Brooklyn news

News, events, shopping, deals, jobs, meetups, classifieds, reviews, attractions and much more!

LinkShare_468x60v1

Which major health care bills passed the state Legislature this session?

As the state’s legislative session wrapped up Thursday night, lawmakers had passed more than 100 bills aimed at reforming New York’s health care system. Among the notable bills that passed the Assembly and Senate in the last week of the session was a requirement that funds from opioid-related settlements be used for the treatment and prevention of substance-use disorders, rather than going into the state’s general fund. A bill that seeks to license pharmacy benefit managers—which Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously vetoed—passed both chambers again. …

Right-to-repair, antitrust bills fall short

The state Legislature advanced bills in its final days that would have toughened New York’s antitrust laws and given consumers greater power to independently fix their electronics. Both efforts… To view the full story, click the title link.

Crain’s Extra June 6

The Week Ahead Tuesday, June 8 The City Council holds a hearing on whether restaurants can tack a 15% “food service establishment surcharge” onto customer bills if they pay staffers at least $15 an hour before tips. Surcharges were instituted to help restaurants survive the pandemic, but they could linger. Wednesday, June 9 Manhattan-based marketing firm Zeta Global Holdings is slated to go public on the New York Stock Exchange. Zeta helps companies identify and retain …

Crain’s names Schouten new editor 

Cory Schouten has been named editor-in-chief of Crain’s New York Business. Schouten, 39, joins Crain’s from The Wall Street Journal, where he led a team responsible for newsletters, email alerts, a… To view the full story, click the title link.

LinkNYC plans 5G reboot after falling short of revenue projections

The troubled LinkNYC Wi-Fi kiosk program—which has fallen greatly short of its rosy advertising revenue projections—is getting a reboot, this time betting on the next-generation 5G network.   A proposed deal between City Hall and LinkNYC’s private operator, CityBridge, would drastically cut the hefty revenue-sharing payments, which CityBridge had been struggling to pay to the city. In exchange, CityBridge would add at least 2,000 kiosks outside of Lower Manhattan and Midtown in the next three years, as well as pay back $60 million it owes…

Billionaires are selling enormous stock blocks after surge

Stock sales are reaping a windfall for the world’s richest shareholders. Corporate insiders including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Google co-founder Sergey Brin have ramped up stock sales recently,… To view the full story, click the title link.

State accuses activists of using robocall to limit Black vote

New York state is taking legal action against two conservative activists, accusing them of paying to deploy thousands of deceptive robocalls during the 2020 election to suppress Black voter turnout. Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday asked a federal judge for permission to join a suit filed last year by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation against the men, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman. Wohl, 23, gained attention in 2017 when then-President Donald Trump retweeted his comments linking the administration to record-setting financial markets. Wohl was later banned from Twitter.Wohl and Burkman violated civil rights laws by paying …

Blackstone offers to buy St. Modwen in warehouse chase

Blackstone Group Inc. funds have offered to buy St. Modwen Properties Plc as the private-equity giant chases a bigger slice of the U.K.’s red-hot warehouse market. The British developer said it’s… To view the full story, click the title link.

Northwell’s urgent care clinics staying busy during pandemic

Even as the Covid-19 pandemic sunk most areas of Northwell Health’s volumes in 2020, its urgent care clinics had a banner year, with demand easily surpassing 2019 levels. Visits to New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell’s GoHealth urgent care clinics spiked 40% year-over-year to 732,000 visits in 2020. Visits in November were more than 200% their 2019 level. In fact, April was the only month in which visits declined from the prior year. Northwell operates 52 urgent care clinics in New York under a joint venture with GoHealth. Unfortunately for Northwell, …

TLC chief blasts taxi bailout plan supported by state attorney general and city comptroller

The head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission has trashed a yellow cab medallion bailout plan—supported by the state attorney general and the city comptroller—calling it “not implementable,” according to a leaked recording. TLC Chairwoman and Commissioner Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk told taxi medallion lenders on a March 31 group call that the rescue plan now working its way through the state Legislature would not work. “The plan itself, at least sounded good, but was not implementable, and would create a myriad of issues and complications especially around foreclosures,” Jarmoszuk said on the recording of the call. “And the math just didn’t seem to work out.” The TLC chief spoke to at least six lenders during the conference call with …

Coney Island attractions reopen after losing year to virus

The Wonder Wheel began turning and the Cyclone whipped into action as Coney Island’s illustrious amusement parks reopened Friday after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered New York City’s iconic summer… To view the full story, click the title link.

"Dancing in sneakers on concrete": outdoor performances require expensive shifts from organizers

The city’s performing artists are leaving stages behind to get back to work. Instead, they’re performing on rooftops, in gardens, and in the middle of the street, aided by state and city programs and individual organizers intent on giving them a chance to get back to work, even if the payoff is more symbolic than profitable. “It’s exciting to be dancing outdoors,” said Morgan McEwan, a dancer who is the founder and artistic director of MorDance, a company that usually performs at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse. With eight of…

New York’s top tech firms boost headcount in 2020

While industries such as hospitality, tourism and food service saw jobs cut left and right during 2020, some of the city’s public technology firms swelled with new employees.   As Peloton saw a spike in homebound Americans becoming paying customers last year, it also went on a hiring spree, adding more than 3,000 workers.    With a 110% increase, Peloton went to the front of the pack among the city’s publicly traded technology companies for headcount growth, reaching 5,862 employees globally as of Dec. 31, 2020, according to a Crain’s analysis of annual earnings reports of seven …