Adams Unveils Street Safety Initiative
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will unveil his $1 million plan for redesigning dangerous intersections in the borough, as part of his CROSS (Connecting Residents on Safer Streets) Brooklyn initiative to improve street safety for vulnerable pedestrians.
The announcement will take place at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Avenue Z in Sheepshead Bay, where 52-year-old Carol Carboni was fatally struck by a car last month.
Street safety advocates and community leaders will join Adams to discuss the plan to construct street extensions, known as “bulb-outs” or “neck-downs”, at sites selected based on crash data from the New York City Department of Transportation.
The press conference is slated for 2 p.m. today at the corner of Nostarnd Avenue and Avenue Z in Sheepshead Bay.
Golden Holds Mammography Screening
Bay Ridge State Senator Martin J. Golden is announcing that next month he will hold his third free mammography screening event for this this year in conjunction with the American Italian Cancer Foundation.
“I am proud to continue my partnership with The American Italian Cancer Foundation to make free mammography screenings available for those eligible. This quick medical exam uses a noninvasive X-ray targeted to each breast, producing pictures that medical
professionals can use to identify and treat any abnormal areas, possibly indicating the presence of cancer. Early detection of breast cancer saves lives, and I encourage those who have not had a mammogram in more than a year to make an appointment. It is important to stay informed, stay healthy, and get screened.”
The no cost mammograms will be available by appointment only from 9:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 aboard the mobile care clinic parked outside Golden’s office at 3604 Quentin Road. Women must be over 40, a New York City resident, and who has not had a mammogram in the past year.
To schedule an examination, please call the American Italian Cancer Foundation at 1-877-628-9090.
Hamilton Kicks Off Mentorship Program
Central Brooklyn State Senator Jesse Hamilton is seeking people for a one-on-one mentorship program dedicated to strengthening the lives and communities of young African-American males in 20th Senate District neighborhoods.
Dubbed Each One, Teach One, the program is for boys ages 10 to 14 years old and includes education leadership workshops and monthly cultural outings. The mission of Each One, Teach One is to empower young males through mentorship, building their self-confidence and challenging them to discover and fulfill their potential.
Please click here to sign up as a mentor or workshop presenter.
Schumer Pushes Financial Justice For Terrorism Victims
U. S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and John Cornyn (R-TX) yesterday announced the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” (JASTA) legislation, which works to deter international terrorism and provide access to financial justice for those who have suffered at terrorists’ hands.
This measure is long-sought after by families of 9/11 in order to bring a small amount of justice for the loss of their loved ones, by allowing them to sue foreign states and financial partners of terrorism.
Since the 9/11 attacks, some court decisions have improperly blocked terrorism-related claims that Congress intended to permit. Because of these rulings, without this legislation, Americans may have no recourse against the foreign states and groups that sponsor terrorist attacks. If passed, JASTA will help the victims of 9/11 and other terrorist acts achieve justice by allowing them to sue countries, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, that fund terrorist groups, like Al Qaeda.
JASTA would also allow a family member to sue those that fund ISIS, Hamas and other groups, should they kill an American in an act of terrorism on American soil.
“The bottom line is that victims of terror on American soil ought to have an ability to hold accountable the foreign powers and other entities that fund the hate-filled organizations that inflict injury and death on our fellow citizens,” said Schumer. “JASTA won’t bring back those who suffered at terrorists’ hands, but it will bring a small measures of justice for American victims of terror and that’s why Congress should pass this bill.”
Lander Hosts Walking Tour Of Gowanus Public Art
Park Slope/Gowanus City Councilman Brad Lander and neighborhood art organizations including Arts Gowanus, the Old Stone House, and Groundswell, will host a walking tour of the new Gowanus Public Art series on Sunday.
“The issues we face in Gowanus are serious ones: How do we confront the legacy of industrial pollution, and the challenges of climate change and resiliency? How can we create inclusive neighborhoods – with room for working- and middle-class families, for public housing, for artists, for manufacturing – amidst skyrocketing real estate values? What’s the right balance of housing and jobs? Can we preserve, (or even strengthen) the mixed-use, eclectic, creative character of the neighborhood amidst change?” said Lander on his website Bradlander.com.
For the past two years Lander has held meetings dubbed the “Bridging Gowanus” community planning process, in which more than 300 stakeholders – including long-time and newer homeowners, tenants, and NYCHA residents, small business owners, environmental activists, artists, affordable housing advocates – identified broadly-shared goals, discussed diverse viewpoints, and built consensus around a planning framework for the Gowanus area:
- Upfront investments in sustainable infrastructure
- Making sure manufacturing can thrive (and residents benefit)
- A genuine Gowanus mix of uses
- Preserve and create affordable housing
- A pathway for responsible growth
Sunday’s walk will give residents a first-hand look at some of these issues.
The walk is slated for 11 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 20 with a meet up at the Old Stone House, 336 Third Street between 4th/5th Ave. Please click here to RSVP.
Boyland Sentenced To 14 Years
Former Brownsville Assemblyman William F. Boyland Jr. was sentenced yesterday to 14 years in federal prison in a high-profile corruption case.
The sentencing brought to an end a prolonged legal battle. Boyland was acquitted of bribery charges in a federal court in Manhattan in 2011, only to be rearrested in Brooklyn in a case in which undercover agents recorded him asking for bribes.
During the sentencing, Judge Sandra L. Townes of Federal District Court in Brooklyn expressed anger at Mr. Boyland and his conduct, saying that he “clearly had no respect for the law” and that the trial had left her “not seeing any redeeming characteristics of the defendant.”
