Howe’s Brooklyn: Local Russian Journalist Lands Summer Job At Moscow Bureau of The New York Times

YULIYA TALANOVA, a journalism major at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University, has won a Kruglak Fellowship in International news reporting that will enable her to work as an intern in the Moscow Bureau of the New York Times in July and August. As she is a native of Russia, her responsibilities will include translating from Russian to English, assisting reporters on assignment and suggesting stories.

“I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given,” Talanova said. “I am very interested in seeing how life has changed in Russia since I left 10 years ago.”

The 21-year-old junior, who currently calls the Kings Highway area home, has worked as a staff reporter for Seawanhaka, the weekly newspaper of the Brooklyn Campus, and as an intern for “America’s Newsroom” on the Fox News Channel. With her parents Yefim and Irina Talanov, Yuliya left Yekaterinburg, in central Russia, in 1998.

EVENTS:

BENSONHURST RESIDENT MICHELE MONTANEZ is both co-chair of Autism Speaks’ “Walk Now for Autism” fundraiser and the mother of an autistic child. Her son Brandon, now 5 years old, was diagnosed with autism in 2004, and since then she has been dedicated to raising awareness and funding for autism research. This Sunday, June 22, will be her fourth time participating in the annual walk.

“I think by the standards of what’s out there, [autism research] is adequate,” said Montanez, “but we need a great deal more to understand what our kids need in the first place. There is only so much we know about how Brandon thinks, how he’s able to process.”

Autism Speaks has made great strides in the three years since it was founded, and Montanez has noticed that awareness about the spectral disorder is steadily spreading. Her hope for the walk this weekend is to draw 10,000 to 12,000 walkers and raise $1.5 million — half a million more than last year — for what is now being called “the nation’s fastest growing developmental disorder.”

Registration at South Street Seaport begins at 9 a.m. The walk begins at 10:30 a.m. and will be accompanied by a community resource fair with educational sources, therapists, schools, recreational organizations and creative child-friendly activities.

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GREENHOUSE CAFé WAITRESS AND BAY RIDGE RESIDENT NICOLE HOOD has worked with autistic spectrum toddlers for four years at William O’Connor School in Bay Ridge. She works there days when not attending classes at Kingsborough Community College. Inspired to contribute to this weekend’s Autism Awareness Walk, Hood organized a bake sale with her friend Alex Kearney, also a Bay Ridge resident, at Millennium Carpets at 7818 Third Ave. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the pair will be selling store-baked products and home-baked gluten-free goodies, since autism is sometimes accompanied by a need for a gluten-free diet. All proceeds will go to Walk Now for Autism. The message Hood wants to share is that autism isn’t the tragedy, ignorance is.

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CHELSEA MAULDIN OF THE MONTAGUE STREET BUSINESS DISTRICT (BID) has announced that Councilman DAVID YASSKY will provide the keynote address on “The Future of Mom and Pop Retail in New York City” at the BID’s 11th Annual Meeting. In addition, property owners, merchants, residents and friends will review last year’s activities, plan next year’s programs and budgets, and elect new directors to the board. The meeting will take place today, June 19, at 4 p.m. RSVP at (718) 522-3649.

HONOREES:

ON TUESDAY, BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ presented a citation to MOHAMMAD DOLAH of Bay Ridge. This everyday hero rescued his neighbor and her father from their burning home on May 25. Immediately after seeing black smoke pouring from the home of Madeleine Wakim and her father George at 463 85th St., Dolah grabbed a ladder from a neighbor, propped it up against the burning house and rescued the Wakims through a rear window, even before firefighters had a chance to arrive.

Aside from his heroic efforts, Dolah went a step further and offered the Wakim family an apartment he was renting — giving them the first month free and only charging the monthly rent they were paying at their previous residence.

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FLATBUSH RESIDENT ROLAND LEWIS, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, welcomes you to this evening’s free screening of “City of Water.” The half-hour documentary, a collaboration between the alliance and the Municipal Art Society, explores the options for development of our waterfront while reminding us that it is there and has vast, unexplored potential.

“We’re at a moment of decision about what will happen to the waterfront,” said Lewis. “What designs will development have? Can we do more than esplanades? Will there be places to actually touch and get in the water for kayakers and canoers? What will we do about combined sewer overflow? After rain, everything goes out into the water.”

One timely example is the Todd Shipyards, once functional but now under IKEA’s parking lot. “Not that we aren’t looking forward to shopping and eating Swedish meaballs, but it’s an indication of the choices being made,” said Lewis.

Co-directors JASPER GOLDMAN of Williamsburg and LOREN TALBOT of Sunnyside, Queens, collected a variety of thoughtful interviews over the two years of production. This screening will be special, as it takes place on a great maritime education facility — the Waterfront Museum at Pier 44, off 290 Conover St. at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 624-4719.