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Tag: Brooklyn

  • Brooklyn Bar Association reopens doors after 5 months with first-ever breakfast event | amNewYork

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    Brooklyn Bar Association President-Elect Angélicque Moreno stands next to immediate past president Anthony Vaughn at the organization’s first breakfast event.

    Provided by Anthony Vaughn

    After being closed since September 2025, due to a leak in its over-a-century-old historic brownstone, the Brooklyn Bar Association reopened its doors to the public Wednesday morning for its first-ever breakfast event which leaders say they hope is the first of many.

    “I thought, since we just reopened this month, this would be a great opportunity to invite our members in the legal community to come back to our legal home,” said Anthony Vaughn, the organization’s immediate past president. “This is something new, and I’m hoping that we can use this as a jumping off point to do this each month [and] as an opportunity to get more events on the calendar.” 

    In-person events, like this breakfast, are critical to building the legal community, learning from each other and bridging generational gaps, Vaughn said. 

    “Without the in person experience, you lose sight of the importance of building and nurturing relationships,” Vaughn said. “I know there’s a different perspective that you can fulfill the same goals by online or through social media, and I agree in part, but there’s something about a screen which creates separation that in-person events eliminate.”

    Michael Pavlakos of East Coast Appraisal Services, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Lisa Lewis and Anthony Vaughn stand together at the Brooklyn Bar Association’s breakfast event.

    “I think it’s important for the younger generation, as well as our senior attorneys, to get together to bridge those gaps,” he continued. “The elders can learn from the youth, and quite frankly, the youth can always learn from the elders. But, it’s very difficult to do that if the elders aren’t on social media, but the young groups are. So, why don’t we get into a common space where we all feel comfortable and share ideas and do something new?”

    Attendees pose at the Brooklyn Bar Association’s first breakfast, and first event since reopening their historic building after repairs. Anthony Vaughn

    Vaughn said he hopes to see more of the organization’s roughly 2,000 members return to the Brooklyn Heights brownstone located at 123 Remsen St., a landmark the association has called home since 1918. Founded in the wake of fraudulent city elections in 1872, the Brooklyn Bar Association offers attorneys, judges and other members of the legal community an opportunity for networking and legal education through seminars, dinners and other organized events.

    New York Housing Judge Javier Ortiz, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Lisa Lewis, Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Rosemarie Montalbano, Angelicque Moreno, Anthony Vaughn, retired New York State Administrative Judge Lawrence Knipel, Brooklyn Civil Court Judge Hemalee Patel and Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Joanne Quinones stand together at the Brooklyn Bar Association.

    A couple dozen attorneys, judges and members joined Vaughn and Brooklyn Bar Association President-Elect Angélicque Moreno in welcoming members back to the building and asking them what type of events they’d like to see held more often.

    Attorneys Diane Matero and Helen Galette, Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Rosemarie Montalbano and attorney Lilmary Madrigal gather in the Brooklyn Bar Association’s historic brownstone.

    “We encourage people to think of ideas, whether it be a CLE or another activity, to get on the schedule,” Vaughn said. “More camaraderie, more support of this association, only advances our membership experience.”

    Attorneys and bar association members talk at the organization’s breakfast event.Isabella Gallo

    The Brooklyn Bar Association will hold various presentations and seminars over the next few months, and its annual Judiciary Night is set for April.

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    Isabella Gallo

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  • Brooklyn firefighters battle three-alarm apartment blaze in extreme cold

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    Firefighters battled a three alarm fire at 464 Clinton Avenue.

    Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

    FDNY members fought a three-alarm fire in Brooklyn on Saturday, facing brutal winter conditions as the city was under a Code Blue alert, with frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chill complicating the firefighting efforts.

    The blaze broke out at 464 Clinton Ave. in Fort Greene, shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 7. Engine Company  219 and Ladder Company 105 responded to reports of an odor of smoke inside a residential building. Upon arrival, they quickly discovered fire in a third-floor apartment and a fourth-floor apartment.  Conditions quickly worsened as flames extended upward through the building. 

    As the blaze grew stronger, Battalion 57 transmitted a second alarm. Fire officials reported that the blaze was running vertically from the third floor through the sixth floor and into the cockloft–the concealed space between the top floor ceiling and the roof–raising concerns about rapid fire spread and structural damage. 

    smoke coming out of a building
    Brooklyn firefighters battled a three-alarm fire in Fort Greene on Feb. 7, 2026.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

    There were no reported injuries or deaths at press time.

    Meanwhile, FDNY members were contending with multiple snow-covered and frozen hydrants while operating in freezing temperatures and forceful winds. Crews quickly worked to secure water sources as ice buildup slowed access, forcing firefighters to clear hydrants while maintaining suppression efforts. 

    Division 11 transmitted a third-alarm to keep units fresh. More than 170 members responded to the scene and used four hoselines to stop the spread of the fire. 

    fire hydrant in snow
    Firefighters battled a three-alarm fire at 464 Clinton Ave.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

     The fire was placed under control at 10:30 p.m. The FDNY Fire Marshal’s office will determine the cause of the fire.

    The incident underscores the challenges first responders face during extreme weather and Code Blue alerts, when life-threatening temperatures and frozen infrastructure place added strain on emergency services and residents throughout the city. 

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    Lloyd Mitchell

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  • Human remains found in basement of Brooklyn NYCHA building

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    FILE – Medical examiner’s team removing a body.

    Photo by Dean Moses

    Human remains were discovered in the basement of a Brooklyn NYCHA complex on Sunday morning, authorities say.

    According to police sources, workers inside the 330 Bushwick Ave. made the grim discovery at around 9:38 a.m. on Feb. 1. The workers told police they found “body parts” inside the garbage area by a trash chute.

    Upon arrival, cops from the Police Service Area 3 and 90th Precinct found the body of a woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene. While she has not yet been identified, she is believed to be between 50 and 60 years old.

    The Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

    No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.

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    Dean Moses

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  • Bojangles, a Southern staple, returns to NYC with Brooklyn store

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    EAST FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — Bojangles, a Southern fast-food staple, is back in Brooklyn after a decades-long absence.

    Bojangles recently opened at the corner of Ralph Avenue and Church Avenue in the heart of East Flatbush.

    It’s the first modern New York City location in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, following a previous short-lived presence in the 1980s, making this a significant return for the chain.

    Marshall Scarborough is the vice president of menu and culinary innovation at Bojangles. He says his love for the brand started very early.

    “My love affair with Bojangles began at a very young age. I was a youngster, I got to grow up with Bojangles,” Scarborough said.

    Habib Hashimi says his family working in the restaurant industry inspired him to become a franchise owner of Bojangles.

    “My family has been in the restaurant business for decades,” Hashimi said.

    “I wanted to find a brand that was exciting and had amazing food, and I saw this crazy following behind it. And I looked on social media, I looked on TikTok, I looked on Instagram, and people were so excited about the brand, it was part of their daily lives, and when I tried the food, I understood why that was.”

    According to Scarborough, Bojangles is known as the Carolina legend.

    “I like to describe it like, we are cooking like grandmas, but we also appeal to her grandson. Our culinary north star is being authentically Southern with a modern twist,” Scarborough said.

    Bojangles is not your typical fast-food restaurant. The chain cooks on stove tops, and all the chicken is hand-breaded.

    The biscuits are also hand-made and scratch-made, taking a total of 49 steps to make them.

    “They’re soft, they’re buttery and delicious,” Hashimi said.

    At Bojangles, one of their signature menu items is the Bo’s chicken biscuit. It’s tender, juicy, crispy chicken between a soft, fluffy buttermilk biscuit.

    “We’re using marinated chicken and hand-breading it to order,” Scarborough said.

    You can also order just chicken tenders, which is the flagship product on Bojangles’ menu for lunch and dinner. They’re made from thick pieces of tenderloin marinated with Bojangles seasoning and batter-breaded in a buttermilk coating system.

    Scarborough believes Bojangles is different from other fast-food chains.

    “I can’t speak to a whole lot of fast-food restaurants where they’re taking the time and energy it takes to produce such high-quality food,” Scarborough said. “I think it’s cool that we’re bringing the Southern culture, the Southern traditions of food to you guys to share what we’ve been keeping our secret this whole time,”

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    CCG

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  • 2 teens charged after allegedly spray-painting swastikas on Brooklyn playground

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    Two teens were arrested and charged after allegedly spray painting dozens of swastikas and other antisemitic language at a Brooklyn playground where many Jewish children play, according to police.

    A hate crime investigation was launched after nearly five dozen of the hate symbols were found painted on walls, a court and a slide at Gravesend Park in Borough Park late Wednesday morning. One wall noticeably had the words “Adolf Hitler” written on it, photos showed.

    Crews were seen painting over the graffiti later in the day, but not before the NYPD started investigating the vandalism as a hate crime.

    The Anti-Defamation League emphasized that the swastikas were painted in the same park two days in a row. Police said more than a dozen swastikas were discovered on the playground and handball court in that incident.

    On Thursday, two 15-year-old boys were arrested in connection with the incidents. One was charged with aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime, while the other faces multiple counts of aggravated harassment.

    “I am sickened by this antisemitic vandalism …. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and I stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish New Yorkers who were targeted,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement.

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called it a “depraved act of antisemitism. In a children’s playground where our kids should feel safe and have fun. There is no excuse. There is zero tolerance.”

    Attorney information for the two teen suspects was not immediately available.

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  • Carbon monoxide emergency in NYC sends 8 to hospitals

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    At least two people remained hospitalized early Monday, hours after a carbon monoxide leak spewed fumes throughout a three-family Brooklyn home late Sunday, authorities say.

    According to investigators, a 17-year-old girl and a 25-year-old woman both felt woozy around 11 p.m. at the home, on West Sixth Street, between Avenue U and Avenue T in Gravesend. They told other family members, who called 911.

    Responding officers suspected carbon monoxide, evacuated the home and called the fire department.

    A dozen people had to leave. Eight of them were taken to hospitals, but some went with family members; not all were symptomatic.

    The FDNY did some testing and found elevated levels of carbon monoxide.

    It wasn’t clear if there were carbon monoxide detectors in the home.

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    Romney Smith and NBC New York Staff

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  • Nicolas Maduro arrest: Protesters rail against Venezuelan despot outside jail where he awaits prosecution – amNewYork

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    Over one hundred protesters marched outside of the MDC jail where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is currently being detained, denouncing the measures the United States took to capture him.

    Photo by Dean Moses

    Over one hundred protesters marched on Sunday outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center jail in Brooklyn, where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is currently being detained, denouncing the measures the United States took to capture him.

    According to the demonstrators who strode up and down the sidewalk in the shadow of the same jail that holds Luigi Mangione and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, New Yorkers have no love for Maduro. However, they say they are furious over his apprehension since they feel President Donald Trump acted illegally to enter Venezuela.

    “The United States, once again, decided to act against international laws, kidnapping a sitting leader of a foreign government with no rhyme or reason that could be justified, and is looking to further destabilize countries whose governments they don’t agree with. We need to be out here in the streets making that known that we don’t agree with it,” protester William Novello said, adding that he wants the world to know that not every American agrees with the military strike. “People around the world can act in solidarity, knowing that the people in the United States are trying to fight back against what their government does. They need to see us out here.”

    Crowds gathered at MDC Brooklyn to protest Maduro’s U.S. detention.Photo by Dean Moses

    Police barricaded off the entrance to the jail facility, forcing the demonstrators to occupy the sidewalk just outside the area, where they clung to picket signs reading “No U.S war on Venezuela” and “U.S out of the Caribbean” while the crowd chanted “Hands off Venezuela’s oil” and “No blood for oil.”

    Lindsay Katt said she watched the news in horror when the explosions in Caracas were first reported and felt the need to join the protest.

    “I think it’s unconscionable. I understand that this leader is disliked greatly and has his own problems. I think those things aren’t mutually exclusive. I don’t believe that one justifies the other. And I think the moment we start to negotiate whose humanity is worth protecting, all of our humanity becomes negotiable,” Katt said. “If we don’t step up together, anyone who has the power over us has the conditioning and ability to repress us.”

    they say they are furious over his apprehension because President Donald Trump invaded Venezuela to do so.Photo by Dean Moses

    Those stomping the street also say they are fuming over the U.S taking control of Venezuela itself, while also announcing its intention to take control of the country’s oil supply.

    “I think what the US government has done is a violation of the sovereignty of Venezuela. They have no right to go into another country and tell them what they should do, and they openly say they’re there to get the oil, the gold, the lithium, the natural resources of the whole region. That’s not good for working people in Venezuela. It’s not good for working people here,” Seth Galinski said. “They’re trying to steal the wealth of Venezuela and other countries, and they’re dragging us towards the Third World War.”

    Maduro is expected to appear in Federal court in Lower Manhattan on Monday to face drug charges.

    “Hands off,” a sign read.Photo by Dean Moses

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    By Dean Moses and Florencia Arozarena

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  • Venezuelan leader Maduro to face judge in first US court hearing Monday

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    A poster of a captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on display during a press conference in Doral, Florida on Saturday, January 3, 2026. United States Repsresentatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar held a joint press conference in Doral, Florida, to discuss the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

    A poster of a captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on display during a press conference in Doral, Florida on Saturday, January 3, 2026. United States Repsresentatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar held a joint press conference in Doral, Florida, to discuss the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

    adiaz@miamiherald.com

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    Strike on Venezuela

    What to know about the U.S. military action in Venezuela and the removal of leader Nicolas Maduro.

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    Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted from office and removed from the country over the weekend, is expected to make his first appearance in front of a U.S. federal judge Monday, according to a courts’ spokesperson.

    Maduro is at the forefront of corruption in Venezuela and partnered with others to “use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States,” according to a superseding federal indictment made public Saturday.

    He was captured by U.S. armed forces in an overnight raid and brought to America to face four criminal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, according to his indictment.

    Maduro is scheduled for a noon hearing Monday in front of a New York City District Court judge, a federal court spokesperson said.

    According to officials, he is not the only political leader who abused a position of power for years.

    Maduro was indicted alongside several Venezuelan politicians including his wife and de facto First Lady of Venezuela, Cilia Flores, and his son, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, the indictment said.

    Venezuela has western access to the mountainous regions of Columbia, where coca is grown and turned into the majority of the world’s cocaine supply, the indictment said. Officials, including Maduro, partnered with drug traffickers and “narco-terrorist groups” to transport that cocaine to the United States.

    “By in or about 2020, the State Department estimated that between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine were trafficked through Venezuela annually,” the indictment said.

    Venezuelan officials are accused of various illegal acts to further drug trafficking such as selling Venezuelan diplomatic passports to known drug traffickers, accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and using diplomatic covers for certain air travel to receive no scrutiny from law enforcement.

    Maduro is being held at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to the Associated Press, which has housed many high-profile inmates from Sean “Diddy” Combs to Luigi Mangione.

    Miami Herald reporter Claire Heddles contributed to this report.

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    Sofia Saric

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  • Venezuelan leader Maduro to face judge in first US court hearing Monday

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    A poster of a captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on display during a press conference in Doral, Florida on Saturday, January 3, 2026. United States Repsresentatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar held a joint press conference in Doral, Florida, to discuss the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

    A poster of a captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on display during a press conference in Doral, Florida on Saturday, January 3, 2026. United States Repsresentatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar held a joint press conference in Doral, Florida, to discuss the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

    adiaz@miamiherald.com

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    Strike on Venezuela

    What to know about the U.S. military action in Venezuela and the removal of leader Nicolas Maduro.

    Expand All

    Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted from office and removed from the country over the weekend, is expected to make his first appearance in front of a U.S. federal judge Monday, according to a courts’ spokesperson.

    Maduro is at the forefront of corruption in Venezuela and partnered with others to “use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States,” according to a superseding federal indictment made public Saturday.

    He was captured by U.S. armed forces in an overnight raid and brought to America to face four criminal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, according to his indictment.

    Maduro is scheduled for a noon hearing Monday in front of a New York City District Court judge, a federal court spokesperson said.

    According to officials, he is not the only political leader who abused a position of power for years.

    Maduro was indicted alongside several Venezuelan politicians including his wife and de facto First Lady of Venezuela, Cilia Flores, and his son, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, the indictment said.

    Venezuela has western access to the mountainous regions of Columbia, where coca is grown and turned into the majority of the world’s cocaine supply, the indictment said. Officials, including Maduro, partnered with drug traffickers and “narco-terrorist groups” to transport that cocaine to the United States.

    “By in or about 2020, the State Department estimated that between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine were trafficked through Venezuela annually,” the indictment said.

    Venezuelan officials are accused of various illegal acts to further drug trafficking such as selling Venezuelan diplomatic passports to known drug traffickers, accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and using diplomatic covers for certain air travel to receive no scrutiny from law enforcement.

    Maduro is being held at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to the Associated Press, which has housed many high-profile inmates from Sean “Diddy” Combs to Luigi Mangione.

    Miami Herald reporter Claire Heddles contributed to this report.

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    Sofia Saric

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  • 12-year-old boy charged with attempted murder in child stabbing at NYC playground

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    Police have arrested a 12-year-old boy and charged him with attempted murder in the case of another 12-year-old boy who was stabbed in the chest in Brooklyn a day ago, authorities said Friday.

    The suspect was taken into custody late Thursday, hours after the incident near Dumont Avenue and Thomas Boyland Street in Brownsville. Cops allege he fled the scene immediately after the attack.

    It wasn’t clear what precipitated the stabbing. A knife was recovered at the scene.

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    The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition and is expected to survive.

    The investigation is ongoing.

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    NBC New York Staff

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  • Two Jewish men threatened and shoved aboard 3 train in Brooklyn, police say

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    A possible antisemitic attack on a subway in Brooklyn has sparked an investigation by police and condemnation from city officials.

    Video shared on social media Monday night showed two men grabbing and shoving two Jewish men on a 3 train near the Nostrand Avenue station in Crown Heights.

    According to police, the victims said the men walked up to them, grabbed them by their jackets and threatened them. The video does not show what transpired before the argument.

    The men who allegedly made the threats got off the train at Nostrand Avenue. It was not immediately clear where they went from there. No arrests had yet been made, police said.

    The victims, both in their early 20s, did not report any injuries.

    Both Mayor Eric Adams and the MTA condemned what happened, calling it hateful and despicable.

    “We can never allow such hate and antisemitism to persist in our city — it must be condemned and rooted out from the very fabric of our city,” Adams said in a post on X, adding that the NYPD Hate Crimes Division was investigating the incident.

    “This kind of hateful behavior has no place on the subway or anywhere, and is deeply offensive to  New Yorkers. The NYPD has access to video from train cars and stations to identify and apprehend the perpetrators, who should face maximum consequences from the justice system,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.

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    NBC New York Staff

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  • Holocaust survivor invited to speak at Brooklyn public school following initial rejection

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    Sami Steigmann, 86, (inset) lived to tell his heartwrenching story about surviving a labor camp in Nazi Germany during World War II. He and many of his supporters were shocked when Principal Arin Rusch of MS 447 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, denied a parent’s request to have him speak to the students. 

    Photo via Google Maps/Inset via Facebook, Sami Steigmann

    A Holocaust survivor who was denied a speaking engagement at a public school in Brooklyn has now received an official invitation to address students at the school in February, city officials confirmed on Monday. 

    Sami Steigmann, 86, survived the Holocaust, but was rejected and silenced from speaking at MS 447 in Boerum Hill last month. But following public outcry, he will now visit the school on Feb. 5 to address students and tell his story of surviving a labor camp in Nazi Germany during World War ll. 

    Brooklyn Council Member Inna Vernikov said Steigmann was even offered additional speaking engagements as a result of the backlash.

    “Sami Steigman, the Holocaust survivor who was rejected from speaking at MS 447 will now be speaking at MS 447 on Feb. 5,” Vernikov said. “Other speaking opportunities were offered to him as well.”

    A spokesperson for NYC Public Schools confirmed the date.

    Vernikov said she spoke to Steigmann, who said he is “extremely grateful” to those who advocated on his behalf.

    “But he also wanted to stress that this is not about him and that he feels a sense of responsibility for all Holocaust survivors who are still alive and have incredible stories to tell,” the council member explained. 

    Steigmann’s supporters were shocked last month when Principal Arin Rusch denied a parent’s request to have the survivor speak to the students at the middle school.

    Rusch responded to the request by saying Steigmann’s presentation would not be right for the school “given his messages around Israel and Palestine,” according to an article in The Times of Israel.

    But Steigmann is a motivational speaker who has posted messages of hope and resilience, as well as history, on his website, samispeaks.com

    Following community outrage about the rejection, Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos immediately spoke with Steigmann about collaborating with the city’s public school system, the largest in the nation. 

    Steigmann’s supporters were pleased after learning he now has an official date to speak at the school.

    Masha Pearl, executive director of The Blue Card, a nonprofit that helps Holocaust survivors, thanked the school for reversing course and hosting Steigmann. 

    “Holocaust survivors carry irreplaceable history, and students deserve the opportunity to hear directly from those who lived through humanity’s darkest chapter,” she said. 

    She added that The Blue Card “is committed to working with MS 447” to develop additional educational programs. 

    “Survivor testimony is education, not politics, and protecting these voices is essential at a time of rising antisemitism,” Pearl said. 

    Meanwhile, Verikov said she was thankful to school officials for “righting this wrong.” 

    “We will never stay silent in the face of antisemitism and discrimination,” she said.

     

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    Barbara Russo-Lennon

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  • A Secret Garden in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, by Julie Farris of XS Space

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    Overhauling a townhouse backyard after a renovation is a fairly common assignment for a New York City landscape designer. For one recent project, Julie Farris, the founder of XS Space, was given different a task. “Rather than erase and start anew as most projects do, the goal with this project was to identify the aspects of the previous garden, and to try to magnify those aspects in a more targeted and precise way,” says Farris. The results are a garden that felt deeply personal from Day One.

    Farris’s clients had lived in their Brooklyn brownstone for some time before deciding to add an addition to the ground level. The family loved their home and slightly wild yard, where they had built many memories. “It sort of had this secret garden kind of feel,” says Farris. But as is so often the case post-construction, the 20 x 45-foot garden was left in a sorry state in need of a total overhaul. 

    “They wanted it to feel very natural and organic—sort of revealing what was there rather than inventing a new landscape,” says Farris. The clients requested a stretch of grass for the kids and a little more privacy from the nearby neighbors, but they didn’t have a laundry list of outdoor rooms and functions they wanted to cram into their space. What they wanted was simply a garden. 

    “It was more about having a quiet sanctuary for their family and some friends and not being a showy kind of garden,” says Farris. The family was also intent on doing it as sustainably as possible. “They wanted native plantings, birds, and butterflies,” says Farris.

    The resulting garden is something of a sleight of hand: It honors the spirit of the previous garden, but almost every inch of it was built from scratch. It’s a lesson in the power of restraint and resourcefulness: All the sustainable materials and climate-appropriate plants make this garden feel like it belongs here. Now it’s ready for decades more memories.

    Take a tour of the understated yet elegant space.

    Photography by Matthew Williams, courtesy of XS Space, unless noted.

    Architecture firm Bangia Agostinho Architecture designed the two-story rear extension and deck on the house. The renovation resulted in three different outdoor spaces for Farris to design: The backyard, a new deck, and a little terrace off of the primary bedroom that sits on the roof of the extension.
    Above: Architecture firm Bangia Agostinho Architecture designed the two-story rear extension and deck on the house. The renovation resulted in three different outdoor spaces for Farris to design: The backyard, a new deck, and a little terrace off of the primary bedroom that sits on the roof of the extension.
    Farris describes designing the garden as a process of “sculpting the edges” to draw the eye outwards. “There�217;s this negative space, and then you�217;re just kind of feeling how you want to structure the space in terms of hierarchy and softness,” she says. 
    Above: Farris describes designing the garden as a process of “sculpting the edges” to draw the eye outwards. “There’s this negative space, and then you’re just kind of feeling how you want to structure the space in terms of hierarchy and softness,” she says. 

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  • Brooklyn Borough Hall, Liberty players and local volunteers team up to feed families for Thanksgiving • Brooklyn Paper

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    Brooklynites are joining forces more than ever this holiday season to help community members facing food insecurity, a problem worsened by the food affordability crisis and a recent freeze in SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown.

    At Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough President Antonio Reynoso and his staff hosted a Thanksgiving food distribution on Nov. 21, handing out more than 60,000 pounds of goods, including turkeys, fresh produce such as sweet potatoes, corn, apples, and onions, and nonperishable items like pasta and rice. The food was distributed to more than 125 organizations addressing food insecurity and homelessness across the borough, including houses of worship, community kitchens, nonprofits, and other community-based groups.

    Volunteers were busy loading the vans and cars with Thanksgiving staples.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
    Over 60,000 pounds of food were distributed to organizations across Brooklyn.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

    Reynoso said that, with support from Borough Hall’s special partner UA3, as well as National Grid, Optimum, Ponce Bank, Citizens, Met Council, Macerich, Food Bazaar, and the Hispanic Federation, the office raised more money than in previous years.

    Organizations had to pre-register for the event, and Reynoso emphasized the importance of distributing the food throughout the borough.

    “[The distribution event] just comes at a time when food insecurity is high. The national government and the Trump administration are being very clear about wanting to cut SNAP benefits,” Reynoso said, noting that his administration is prepared to support Brooklyn families in need should the benefits be reduced.

    Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso also lent a helping hand.
    Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and volunteers help distribute holiday food to community members facing food insecurity.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

    “We’re ready, we’ll keep doing this type of work, and we need to do it every week to make sure that people are fed,” Reynoso said. “I hope that there’s a level of confidence in these families to know, ‘Look, maybe the national government is not there for us, but the local government is showing up.’ So today is about family. It’s about being grateful, being thankful, but also being confident. We got your back. Brooklyn is going to take care of Brooklyn!”

    A slew of volunteers, including Borough Hall staff and other organizations, efficiently packed trolleys with holiday staples from a sea of pallets of food before loading them into cars and vans lined up along a well-organized assembly line in Borough Hall Plaza.

    Joyce French, president of the Community Education Council 19, told Brooklyn Paper that her organization would distribute the food to about 100 families, noting that families were struggling as she waited in line to have her car loaded.

    “We definitely need to have the events, because a lot of our families are not wealthy,” French said. “The struggle is a little bit worse than it was before because not a lot of money is coming in, and people are really struggling. So this is such a big asset.”

    New York Liberty guards Natasha Cloud and Rebekah Gardner were among the volunteers loading holiday goods onto vehicles.

    New York Liberty Guards Rebekah Gardner and Natasha Cloud were among the busy volunteers loading the holiday goods onto the vehicles.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
    New York Liberty Guard Natasha Cloud said it was important to remember blessings around Thanksgiving.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

    Cloud, who said she is not “big on holiday stuff” but is “huge” on family gatherings, told Brooklyn Paper that it is important to remember one’s blessings.

    “I always appreciate when a full family can get together and just truly be present in the moment of what they are thankful for, especially with the chaos that is happening around us all the time,” Cloud said. “I think it is still very important to prioritize and remind ourselves how blessed we truly are.”

    She gave a shoutout to the Brooklyn Borough Hall team, particularly Deputy Borough President Kim Council, whom Cloud has gotten to know as a caring person.

    “The ability to pull something like this off, where you know you are going to feed thousands and thousands of mouths over a holiday season, where families didn’t know where else it was going to come from like that, truly is [remarkable],” Cloud said. “We need more politicians like her who truly do care. And it’s really a blessing for me to be a part of it as well.”

    Gardner said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because gratitude is a “huge” part of her life.

    “It’s awesome that there’s a day to recognize it, where you get to spend time with your family and do things like [volunteering] and give back,” Gardner said, hoping more communities will host events to help people in need.

    Volunteers with Brownsville In Violence Out lent a helping hand.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

    Mel Quan and his friend Kemori, with “Save The Next Generation,” were part of the “Brownsville In Violence Out” (BIVO) volunteer group.

    “I like to give back. I like to do for others,” Quan told Brooklyn Paper. “I just like to be a better version of myself every day.”

    Kemori added that they would be busy giving out turkeys in their community in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

    Newlyweds Patrick and Kelly paused to take wedding photos and help out, appreciating the event during challenging times.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

    While volunteers spread holiday cheer, newlyweds Patrick and Kelly paused to take some obligatory wedding photos on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall and stopped for a bit to help.

    “It’s tough times right now, so this is definitely great,” the groom told Brooklyn Paper.

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    By Gabriele Holtermann

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  • Brooklyn roller derby league delivers crash course on inclusivity

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    PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Hundreds of skaters, support staff and fans flood LeFrak Center at Lakeside skating rink in Prospect Park for some good-natured, if not hard-hitting, Saturday night fights.

    Gotham Roller Derby skater Violet Knockout loves the “full-contact sport on roller skates.” She explains how the sport is “five-on-five on the track, with two point-scorers,” before giving us a crash course at the league’s double-header pitting teams from Brooklyn against the Bronx, and Manhattan against Queens.

    League president Chuggs Brewkowski describes it as “playing offense and defense at the same time. Where there’s two people with the opportunity to score at the same time.”

    Many of the skaters will tell you that inclusion is the real name of the game here.

    Manhattan Mayhem veteran Kill Valentine thinks that part of the reason the sport has gotten so popular in New York City is because “any body type can be successful. I think it really brings out the athleticism in a whole lot of different people.”

    And if the hits seem too hard, there are plenty of support roles to get involved with. “We have non-skating officials, we have volunteer spots, we have so many things that, if you don’t want to skate you can still be a part of this and still be enveloped in our community.”

    Now, Gotham Roller derby needs a new home. In a town known for its toughness, these rowdy rollers are on the hunt for a permanent space to practice and play.

    For information about Gotham Roller Derby or to help the league find a place to play head to the website gothamrollerderby.com.

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    CCG

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  • Brooklyn woman injured in late-night attempted rape; suspect at large | amNewYork

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    Surveillance image released by the NYPD shows a man wanted in connection with a late-night attempted rape in Brownsville on Nov. 16

    Photo by NYPD/Crimestoppers

    A 25-year-old woman was attacked in Brooklyn over the weekend when a stranger followed her, punched her in the face, and attempted to remove her clothing, police reported Tuesday morning.

    The assault occurred around 11:35 p.m. on Nov. 16 near Watkins Street and Livonia Avenue in Brownsville, in the confines of the 73rd Precinct.

    Police sources said the woman was walking alone when a man began following her. He then struck her in the face and tried to remove her clothing in what investigators are treating as an attempted rape.

    The attack was interrupted when a passerby saw the struggle, prompting the suspect to flee on foot. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and was listed in stable condition.

    Detectives with the Brooklyn Special Victims Squad are conducting a canvass of the area to gather surveillance footage and gather witnesses to track down the suspect, who is still at large.

    Additional surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows the man suspected in the late-night attempted rape
    Additional surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows the man suspected in the late-night attempted rapePhoto by NYPD/Crimestoppers

    On Tuesday, police released surveillance footage of the alleged suspect and are seeking the public’s assistance to help locate him. He is described as a man with a dark complexion who was last seen wearing a green jacket with white sleeves.

    Police data shows there have been 34 rape reports in the 73rd Precinct so far this year as of Nov. 16.

    Anyone with information regarding the attempted rape or the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

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    Adam Daly

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  • FDNY firefighter Patrick Brady honored at Queens funeral Saturday

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    Flags will fly at half-staff on Saturday in honor of fallen FDNY firefighter Patrick Brady, an 11-year veteran of the department who died in the line of duty last weekend.

    Brady, 42, suffered a medial episode while battling a five-alarm fire at an apartment building in Brooklyn on Nov. 8. He went into cardiac arrest while working on the roof of the six-story building in East Flatbush.

    He was treated by firefighters and paramedics and pronounced dead at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center.

    A funeral will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Francis de Sales in Belle Harbor, Queens.

    One day earlier, firefighters lined up around the block to attend Brady’s wake at Marine Park Funeral Home. His wife, Kara, shared a few words.

    Every story shared, every hug and every kind word is helping us navigate the pain of losing my husband, my best friend, my rock: Patrick,” Kara Brady said Friday.

    “If I could choose anyone in the world to love, I would choose him over and over again. The 16 years we shared together were the best of my life.”

    Brady comes from a family of firefighters. His two brothers, Jimmy and Brian, are also firefighters, as are his cousins and uncles.

    Brady joined the FDNY back on July 14, 2014 and has served Ladder 120 since 2022.

    In Brooklyn, friends, family, and fellow firefighters are honoring FDNY Firefighter Patrick Brady. Brady died after going into cardiac arrest while fighting this fire last Saturday in Brownsville. NBC News 4 New York’s Melissa Colorado reports.

    “The entire FDNY is heartbroken over the loss of Firefighter Patrick Brady. Firefighter Brady was a dedicated public servant, and firefighting was in his blood,” FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said.

    “Firefighter Patrick Brady gave his life protecting the city we all love; there is no sacrifice that is more selfless than the actions that took place this evening,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

    Brady is survived by his wife, Kara.

    Brady is the second member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty in the last two weeks. Paramedic Salih Abdur Rahman died Oct. 29 after finishing a shift at the fire academy on Randalls Island.

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    NBC New York Staff and The Associated Press

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  • This gift guide for movie lovers ranges from candles and pj’s to books for babies and adults

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    If you think gifts for movie lovers begin and end with Blu-Rays and cineplex gift cards, think again. There’s lots of ways to get creative (and impress) the film fan in your life.

    You could always splurge on a Sundance Film Festival pass (starting at $350 for the online edition, $4,275 for an in-person express pass ) for its last edition in Park City, Utah, this January. Or buy a plaid Bob Ferguson-inspired robe (perhaps this L.L. Bean option for $89.95) for the ones who can’t stop talking about “One Battle After Another.”

    For the very forward-thinking, you could help the Christopher Nolan fan in your life brush up on “The Odyssey” before next July with Emily Wilson’s translation (at bookstores.)

    Here are a few of our other favorite finds this holiday season for all kinds of movie fans.

    The ultimate Wes Anderson box set

    The Criterion Collection’s 20-disc Wes Anderson Archive box set is an investment for the true diehard. Anchored around 10 films over the past 25 years, from “Bottle Rocket” through “The French Dispatch,” the mammoth package includes new 4K masters, over 25 hours of special features, and 10 illustrated, chicly clothbound books, as well as essays from the likes of Martin Scorsese and James L. Brooks. $399.96.

    Mise en Scènt candles

    Home movie nights need the right atmosphere, and this female-owned, Brooklyn-based company creates (and hand pours) candles inspired by favorite movies. Their bestselling — and sometimes out of stock — “Old Hollywood” candle will bring you back to the silver screen’s golden age with the smell of “deep, smoky and worn-in leather,” which might be ideal with TCM playing in the background. The “Rom Com” scent evokes the feeling of a “meet-cute in a grocery aisle” with something clean, fresh and floral (maybe for watching “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” or “Materialists” ). There’s also a “French New Wave” candle that would work well with Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague.” Other scents include “Mystery,” “Fantasy,” “Macabre,” “Villain Era,” “Bad Movie” and “Main Character.” Starting at $24.

    Baby’s first movie book

    These adorable and beautifully illustrated board books take parents and kids on a journey through genres, from “My First Hollywood Musical” and “My First Sci-Fi Movie” to the very niche “My First Giallo Horror” and “My First Yakuza Movie.” There are also three box sets available for $45 each. Oscar-winning “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker called them his “go-to gifts for new parents.” From ’lil cinephile. Starting at $15.

    Pajamas fit for a KPop Demon Hunter

    Rumi’s “choo choo” pajama pants would make a cozy gift for days when you find yourself chanting “Couch! Couch! Couch!” Don’t understand what any of that means? Don’t worry, the “KPop Demon Hunters” fan in your life will. Available from Netflix. $56.95.

    A Roger Deakins memoir

    Even if you don’t know the name Roger Deakins you certainly know his work — simply put, he’s one of the greatest working cinematographers in the business. His credits include “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Sicario,” “Skyfall” and “1917.” Fittingly, his memoir “Reflections: On Cinematography” is uniquely visual, with never-before-seen storyboards, sketches and diagrams. The 76-year-old Oscar winner also looks back on his life, his early love of photography and how he found his way into 50 years of moviemaking, where he’d find longstanding partnerships with some of the great auteurs, from the Coen brothers to Sam Mendes and Denis Villeneuve. Hachette Book Group. $45.

    An alternative streamer for cinephiles

    If Netflix is too pedestrian for the cinephile in your life, the Kino Film Collection offers a robust and rotating lineup of classic and current art house and indie films. Categories include Cannes Favorites (like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth”), Classics (like “The General,” “Metropolis” and “Nosferatu”) and New York Times Critics’ Picks (like Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” and Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border”). At $5.99 a month or $59.99 year, it’s also less expensive than the Criterion Channel ($10.99/month, $99/year) and Mubi ($14.99/month, $119.88/year).

    The Celluloid card game

    Who’s the biggest film buff in your family or group of friends? This clever card game might have the answer for you. Each Celluloid card contains prompts (like location, character and action) and you have to pick a movie that fits as many cards as possible. $19.

    An expressionistic dive into Chloé Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’

    Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, actor Jessie Buckley and photographer Agata Grzybowska collaborated on a gorgeous coffee-table book about “Hamnet,” opening in theaters in limited release on Nov. 27 and expected to be a major Oscar contender. The film, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s story, which won the National Book Critics Circle prize for fiction, imagines the circumstances around the death of William Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son and how it may have influenced the writing of “Hamlet.” The coffee-table book, called “Even as a Shadow, Even as a Dream,” is not a making-of, or behind-the-scenes look in any conventional sense, but an otherworldly, haunting companion piece of carefully chosen images and words. Mack books. $40.

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    For more AP gift guides and holiday coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/gift-guide and https://apnews.com/hub/holidays.

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  • Brute clocks straphanger with rain gear on Brooklyn train, cops say

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    Suspect who allegedly hit a man with an umbrella.

    Photo by NYPD

    Police in Brooklyn are searching for a suspect who allegedly menaced a man with a box cutter before striking him with an umbrella on board a subway train last month. 

    According to law enforcement sources, the incident unfolded on Oct. 13 at around 2:15 a.m. on a southbound S train at the Euclid Avenue Subway station in East New York.

    The 36-year-old victim was on the train when he was approached by the precipitation-prepared perp, who was wearing a hood and carried an umbrella. The duo, unknown to each other, began arguing when suddenly the suspect pulled out a box cutter and waved it around.

    When the train doors opened, the dispute spilled over unto the station platform and became physical when the suspect showered the victim with a strike, using an umbrella, authorities said.

    The suspect then immediately fled the scene by getting back on the train, fleeing to parts unknown. 

    Officers from the 75th Precinct and Transit District 33 responded to the scene after getting a 911 call about the incident, but the perp was already gone. 

    The victim refused medical attention at the scene, according to police sources.

    Meanwhile, the NYPD on Nov. 12 released surveillance photos and video of the suspect, who remains at large. He is described as having a dark complexion and being approximately 25 to 35 years old. He is about five feet, 11 inches tall, and has a medium build and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray long-sleeved sweater, black jacket, and black sneakers.

    No arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing.

    Anyone with information regarding this incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

     

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    Barbara Russo-Lennon

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  • MLB, sportsbooks cap bets on individual pitches in response to pitch-rigging scandal

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    Major League Baseball said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays, a day after two Cleveland Guardians players were indicted and accused of rigging pitches at the behest of gamblers.

    MLB said Monday the limits were agreed to by sportsbook operators representing more than 98% of the U.S. betting market. The league said in a statement that pitch-level bets on outcomes of pitch velocity and of balls and strikes “present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of the game.”

    “The risk on these pitch-level markets will be significantly mitigated by this new action targeted at the incentive to engage in misconduct,” the league said. “The creation of a strict bet limit on this type of bet, and the ban on parlaying them, reduces the payout for these markets and the ability to circumvent the new limit.”

    MLB said the agreement included Bally’s, Bet365, BetMGM, Bet99, Betr, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings, 888, FanDuel, Gamewise, Hard Rock Bet, Intralot, Jack Entertainment, Mojo, Northstar Gaming, Oaklawn, Penn, Pointsbet, Potawatomi, Rush Street and Underdog.

    Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted Sunday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches. They were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment says they helped two unnamed gamblers in the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of certain pitches, including some that landed in the dirt.

    Ortiz’s lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement that his client was innocent and “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game — not for anyone and not for anything.” A lawyer for Clase, Michael J. Ferrara, said his client “has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win. Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

    The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was unconstitutional, allowing states to legalize sports betting.

    Ortiz appeared Monday in federal court in Boston. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell granted Ortiz his release on the condition he surrender his passport, restrict his travel to the Northeast U.S. and post a $500,000 bond, $50,000 of it secured. Ortiz was ordered to avoid contact with anyone who could be viewed as a victim, witness or co-defendant.

    Last month, more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said rigged poker games backed by Mafia families and leaked inside information about NBA athletes.

    Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement denying the allegations. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement his client is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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