The policy distinction comes as DSA figures hold senior posts in Mamdani’s administration, while the NYC-DSA’s transit working group was among several advocacy groups invited to table at a city-run bus town hall on Thursday, prompting questions about the boundary between political organizing and government-run civic engagement.

Asked during an interview with SiriusXM’s “The Clay Cane Show” where his views diverge from DSA, Mamdani, who vowed at his inauguration to govern as a Democratic Socialist, pointed specifically to public safety.

“Well, I would say, especially when it comes to public safety, I've been very clear that we have our police force, we have prisons, we have jails,” Mamdani said in the interview, which aired Friday. “The purpose of these is also to ensure that we are delivering safety and justice hand in hand.”

Mamdani said New Yorkers should not have to choose between the two and praised the NYPD for its work in delivering what he described as the lowest levels of murders, shootings and shooting victims in recorded history through the first seven months of the year.

“And I also want to ensure that this is a city where New Yorkers know that that is not coming at the expense of justice,” he said.

The position contrasts with DSA’s national program, which includes a section titled “End Mass Incarceration and Police Immunity.” It calls for demilitarizing police departments, disempowering police unions and redirecting funding to public services as steps toward “fully abolishing the police and prison system.”

Cane asked Mamdani whether there were positions in the DSA platform where he would say, “That’s DSA, but that’s not where I stand?” Mamdani chose public safety.

“If you have two socialists in a room, there has to be at least one disagreement,” he joked.

At the same time, Mamdani has appointed DSA figures to prominent roles in his administration.

On his first day in office, Mamdani appointed DSA member Cea Weaver to lead the Office to Protect Tenants.

The following day, he appointed Tascha Van Auken, a longtime DSA organizer and veteran progressive campaign operative who led his mayoral campaign’s field operation, to head the newly created Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement.

'This is not good'

The DSA's presence at Thursday’s town hall prompted questions about the boundary between political organizing and government outreach. At the event, NYC-DSA’s transit working group was among several organizations invited to have an information table at the administration’s Central Brooklyn bus town hall.

Citizens Union Executive Director Grace Rauh criticized the group’s presence.

“This is not good,” Rauh wrote on X. “There needs to be a bright line between partisan political activity & government-run civic engagement. City Hall needs to explain how the DSA was able to set up a table at an official city event, and what steps will be taken to ensure this won’t happen again.”

City Hall confirmed that the DSA transit working group had been invited, but said it was one of several community and advocacy organizations brought in because of their work on transportation issues.

“For the town hall, a number of community and advocacy organizations that work on transit issues were invited to table, including Fair Fares NYC, Transportation Alternatives, the DSA’s transit working group, and Riders Alliance,” mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec said. “These organizations provided a variety of resources and perspectives on transit advocacy for New Yorkers.”

A City Hall official also said the DSA transit working group was invited for its transportation work rather than its electoral activity. The official said its political activity and 501(c)(4) status did not preclude the group from participating when it was invited for its expertise on transit.

NYC-DSA co-Chair Grace Mausser defended the group’s participation, saying DSA is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization rather than a political party. DSA’s own materials also identify the organization as a non-profit organization.

“NYC-DSA does extensive community organizing and social welfare work, such as housing, transportation, and environmental advocacy,” Mausser said. “We were one of many non-profit community organizations that tabled at the event.”

Mausser noted that Riders Alliance and Transportation Alternatives also had tables and referred questions about the city’s process for planning the event to City Hall.

The town hall dispute follows earlier questions about political guardrails around the Office of Mass Engagement, though those questions arose in a different context.

At a June budget hearing, Council Speaker Julie Menin questioned the administration about safeguards around the office as it drew attention for Organize NYC, an initiative aimed at increasing public participation in the Rent Guidelines Board process. Mamdani had made a rent freeze a centerpiece of his mayoral campaign, though he has stressed that the board is independent.

The administration said that the outreach was not intended to tell residents what position to take. At the initiative’s launch, Mamdani said canvassers would ask residents whether they knew if their apartments were rent-stabilized and whether they would testify before the board. He said the effort would also include outreach to landlords.

Menin asked at the time what safeguards existed to ensure the Office of Mass Engagement was not engaging in political work or other outreach that could create a conflict of interest.

“Government offices cannot engage in political activities,” Budget Director Sherif Soliman said, adding that employees were instructed on those rules through conflict-of-interest and Department of Investigation training.

“This is a government office, not a political operation,” Soliman said.

With reporting from Ethan Stark Miller 

Edwards’ Lincoln Place stoop and front yard, like those of her neighbors, have become a cross between a whimsical garden, a tribute to New York City, and an educational display on upcycling and community greening.

On Aug. 4, Edwards and her neighbors, dubbed P.L.A.N.T. (Preserving Lincoln’s Abundant Natural Treasures), were recognized for those efforts. Lincoln Place between New York and Nostrand avenues was named Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Greenest Block in Brooklyn for the fourth time in the competition’s 30-year history. The block also took home the title in 2024, 2022, and 2019.

“There was a great excitement in the air for this block this year, I think people know this block now, so they come through,” Edwards said. “We never take that for granted. We really enjoy it, we enjoy it more than anything.”

The block’s theme this year, “When the Big Apple Goes Green,” inspired neighbors to create blooming tributes to New York City life, with nods to taxis, the subway, ferries, the Knicks, MoMA, the fashion industry, the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, and more. Displays featured upcycled furniture and signs, haute couture crafted from leaves and reused materials, and an impressive variety of plants.

Althea Joseph, who helped establish P.L.A.N.T. with Edwards, is a semi-retired fashion designer who brought this year’s theme to life with couture dresses made from living and dried leaves.

“I never thought I would be doing plant dresses,” she said, laughing. One bodice was crafted from dried palm leaves, and a Knicks cheerleader dress was fashioned from dogwood leaves she had dried over the past year. A Chanel-inspired look featured vibrant greenery for texture.

“For us, ‘When the Big Apple Goes Green,’ it means you can put your greening into any aspect,” she said, adding it also highlights an urgent message.

“As we face climate change, the future of our city depends on embracing urban greening and building healthier, more sustainable neighborhoods. Our display represents more than beauty; it reflects hope, resilience, the power of nature to transform our surroundings. Every tree pollinator protected and green space reserved contributes to clean air, cooler streets, and stronger communities,” she said.

She said climate action and building more resilient neighborhoods starts locally. “Greening for us is not only plants, but it’s friendship and getting people to understand that it’s about community."

This year’s 30th anniversary competition drew 139 entries, the highest number since the pandemic, including 47 first-time participants. It also marked the launch of the Greenest Block in Brownsville initiative, led by Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn borough president’s office, to encourage greening in a neighborhood that experiences some of Brooklyn’s most severe climate-related impacts.

“When we found out that the heat index was affecting Brownsville more than any other neighborhood in this entire borough, we wanted to do something about it,” Borough President Antonio Reynoso told the crowd gathered on the block this morning for the awards. Along with tree planting and other greening efforts, he said, the initiative is about strengthening community ties.

“What’s most important is that we do something that Biggie Smalls said every single time, to spread love. It’s about building community. It’s about the interactions that the folks that participate in doing this every single day have with each other."

Several Brownsville blocks received recognition for taking part in this year’s competition, and Reynoso said he would continue supporting the initiative “until Brownsville wins the Greenest Block in Brooklyn.”

The Greenest Block runner-up was a tie between L&S Jefferson Avenue Block Association on Jefferson Avenue between Lewis and Stuyvesant avenues in Bed Stuy, and Bay Ridge Blooms on Ridge Boulevard between 71st Street and Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge. Third place went to Canarsie Carailles on 92nd Street between Avenue A and Church Avenue.

Rookie of the Year went to East 91st Block Association in Canarsie, while Hsi Ling Chang Fine Woodworking in Boerum Hill won Greenest Storefront. The Sustainable Practices Award went to The Greene Garden in Fort Greene.

Sonal Bhatt, Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s vice president of education and interpretation, said the Greenest Block in Brooklyn competition has always sought “not only to share horticultural materials, training, and on-site guidance, but also to learn from the knowledge and traditions already present in Brooklyn neighborhoods.”

“There’s nothing that shows talent like greenest block gardeners,” she said. “The Greenest Block creates space for intergenerational interaction for neighbors of all types to come together and create beautiful spaces that are safe for themselves, for pollinators, and for plants.”

She congratulated the P.L.A.N.T. team not only for their gardening skills and what they had reaped from them, but also for mentoring other blocks across Brooklyn. “They are not only creating this beautiful block in Brooklyn, but they are spreading beauty and knowledge throughout Brooklyn."

This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper's sister site Brownstoner. 

The nominees will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 3. In all, 170 judicial delegates selected the four nominees through a vote held at the Marine Park Golf Course before a crowd of roughly 250 attendees, according to the Brooklyn Democratic Party. 

One of the roles of the Brooklyn Democratic Committee is to select candidates to run for Civil Court and the New York State Supreme Court. The process involves extensive vetting and approval, including meetings with district leaders and a review of each candidate's qualifications before the candidates are presented to the County Committee Body for a vote. Typically, this vote takes place after each candidate participates in a judicial candidate forum that is open to the public and to voters from the candidate's respective district. 

According to a report by Legal Clarity, the NY Supreme Court has a keen and attentive election process unlike any other judicial election. It utilizes a nominating convention rather than a standard primary election. Rather than voters electing these judges in a primary election, Judicial Delegates vote to nominate the judges to the ballot at the convention. 

Judicial Delegates are significant because they can make sure voter preferences are represented in the nominating process. The report further noted that “the convention system dates back to a 1921 change in the Election Law that replaced direct primaries for these seats with party-run nominating conventions.”

“The idea was that a group of locally elected party representatives would vet candidates more carefully than a low-turnout primary could. In practice, the system concentrates selection power in a relatively small deliberative body rather than the general electorate,” said the report. 

But the Brooklyn Democratic Party sees the election of judges as vital to protecting the courts’ integrity.

“Over the past decades, we have seen a degradation of our judicial system on the federal level where we don’t have the opportunity to vote for who actually gets to be our judges on that Supreme Court.  And we see what it has done to our rights across this county. Fortunately for us as residents of Kings County and Democratic members of the party, we do have the opportunity to vote for judges,” said District Leader Josue Pierre of the 42nd Assembly District, in an interview. 

District leaders have an important role in selecting judges as representatives of their constituents, which further echoes the report findings. 

“I take a lot of pride personally with my club and the 42nd Assembly District, when we have candidates that do come and meet with the people, connect with them, share their stories and have a common bond with the community,” Pierre added prior to casting his vote for the candidate of his respective district. 

The judicial delegates cast their votes in support of Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, Hon. Lola Waterman, Hon. Hemalee Patel, and Hon. Sherveal Mimes. Prior to the convention, each of these candidates had the opportunity to contest their candidacy at the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s virtual candidate forum on July 29. 

“Our courts are the bedrock of our community, and the people of Kings County deserve justices who lead with unshakeable integrity and profound legal insight,” said Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “I am incredibly proud to champion this phenomenal slate of candidates, knowing they will bring a deep commitment to equal justice and fiercely protect the rights of every Brooklynite.”

The nominees expressed gratitude to the party leadership and the committee for approving their candidacies. 

They included Waterman, a highly experienced legal professional and community advocate with a diverse, robust background in estate planning, immigration, and elder law. She took office as a judge for the New York City Civil Court in Kings County in 2024. 

Waterman earned her Juris Doctor from New York Law School after completing her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, and currently serves as a board member for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, alongside her involvement with the Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“To all of the district leaders, judicial delegates, alternate delegates, thank you for all that you do.” said Waterman, in her speech after her confirmed nomination. 

Mimes has been on the Kings County Civil Court bench for five years and has built a strong reputation for fairness, efficiency, and judicial integrity, according to the Democratic Party. 

“I understand and I know that this endorsement and nomination process requires a lot of your time, your thoughts, it means listening to your communities and your delegates, it means accessing the qualifications and experiences of many of us who were presenting ourselves for this nomination,” Mimes said.

Jean-Jacques brings nearly two decades of dedicated legal experience to the bench. She officially assumed office as a judge of the New York City Civil Court in Kings County in 2024. She is an active and respected leader in the local legal community, notably serving as the president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County.

“I am the daughter of a Haitian immigrant. I cannot express how blessed I feel and how happy I am that you chose to support me,” Jean-Jacques said. “In today’s climate, to be a Haitian child of first Haitian immigrant when sometimes not everybody gets to dream, and today I am living that dream.”

Finally, Patel — born in India and raised in New York City — was first seated on the Civil Court bench in Kings County in 2025. She previously served as a court attorney-referee on Staten Island, and received her judicial degree from Brooklyn Law School. 

“This is such an amazing display of democracy of work and I am so honored to be a part of it. I am so honored by this nomination,” said Patel. 

Good stewards do not make permanent decisions in moments of fear. They seek counsel. They gather the facts. They ask difficult questions. And only then do they move forward.

That lesson has been on my heart as I watch Brooklyn face one of the most consequential health care decisions in generations.

As a pastor, I have prayed with mothers waiting outside operating rooms. I have stood beside families receiving devastating news from physicians. I have celebrated newborns entering the world and comforted loved ones saying their final goodbyes.

When you serve the people of Brooklyn long enough, you come to know Maimonides Medical Center not simply as a hospital, but as sacred ground.

For more than 100 years, it has been one of the institutions that has quietly held this borough together.

That is why the proposal to permanently transfer Maimonides from an independent nonprofit hospital into the NYC Health + Hospitals system deserves far more scrutiny than it has received.

Let me be clear.

This is not an argument against change.

Nor is it an argument against public hospitals, whose dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff provide extraordinary care every day.

It is an argument against making an irreversible decision before we know whether it is truly the only path available.

Brooklyn has learned the painful cost of that mistake before.

Many of us still remember Long Island College Hospital.

We were told the community would be protected. We were assured health care services would remain. Yet, after years of promises, Brooklyn lost one of its historic hospitals, and much of that property ultimately became luxury condominiums.

The hospital never came back.

The promises could not bring it back.

That experience changed how many Brooklynites hear assurances from government and institutional leaders. When people tell us today, "Trust us. This is the only way," we remember what happened the last time we heard words like those.

This is not the time for blind faith.

And while history may not repeat itself exactly, wisdom demands that we learn from it.

No one disputes that Maimonides faces serious financial challenges. Those challenges are real.

But financial distress is not the same thing as financial impossibility.

Everything we have heard suggests there are legitimate questions about whether stronger management, operational modernization, improved billing systems, new leadership, strategic partnerships, or affiliation with another nonprofit health system could stabilize Maimonides while allowing it to remain an independent community institution.

But those possibilities have not all been carefully studied and ruled out — so why are we rushing toward a permanent transfer?

The answer to poor management should not automatically be surrendering a community asset.

Before Brooklyn gives away one of its most important charitable institutions, we deserve an independent review that honestly evaluates every realistic alternative.

That should not be controversial.

In fact, that is exactly what good stewardship requires.

The courts have already determined that this proposal cannot bypass the public review process required under New York law. State law also requires a Health Equity Impact Assessment because decisions like these affect medically underserved and culturally distinct communities in profound ways.

Those safeguards are not bureaucratic obstacles.

They are protections for the people.

They exist because hospitals are different from almost every other institution.

Once a hospital is gone — or fundamentally transformed — it is extraordinarily difficult to restore what was lost.

Maimonides serves one of the most beautifully diverse communities anywhere in America.

Every day, it cares for Orthodox Jewish families who have depended on its cultural understanding and religious accommodations for generations. It serves Muslim families, Latino communities, Caribbean Americans, Asian Americans, Russian-speaking residents, immigrants, and families from every corner of the world who have made Brooklyn their home.

It also serves thousands upon thousands of Black New Yorkers.

For generations, African American families have depended on Maimonides in moments that define a lifetime.

As pastors, we know its hallways well.

We have rushed there after late-night phone calls telling us that a church member had suffered a heart attack. We have prayed over victims of violence. We have sat with anxious families waiting for surgery to end. We have dedicated children who took their first breath there and comforted families whose last earthly moments with a loved one took place within those walls.

Our churches have long viewed Maimonides as more than a health care provider.

It has been a trusted partner in caring for our congregations.

That kind of trust cannot be recreated by a government resolution.

It is earned over generations.

And once it is broken, rebuilding it may take generations more.

No one should fear an independent audit.

No one should fear a transparent evaluation of every available option.

If an independent analysis ultimately concludes that joining NYC Health + Hospitals is the only realistic path to preserving health care in this community, then I will accept that conclusion because it will have been reached honestly, transparently, and with the public fully informed.

But if another path exists — one that preserves both the hospital and its independence — we owe it to every family in Brooklyn to discover that before we make a decision that cannot be undone.

The question before us is not simply who owns a hospital.

The question is whether Brooklyn has learned from its own history.

Long Island College Hospital taught us that once a community institution disappears, regret cannot rebuild it.

Let us not wait until years from now to wonder whether we asked enough questions.

Let us seek the truth now.

Let us examine every alternative.

And let us leave our children a stronger Maimonides than the one we inherited — not another story about the hospital Brooklyn once had.

Before we permanently change the future of Maimonides, let us do what every good physician does: slow down, gather all the facts, seek a second opinion, and make the right diagnosis before prescribing a treatment that cannot be undone.

The unit consists of 65 NYC Ferry technicians and welders, 61 of whom voted to unionize, with zero votes against. The workers are fighting for higher pay and stronger benefits, according to TWU.

TWU represents 160,000 workers across several modes of transportation. That includes roughly 40,000 New York City Transit workers who are members of the union's Local 100. Those transit workers are currently engaged in tense negotiations with the MTA over a new contract after their last one expired in May.

“We are growing our ranks at the New York City Ferry with this latest organizing victory, as technicians and welders can see the day-in-day-out fight we bring on all fronts and want to be a part of it," TWU President John Samuelsen said in a statement. "We will now begin work on a critical first contract to bring big gains for NYC Ferry workers, just like we have for decades with NYC Subways, trains, buses, planes, and bikes.”

The union has not yet determined whether the ferry workers would be part of Local 100 or another chapter.

The newly unionized workers mostly operate out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They are employed by Hornblower Group, the company that the city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has contracted to run the NYC Ferry system since its 2017 launch.

"NYCEDC supports the decision by NYC Ferry engineering employees to elect representation by the Transport Workers Union (TWU)," EDC spokesperson Seth Schuster said in a statement. "NYCEDC is committed to supporting the workers who deliver safe and reliable NYC Ferry service for millions of riders each year, and will ensure that our operator, Hornblower Group, delivers on that commitment."

The ferry system mostly operates along the East River, moving New Yorkers between Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. It also has routes connecting to Manhattan's west side, Staten Island, and the Rockaway peninsula.

Hornblower Group, in a statement sent by its attorneys, said that it "recognize[s] and respect[s] the right of our New York City crew to organize."

"Based on the results of this week’s election, we will work with all relevant parties to reach a fair collective bargaining agreement that best serves all parties and ensures we continue to provide New Yorkers with safe, reliable, affordable, and efficient public transportation," it said.

However, Samuelsen said the TWU is not stopping with the ferry technicians and welders.

"This is a blockbuster development for us," he said. "We have our foot in the door and plan on organizing the rest of the ferry workers and will work with our union allies to ensure all are represented."

Two former IT employees with the agency responsible for supervising parolees in the city allege that they were fired or effectively forced out after Commissioner Sharun Goodwin took office, before the agency advertised jobs tied to their work, while a separate whistleblower-retaliation suit against department leaders remains pending.

Jenette Cummings and Demmi Slaughter filed separate Article 78 petitions in New York County (Manhattan) Supreme Court late last month, each seeking reinstatement, back pay and other relief. Their cases involve different employment circumstances but overlap inside DOP’s information technology unit, where both say employees abruptly lost access to systems needed to perform their jobs.

A DOP spokesperson said the department is “committed to serving New Yorkers with fairness, integrity, and professionalism.”

“The City will review the cases when served,” the spokesperson said.

John Scola, Slaughter’s attorney, told amNewYork that agency turnover is common under new administrations and commissioners, but that the lawfulness of any personnel action must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. He said employees from numerous city agencies had contacted him about personnel changes after the Mamdani administration took office.

Cummings, who is representing herself, began working at DOP on Jan. 12 as an IT project specialist with the business title IT asset management associate. She was dismissed on March 27, roughly two months into a six-month probationary period.

Cummings clarified that she was not assigned any tasks after the new commissioner took office. Her offer letter identified Slaughter as her supervisor, but Cummings said that after Slaughter was no longer in the office, no one could tell to whom she reported.

“No one had an answer for me as far as what tasks I had to do for my day-to-day,” Cummings told amNewYork. “No one gave any direction.”

Cummings said she and other workers lost email, ticketing-system and data-center access, preventing them from resolving support requests or troubleshooting technical problems.

Cummings said Assistant Commissioner of Human Resources Zenia Melendez called her March 27 and directed her to a meeting where she was told only that DOP was “going in a different direction.” After she sought an explanation for unemployment purposes, Human Resources Director Keven Lee emailed her April 14 that she “didn’t pass probation.”

“They told me that I didn’t pass probation, but they didn’t tell me the reason why I didn’t pass probation,” Cummings said. “I was never given an evaluation.”

She said she received no written or verbal warning before her dismissal.

On April 22, 26 days after Cummings was dismissed, DOP advertised two openings carrying the same IT Project Specialist civil-service title and IT Asset Management Associate business title she had held. Cummings said she reapplied but received no response.

Dismissed Probation workers question agency's motives

Slaughter’s petition describes a separate but related dispute. Slaughter, a nearly nine-year city employee, held the permanent civil-service title Certified IT Administrator and was serving as acting second-in-command of DOP’s IT unit.

Her petition alleges DOP revoked access needed by roughly 12 IT employees on Jan. 27 without notice or explanation and, based on information from a colleague, attributes the decision to Chief Information Officer Razwan Mirza.

In an email to her union, Slaughter said the disruption temporarily halted DOP’s IT operations and that the employee who disabled her access claimed he had been instructed by the “new DOP commissioner.”

Slaughter resigned Feb. 17, effective April 17, alleging the restrictions and lack of explanation had made her position untenable. She withdrew the resignation on April 13 while still on the payroll, but DOP processed her separation four days later, according to the petition.

Lee told her the withdrawal could not be accepted because her position had been filled. Slaughter alleges DOP also proposed placing her on unpaid leave until the NYPD took her back, although she says she was not on loan from the Police Department.

DOP later told her it had no vacancies consistent with her permanent title. Her petition points to the April 22 IT openings, although they carried a different civil-service title, and to a later posting for an IT Service Management Specialist position that she identifies as her former job.

Scola said Slaughter told him DOP would not identify who had filled her former position and rejected her request to be considered for another vacancy.

Scola also represents Ebony Huntley, DOP’s former chief investigator, whose April lawsuit alleges she was fired after forwarding an anonymous employee complaint about department leadership to the Department of Investigation.

The complaint raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and favoritism, including an alleged prior relationship between Goodwin and DOP General Counsel Wayne McKenzie. It also alleged that Goodwin had expressed an intention to remove or marginalize employees associated with the previous administration. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Huntley has since met with DOI, Scola said. He said the city has been served in her case but had not yet filed a response.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in April that he took the allegations “incredibly seriously” but would not weigh in on an ongoing investigation.

“New Yorkers should rest assured that there is an investigation,” he said.

The Department of Investigation declined to comment on whether that investigation remains ongoing or, if it has concluded, whether it would release any findings. City Hall declined to comment on a separate request for comment on the investigation’s status.

The blaze broke out in the rear of a three-story, two-family house on East 81st Street, near Avenue K, at around 11:30 p.m, per the FDNY. When squads arrived on the scene, the back of the home was engulfed in heavy flame.

“I was laying in bed and I started smelling smoke and I saw flashing lights right after," said neighbor Rose Colon. "The firefighters were climbing on the truck pulling hose, the ladder went up really quickly.”

A team of 65 firefighters used three hose and an aggressive interior attack to battle the fire. Searches for trapped residents were negative, as all tenants appeared to have escaped on their own. 

Nearby resident Pamela Rogers said the scene was  "chaotic."

"I just got in my car to head to work when I saw smoke coming from the building and the firefighters started arriving, it was very chaotic," she said. 

The fire was brought under control shortly after midnight. There were no injuries, per the FDNY. The extent of the damage within the home was not immediately clear — the FDNY did not call on the Department of Buildings for an inspection, per a DOB spokesperson — but the home's windows were shattered and its brick exterior streaked with smoke. 

FDNY fire marshals will investigate the cause of the blaze. 

Elderplan/Homefirst, the nonprofit senior healthcare management organization, opened its first-ever Brooklyn office with a celebratory ribbon-cutting on Aug. 5. 

The org provides a wide variety of Medicare Advantage insurance plans meant to close the gaps in healthcare access and ensure all of its members can receive high-quality care. 

Its new community office, located at 6405 Seventh Ave. in Sunset Park, will be a resource for Elderplan members seeking support and information about their health plan coverage and how to access plan benefits, and will offer opportunities to participate in health and wellness activities.

In addition, it will offer resources for prospective beneficiaries to find valuable plan information and enroll. 

Eldercare was founded in 1985, and was one of the first Medicare Social HMO demonstration projects in the U.S. 

The org provides coverage for Medicare and dual Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries at every level of health, including special needs plans for nursing home certifiable members living at home. It also offers plans for residents of nursing homes, assisted living, and independent care communities.  

HomeFirst opened enrollment in 2001 as one of the original Managed Long-Term Care Plans in New York State, caring for members who require assistance with activities of daily living to remain safely at home. HomeFirst earned a 5-Star rating in the most recent New York State Department of Health consumer guide. 

David Wagner, president and CEO of MJHS Health System & Elderplan/HomeFirst, was thrilled about the organization’s expansion into Brooklyn, the city’s most populous borough, providing more resources to support existing and potential beneficiaries.

“The opening of another community office, in addition to our current portfolio in Flushing and Washington Heights, marks an important milestone in the continued growth of the health plan and is a testament to our unwavering commitment to addressing the health care needs of our current and future members,” he said. “It’s one of many reasons why Elderplan/HomeFirst continues leading the way to great care.”

State Sen. Stephen Chan and Council Member Susan Zhuang, whose districts include part of Sunset Park, were equally elated to welcome the new addition to the neighborhood.

“Congratulations to Elderplan on the grand opening of its new Brooklyn Community Office. This investment reflects a strong commitment to serving our seniors and families by making quality healthcare resources more accessible,” Chan said. “I look forward to our continued partnership in supporting the health and well-being of our community.”

Zhuang, who serves as chair of the Council’s Committee on Aging, noted that the Elderplan/HomeFirst Brooklyn community office was much needed.

“I hear the same thing everywhere I go. People do not know what they qualify for, and the paperwork is not in their language,” Zhuang said. “That is why I am glad to welcome Elderplan/HomeFirst to Sunset Park. Putting a community office right here, where older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers already live and shop, is how you actually close that gap.”

The Elderplan/HomeFirst Brooklyn Community Office is located on the second floor of 6405 Seventh Avenue. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and by appointment on weekends. Meetings can be scheduled through elderplan.org or by calling (866) 360-1934.

The popular Netflix show “Love Is Blind” is casting New York City singles who are committed to finding love for an upcoming season based in the Big Apple. 

“Love Is Blind” premiered on Netflix in February 2020, changing the way viewers saw dating reality shows. Singles from the same region meet their potential partners on dates and form connections in separate rooms called “pods,” never actually meeting face-to-face. When a true connection is made, the couple gets engaged and meets in person, which in turn presents a new challenge: is their physical connection as strong as the emotional connection as strong as they developed in the pods?

Donna Driscoll, EVP of Casting & Talent at Kinetic Content, told amNewYork that “Love Is Blind” was previously slated to come to New York much earlier. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans changed.

“We are finally back and more excited than ever. New York is notorious for singles having a hard time finding love,” said Driscoll. “[New York] is kind of the most metropolitan city in the United States. I think the melting pot that we’ll have there in terms of diversity, in terms of culture, age ranges. There's so many people that are dedicated to becoming successful in their career that they kind of put love on the back burner, you know, or dating on the back burner. So it'll be great to see, to see how this all pans out with the ensemble.”

The casting call for New York City is officially open. Driscoll told amNewYork that casting for “Love Is Blind” is a long, in-depth process, with several interviews to understand why a cast member is single and if they would be a good fit for the show.

“We want it to be unique to your story, so there needs to be a level of vulnerability and self-reflection ahead of those big questions that come in because we get a lot of answers where people are saying, ‘Obviously I'm not doing something right,’ or ‘Why not? It sounds fun,’” said Driscoll. “The process requires a lot of heart and soul to see it all the way through, so it's important to figure out your why, ahead of casting.”

So far, “Love Is Blind” has filmed in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Houston, Charlotte, Washington D.C., Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Denver, and Ohio. Driscoll thinks bringing “Love Is Blind” to New York will bring a new level of authenticity.

“I think we are going to find a lot of authenticity, and I do feel like people from New York who see this all the way through to entering the pods will be very intentional about why they're doing that,” said Driscoll. “There's an East Coast personality, and if you're in, you're in. If you're out, you're out. There's no gray area.”

And who knows, maybe the love of your life is in a borough you wouldn’t have considered looking in!

“I think there will be an element to that, too, but also at the same time there has to be an element of getting the right candidates in the mix who are willing to move mountains to find love, not just a house or where they live,” said Driscoll. “We really want people to be as open to whatever comes with ‘Love is Blind’ as possible before they go into the pods for sure.”

If you think that love is blind and want to apply, visit libcasting.com.