarkable.”

True to its roots, “Gravesend” continues to showcase Brooklyn itself as one of the show’s biggest stars. 

Rather than recreating neighborhoods on studio lots, the production filmed at beloved institutions including Brennan & Carr, Villabate Bakery, L&B Spumoni Gardens, Luigi’s Pizza in Park Slope, Crispy Pizza and Da Vinci’s Pizza. 

“We really take pride in it,” DeMeo said. “A lot of times people shoot this stuff on Hollywood lots, where we shoot right there. We shoot where all these street people hung out, and it makes it so much more immersive.”

The familiar settings help viewers recognize neighborhoods they’ve visited or grown up in, adding another layer of authenticity to the series’ portrayal of 1980s Brooklyn.

That authenticity also extends to “Gravesend’s” newest characters. DeMeo said O’Neal’s addition broadens the story by introducing another side of Brooklyn.

“Fans can expect to see the same thing they see in the first two [seasons], which is the real deal of what it was like to grow up in Brooklyn in the ’80s,” he said. “They could expect a new element with Shaq, which brings the other side of Brooklyn, like Bed-Stuy.”

DeMeo added that audiences may be surprised by O’Neal’s acting performance.

“His performance is [incredible]. You’re talking about somebody who is arguably one of the top five most recognizable people in the world, and he really showed up as an actor in the show,” he said. “I think people are going to tune in just to see his performance.”

The upcoming season arrives following the death of Pastore over the weekend. The veteran actor, who appeared in “Gravesend” as Donnie “Glasses” Sisto, was best known for his role as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on HBO’s acclaimed crime drama “The Sopranos,” a performance that earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Pastore was found dead Saturday at his home. He was 80.

DeMeo told Brooklyn Paper that Pastore was one of his closest friends.

“It’s been very hard for me with Vinny because he was a very dear friend of mine,” DeMeo said. “He was like a brother.”

Reflecting on Pastore’s legacy, DeMeo recalled the birthday celebrations they hosted together and said he has been moved by the outpouring of tributes following the actor’s death.

“I don’t even think Vinny really realized how big of a star he was,” he said. “If you look online and social media, everybody is sharing him. He’s being covered by TMZ and all these news channels. He’s someone really dear to my heart.”

DeMeo also acknowledged how difficult it will be to replace actors like Pastore, whose real-life Brooklyn roots helped shape the series.

“These guys are like the last of the Mohicans,” he said. “He’s irreplaceable. There’s only a handful of these guys left to play these parts. They’re so authentic. That’s why they’re in ‘The Sopranos’. That’s why they’re in all these big movies. That’s why it’s special to me to be able to work with all these icons.”

With production complete and the trailer on the way, DeMeo said fans won’t have to wait much longer before returning to the streets of “Gravesend.”

“The wait is over,” he said. “‘Gravesend’ Season three is coming.” 

Зохран Мамдани пришёл к власти, обвиняя Эрика Адамса в финансовом кризисе, расточительстве и неправильном управлении системой приютов. Но, оказавшись в мэрии, он не отменил одну из самых дорогих схем своего предшественника. Вместо этого администрация Мамдани решила продолжить её ещё на три года, предусмотрев до $1,865 млрд на гостиничное размещение бездомных.

НЬЮ-ЙОРК — Распространяемый в Facebook постинг утверждает, что администрация мэра Зохрана Мамдани продлила контракт стоимостью $1,86 млрд, позволяющий размещать бездомных жителей Нью-Йорка в гостиницах до 2029 года.

Вердикт: основная цифра и сроки соответствуют официальным документам. Что подтвердил официальный City Record

В официальном выпуске The City Record от 28 июля 2026 года Департамент по делам бездомных Нью-Йорка, DHS, сообщил о продлении контракта с HANYC Foundation Inc.

В документе указаны:

• сумма продления — $1,864,916,716.95;
• срок — с 1 июля 2026 года по 30 июня 2029 года;
• назначение — гостиничные услуги для чрезвычайных программ DHS;
• номер закупки — 07124N0007001R001.

Таким образом, центральное утверждение постинга о сумме и сроке является правдивым.

Но этот контракт появился не при Мамдани

Вирусная картинка не объясняет, что Мамдани не создавал эту схему с нуля.

Первоначальный контракт был подготовлен ещё в январе 2025 года при администрации Эрика Адамса. Уже тогда официальное объявление предусматривало:

• основной период с 1 января 2025 года по 30 июня 2026 года;
• возможность единственного продления ещё на три года — до 30 июня 2029 года.

Следовательно, администрация Мамдани воспользовалась заранее предусмотренной опцией старого контракта, а не неожиданно придумала новый трёхлетний гостиничный проект.

Окончательная зарегистрированная стоимость первоначального контракта составляла $929,104,960 за 18 месяцев. Продление предусматривает около $1,865 млрд за три года. При пересчёте на один год расходы практически не изменились: примерно $619 млн в год по первоначальному контракту против $622 млн в год по продлению.

Означает ли это, что город уже потратил $1,86 млрд?

Нет. Указанная сумма является стоимостью или предельным объёмом трёхлетнего контракта, а не подтверждением того, что все деньги уже выплачены гостиницам.

Город получает возможность использовать гостиничные номера в зависимости от потребности системы приютов. Однако сам факт такого разрешения означает, что администрация сохраняет гостиничную модель ещё на три года и резервирует под неё чрезвычайно крупную сумму.

Кроме того, контракт с HANYC главным образом обеспечивает гостиничные помещения и их обслуживание. Питание, охрана, медицинская, юридическая и социальная помощь могут оплачиваться через отдельные контракты, поэтому совокупная стоимость содержания людей в гостиничных приютах может быть выше стоимости только этого соглашения.

Почему город продолжает использовать гостиницы

DHS объясняет, что коммерческие гостиницы используются, когда в обычных приютах не хватает мест. В официальном объявлении говорится, что город намерен постепенно отказаться от гостиниц, но пока обязан сохранять дополнительную вместимость для выполнения установленного в Нью-Йорке требования предоставлять временное убежище нуждающимся.

Масштаб проблемы остаётся значительным. По официальному ежедневному отчёту DHS, на 30 июля 2026 года в городской системе приютов находились 82 929 человек, включая 54 836 взрослых и 28 093 ребёнка.

Итог проверки

Постинг правильно указывает сумму $1,86 млрд и срок до 2029 года. Администрация Мамдани действительно решила воспользоваться трёхлетней опцией продления гостиничного контракта.

Но необходимо добавить три уточнения:

Во-первых, первоначальный контракт и возможность его продления были утверждены ещё при администрации Адамса.

Во-вторых, $1,86 млрд — это сумма трёхлетнего контрактного обязательства, а не доказательство того, что все деньги уже потрачены.

В-третьих, контракт не означает, что все бездомные будут постоянно жить в гостиницах до 2029 года. Он позволяет DHS использовать гостиничные номера по мере необходимости.