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Community Corner

🌱 Homeless Shelter Wastes Millions + Teacher Vaccine Mandates

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.

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Welcome back, Brooklyn. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you up to speed on everything you need to know about what's going on around town. Hope you all have a great day. Here we go...

A homeless shelter in Downtown Brooklyn failed to account for over $2 million spent. In his review, New York comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that the nonprofit could not say where they allocated $2.4 million of funding received from the city's Department of Homeless Services; and it cannot be left out, included in that sum, was $500,ooo worth of wasted food (akin to 155,000 meals). The data in DiNapoli's report was gathered from 2016 to 2019 and glaringly demonstrates that the city needs to do a better job about making sure shelters are running efficiently. The expenses in DiNapoli's report occurred squarely during the mayorship of Bill de Blasio, and it is now up to Mayor Eric Adams to rectify the situation. (The New York Daily News)

More for your Tuesday:

  • The mayor's advisor resigned.
  • Vaccine mandates. 🦠
  • Transgender teacher rights.
  • Brooklyn artist accolades. 🎨

First, today's weather:

🌤 Mostly sunny. High: 81 Low: 64.

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Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. Frank Carone, the man who fueled Eric Adam's mayoral rise, is stepping down at the end of the year. As one of the mayor's closest advisors, Carone has endured — and pushed the administration through — some of its thorniest political challenges and has served as gatekeeper and big-business negotiator since January of this year. His decision to leave is not standard practice for someone in his position; Emma Wolfe, the last chief of staff of Mayor Bill de Blasio, remained in that role through his second term and served the administration for nearly 8 years. However, while Carone's departure marks the first flight from the Adams administration, it may not be the biggest surprise or scandal. Carone has before said that he only intended to stay in politics for a year, and that come the next election he plans to rejoin Adams for a "getting the team back together" campaign push.

Subscription/The New York Times

2. Teachers are losing their jobs over the jab — or, rather, a lack thereof. The New York City Department of Education has fired another 850 teachers and aides for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19, bringing the total to 2,000 as of Saturday. As children return to full in-person class (mask not mandated), COVID-19 safety is on everyone's minds. And, while Mayor Eric Adams has rolled back on a number of the restrictions instituted by Mayor Bill de Blasio, he has kept the school employee vaccine mandate. Those angered by the mass teacher firings are citing major decreases in the city's COVID-19 hospitalization rates, as well as lifted mandates in government organizations like the court and police force.

Washington Free Beacon

3. A New York yeshiva has asked a transgender teacher to leave. Amid uproar over her identity, a transgender instructor at Magen David Yeshivah in Brooklyn (an Orthodox Jewish school) agreed to step down from her teaching position. Talia Avrahami has had to face considerable harassment, and her decision to leave on Friday of last week comes after mounting tensions since she was asked to leave by the school after "parents' night." Over the weekend, Magen David sent an email to parents announcing that starting Monday, Sept. 19, their child would have a new social studies teacher. Meanwhile, Avrahami struggles with where the next steps in life will take her.

The Times of Israel

4. In better news, three Brooklyn-based artists receive unrestricted grants via the Colene Brown Art Prize. BRIC is leading the way in arts and media out of Downtown Brooklyn, and just awarded a handful under-recognized New York City visual artists $10,000 each in partnership with the Colene Brown Family Foundation. Among those award recipients were Brooklynites Valery Hegarty, Aaron Gilbert, and Sara Jimenez. Despite their drastically different styles in the visual art medium, the three artists share an inclination towards personal reflection in their pieces. Learn more about each of them and their art at the link.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Today in Brooklyn:

  • Women's Freelancing Network Night, Carroll Hall, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
  • Willie Nelson's in Town, Rumsey Playfield, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
  • Debut Culinary Event JBF Greens, Aldama, Today @ 6:30 p.m. | Details
  • A One-Woman, One-Viola Comedy Show, Union Hall, Today @ 7:20 p.m. | Details

🐝 Brooklyn Buzz

  • 🍩 Free doughnut alert at Time Out Market New York: "From Thursday, Sept. 22 through Sunday, Sept. 25, the first 100 Dough visitors who purchase six doughnuts can choose from a T-shirt or coffee mug emblazoned with the beloved Brooklyn-born shop's logo." (Time Out)
  • 📥 A friendly reminder for small businesses: "The deadline is less than two weeks away for small businesses to apply for New York's Seed Funding grant program." (News 12 Brooklyn)
  • 🍸 Martini Rising: riffing off the old stuff. "As nostalgia grips drinkers, bartenders are giving vilified '90s concoctions like the lychee martini and the lemon drop an upgrade — and ushering in a new martini era." (Subscription/The New York Times)
  • 💜 A new Japanese marketplace in Greenpoint: "50 Norman, a new and authentic Japanese marketplace, just opened at (you guessed it) 50 Norman St., and it brings the true essence of three different Tokyo brands to the city. Sprawling across 3,500 square feet and designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka, 50 Norman features a space dedicated to lifestyle and art, culture, and dining." (Thrillist)
  • 🍔 Sexy Meatless Chaos? "Slutty Vegan, a vegan burger chain with a cult following, opened in Brooklyn this weekend with a block party that shut down a stretch of Fort Greene and caused New Yorkers from as far as the Bronx to wait in seemingly unending lines for vegan patties, fries, and sweet potato pies." (Eater NY)

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You're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Carlie Houser

About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com

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