BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

Photo by Susan Armitage

When John Sandano learned in September that the owners of Maple Lanes were in contract to sell the property the bowling alley sits on to a developer, he mourned the loss of his “home away from home,” where he’s been a regular bowler for more than 25 years.

“A lot of people are going to miss this place,” said Sandano, 67, of Bensonhurst.

But in his loss, others in the community may find new homes of their own. Plans to replace Maple Lanes with a 112-unit residential development is likely to advance to the next frame.

On December 19, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the zoning change requested by the developer, Fairmont Lanes, LLC. Maple Lanes, at 1570 60th Street, near the Borough Park-Bensonhurst border, is in an area currently zoned for manufacturing, not residential use.

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The following is a holiday greeting paid for by Friends of Marty Golden.

The above is a paid announcement. If you would like to make an announcement to tens of thousands of Sheepshead Bites readers, e-mail advertising [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.

Izote flower jars, green mangos and pacayas on Puebla Market’s shelves, located on 86th Street.

Nohemi takes out her prepaid card from her pocket and sets the time in the dryer. This is her third load this busy morning and, with Nohemi in the eighth month of her third pregnancy, the work has made her physically exhausted.

Her kids, Yulmi and Aarón are running in the MonsterWash (8122 18th Avenue) laundry aisles, enjoying their summer vacation.

The mother has no plans for cooking lunch; if she can finish the laundry soon, maybe she can make something quickly. One of Bensonhurst’s advantages is that she can find almost any kind of ingredient for her traditional Guatemalan dishes, from tamales to the famous Pepian, a meat or chicken stew with home-made pumpkin seed sauce. When she makes “tamales” – three times per year- she takes the time to buy the plantain leaves. Her specialty: pork or chicken.

Since she came to the United States almost nine years ago, she buys groceries in the Italian stores for replacements for the Guatemalan goods she can’t find. They have a variety of Mexican spices, the most similar she can find to those from her native country.

During her three pregnancies, the only craving she could not satisfy is green mangos. Otherwise, Guatemalan stores in Bath Avenue have everything else.

Bensonhurst is home to a growing community of Guatemalans like Nohemi, most of them from indigenous villages in the mountains. Their Mayan faces add more color to the melting pot from the area.

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The following is an op-ed contributed by Abe George, candidate for the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney in 2013′s citywide elections.

What is a cybercrime lab? Well, you might have heard last week that prosecutors in Manhattan obtained one, at a cost of $4.2 million awarded from the city. It will be used to assist the already existing identity theft and cybercrime unit of the New York County District Attorney’s office, where a group of specialized prosecutors and forensic analysts investigate crimes of identity theft and credit card fraud.

Why should you care? Because the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office not only has no cybercrime lab, it has no dedicated identity theft unit at all.

While law enforcement officials and prosecutors around the country have been gearing up to battle the growing epidemic of identity theft-related crimes, I fear that Brooklyn is lagging behind, and here’s why.

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This is a paid announcement from Real Results Personal Training, Brooklyn’s premier personal training facility, located at 2370 Coney Island Avenue.

Unsatisfied with the way you look and feel? Real Results Personal Training, the premier personal training facility in Brooklyn, is offering you a great opportunity to transform your body and improve your life.

Our team has been using a unique training system to change the lives of hundreds of people just like you. Working with you one-on-one, we design a program that is specifically tailored to your needs and goals. Our clients experience results that are not possible at commercial gyms!

Once you’re started, we give you the necessary tools to maintain this life changing level of fitness!

For a limited time, we at Real Results are very proud to announce an exclusive offer to the readers of Bensonhurst Bean.

We are offering three personal training sessions to the first 50 people who sign up for the introductory price of $99, which is 50% off the retail price! Call us at (718) 336-6110 or simply stop by our location at 2370 Coney Island Avenue between Avenue U and Avenue T and mention “Bensonhurst Bean” to receive the offer!

Don’t delay and take advantage of this once in a lifetime offer to get in great shape and live a happier life!

Real Results Personal Training, 2370 Coney Island Avenue,  (718) 336-6110

The above is a paid announcement by Real Results. Bensonhurst Bean has not verified the claims made in this advertisement. If you own a business and would like to announce a special offer to tens of thousands of locals, e-mail us at advertising [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.

BENSONHURST BEAN EXCLUSIVE: A Gravesend pizza maker who became the victim of identity theft after losing his drivers license last summer is still wondering when he’ll legally be able to get behind the wheel again – even after a judge determined that his driving record is actually clean.

“I did everything I was supposed to do, and, as we speak, I still have to have a friend drive me to work,” said Saverino Careri, 28, owner of Italia Pizza and Restaurant located at 307 Kings Highway (corner of West 6th Street).

Careri’s problems started after another man named Anthony Cabrera began racking up moving violations using the pizzeria owner’s recovered drivers license. When Cabrera was arrested on a DWI charge and gave Careri’s name, authorities released him before receiving the results of his fingerprint identification, according to Careri’s mother Mimma, which would have nailed him as an ID thief and saved Careri a headache.

“Somehow, he was able to convince a whole police precinct that he was me,” Saverino Careri said.

Cabrera was later arrested on September 13, 2011, and initially charged with Criminal Impersonation, Identity Theft and Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information. He ultimately pled guilty to Disorderly Conduct and sentenced to jail time served. Cabrera’s present whereabouts, however, remain unclear.

Careri briefly had his drivers license restored this past spring after a judge heard his case.

“We thought everything was resolved,” said Mimma Careri. “Then we got a letter saying that the license was suspended again.”

Careri has now spent the better part of a year without a drivers license, keeping him from doing deliveries for Italia Pizza and putting a strain on the family’s business.

After that, the Careris were told that they needed to speak to somebody in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, which they did.  But so far, that has only produced more frustration for the pizzeria owners.

“We were told, ‘Oh, it should have been corrected a long time ago,’” Mimma Careri said. “They have to find Cabrera and bring him back before a judge.”

Mimma said that the family doesn’t know Cabrera, but believes he is from the neighborhood, and might have picked up Saverino’s license somewhere on Cropsey Avenue because that’s where her son’s girlfriend lives.

The Distict Attorney’s Office refuses to comment on whether or not Careri is any closer to having his drivers license restored, saying only that the case is “under investigation.”

“I’m disappointed, I’m aggravated, I’m angry,” Mimma Careri said. “My son just leased a car – it’s a Mercedes. He finally rewards himself for hard work and he can’t drive it.”

– Joe Maniscalco

Sheepshead Bay State Senator David Storobin will run for re-election in the new Super Jewish district, named that for its dense population of Orthodox Jews.

Th district was drawn up in March as a result of the population changes revealed in the 2010 United States Census. The district includes the neighborhoods of Boro Park and Flatbush.

According to Politicker, Storobin’s main primary opposition, Nachman Caller of the Republican Party, has decided to drop out of the race, and will now support Storobin. Storobin will most likely compete against the Democrat Simcha Felder, a former City Councilman, in the general election. Although Felder began as the frontrunner, much of the area’s voter population has transferred its loyalty to the Republican Party. Storobin told Hamodia that he is looking forward to a civil competition between himself and Felder.

Storobin won the the recount for a special election in corrupt State Senator Carl Kruger’s district about a week ago. Kruger resigned last year, after pleading guilty to bribery charges on the federal level. However, due to the fact that Storobin’s current seat was disassembled in this year’s redistricting process, it was unclear if he would seek re-election.

“I am very happy that I won the previous election,” Storobin said. “I think it was a big victory for the Jewish community. I think it was a big victory for all of those who subscribe to conservative values, and I think we need to continue.”

- Yafah Sutton

This is a paid announcement from My US Concert, which is presenting Burlesque at Brighton’s historic Millennium Theater on May 18 and 19. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased here.

Audiences will experience the art of the tease as critically acclaimed Quinn Lemley stars in her new hit touring production, Burlesque to Broadway.

Along with her sexy sidekicks – and a smoking 10-piece big band – Lemley takes audiences on a journey from the early days of underground burlesque clubs to mainstream acceptance by the Broadway establishment and beyond.

This unique theatrical concert honors rule-breaking icons, such as Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee and Mae West, and celebrates their ascent as they danced on the edge of the law, laid bare the double standards of the era, and fueled a movement that would influence divas for the next century.

“When people think of burlesque they often think of striptease,” said Lemley. “And while that’s certainly part of the fun, the burlesque movement of the 20s and 30s had much broader cultural influence.” The women of burlesque drove trends in fashion and comedy, and even served as the launch pad for the television variety show. “From Cher to Lady Gaga, we continue to see the influence of the burlesque movement in everything from music to fashion to dance.”

Despite its cultural relevance, this show is no history lesson. Song-and-dance fun will fill the theater as the as the cast belts out unforgettable classics such as ‘Hey Big Spender,’ ”Let Me Entertain You,’ and “She’s A Lady” while they dance to Merete Muenter’s provocative bump-and-grind choreography.

The highly anticipated limited-run will be presented two nights only, on May 18 and 19 at 8:00 p.m. at Brooklyn’s historic Millennium Theater.

Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased here.

This is a paid sale announcement from My US Concert.  If you own a business and would like to announce a special offer to tens of thousands of locals, e-mail us at advertising [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.

Click to open the coupon, then press CTRL+P to print.

Click to open the coupon, then press CTRL+P to print.

Click here to place your order through JoMart’s website. Just be sure to use promo code “SHEEPSHEAD2012″ to collect your 10 percent discount!

This is a paid sale announcement from JoMart Chocolates (2917 Avenue R), Southern Brooklyn’s most acclaimed chocolatiers.  If you own a business and would like to announce a special offer to tens of thousands of locals, e-mail us at advertising [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.

The vandalized phone

by Steven Volynets and Shamar Hill

When we started our literary project about being Jewish in Brooklyn almost a year ago, it was a venture of introspection – a search for the meaning of self in communities as diverse as New York City. As we set out to interview Jewish men and women from all walks of life, we asked what common thread connected a Holocaust survivor, a female Rabbi, a gunned down rapper, a prominent politician and others to us – two writers, one a Soviet-Jewish immigrant, the other Jewish and African American.

But when, by sheer accident, we witnessed a man paint swastikas across a payphone booth in Midwood, just days after a string of Anti-Semitic vandalism, our work gained a new sense of urgency.

On Saturday, November 19, we got together in Brooklyn, as we often do, to write and share ideas. Around 11:30 p.m. we took a break and walked to a local ShopRite. As we walked back, at the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Avenue I, we noticed a man in his late 30s, early 40s, wearing dark sunglasses in the middle of the night and tearing down NYPD posters asking for information about recent anti-Semitic hate crimes in the neighborhood. The man gave us a sharp stare and walked off, knocking over a newspaper vending machine.

We decided to follow him. In some unspoken way, we were protecting the neighborhood of our youth.  As we shadowed him, we called the police. After walking several blocks, the man stopped in front of a payphone on 18th Avenue and Ocean Parkway. He banged the receiver and we could see he was doing something to the booth. Fifteen minutes later, the police had not yet come to the scene and we headed towards the local precinct. On our way back, we passed the phone. And there it was: Swastikas and ‘Kill Jews’ written in gray marker.

Keep reading to find out what happened next, and how the NYPD may have lost an opportunity to catch a hate crime suspect.