Day: May 20, 2025

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION on Monday lifted its stop work order on the $5 billion Empire Wind project, allowing construction.

The post Goldman: Giant wind power project ‘back on track’ appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Family members of an 18-year-old Brooklyn man slain in a Saturday night shooting are demanding justice and better police protection.

Krystal Childs fought back tears during a May 19 press conference as she spoke of her late son, Zanir, 18, who was killed in a double shooting along New Jersey Avenue in East New York on the night of May 17. 

“It was his brother, myself and him,” Krystal Childs recalled. “He absolutely loved football; he also loved his friends and family. He took care of his grandmother as an 18-year-old. He did it for about five years now, and my mom is paralyzed.”

Zanir Childs, 18, of Wortman Avenue in Brooklyn, had suffered a gunshot wound to his torso. Members of Engine Company 290, who also responded to render aid initially, found the victim in cardiac arrest.

EMS rushed Childs to Kings County Hospital, where he died a short time later. A second shooting victim, an 18-year-old woman, was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the right arm.

Saturday’s double shooting was one of two outbursts of gun violence that happened in the 75th Precinct during the weekend. 

About 24 hours after the deadly shooting in East New York, cops from the 75th Precinct responded to a double shooting on the night of May 18 inside Highland Park in Cypress Hills. There, an 18-year-old man was shot in the right forearm, and a 15-year-old boy was hit in the left thigh. Both victims were hospitalized in stable condition.

No arrests have been made in either shooting. Based on CompStat figures, the 75th Precinct has seen 15 shootings year-to-date through May 18, down from 18 at the same point in 2023. However, those 15 shootings this year resulted in 21 victims.

Reverend Kevin McCall, who joined the Childs family at the May 19 press conference, said the NYPD needed to do more to keep the communities of the 75th Precinct and guard against further gun violence this summer.

“It seems like every time the sun comes out, the guns come out,” said McCall. “With billions in funding, the NYPD should prioritize communities like East New York that have long been underserved and disproportionately affected by crime and neglect.”

McCall said the community is behind the Childs family in their time of need and called upon Zanir Childs’ killer to be brought to justice immediately.

“She is not going to be alone. The community is behind her,” he added. “We want to make sure that justice prevails and hope that [the killer doesn’t] sleep until [they] turn yourself in or are caught.”

The Tajyen-Daut Ata border checkpoint between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will remain closed to pedestrians, passenger vehicles, buses, and light cargo transport until September 1. The extension was agreed upon by both governments, according to Kazinform, citing Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee under the Ministry of Finance.

Officials explained that the continued closure is necessary to ensure traveler safety and facilitate the progress of major construction and renovation work at the site. Ongoing repairs include the installation of metal structures, engineering systems, and the comprehensive refurbishment of buildings.

In parallel, from May through August, Kazakhstan’s national road company, KazAvtoZhol, will construct a new road in the neutral zone separating the Tajyen (Kazakhstan) and Daut Ata (Uzbekistan) checkpoints. Uzbekistan is expected to carry out similar infrastructure upgrades on its side of the border.

The checkpoint was originally closed on February 1, to accommodate the reconstruction project. Kazakhstan subsequently proposed extending the closure for an additional four months, a request that was supported by Uzbek authorities.

Officials have advised citizens of both countries to factor in the closure when planning their travel and transport routes.

This development aligns with broader efforts by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to upgrade regional transport and trade infrastructure. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, both nations are investing in projects aimed at enhancing regional connectivity, including transit links to Pakistan. Kazakhstan is also positioning itself as a key player in the Middle Corridor, part of the larger Trans-Caspian International Transport Route connecting Central Asia with South Asia and Europe.