The "Best City for Vampires" Edition
A non-profit caught bringing drugs into Rikers, a Hasidic school pays $8 million in a fraud deal, the most important tunnel in the city, a $27 million condo, $40 burgers, and more
Today - Low: 64˚ High: 66˚
Foggy in the morning.
• A non-profit with the goal of preparing inmates for life after jail and de-escalating tensions at Rikers Island had its contract cut after multiple employees were caught doing things like smuggling drugs and burner phones in the jail. (Greg B. Smith and Reuven Blau for The City)
• A Hasidic school in Brooklyn agreed to pay $8 million in fines and restitution after stealing millions of dollars meant to feed needy children. The agreement is an admission of guilt and a way to avoid prosecution for years of fraud. (Matt Troutman for Patch)
• A tunnel used by Amtrak and NJ Transit under the Hudson is so important but also so vulnerable that Amtrak warns any damage to the tunnel could harm the entire economy if it were to become unusable. Hurricane Sandy damaged the tunnel, and the repairs won't be complete until 2038. Until 2038, the plan is to hope nothing bad happens with the weather or a Batman-style villain. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist)
• Update on the James "tiny cretin" Corden situation: He's still an asshole. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)
• A minimum-wage worker would need to put in over 100 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the city. The rent's too damn high. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• The city's unemployment rate dropped from 6.6% in August to 5.6% in September. My mayor used this moment to decry the city isn't coming back, "it's back." The pre-pandemic unemployment rate was 3.7%, and the rest of the state is closer to 3%. (Chau Lam for Gothamist)
• Speaking of out-of-control costs, is $40 too damn high for a burger, no fries? (Alan Sytsma for Grub Street)
• Quickly, do you know the name of the cube art installation in Astor Place? It's the Alamo. I can't believe you didn't remember the Alamo. If you've been wondering why it's not spinning, the city locked it in place in May until the city can do additional work on the structure. (Brian J Pape for West View News)
• A breakdown of who Department of Education Chancellor David Banks has met with and why knowing who’s on the list is important. Specifically, the mayor is not on his schedule, union representatives are not on his schedule, and former chancellors are not on his schedule. Who has he met? Many of the people in his family that Mayor Adams handed out government appointments to. (Alex Zimmerman for Chalkbeat)
• Nearly 100 streets will be car-free for trick-or-treating this year. (Aaron Ginsburg for 6sqft)
• Photos: Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Festival. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan)
• NYCHA backed down on its policy to ban e-bikes. (Julianne Cuba for Streetsblog)
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream agreed to pay $33,500 in fines for violating the city's law that prohibits businesses from refusing to accept cash. (Remy Tumin for NY Times)
• Congrats to us all for being the best city for vampires. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• After a new federal policy to reduce migrants from entering the country, there’s an expectation of fewer buses of migrants, but this is not a moment to think that the problem has ended. Fewer does not mean none. (Arya Sundaram for Gothamist)
• A new Andrew Lloyd Weber show is headed to Broadway. Bad Cinderella opens in February at the Imperial Theater. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• Apartment Porn: A $27 million Fifth Ave condo with an entire floor, staff rooms, a studio, 5,427 square feet, a private elevator, fireplace, beamed ceilings, Juliet balconies, and more. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)
• Ten hidden displays of public art in the city. (Eliza Browning for Untapped New York)
• Video: A walkthrough of Blood Manor. (ActionKid)
• A look at Brooklyn-Queens Day, which loses its status as a school holiday for Diwali. (Max Rivlin-Nadler for Hell Gate)
• Little Bangladesh gets official signage, with a portion of Kensington on McDonald Ave. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• The coziest spots to escape cold weather. (Aaron Ginsburg for 6sqft)
• Making an iconic photo: Skateboarder Tyshawn Jones jumps the subway tracks from platform to platform at 145th St. (Matt Stieb for Curbed)
Top Clicked Links from the Last Edition:
Featured City Pet: Bertrand!
Thank you to James for this noble shot of Bertrand!
Please send me photos of your pets in Halloween costumes. Please? thebriefly@gmail.com
Bertrand is very handsome. ❤️