The "A Decade of Cronuts" Edition
$700 million for film and television tax credits is more than the MTA's budget gap.
Thank you so much to readers Paige and Francine for contributing to The Briefly on Ko-Fi.
• It's time to see if someone owes you money using the state comptroller's office. (Divya Murthy for The City)
• Due to the ease of stealing Hyundai and Kias using a USB cord and a screwdriver, the NYPD is giving out Apple AirTags to drivers to help find stolen vehicles. Attention thieves: Check the car thoroughly for an AirTag if you're doing more than going for a joyride. (Phil Corso for Gothamist with contributed reporting from Samantha Max)
• Former Success Academy chess director and chess master Jerald Times believes he was fired for speaking out against a "separate but equal" doctrine that saw Black educators sidelined to benefit less-qualified white employees in a $64 million lawsuit. (Matt Troutman for Patch)
• The state's budget could greatly benefit the city, with The City breaking down some of the key line items. (Greg David and Greg B Smith for The City)
• Thanks to the state budget, subway and bus fares may stay under $3. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist)
• The budget also includes $700 million in tax credits for the film and television industry, a 66% increase. For the first time, the credits will partially cover up to half a million dollars of each production's actor, director, writer, and composer salaries. Thank goodness the state paid $20 million in subsidies toward The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2020. I bet Amazon, with its $1.05 trillion market cap, couldn't have afforded to make that show without it. (Jon Campbell for Gothamist)
• Photos: The Met Gala honoring Karl Lagerfeld, who was a run-of-the-mill piece of shit as a human. (Peggy Bayard for Patch)
• Headline: Why the Met Gala's Karl Lagerfeld Theme Is Controversial. (Cady Lang for Time)
• Headline: Screw the Met Gala: Brooklyn’s People’s Ball is where it’s at. (Scott Lynch for Brooklyn Magazine)
• Workers at the Union Square Barnes and Noble are petitioning to unionize after store management chose not to recognize the union voluntarily. (Elizabeth Stowe for Gothamist)
• Has it been ten years since the cronut? Dominique Ansel is celebrating this weekend with special flavors and cronut holes. (Christina Izzo for Time Out)
ULURP was created to prevent Robert Moses’ neighborhood-razing projects throughout entire swaths of our city. It was a reform aimed at bolstering community participation. Yet, with time, it became convoluted and inaccessible. We owe it to our neighbors to revamp the land use decision-making process and allow them to set the terms for development in the communities they have helped nurture.
- New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson , Land Use by the People, for the People for Brooklyn Paper
• Say hello to the bathroom orchids at LaGuardia Airport, which are thriving. (Katie Way for Hell Gate | archive link)
• Embattled Bishop Lamor Whitehead filed false paperwork to claim possession of a church building whose congregation he then evicted, according to a five million dollar lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Friday (Gwynne Hogan for The City)
• Calzone dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s and Lucali. Shut up and take my money. (Amber Sutherland-Namako for Time Out)
• I'm not policing expert, but throwing brand-new cops into some of the toughest neighborhoods to police seems like a bad idea. (Emily Swanson for The City)
• Fifteen public art installations to see this month. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York)
• The city's Rent Guidelines Board has a 7 p.m. meeting today, where they're expected to make their first vote on potential hikes for one million rent-stabilized apartments and homes. (Matt Troutman for Patch)
• Four words: Taylor Swift drag brunch. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• Apartment Porn: A $7.8 million Upper West Side penthouse duplex with four beds, a multi-level roof terrace, two kitchens, and more. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)
• The fifteen hottest new restaurants in Manhattan. (Emma Orlow and Eater Staff for Eater)
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Featured Pet: Cookie!
Thanks to reader Jennifer for sending in this photo of Cookie, looking absolutely adorable! Send your pet pics to thebriefly@gmail.com!