SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

The aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. Source: hahatango / Flickr

Ripples of sadness and concern rippled through the predominantly Russian neighborhood of Bright Beach when it was learned that the bombings at the Boston Marathon were allegedly perpetrated by two Chechen brothers.

The New York Daily News reported that local Russian immigrants, while saddened by the tragic events in Boston, were also worried that it will now be tougher for Russians to gain entry to the United States.

Reactions from across Brighton Beach ranged from empathy to anger over the alleged acts of terrorism by 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his now deceased brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

“The people who did this listened to the devil,” Elena Rasinkina, 59, told the New York Daily News. “It’s simple — they were evil.”

“I’m glad they found the people who did this. I hope it never happens again,” said 29-year-old Jesse Chase, a local worker at the Best Buy International Food on Brighton Beach Avenue.

Others expressed fear that the actions of the Tsarnaev brothers would make it harder for Russians of all faiths to immigrate to America:

Fara Sabivov, a Russian Muslim who moved to Brighton Beach from Uzbekistan about 10 years ago on a green card, fears that other Russians will be denied entrance into the U.S. because of the Boston bombings.

“Everybody is sad over this,” the 35-year-old restaurant manager said.

“For Russians coming to America, it’s going to be even harder. They’re worried.”

Despite the concern over potentially stricter immigration laws, most were mainly as stunned as the rest of the country over why anyone would perpetrate such a heinous act.

“It’s shocking,” Munira Ruzehaji, 59, a Turkish Muslim told the Daily News. “Who would want to do this?”

Anna Malkina-Shumayev, left, and Bella Deleu, right, were crowned Your Highness Grandmothers last weekend. (Source: Be Proud Foundation)

Here they come, Your Highness Grandmothers, here they come!

The Be Proud Foundation crowned the 2013 Your Highness Grandmothers in the quirky, colorful Brighton Beach pageant last Sunday, awarding Anna Malkina-Shumayev the title in the Queen Grandmother category and Bella Deleu the title for the Grandmother category.

The event marked the 11th year of the pageant, celebrating the lives of grandmothers across Southern Brooklyn. Regaling audiences at National Restaurant (273 Brighton Beach Avenue), Malkina-Shumayev and Deleu joined approximately a dozen other contestants for the good-natured competition. A panel of grandfathers rated the contestants on their handmade costumes, singing and talent abilities, and even belly dancing.

The pageant spanned four generations, involving the children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren of the contestants, who ranged in age from… well, a lady never tells.

Anna Malkina-Shumayev, who took home the Queen Grandmother title, was born in Russia to a family of 10 children. She move to America, and has been singing at events around the community, and translates Russian songs into English. She was attended to at the event by her four grandchildren and great-grandson.

Bell Deleu won the Grandmother title, a separate category for the younger batch of grandmas. Deleu graduated from Beltsy Teachers’ Training Institute and worked as a day care manager. She sings, dances, paints and gardens in her spare time. She has four grandchildren.

Congratulations to Malkina-Shumayev and Deleu and all of the event participants!

Source: Facebook

The family of a Brighton Beach woman say their 29-year-old daughter went to pay a visit to a salon yesterday, but never returned home.

From the New York Post:

Elizabeth Tuul, 29, was last seen at a salon on the corner of Brighton 5th Street and Brighton Beach Avenue about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, cops said. She did not go back to her home nearby on 5th Street near West Avenue.

Cops say Tuul is 5-foot-9, and about 150 pounds. She was wearing blue sneakers and a pink sweater when she disappeared.

According to Tuul’s Facebook page, she previously attended local schools including Leon M. Goldstein High School in Manhattan Beach and Brooklyn College.

Police note that Tuul has gone missing several times before.

Anyone with information regarding these crimes is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. All callers to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-577-TIPS, via the website, or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

If you put clothing into it, that clothing will not go to the homeless. It probably will just end up in a landfill.

About a month ago this bin appeared on Brighton Beach Avenue near Brighton 14 Street. It is adorned with a wide variety of stickers from charitable organizations, but nowhere does it state who is responsible for the bin and to whom the donated clothing will go. The contents of many of these bins are sold for profit at thrift stores rather than being donated to charitable causes.

The bin probably also was put there without the knowledge or consent of the property owner. It is my guess that he notified 311 or the Department of Sanitation (DOS) requesting its removal since it is in violation of City law. A DOS sticker on the side facing the street states so.

It also states that the bin will be removed by Sanitation by April 4 if the owner does not remove it before then. Most likely the bin will be sold for scrap and the contents discarded.

Update (1:49 p.m.): This photo was taken earlier this week. We were just notified that the box has been removed as a result of complaints to 311. Hooray, city services!

Screenshot of BCTV host Alyonka Larionov from “BCTV – Brighton Beach” by Ali Hashemi. Source: Vimeo

If you have visited the brand-spanking new Barclays Center this year, you might have already seen this cool new tribute to Brighton Beach, which has been playing on Barclays Center Television (BCTV).

The video features the fetching Alyonka Larionov jaunting her way through Brighton Beach, eating authentic pierogis, vamping like Leo DiCaprio on the boardwalk, and sharing drinks with some friendly Moscovians in town to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

Aloynka, who makes mention of her Russian roots, does get a little confused when referencing Brighton Beach Boulevard, which we all know doesn’t exist. Geographic error aside, she leads an otherwise cheerful tour through Brighton Beach, checking out Russian hats, Russian dolls (no, not these Russian Dolls) and Russian candy. She even expounds a little upon that “funny little creature,” Cheburashka.

It’s a fun, snappily-edited and mood-brightening journey though Little Odessa.

Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue (Source: Google Maps)

UPDATE (1:00 p.m.): Kingsborough Community College just released the following statement, noting that it was a slashing, not a stabbing:

At approximately 10:45 a.m., an argument ensued between two Kingsborough Community College (KCC) students at Coney Island and Brighton Avenues as they waited for a bus to transport them to the college.  The argument continued and escalated after they boarded the bus.  One of the arguing students slashed the other with an instrument, causing superficial wounds.  The victim was taken to Lutheran Hospital for evaluation and the suspect fled and is being sought by police. We are awaiting a report on the medical status of the student taken to the hospital and a report from Police on the status of the search for the suspect.

UPDATE (12:01 p.m.): According to sources, the stabbing slashing is the result of an altercation between two Kingsborough Community College students. The students were either on or boarding a yellow school bus that serves as a shuttle to the school from the subway station. The bus is still on the scene. The victim has been transported to the hospital.

The suspect, described as a male in his mid-20s, 5’5″, wearing a black jacket and red hoodie, has not yet been apprehended, but sources say police know his identity and home address.

Original post:

We just received a note that a male was stabbed slashed in the neck twice, near the intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Brighton Beach Avenue.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:00 a.m. Police have established a crime scene, and EMS is requested to rush to the scene.

Calls over the scanner indicate the suspect may have fled westbound on the boardwalk.

This is a breaking news story and may contain inaccuracies. We will update it as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to tips (at) sheepsheadbites (dot) com.

Brighton Neighborhood Association Executive Director Pat Singer, left, and her staff (not pictured) have returned to their office at the Chase Bank in Brighton Beach following Superstorm Sandy. Photo by Erica Sherman

After being displaced and working from remote locations to serve their community in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, our friends at the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) are back!

The social services and tenant advocacy organization officially re-opened for business today in its location at the Chase Bank, 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue on the corner of Coney Island Avenue.

Displaced from her own Brighton Beach apartment in the weeks following Sandy, BNA’s Executive Director, Pat Singer, as well as staff members Janet Veksler and Claudia Escoto, continued to reach out to the community in its time of need.

To learn more about the BNA and the work they do for the community, contact Singer at (718) 891-0800, visit www.brightonbeach.com, and “Like” BNA on Facebook.

Correction (12/18/2012): The original version of this article indicated that the BNA coordinated with Shorefront Y on Sandy relief. Shorefront Y has notified us that this was erroneous, and we have updated the article. We regret any confusion this may have caused.

Some of the younger attendees from last year’s BNA Holiday Party. The party is intergenerational and the entire community is invited to attend. Photo by Erica Sherman

Billed as their gift to the community, the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) will be holding its free annual holiday party tomorrow, December 13 at 6:00 p.m. inside the Oceana Catering Hall, 1029 Brighton Beach Avenue between Brighton 11th Street and Brighton 12th Street.

Organized by BNA Executive Director Pat Singer and her dedicated staff — all of whom were displaced from their office inside the Chase Bank at 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue and worked from remote locations during the aftermath of Sandy to continue serving their community — the annual festivities will feature a DJ for dancing, light refreshments, fun giveaways, and toys for the children.

Bring your friends, family and neighbors, and celebrate the holidays with BNA.

If you’d like additional information, or if you need assistance with any community issue, contact Pat Singer at (718) 891-0800.

Janna Doheny, after surrendering to authorities. (Source: Brooklyn DA)

Janna Doheny, the owner of multiple units inside Brighton Beach’s posh Oceana condominium development, is charged with bilking more than $29,000 from Medicaid over the course of eight years, according to a new indictment revealed by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

Doheny, 43, filed falsified documents for Medicaid, claiming her only source of income for her and her daughter was just $1,550 a month from her job at an adult entertainment establishment in Queens, and that her savings and investments totaled less than $5,000.

But investigators claim that Doheny wasn’t as cash strapped as her Medicaid application stated. They say Doheny lived the high life, making pricey purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue, Victoria’s Secret and Amazon, as well as getting professional glamour shots in skimpy swimwear while vacationing at a luxury resort in Arizona – a discovery they found by perusing her profile on a Russian-language social networking site.

“Lying to the system to receive Medicaid is a theft of taxpayer dollars and will not be tolerated,” said Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar, whose agency assisted in the investigation. “At HRA, we maintain the integrity of public assistance programs by providing benefits to those who are eligible and investigating those who ignore the rules.”

Investigators also found that Doheny not only purchased several condo units at Oceana between 2002 and 2010 – where price tags range from $500,000 to $2 million – but that she also owned property in Bay Ridge, Long Beach and South Florida.

The complaint goes on to state that Doheny deposited more than $100,000 annually into several bank accounts in her own name and the name of her business, Oceana Ventures, as well as a pile of cash totaling $170,000 in a safe deposit box on Long Island.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, along with the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General and the Human Resources Administration, started to take a closer look at Doheny’s holdings after being tipped off to the Oceana purchases.

Brighton Beach didn’t just flood with water, like Sheepshead Bay. The beach turned to mud, and came chest high on Brighton Beach Avenue.

In our mission to get out as much useful, actionable information out there about Hurricane Sandy and the recovery efforts, we haven’t had much time to check out how our neighbors in Brighton Beach are doing. So we checked in with Brighton Beach Business Improvement District Executive Directory Yelena Makhnin for an update on Tuesday.

DOT and Department of Sanitation had to plow the roads several times after Sandy, as the beach poured onto the main avenues.

Like the rest of us, Brighton Beach is plodding forward with recovery efforts, and, though Brighton Beach Avenue’s businesses were under as much as five feet of mud and water, some are getting back up to speed.

“Each and every store got some portion of damage. A lot of water. I don’t even know of one business without losses,” Makhnin said.

Still, about 40 percent of the businesses have opened up, and others are offering limited service.

Power remains an issue. Huge swaths of Brighton Beach – including chunks of Brighton Beach Avenue – remain without electricity. And though some sections were hardly touched – such as the stretch between Brighton 5th Street and Brighton 6th Street, where storefronts have no basements to worry about – the lack of power has crippled businesses that could otherwise be up and running.

“Half of the block does not have power,” Makhnin said. “The side of the block close to Brighton Beach is functioning very well. The restaurant is open, the cell phone store is open. The other side is dark.”

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