A new store called Home Textile has opened on 6816 18th Avenue between 69th Street and 68th Street.
The store displays an eye-catching banner announcing it’s grand-opening and the 65 percent off sale.
Home Textile stands where J&A Gift Shop once was.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
Source: nesnad via Wikimedia Commons
A school bus carrying special needs children collided with a car on 15th Avenue and 76th Street yesterday morning at 8 a.m., according to a report by News 12.
Eleven children and one adult were taken to the Lutheran Medical Center as a precaution. So far there is no word on the cause of the accident and there have been no charges filed.
Source: Jhawk/Flickr
Social day care centers, community facilities that cater to the elderly, are being accused of abusing Medicaid, according to a report in the New York Times.
Under a new law enacted by Governor Andrew Cuomo, managed care, the type of service offered at the centers, became mandatory for people receiving home services. The hope was that New York, which has the largest Medicaid budget in the country at $54 billion, could steer the costs away from expensive long-term home care like nursing homes to less expensive and safer community friendly centers.
The centers, which have ballooned from eight programs to 192 in just two years, are supposed to treat patients with severe disabilities and medical problems. The Times described the scenes at centers meant to cater to the frail:
Scores of elderly Russian immigrants played bingo under the chandeliers of a former funeral parlor in Brooklyn on a recent Monday, with a free dinner and door-to-door transportation from anywhere in the city.
Nearby, older people speaking Chinese filled a supermarket-size storefront with vigorous games of table tennis, billiards and mah-jongg, and ordered free lunch from a takeout menu featuring minced pork, beef and salty fish.In Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, at the new R & G Social Adult Day Care Center, known locally among elderly immigrants for luring clients with cash and grocery vouchers, most people there for lunch did not stay to eat. Instead, many walked briskly toward the subway carrying bags stuffed with takeout containers, and two elderly men rode away on bicycles with the free food.
If something seems out of whack in this picture it’s because the financial rewards for the centers are huge. These new social day care centers are taking in seemingly healthy, active elderly people because, in New York City, Medicaid reimburses these centers per member to the tune of $3,800 each, per session, compared to the statewide average reimbursement of $93 per member.
Right now, there is little oversight or regulation. As a result, there has been an aggressive push by the centers to recruit elderly members no matter how healthy they might be. The Times described how the centers tempt elderly with financial incentives:
At Mr. [Warren] Chan’s Asian Senior Day Care center on 18th Avenue, around the corner from R & G, Liang Mei King, 77, was one of several clients who said they were offered financial inducements to join R & G.
“I went once to see,” she said through an interpreter, interrupting her mah-jongg game. “If you get someone else, they give you $50. And each week, there’s a certain amount of money. One day there’s $5, a $10 grocery coupon, or an unlimited MetroCard. If you don’t want the MetroCard, they offer $125 in cash.”
Mr. Chan said other centers were resorting to the same tactics, and elderly immigrants who did not know better accused him of pocketing benefits himself.
While the redesign of the state’s Medicaid system was enacted to curb costs, the loopholes have costs spinning out of control. Part of the problem is that Medicaid is not overseeing the centers, and instead leaves oversight to the managed care plans that pay out to the centers. That, however, is a shoddy system, since there’s little incentive for managed care plans to crack down on centers, since the managed care plan gets a cut of the payment.
Valerie Bogart, a lawyer for the New York Legal Assistance Group explained the problem to the Times:
“The whole thing is going to end up costing the state much more money. It’s really up to the managed care plans to be the watchdogs now, and it’s like the fox watching the chicken coop, because they have an incentive to make money from these centers, too,” Bogart said.
Source: fawlty128 via flickr.com
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge has been the scene of six suicides since December 2011 with two coming in the past month alone. Despite these tragedies, the MTA has no plans to increase suicide deterrents at the bridge, according to a report by SI Live.
In 2008 the MTA installed six telephones connected to LifeNet, a suicide prevention hotline, on the bridge. The phones are located on the bridge under signs that read “Life is worth living.” The MTA also has the bridge regularly patrolled.
Advocates like Jessica Suero, whose uncle jumped on January 25, 2012, believe that more is needed to stop suicides.
“If you’re going to commit suicide and you are determined, then you’re not going to stop and pick up a phone,” Suero told SI Live. “The phones are up there but nobody actually uses them.”
Suero believes that the MTA needs to install a fence. An extra barrier, even if it isn’t state of the art, could slow down jumpers and allow police and rescue workers more time to deal with the situation. SI Live sighted measures taken on other bridges that have helped cut down attempts.
The Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study looking at suicides at the Duke Ellington Bridge in Washington, D.C., before and after a fence was installed in 1986. It found that from 1979 to 1986, the bridge averaged 3.67 suicides per year, and none from 1987 to 1990.
Officials have said the replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects Rockland and Westchester counties, will include an anti-climbing fence along with more suicide prevention phones, cameras and staff training for dealing with potential jumpers.
For those now wondering why installing a fence to prevent suicides would face so much resistance, the New York State Bridge Authority issued the statement that, ”Physical barriers will significantly impact regular inspections and maintenance operations.”
Scammers are finding their targets in Chinese bakeries.
Scammers who claim to have magical powers are terrorizing elderly Asian ladies in Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay and Sunset Park with threats of evil curses if they don’t fork over their money, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
Sam Tsang, an NYPD Asian liaison officer for the 61st Precinct in Sheepshead Bay has been tracking the scammers and told the Daily News how they operate.
“These people go into coffee shops and listen to people’s business and see what problems you have. Then they ask for cash to help the family members. They say they have special powers” and if victims brush them off “they say you or your family member will get ill.”
The would be warlocks represent a growing worldwide trend among con artists who prey on Asian communities but this is the first known time that the ‘Chinese Blessing’ scam has come to New York. The elderly victims, who don’t speak English, usually don’t report the crooks to the cops.
Complaints have already been registered across a dozen stores lining Avenue U in Gravesend and Sheepshead Bay.
“Customers are complaining. They come up to them and ask for donations. We tell the older people to be careful. It’s scary,” Health Star Pharmacy worker Johnny Wang told the Daily News. “They are like the Boogey Man.”
To fight this menace, business owners have kept an eye out for overly chatty customers. The scammers are also known to dress in brown or orange robes to make it seem like they are monks.
Former State Senator Carl Kruger at a 2008 rally in support of the Atlantic Yards. Source: Tracy Collins (“threecee”) / Flickr
When you give a politician your money, how they spend it is out of your hands. Most of the time the money goes towards the extremely expensive cycle of campaigning. But, sometimes, when politicians find themselves in hot water, either fighting off ethical or criminal charges, they dip into their campaign reserves to pay off their expensive legal fees.
The New York Daily News is reporting that donors are getting sick of seeing their money used to defend corrupt public officials as opposed to advancing the agendas and goals that they were promised when they signed the checks.
Over the last nine years, the Daily News reported that politicians have spent $6.78 million in contributed dollars to pay off legal fees. Disgraced State Senator Carl Kruger led the pack by spending a staggering $1.5 million on his legal fees.
Michael Bebon, who gave Kruger $5,000, said he doesn’t mind politicians using campaign dollars for legal fees, as long as they are innocent of the charges. If they are found guilty, Bebon said he’d like to see the money returned to the donors.
“[Kruger] was convicted,” Bebon told the Daily News. “He was a crook. I don’t give money to crooks.”
In response to the growing outcry over corruption, Democrats in the State Senate have proposed a campaign finance reform package that bars politicians from using campaign funds to pay off legal fees. So far, the proposed plan has seen some bipartisan support, but the bill still has steep opposition.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has had to use his own campaign cash for legal fees, opposes the bill.
Silver has spent $75,000 in campaign cash on legal fees since 2004, including $40,000 tied to a recent probe into his handling of a secret taxpayer-supported $103,000 settlement with two women who accused Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn) of sexual harassment. Silver has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
“There are legitimate expenses,” Silver spokesman Michael Whyland said. “It’s not taxpayer dollars we’re talking about here. You can be a subject of a baseless lawsuit that you have to defend yourself against.”
In 1989, the State Board of Elections ruled that politicians can use campaign funds to pay off legal fees as long as the investigation related to the person’s office or campaign.
Should politicians be able to use contributed money to pay off legal fees? As public figures, is it fair for them to be on their own when they are subjected to a wide range of potential lawsuits? Would barring them from using campaign funds to pay off legal fees make them more careful, honest and law-abiding? Let us know.
Source: canihazit/Flickr
Smooth sailing during the day on most of these lines, but nights get a little wacky Be sure to check back here or the MTA website before you head out for an night trip.
D LINE
From 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday to Friday, 205 St-bound D trains run express from 36 St to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.
N LINE
From 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday to Friday, Ditmars Blvd-bound N trains run express from 36 St to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr. Meanwhile, Coney Island-bound N trains are rerouted via the Q from Canal St to DeKalb Av.
Thought you’d escape a daytime headache? Silly you. The N train delivers. From 10:15 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Friday,
Ditmars Blvd-bound N trains skip 39 Av, 36 Av, Broadway, and 30 Av.
R LINE
From 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday to Friday, there are no R trains between 59 St and 36 St, Brooklyn. Take the N instead.
F LINE
Sometime this week, F trains will begin stopping at Smith-9 Sts – but as of right now the MTA hasn’t said exactly when. So, for now, figure that the F trains won’t be stopping there until it’s been confirmed.
Meanwhile, during nights, from 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday to Friday, 79 St-bound F trains run express from W4 St to 34 St-Herald Sq.
Councilman Vincent Gentile, Source: council.nyc.gov
The B37 bus line, which ran from Bay Ridge to downtown Brooklyn, was eliminated three years ago. Councilman Vincent Gentile pledged to bring back the service when the MTA announced that it was being axed and now he is continuing that fight by organizing a petition, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
In his effort to get his petition off the ground and bring the B37 back to service, Gentile is teaming up with fellow Council Member Sara Gonzalez, Transport Workers Union Local 100 and other community organizations.
The restoration of the dormant B37 bus route isn’t the only thing the petition calls for. Included is the restoration of station booths along the N/R lines and the installation of elevators in the subways.
“The MTA has received $40 million more than it requested from Albany this year so now is the prime time to call on the governor and the MTA Board to use some of this money to restore services that were cut in 2010,” the Daily Eagle reported Gentile saying. “The B37 was absolutely vital to this community. It was our neighborhood’s connection to Sunset Park, Park Slope, Lutheran Hospital and downtown Brooklyn.”
The MTA noted the discontinuation of the B37 was due to low ridership and close proximity to the R train. MTA spokeswoman Deirdre Parker defended the decision.
“Riders were not left stranded. The B70 was rerouted to replace the segment of the B37 south of Bay Ridge Avenue.”
To sign the petition right now, Gentile has urged supporters to visit his office at 8705 Third Avenue while an online petition is being created.
Source: rachaelvoorhees / Flickr
The sight of dog waste littering the streets is one of the more depressing things about New York City, especially as summer approaches. As we near the 35th anniversary that the city’s “pooper scooper law” went into effect, John Quaglione, a candidate for New York City Council’s 43rd Council District seat, is also disgusted by all the crap and wants the city to take a more pro-active approach in fighting it, according to Brooklyn News.
Quaglione, a Republican looking to unseat 10-year council veteran Vincent Gentile, has suggested that the city reverse the policy that stopped the printing of “Please Clean Up After Your Dog” signs, which once cast a more ubiquitous presence throughout our neighborhoods.
“I can tell you as a father, who enjoys taking my daughter out for a walk in the carriage, I am very disturbed by the amount of dog litter I find as I travel around the community. That is why I am calling on Sanitation Commissioner [John] Doherty to reconsider this policy and start placing these signs in the areas that residents are requesting them,” Brooklyn News reported Quaglione as saying.
Bensonhurst Bean recently wrote about the hazardous effect that unattended dog waste has on community members who rely on wheelchairs, canes and walkers, making it difficult for disabled children and seniors to navigate the streets. According to Quaglione, the message isn’t getting through.
He noted that the Department of Sanitation’s policy regarding the signs consists of replacing ones that are faded, as opposed to putting up brand new ones in new locations. He believes that this is the reason the dog waste problem has spiraled out of control.
Currently, if caught, a delinquent dog-owner could be fined $250 for failing to clean up after their dog. It’s something to keep in mind the next time you take your best furry pal out for a stroll.
Congressman Michael Grimm
The bombing at the Boston Marathon last Monday marked a particularly rough week for the nation. For New Yorkers, the endless stream of videos and photographs from the terrorist attack brought back all too familiar memories. People from New York felt deeply for Boston residents and, as such. and Congressman Michael Grimm took it upon himself to lead a candlelight vigil last night at Caesar’s Bay to honor the victims and express New York’s solidarity with the people of Boston.
According to CBS New York, those gathered held signs that read “Boston and Brooklyn United We Stand” and “Boston Strong,” powerful displays of unity that transcended the natural rivalry shared between the two cities.
“People come together when you have to, regardless,” CBS reported one attendee saying. Grimm also underscored the symbolic importance of the gathering.
“We want them to know that New York stands with them, and that as days go by, we will not forget,” CBS reported Grimm saying. “There’s one flag today, the American flag.”
