What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, August 8, 2023
BOROUGH PRESIDENT REYNOSO HOSTS WINGATE PARK CONCERT TONIGHT
PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS –– BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ANTONIO REYNOSO AND HIS OFFICE ARE HOSTING A CONCERT at Wingate Park tonight, which will open at 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. show featuring reggae, R&B, soul, jazz and funk performances. The lineup includes Brooklyn’s three-time Grammy-winning reggae band Morgan Heritage; R&B soul diva Leela James; Ralph McDaniels’ Video Music Box, paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop taking place this year; and Harlem’s vintage funk and jazz saxophone sensation Lakecia Benjamin & Soul Squad. The concert will also have a special performance by the Brooklyn United Marching Band, a youth music mentor program. Wingate Park entrances will be limited to Brooklyn Avenue and Winthrop Street. The Brooklyn Avenue entrance will also serve as the ADA entrance and will open to persons with disabilities at 4:45pm. Reserved ADA seating will be available. The concert is scheduled to end at 10 p.m.
“Wingate is what it looks like to celebrate summer the Brooklyn way: with good tunes, great vibes, and all the love for the people who call this beautiful borough home,” said Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Last year, over 5,000 people joined us to safely enjoy this summer staple, and this year, with this lineup, we’re gearing up to top it.”
CITYPARKS PUPPETMOBILE BRINGS BACK URBAN RETELLING OF CLASSIC TALE
CROWN HEIGHTS — THE CITYPARKS PUPPETMOBILE FREE AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY ORIGINAL MARIONETTE PRODUCTION of Little Red’s Hood is back by popular demand with shows running through October. Little Red’s Hood is a fresh retelling of the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” tale updated with a modern sensibility that will appeal to children growing up in New York City. The traveling show (with performances in four boroughs, including Brooklyn), features a dozen hand-made marionettes from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre’s expert puppeteers. The sole Brooklyn performance this month is on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 1 p.m. at the St. John’s Recreation Center (in Bedford-Stuyvesant, 1251 Prospect Place between Troy and Schenectady avenues).
Little Red’s Hood spotlights Little Red, a smart, young city dweller who is obsessed with her smartphone and offers a comical lesson on the importance of disconnecting from digital lives to enjoy real-life moments with friends and family.
PIPE REPLACEMENT ON WITHERS ST. REQUIRES WATER TURNOFF ON TUESDAY
WILLIAMSBURG — RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES ON A STRETCH OF WITHERS STREET in Williamsburg are being alerted about a Temporary Water Shutoff scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to a notice that Community Board 1 distributed on Monday. The NYC Department of Design and Construction is replacing 100-year-old pipes that distribute water to the city with newer pipes that are more resistant to cracks and breaks. According to the department’s flyer, this work is being done on Withers Street between Lorimer Street and Union Avenue (just to the northwest of the BQE), as part of a multi-site and citywide Pedestrian Safety Improvements project.
The city urges property owners and residents to store in advance any water needed for cooking, cleaning or other uses, to shut off the main water valve to prevent plumbing problems and sediment from entering internal pipes and to turn off water-cooled systems such as central air conditioning.
SILVER ALERT ISSUED FOR MISSING BED-STUY MAN
BED-STUY — POLICE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC’S HELP IN FINDING a person who has been missing since Saturday, Aug. 5. The man, a 64-year-old Black Hispanic, is identified as Hector Pacheco-Padilla of Marcus Garvey Blvd. in Bedford-Stuyvesant (79th Precinct). He was last seen in his residence around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
REPORT FROM THE CITY: YESHIVAS LACKING IN SECULAR EDUCATION FOR OVER FIVE YEARS
BOROUGHWIDE –– RECORDS OBTAINED BY THE CITY, A LOCAL NEWS CONSORTIUM, INDICATE THAT SECULAR EDUCATION has been lacking in Yeshivas for over five years. The records obtained are internal communications between Department of Education officials. The NYC DOE allegedly knew about the lapsed curriculum when they surveyed 11 different religious schools in Brooklyn in 2018 and 2019. Seven of those schools got a clean bill of health, and four were categorized as “underdeveloped.” The schools included in the “underdeveloped” category include Yeshiva Kerem Shlomo in Borough Park and Yeshiva Bnei Shimon Yisroel of Sopron in Williamsburg. At those schools, DOE officials only witnessed classes in Jewish studies, which were all conducted in Yiddish.
COMPTROLLER LANDER: CITY RETIREMENT SYSTEMS OUTDID INVESTMENT RETURN TARGETS
CITYWIDE — THE NEW YORK CITY RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ACHIEVED a combined net return of 8% across all five pension funds, and with a value of $253.19 billion in assets, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said on Monday, Aug. 7. Funds surpassed the 7% actuarial target rate, meaning that the required City contributions are reduced by approximately $550 million over the next five years.
The strong performance this fiscal year notwithstanding economic challenges such as record-high inflation and a volatile investment scenario is being credited to the retirement systems’ diversified asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk assessment.
NEW EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN RELIEF CENTER TO OPEN ON RANDALL’S ISLAND
RANDALL’S ISLAND –– THE MAYOR ANNOUNCED TO THE PRESS ON MONDAY THAT RANDALL’S ISLAND WILL BE CONVERTED into a “Humanitarian Relief Center” shelter that will house 2,000 adult asylum seekers. As of Aug. 7, the number of asylum seekers in the city’s care has exceeded 57,200 people. More than 190 emergency shelters have been constructed in reaction to the migration influx that has occurred over the past year. New York state will reimburse the city for the associated costs of the site, including construction, maintenance and staffing. This humanitarian relief center will provide a range of services, in addition to ensuring asylum seekers can reach their desired destination, if not New York.
“As the number of asylum seekers in our care continues to grow by hundreds every day, stretching our system to its breaking point and beyond, it has become more and more of a Herculean effort to find enough beds every night,” said Mayor Eric Adams.