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Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce moves to Industry City

webadmin on July 20, 2021

After over 100 years in Downtown Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is packing up its offices on Adams Street and heading south. The organization is moving to Industry City in Sunset Park, becoming one of the largest tenants at the rapidly growing campus.
The chamber will occupy over 10,000 square feet in one of Industry City’s 16 buildings, a 30 percent increase in space from the organization’s old offices.
Chamber president and CEO Randy Peers believes the new space will help the chamber bounce back after the pandemic and bring the organization closer to its constituents beyond Downtown Brooklyn.
“Brooklyn’s economy is comprised of innovative small businesses, including many minority and immigrant-owned companies more typically found at Industry City and throughout every neighborhood across the borough,” Peers said.
“Industry City is truly an economic engine for Brooklyn, and its diverse tenant mix of manufacturing, retail, hospitality, tech, fashion, design, and MWBEs reflects our business community,” he added. “Plus, its vibrant, amenity-rich environment is strategic for attracting top minds and talent to the organization.”
Andrew Kimball, CEO of Industry City, sees the chamber’s arrival as a benchmark in the growth of the former industrial complex.
“Simply said, having the Brooklyn Chamber as an anchor tenant at Industry City is a big deal and testament to our extraordinary growth as a small business mecca and hub for Brooklyn’s innovation economy,” Kimball said. “With their services on-site, the chamber will be an even greater asset to our tenants helping countless small businesses thrive in their markets and reach new heights.”
While many of Brooklyn’s businesses suffered during the pandemic, Industry City miraculously managed to continue growing, leasing out over 500,000 square feet to new tenants in 2020 alone. The complex is currently on pace to lease out even more space in 2021.
Industry City’s growth comes a year after a plan to rezone the complex failed. The project would have seen the campus’ zoning modified to allow for new construction, commercial space, and academic facilities, but was opposed by local activists and politicians, who believed the project would have led to more gentrification and displacement in the district.

Congresswoman celebrates first Child Tax Credit payments

webadmin on July 20, 2021

This past Thursday, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez celebrated the first child tax credit payments during a special town hall session via Zoom. Velazquez, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Lower Manhattan, discussed the transformative impact she believes the new funding will have.
“Today, families across the city received their first child tax credit check,” Velazquez said. “This is an important, massive investment to confront childhood poverty in our nation.”
The federal child tax credit was greatly expanded this past March with the passage of President Joe Biden and Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Previously, the credit only awarded a small sum of money to parents who earned enough money to owe income tax.
After the passage of the American Rescue Plan, the credit is available to many more families, with the desired effect of helping those who lost jobs or incurred unexpected financial burdens during the pandemic.
Velazquez detailed the process to receive and be eligible for the child tax credit.
“You don’t need to do anything,” she said. “You don’t need to sign anything or contact the IRS. If you complete your taxes, you get this relief automatically.”
Under the expanded child tax credit, families with children under the age of six receive $300 a month. For children between the ages of 6 and 17, families receive $250 per month.
Couples filing jointly who earn below $150,000 annually are eligible for the tax credit. Single parents who file as head of household and earn less than $112,500 annually are also eligible.
While celebrating the expanded program, Velazquez also acknowledged the political turmoil and gridlock that has overtaken Washington.
“By the way, not a single Republican voted for the American Rescue Plan, but they are reaping the benefits of this program,” Velazquez said.
“Even as the economy continues its recovery from the pandemic, millions of renters continue to face tremendous debt,” she added. “While this [the child tax credit] is certainly a milestone and relief after a long year and a half, I know a lot of questions still remain about how to progress in this new normal.”

Diocese receives relic of potential new saint

webadmin on July 20, 2021

On Wednesday, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and other members of the Diocese of Brooklyn accepted a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be considered for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church.
Acutis was born and raised in Italy, but gained notoriety internationally for creating a website (miracolieucarisici.org) listing every Catholic miracle of the Eucharist throughout history. Acutis tragically passed away at age 15 in 2006 after a battle with leukemia.
However, Pope Francis later attributed a miracle to him when a boy with a malformed pancreas was healed after coming into contact with one of Acutis’ shirts.
In order for someone to become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, they must have two miracles attributed to them. There are still relics – physical remains such as hair, skin, or bones – from Acutis’ life that could potentially lead to another miracle.
To this end, Bishop DiMarzio reached out to Bishop Domenico Sorrentino from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino in central Italy and asked if one of Acutis’ relics could be sent to Brooklyn.
Bishop Sorrentino agreed, and on Wednesday the relic — in this case a lock of Acutis’ hair — arrived at the chapel of the Diocese of Brooklyn Chancery in Windsor Terrace.
“There are over 10,000 recognized saints and only about 120 are under the age of 15 years old,” Bishop DiMarzio explained on Wednesday. “Consistent from the age of seven, this boy [Acutis] was attracted to the Eucharist and to the mass, but he wasn’t detached from the world. You can see from the pictures, he wore blue jeans and sneakers. He was always on the internet.”
The Diocese of Brooklyn plans on bringing the relic to schools and churches throughout Brooklyn in the hopes of inspiring other young people.
“We have a very vital youth ministry that works with young people trying to teach them to think about and practice their faith,” Bishop DiMarzio told this paper. “So to have this relic with us enhances that work. You can read a lot of books, but somebody’s life teaches us and inspires us more.”
The relic arrives at a time when the Diocese of Brooklyn is actively working to leverage new technologies and ideas to confront modern problems. Last month, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens launched a new sustainable energy initiative that aims to confront climate change.
Bishop DiMarzio hopes that Acutis’ work will continue to motivate the church and its members to address pressing issues.
“It’s important to us to be in the world,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “We are not something from the past. We are from the present, and we want to make sure we can reach the people here in the present. So when the church gives us this blessed person who is very contemporary, that can maybe inspire people.”

Women have chance at majority on Council

webadmin on July 20, 2021

For the first time in the history of the City Council, women have the opportunity to hold a majority of the seats.
If all of the June primary winners are victorious in the general election this November, 30 women will hold 51 of the seats in the legislative body.
Last week, some of those winners and their colleagues in government rallied outside City Hall with members of “21 in ’21,” a grassroots advocacy group founded in 2017 with the goal of getting more women elected to the City Council.
If the results stand, the group surpassed its goal by nine seats.
“It is incredible to see this idea finally turn into a reality that has led to a historic moment,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “When women run and have the support around them, women win.”
There are few competitive races later this year, so it is likely most, if not all, of the primary winners will join the City Council on January 1.
Nantasha Williams, Shahana Hanif, and Mercedes Narcisse would claim seats never held by a woman in Jamaica, Cobble Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The LGBTQ+ Caucus would be bolstered if the primary results hold. Crystal Hudson and Kristin Richardson Jordan would be the first openly gay Black women to serve in the City Council. Tiffany Cabán would be Astoria’s first openly gay representative.
Sandra Ung, a Chinese American from Flushing, won the primary for the seat being vacated by Peter Koo.
And Linda Lee and Julie Won will be the first two Korean-American women in the City Council, while Felicia Singh and Shahana Hanif would be the first two South Asian members.
“Over half of my district’s residents are foreign-born, but I am set to become the first immigrant and the first woman to represent these neighborhoods,” said Won. “As trailblazing elected officials have done before me, I will partner with the rest of the incoming City Council cohort to create a professional pipeline for progressive Asian, Black, and Brown activists to ascend to the highest levels of government and elected office.”
Hanif would also hold the distinction as the first ever Muslim council member.
“I’m excited to forge a model of leadership in coalition with all the women that is deeply committed to enabling and expanding a multiracial, participatory democracy,” said Hanif. “It is past time for the women of our city to be front and center.”
Singh arguably has the strongest challenger in the general election in Queens Republican Party chair Joann Ariola. However, if Singh were to lose, the seat would still go to a woman.
Additionally, the City Council will now have 11 mothers.
In 2017, former speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and former council member Elizabeth Crowley co-founded 21 in ’21. At the time, women held only 11 seats in City Council despite accounting for 52 percent of the city’s population.
They’ve expanded their coalition over time by partnering with 17 different organizations, including Emily’s List and She Will Rise.
“I am enormously proud to have taken the baton and gotten the organization across the finish line,” said Amelia Adams, president of Adams Advisors, a firm focused on government affairs, community relations and political consulting. “With the help of our membership, mentors and candidates, we created a sisterhood that is going to continue in the body of the City Council and beyond.”
Some advocates believe the increase in female representation was a direct result of ranked choice voting, which was used city elections on a large-scale basis for the first time in the June primaries.
“For the first time ever, New York City’s government will actually reflect the diversity of our city, thanks to ranked choice voting,” said Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, COO at NYU’s McSilver Institute. “Ranked choice voting results in more wins for candidates of color and women, and the proof is in the results.”

Women have chance at majority on Council

webadmin on July 20, 2021

For the first time in the history of the City Council, women have the opportunity to hold a majority of the seats.
If all of the June primary winners are victorious in the general election this November, 30 women will hold 51 of the seats in the legislative body.
Last week, some of those winners and their colleagues in government rallied outside City Hall with members of “21 in ’21,” a grassroots advocacy group founded in 2017 with the goal of getting more women elected to the City Council.
If the results stand, the group surpassed its goal by nine seats.
“It is incredible to see this idea finally turn into a reality that has led to a historic moment,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “When women run and have the support around them, women win.”
There are few competitive races later this year, so it is likely most, if not all, of the primary winners will join the City Council on January 1.
Nantasha Williams, Shahana Hanif, and Mercedes Narcisse would claim seats never held by a woman in Jamaica, Cobble Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The LGBTQ+ Caucus would be bolstered if the primary results hold. Crystal Hudson and Kristin Richardson Jordan would be the first openly gay Black women to serve in the City Council. Tiffany Cabán would be Astoria’s first openly gay representative.
Sandra Ung, a Chinese American from Flushing, won the primary for the seat being vacated by Peter Koo.
And Linda Lee and Julie Won will be the first two Korean-American women in the City Council, while Felicia Singh and Shahana Hanif would be the first two South Asian members.
“Over half of my district’s residents are foreign-born, but I am set to become the first immigrant and the first woman to represent these neighborhoods,” said Won. “As trailblazing elected officials have done before me, I will partner with the rest of the incoming City Council cohort to create a professional pipeline for progressive Asian, Black, and Brown activists to ascend to the highest levels of government and elected office.”
Hanif would also hold the distinction as the first ever Muslim council member.
“I’m excited to forge a model of leadership in coalition with all the women that is deeply committed to enabling and expanding a multiracial, participatory democracy,” said Hanif. “It is past time for the women of our city to be front and center.”
Singh arguably has the strongest challenger in the general election in Queens Republican Party chair Joann Ariola. However, if Singh were to lose, the seat would still go to a woman.
Additionally, the City Council will now have 11 mothers.
In 2017, former speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and former council member Elizabeth Crowley co-founded 21 in ’21. At the time, women held only 11 seats in City Council despite accounting for 52 percent of the city’s population.
They’ve expanded their coalition over time by partnering with 17 different organizations, including Emily’s List and She Will Rise.
“I am enormously proud to have taken the baton and gotten the organization across the finish line,” said Amelia Adams, president of Adams Advisors, a firm focused on government affairs, community relations and political consulting. “With the help of our membership, mentors and candidates, we created a sisterhood that is going to continue in the body of the City Council and beyond.”
Some advocates believe the increase in female representation was a direct result of ranked choice voting, which was used city elections on a large-scale basis for the first time in the June primaries.
“For the first time ever, New York City’s government will actually reflect the diversity of our city, thanks to ranked choice voting,” said Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, COO at NYU’s McSilver Institute. “Ranked choice voting results in more wins for candidates of color and women, and the proof is in the results.”

Restaurant Revitalization Fund helps Forest Hills businesses

webadmin on July 20, 2021

Millions went to food businesses in Forest Hills as part of the $28.6 billion federal relief fund for eateries, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
The RRF is run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and has been supplying grants to food businesses from May 3 to July 14.
However, critics argue that the program was significantly underfunded. About 370,000 businesses nationwide applied for $75 billion. Less than one-third (roughly 105,000 out of the 370,000) of the applicants were approved.
In New York alone, more than 27,000 businesses applied for $9.63 billion. However, only one-third (9,800 out of the 27,000) were able to be funded.
As the SBA initially stated in a press release, the RRF is primarily focused on supporting “socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as women and veterans.”
Businesses that qualified as disadvantaged were able to receive approvals for their applications three weeks ahead of businesses that didn’t. Those who didn’t qualify could still apply at the same time, but their applications wouldn’t be processed or prioritized.
In response, some restaurant owners sued, claiming that they were being discriminated against. Eventually, the SBA was forced to alter the plan after several judges sided with the business that sued.
Following the lawsuits the SBA had to freeze or revoke payments for about 3,000 applicants who had already been notified about their application approval.
The SBA commented that although they can’t speak on the specifics of the litigation, they will continue to help small businesses. According to SBA data, (in total) 34% of the funds were granted to businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, 44% went to businesses owned by women, and 5.7% to veteran-owned businesses.
Independent businesses are eligible to receive up to $5 million, whereas restaurant groups are eligible for up to $10 million. Some of these already well-funded restaurant groups are being granted millions.
A great number of businesses in Forest Hills, both large and small, received grants.
The average grant for Forest Hills’ food businesses was $203,705, with the individual grants ranging from approximately $2,900 to $1.2 million. Dee’s Italian restaurant (107-23 Metropolitan Avenue) received Forest Hills’ biggest grant, roughly $1.2 million.
The grants can be used for payroll costs, sick leave, business mortgage, business rent payments, business debt service, business utility and maintenance payments, construction for outdoor seating, business supplies, and business food and beverage expenses.
Regrettably, there are still hundreds of thousands of food businesses that have been denied needed money. Congress is currently considering refunding the RRF, introducing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act of 2021. This would give the RRF a $60 billion replenishment and afford rejected restaurants another chance at funding.

Diocese receives relic of potential new saint

webadmin on July 20, 2021

On Wednesday, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and other members of the Diocese of Brooklyn accepted a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be considered for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church.
Acutis was born and raised in Italy, but gained notoriety internationally for creating a website ( miracolieucarisici.org) listing every Catholic miracle of the Eucharist throughout history. Acutis tragically passed away at age 15 in 2006 after a battle with leukemia.
However, Pope Francis later attributed a miracle to him when a boy with a malformed pancreas was healed after coming into contact with one of Acutis’ shirts.
In order for someone to become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, they must have two miracles attributed to them. There are still relics – physical remains such as hair, skin, or bones – from Acutis’ life that could still potentially lead to another miracle.
To this end, Bishop DiMarzio reached out to Bishop Domenico Sorrentino from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino in central Italy and asked if one of Acutis’ relics coulc be sent to Brooklyn.
Bishop Sorrentino agreed, and on Wednesday the relic – in this case a lock of Acutis’ hair – arrived at the chapel of the Diocese of Brooklyn Chancery in Windsor Terrace.
“There are over 10,000 recognized saints and only about 120 are under the age of 15 years old,” Bishop DiMarzio explained on Wednesday. “Consistent from the age of seven, this boy [Acutis] was attracted to the Eucharist and to the mass, but he wasn’t detached from the world. You can see from the pictures, he wore blue jeans and sneakers. He was always on the internet.”
The Diocese of Brooklyn plans on bringing the relic to schools and churches throughout Brooklyn in the hopes of inspiring other young people.
“We have a very vital youth ministry that works with young people trying to teach them to think about and practice their faith,” Bishop DiMarzio told this paper. “So to have this relic with us enhances that work. You can read a lot of books, but somebody’s life teaches us and inspires us more.”
The relic arrives at a time when the Diocese of Brooklyn is actively working to leverage new technologies and ideas to confront modern problems. Last month, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens launched a new sustainable energy initiative that aims to confront climate change.
Bishop DiMarzio hopes that Acutis’ work will continue to motivate the church and its members to address pressing issues.
“It’s important to us to be in the world,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “We are not something from the past. We are from the present, and we want to make sure we can reach the people here in the present. So when the church gives us this blessed person who is very contemporary, that can maybe inspire people.”

Statues vandalized outside Forest Hills church

webadmin on July 20, 2021

Early on Saturday morning, a vandal damaged two statues outside of Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church at 70-01 Kissel Street in Forest Hills.
The two statues targeted by the vandal had been in place since the church’s opening in 1937, and depict the Blessed Mother and St. Therese, the patron saint of florists. The vandal dragged the statues close to 200 feet across 70th Avenue before destroying them completely with a hammer.
Earlier in the week, both of the statues had been toppled, but were not damaged. Church officials believe that the same person is responsible for both incidents.
“Both of these statues have stood in front of the church since it was built,” said Father Frank Schwarz, Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church. “It is heartbreaking, but sadly it is becoming more and more common these days. I pray that religious tolerance may become more a part of our society.”
In the early morning hours of May 14, a crucifix was toppled and damaged and an American Flag burned at St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in Bensonhurst. The damaged crucifix was discovered by Monsignor David Cassato around 8 a.m. on his walk from the rectory to the academy to greet the students.
Then on May 17, a statue of Mary holding the baby Jesus was found vandalized near the diocese’s administrative office in Windsor Terrace. Diocese officials are working towards repairing the statue to its original form.
The Roman Catholic Church is not the only religious community currently reeling from a surge in crimes. On May 13, worshippers at the Tayba Islamic Center in Sheepshead Bay were shocked to find anti-Palestine phrases scraswled on the side of the building.
On May 22, a group of Jewish worshippers were verbally assaulted outside of a Borough Park Temple. Both episodes occurred while tensions between Israel and Palestine remained extremely high.
The Diocese of Brooklyn asks that anyone with information about this weekend’s attack in Forest Hills reach out to the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).

Congresswoman celebrates first Child Tax Credit payments

webadmin on July 20, 2021

This past Thursday, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez celebrated the first child tax credit payments during a special town hall session via Zoom. Velazquez, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Lower Manhattan, discussed the transformative impact she believes the new funding will have.
“Today, families across the city received their first child tax credit check,” Velazquez said. “This is an important, massive investment to confront childhood poverty in our nation.”
The federal child tax credit was greatly expanded this past March with the passage of President Joe Biden and Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Previously, the credit only awarded a small sum of money to parents who earned enough money to owe income tax.
After the passage of the American Rescue Plan, the credit is available to many more families, with the desired effect of helping those who lost jobs or incurred unexpected financial burdens during the pandemic.
Velazquez detailed the process to receive and be eligible for the child tax credit.
“You don’t need to do anything,” she said. “You don’t need to sign anything or contact the IRS. If you complete your taxes, you get this relief automatically.”
Under the expanded child tax credit, families with children under the age of six receive $300 a month. For children between the ages of 6 and 17, families receive $250 per month.
Couples filing jointly who earn below $150,000 annually are eligible for the tax credit. Single parents who file as head of household and earn less than $112,500 annually are also eligible.
While celebrating the expanded program, Velazquez also acknowledged the political turmoil and gridlock that has overtaken Washington.
“By the way, not a single Republican voted for the American Rescue Plan, but they are reaping the benefits of this program,” Velazquez said.
“Even as the economy continues its recovery from the pandemic, millions of renters continue to face tremendous debt,” she added. “While this [the child tax credit] is certainly a milestone and relief after a long year and a half, I know a lot of questions still remain about how to progress in this new normal.”

Half-Full or Empty?

webadmin on July 20, 2021

Let’s get this out of the way right now, the Mets had a terrible weekend.
They lost two out of three games to a dismal Pirates team, and if not for a ninth inning comeback on Sunday, it would have been three straight.
The Mets played poorly, their closer Edwin Diaz can’t get anybody out, and the kicker? Jacob deGrom and Francisco Lindor landed on the injured list.
What a way to start the second half!
Right out of the gate, the resiliency that has been a hallmark of the 2021 squad is being put to the test.
I’ve wondered something about this team all year. Are the Mets simply a product of a mediocre division, or are the Mets a much more talented and better team than the record would indicate?
I think it’s a combination of both.
There is no question that the Mets have taken advantage of the mediocrity of the National League East. It’s a division that has been far worse than anyone could have possibly imagined going into the start of the season.
However, it doesn’t mean you apologize for being in first place.
On the flip side, I do believe that the Mets can reach a much higher level of play. Offensively, they’ve come nowhere close to realizing their peak potential.
I’ve been encouraged by the quality at-bats of Michael Conforto and Dom Smith, and expect both to have quality second halves.
I also expect this new ownership group to go the extra mile trying to improve the ball club at the July 31st trade deadline.
Will the Mets add a starter, a bat or both? That remains to be seen, however I would be very surprised if the team decided to stay idle.
The Mets depth will once again be tested in the absence of deGrom and Lindor, and they have allowed some of the other teams in the division to hang around, but there’s still some good news.
The hallmark of the 2021 Mets is resilience. After Saturday’s bullpen meltdown, the Mets rallied offensively in a big way on both Sunday and Monday.
The Mets have a lot of fight in them. It’s commendable, and they’ll need it throughout the second half.

You can listen to my podcast “New York, New York” on the Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify and Apple Podcasts every Sunday Night, Wednesday & Friday early mornings.

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