Honoring ALL Essential Workers…

On July 7th, the City of New York held a ticker-tape-parade to pay tribute to the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. They honored hospital workers, doctors, nurses, police, fire, sanitation, EMTs, and paramedics, along with other essential workers – all of whom deserve our deepest appreciation for being on the front-lines throughout the horrific past year and a half.

Unfortunately, there is one group of essential workers that is somehow always overlooked – Auto Mechanics and Machinists. Without the dedication and expertise of these highly skilled men and women, the emergency and other services our city relies on would just not be able to function for long. Ambulances, fire apparatus, police vehicles, sanitation trucks, and the cars, trains, and buses, that transported all the essential workers to their respective jobs, would have been out of commission! If not for the work of these Mechanics and Machinists, along with other trade-workers, the pandemic’s death-toll would have been much higher. These tradesmen were not afforded the opportunity to stay home and isolate during the pandemic, as most city employees were. Instead, they were required to risk exposure, not only for themselves but their loved ones as well, simply because they were indispensable and reported to their jobs daily to do their critical work – despite significant risk.

Just as during the horrific attack of Sept. 11, 2001, when these same workers were exposed to deadly toxins while working on equipment that supported the clean-up and recovery almost 20 years ago, their exposure during the current coronavirus crisis was no less hazardous.

Sadly, many Auto Mechanics and Machinists have lost their lives in service during both the COVID pandemic and from work associated with 9/11. The next time we honor essential workers, it would be nice if recognition were given to these same trade-workers who have always supported the work of our frontline heroes. Remember, those on the frontlines could not do their jobs without those who back them up by maintaining the equipment they use on the job, and the vehicles that get them there. It takes a team of many professionals to keep the city functioning, under both normal and emergency conditions, and if the City is going to honor its “heroes,” then that means – ALL who put their lives on the line!

With great respect for ALL essential workers who always go above and beyond,

Joseph A. Colangelo

President, SEIU NYC Local 246

jcolangelo@nyclocal246.org 

Nestled among the industrial buildings of Dupont Street at Greenpoint’s Northern tip, the team at Hana Makgeolli are hard at work preparing for the opening of their new tap room this coming August. Founded by business partners Alice Jun and John Limb, Hana Makgeolli has been steadily growing since its opening in 2019 and currently ships a variety of different artisanal Korean rice wines locally and nationwide.
This past week, our paper caught up with Jun and Limb while they worked on a new batch of Makgeolli.
“I think I got into brewing because I’m interested in my culture as a first generation Korean American immigrant,” Jun said. “My dad did it at home as a home brewer. It’s something that I learned how to do from him during my childhood and that I pursued as a passion project for fun. Once I moved to New York in 2011 for school, I became even more obsessed with it.”
The rice wine Hana Makgeolli produces follows in the footsteps of Jun’s father, utilizing a traditional process that relies on authentic ingredients.
“We make traditional style Korean alcohol,” Jun explained. “At a high level, we’re essentially brewing with rice and only rice currently. It’s a mix between medium grain white rice and sweet white rice.”
She continued: “We’re relying on a wild or natural fermentation starter that’s traditional and that distinguishes Korean alcohols from any other category of alcohol. That starter is called nuruk.”
Hana Makgeolli imports its starter directly from Korea to insure authenticity. The rice used for the wine is imported from California and other domestic locations.
After washing, soaking, draining, and cooking the rice, the team at Hana Makgeolli then allows its brews to ferment for weeks, sometimes even months, to achieve the proper flavor. The rice sediment is then separated from the liquid, thus producing the finished beverages.
Jun and Limb are aided in their efforts by a team of talented local brewers. They are also assisted by their canine helper Chapsal, a big, white, fluffy dog who roams throughout the brewery inspecting the work.
The team at Hana Makgeolli also credits the welcoming Brooklyn community for helping them find success and an audience early on.
“I think what makes Brooklyn special, from our perspective, is how open a community it is and how our guests, consumers, and friends have an open mind to trying something new,” said Jun. “When we were choosing what market to open up first in, we knew that by looking in Brooklyn, we would hopefully have the ear and the hearts and the minds of people. We were able to capture their attention in a genuine and authentic way just by telling our story.”
In addition to brewining, Jun and Limb are currently putting the final touches on their tap room, which they hope to open for tastings in August. With four different rice wines already in production and a healthy audience of fans supporting their work, the Hana Makgeolli team is hopeful that their success will inspire others to pursue a passion.
“Even if it’s not Korean beverages, we would hope that [other people will pursue] anything that they’re passionate about from their culture, background, or where they come from,” Jun said, “even if it’s different from the general market, consumer reports, or what the industry thinks overall about a particular food or beverage product.”
Jun smiled as she lifted a barrel, separating the rice sediment from the finished rice wine. “The main message is that if you love what you do and if you love what you make, the possibilities are endless.”

For more information, visit Hana Makgeolli at www.hanamakgeolli.com or on Instagram @hanamakgeolli.

The start of the 2nd half of the season wasn’t very graceful for the New York Mets, who finished the last three of seven straight games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets went into the All-Star Break after splitting four games at Citi Field, a disappointing result against one of the league’s bottom dwellers.
Friday’s series opener in Pittsburgh got chippy in the 5th inning after Marcus Stroman got Pittsburgh’s John Nogowski to line out to end the inning and strand a runner on 3rd. Stroman’s celebration irked Nogowski, resulting in a shoving match and the benches emptying.
The Mets were unable to get their offense going after that, with their one run in the 4th inning the only one they scored on Friday. Pittsburgh picked up a pair of insurance runs to take the first game 4-1. Injury problems also continued to rip apart the Mets roster, and just as JD Davis returned to the lineup, both Francisco Lindor and Jacob deGrom were placed on the injured list.
As they had through plenty of the 1st half, the Mets turned to their bench to fill the holes and keep them afloat. JD Davis made an almost instant impact, hitting a pair of 2-run homers to put the Mets up in Saturday’s game. A few hits in the 7th made it 6-0 to the Mets, who seemed to be firmly in control.
Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz struggled in relief, as Lugo surrendered two runs before giving up a 3-run homer. Diaz quickly got in trouble in the 9th as a hit-by-pitch, walk, and infield single loaded the bases for Pittsburgh. With two outs Jacob Stallings drove the ball to deep left, a walk-off grand slam for a 9-7 Pittsburgh win.
All-Star Taijaun Walker looked to right the ship on Sunday, but things quickly got worse. Walker got in trouble early, giving up three runs before walking two to load the bases. A swinging bunt hugged the 3rd base line seemingly in foul territory. With no play for an out, Walker went to swipe the ball away from the play before it rolled fair. The umpire ruled the ball fair and three more Pirates scored in the chaos for a 6-run 1st inning.
Manager Luis Rojas came storming out of the dugout, bumping into the umpire as he disputed the call. He was ejected from the game and later issued a 2-game suspension and undisclosed fine. Walker exited the game shortly after, pulled after recording just one out and giving up five earned runs.
This time the Mets bullpen and bats bailed out their starter. Drew Smith, Miguel Castro, Aaron Loup, Jeurrys Familia, and Trevor May combine for 8.2 scoreless innings. The Mets got on the board in the 3rd, but it was Travis Blankenhorn, brought in to replace the injured Lindor, who brought the Mets within striking distance as he sent a 3-run home run into the Allegheny River, his first MLB homer.
It was Michael Conforto who struck in the 9th, continuing a hot streak after returning to the lineup late last month. He hit a towering fly ball to center that carried out for a go-ahead 2-run homer. May picked up the save as the Mets avoided a sweep, but New York left Pittsburgh with a losing record against the Pirates this season.
New York looked to get it going in Cincinnati against the Reds, who fell 7.5 games behind the Brewers after a sweep by their NL Central rivals. Both teams got on the board instantly, with Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil going back to back for a 3-run first before Cincinnati capitalized on an error to take a 4-3 lead.
The Reds picked up another three after a comedy of errors continued to give away bases and runs. Luis Guillorme and Jeff McNeil, usually solid defensively, both committed brutal errors on double-play chances. Starting pitcher Jared Eickhoff was only charged with 2 of the 7 runs to score, leaving after 3.2 innings.
It was an absolute disaster, and even though 10 runs had been scored in the first two innings alone, it felt like the Mets had dug themselves an impossible hole to escape from. Once again, it was the bats and bullpen forced to make up for early mishaps.
Conforto hit another 2-run homer to make it a 7-5 ballgame in the 4th and Dom Smith tied the game up with one in the 5th. From that point on, the two would trade leads and jockey for control of the game, now up in the air.
Cincinnati took the lead in the 7th inning, but James McCann stepped up to pinch hit in the 8th inning and quickly became one of the more pivotal players in the game. He crushed the Mets’ 5th home run of the night to put them back in front 9-8, and Diaz took the mound hoping to avoid a third straight blown save.
Diaz walked the first batter he saw on four pitches but bounced back to strike out the next on three sliders. A groundout brought the Reds to their final out, but again Diaz couldn’t finish the job, coughing up the tying run on a double by Jesse Winker. It was the first time Diaz has blown three consecutive save opportunities, as he continues a back-and-forth year.
The game went to extras, and both teams cashed in their free baserunner in the 10th frame. A groundout brought up McCann, who singled home his third RBI off the bench. A pair of Cincinnati hits plated another tying run off of Anthony Banda in his Mets debut.
Banda was able to escape a jam and send the game into the 11th, and Jeff McNeil gave the Mets their fourth lead of the night with an RBI single. A huge 3-run homer from Jonathan Villar that split the game open and Conforto delivered for the 3rd time in two games, hitting his second homer of the night. The Mets went into the bottom of the 11th with a 15-10 lead, looking to finally close out the game.
Banda got the first out, but couldn’t stop the Reds from plating the free baserunner. He was replaced by Trevor May, who ended the game in eight pitches, putting the finishing touches on yet another incredible Mets comeback win.
New York’s lead in the NL East is slim and only getting smaller. Philadelphia is right on their tails, 10-4 in the month of July before they started a series against the Yankees. The Mets are going to need more big results to fend off the Phillies, and with the trade deadline looming, they’ll likely need to make some significant moves to land an additional pitcher and solid bat.

As the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations rises, the amount of mask-wearing goes down, especially after the CDC announced that it would be safe for all vaccinated individuals to ditch their masks.

Experts expect that common illnesses, such as the common cold, are going to make a comeback. Whether the consequences of the COVID-19 vaccine lead you to stay in as much as possible or resume your pre-pandemic routine, it’s important to take care of yourself. With so much concern over public health and care due to COVID-19, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the best medical centers in the neighborhood to suit your every need. 

Mount Sinai Queens (Astoria- Hospital)

 Mount Sinai Queens is dedicated to providing high quality, patient-centered care. The center features a state-of-the-art Emergency Department which is equipped with a wide range of specialty and primary care services and extensively trained professionals. 

Mount Sinai offers over 20 medical services, ranging from breast cancer services to dermatology to pediatrics as well as COVID-19 testing. Mount Sinai allows for same-day Appointments so any health concern that requires urgent care can be addressed right away. If contracting COVID-19 is a concern or you just don’t want to travel, they also offer remote care via online consultation, video call, or text. 

Elmhurst Hospital Center (Elmhurst- Center)

Elmhurst Hospital Center is one of eleven care centers of NYC Health + Hospitals that is a city public benefit corporation. EHC is equipped with the facilities and staff to serve one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the city. 

What sets EHC apart from other hospitals is they’ve been named “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for 2020, making it the fifth consecutive year that EHC has received this designation. EHC makes every effort to serve their diverse community; in addition to the general medical care that’s available at every hospital, they provide mental health, trauma, and rehabilitation programs for struggling patients.  

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center (Jamaica- Hospital)

Jamaica Hospital has served Queens residents since 1891. It was named one of America’s 250 best hospitals in 2021 by Healthgrades, making it the second consecutive year that Jamaica has received this distinction. This validation is only awarded to hospitals that rank in the top 5% in the nation for overall clinical excellence. 

In addition to its wide range in clinical services typically offered by top hospitals, Jamaica’s emergency department is one of the busiest in all of New York and the only one to exist in South Queens. 

Forest Hills Medical Services (Forest Hills- Gynecology)

Forest Hills Medical Services is extremely essential to people with female reproductive systems. They believe in providing patients with comfort and trust. Their office has a spa-like ambiance in order to ensure relaxation and their staff are thorough, gentle, and extremely knowledgeable. 

Dr. Nithya Gopal, one of two doctors at FHMS, is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She’s also a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is an active member of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. She’s just one of the members of the team that will equip patients with the knowledge needed to make healthy decisions. FHMS offers many services such as family planning, diagnostic testing, pregnancy care and delivery, and counseling. 

EMU Health (Glendale- Women’s Health and Multispeciality Surgical Center)

EMU Health makes quality medical care extremely accessible to the residents of Queens. Their state of the art facility, acceptance of almost all major insurance providers, and multispecialty center allow for pleasant visits to EMU.

Additionally, EMU’s relationship with major hospitals in the area which include NY Presbyterian, NYU Langone, and North Shore, ensures high-quality care by certified professionals. Patient safety is their number one priority. EMU seeks to maximize the exchange between doctor and patient without sacrificing integrity. EMU provides services such as gynecology, preconception and contraceptive counseling, menopause care, mammograms, cardiology, orthopedics, and surgery. 

Beacon Eldercare (Maspeth- Home Care)

Beacon Eldercare is a licensed Home Care Agency that provides health care services to clients within the comfort of their own homes. They typically serve seniors, the chronically and temporarily disabled, and those who live with relatives and need extra support. 

Beacon’s Home Health Aides are professional, compassionate, and trustworthy. If COVID-19 has caused you to work multiple jobs, and you have a loved one living at home that requires aid, consider Beacon Eldercare. Especially if the pandemic has made leaving your home to receive health care services a concern, Beacon may also be a good fit for you. See their website here for more information. 

As new development continues along the North Brooklyn waterfront in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, the conversation often turns to affordability. Such was the case this past week when a lottery opened for affordable units in the Two Blue Slip building on Greenpoint Landing. Two Blue Slip is a 39-story residential tower that is part of the ongoing Greenpoint Landing complex at the very northern tip of Brooklyn. Designed by Handel Architects and managed by Park Tower Group, the massive project plans to erect seven mixed-use buildings within the decade.
Two Blue Slip is the first of these buildings to open, with a grand total of 359 units. To ensure that local residents could reap the benefits of the new tower, 127 units (including 35 studios, 35 one-bedroom units, and 25 two-bedroom units) were set aside for a special affordable housing lottery.
However, outrage broke out as soon as the process started this past week, with critics expressing dismay at monthly rents that start at $2,370 and go as high as $3,530.
The rents are based on the average median income (AMI), which the city uses to determine affordable housing prices includes all of the five boroughs. But the inclusion of wealthier areas in Manhattan and beyond the city’s limits leads to high prices for units in other parts of the city, often barring local residents from moving into new developments in their own neighborhoods.
The lottery for Two Blue Slip was set to an AMI of 130 percent, a high number but one that is not unusual. This equates to an eligible household income range between $81,258 and $192,400 for affordable units in the building.
Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher took to Twitter to express her dissatisfaction with the lottery.
“More than 80 percent of jobs in Brooklyn pay less than the minimum eligible salary ($81,258/year) to qualify for these units,” Gallagher wrote.
She specifically called out 421-a, a property tax exemption policy at the state level that gives real estate developers decades worth of tax breaks for building new multi-family residential buildings with at least 10 to 15 percent affordable housing units.
“Neoliberal housing policy is giving massive public subsidies to private developers so they submit a handful of units few can afford into a lottery where the chance of winning is 0.1689 percent,” Gallagher continued. “421-a is a bad joke.”
As for Two Blue Slip and the greater Greenpoint Landing Project, Park Tower Group recently secured an additional $170 million in funding from New York City’s Housing Preservation and Development Corporation to help with construction of the additional towers.

Since July 1, over 200 Greenpointers have joined a strike to protest the controversial North Brooklyn Pipeline project by National Grid. They have all been withholding $66 from their monthly gas bill.
The strike comes after two years of negotiations between National Grid and the New York Department of Public Service, as well as constant protests against the pipeline project.
National Grid contends the new construction will allow for safer, more reliable, and more efficient gas supply in North Brooklyn.
The project would install a new gas pipeline underneath parts of Brownsville, Greenpoint, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Williamsburg. Detractors argue that the pipeline would pollute the ground and water of multiple communities of color and low-income communities.
Additionally, the cost associated with the project has drawn the ire of many Brooklynites. National Grid has reported that their agreement with the New York Department of Public Service would raise their customers’ bills by an average of $5.56 per month in 2021 and then by $4.89 per month in 2022.
Groups such as the Sane Energy Project have opposed National Grid at every step during the pipeline approval process, culminating now with the strike.
“The state and the city really haven’t stood up to National Grid, it’s really only ever been the community,” said Sane Energy Project community engagement coordinator Lee Ziesche. “After almost a year of confidential settlement negotiations that didn’t really involve community members, the plan that National Grid and the state came up with and filed in May just really ignored all the community’s concerns.
“Right now we don’t have a lot of faith that the Public Service Commission is going to do the right thing and reject this rate hike,” Ziesche added.

Littlefield, a once thriving performance venue in Downtown Brooklyn, was restored to its pre-pandemic glory this past Wednesday. A fully vaccinated crowd filled the space to the brim for “We Fixed It,” a new comedy show curated by local talent and focused on promoting diversity and inclusion.
Shenuque Tissera, Peter Grosz, and Vivek Netrakanti discussed their own comedic journeys and the role that humor plays in Brooklyn’s culture during turbulent times.
“I kind of just jumped in,” Tissera said of his entry into stand up. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do, so I went to a few open mics and realized, ‘Wait, I’m good at this! I can make people laugh.’”
“I think for most people who want to start, the barrier is that it’s like a pretty hostile environment,” Netrakanti added. “Luckily, we met and had this idea that we should start a show.”
The unlikely trio come from different backgrounds – Tissera from a Sri Lankan family on Staten Island, Netrakanti from an Indian family in New Jersey, and Grosz from a Jewish family upstate – but quickly discovered many similarities across their experiences.
The content of their comedy treads similar ground, addressing the woes of living with strict parents, the quirks of family life, and the oddities of moving to Brooklyn to pursue comedy.
Tissera, Netrakanti, and Grosz previously hosted a show in Queens, but decided that after the pandemic they wanted to try something more ambitious.
Their new show is specifically aimed at bringing in new and talented comics from diverse backgrounds, highlighting the individuality of their humor and the commonality of their experiences.
“I don’t want the lineup to just be five people with a Netflix special,” Netrakanti said. “If you’re going to complain about there not being enough representation, you got to be on the forefront of the art. There is always someone new and talented that we can give the stage to and it’ll be their biggest show ever.”
The three performers are also hopeful that the shared experience of the pandemic will lessen the amount of hostility in the comedy world, making it easier for comedians and audiences to enjoy themselves.
“Some of those venues closed down, the old institutions that would gatekeep,” Tissera explained. “There are power shifts happening and no one really knows where it’s landing. So it’s a good time if you wanna make it into comedy.”
“We Fixed It” is meant to poke fun at the current zeitgeist and celebrate the ways in which comedy and other arts can make sense of the world. Tissera, Netrakanti, and Grosz are confident that comedy will continue to have an important role in Brooklyn’s future as the city continues to change.
“New York comedy has so many slices to it,” Grosz opined. “There’s the Jewish self- deprecating humor. There’s vaudeville. A lot of the early female comics came out of New York too.”
“I think we want to be a multiracial, multi-gender show that holds a lot of different comics and different audience members,” he added. “That will be our style.”
In addition to Tissera, Netrakanti, and Grosz, Wednesday’s show featured performances from New York based comedians Emily Blotnick, Dylan Adler, Kyle Marian, and Farooq Hussain. Every seat in Littlefield was filled, with many more people standing in the back of the venue.
With another successful night under his belt, Tissera is standing by his impromptu decision to give comedy a try.
“I mean, me personally, I think doing comedy is probably the best decision I’ve made in my lifetime,” Tissera said.
“Yeah, and he’s a married man,” Netrakanti and Grosz joked in unison.

For more information, follow Tissera (@shenuque), Netrakanti (@indianmaisel), and Grosz (@petergrosz) on Instagram.

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.

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.”