The Briefly for December 4, 2019 – The "Another Reason Not to Eat Sushi From Walgreens" Edition
The city won't reveal its master plan for the Sunnyside Yards at a traditional town hall meeting, instead favoring a digital town hall, requiring participants to register in advance. Does the EDC expect a massive turnout and couldn't find an appropriate space or are they trying to suppress opposition to their plan? (Michael Dorgan and Christian Murray for LIC Post)
If you're the Governors Ball-going type, tickets are available for presale and they're dropping hints about the lineup on Instagram. (Bill Pearis for BrooklynVegan)
There's a recall of ready-to-eat sushi, salads, and spring rolls from Trader Joe's and Walgreens due to a contamination of Listeria. Trader Joe's has reported no illnesses and if you have contaminated food you can bring it back for a refund. (Adam Nichols for Patch)
Is Hurricane Dorian going to cause a french fry shortage? (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
A cargo delivery bike pilot program will be announced today with Amazon, DHL, and Whole Foods among its participants. The bikes look to be part truck and part bike, but will take up a much smaller footprint in regards to carbon and parking. (Dave Colon for Streetsblog)
More info on the cargo bikes: They'll be big, but also pedal assisted, allowed in commercial loading spaces, and will be concentrated from 60th to the Battery. (Winnie Hu and Matthew Hang for NY Times)
The process to make Rikers Island a public space kicked off this week to make way for the jail's closing in 2026. (Alex Mitchell for amNewYork)
Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall is getting a $550 million remodel. (Gabe Herman for amNewYork)
Has Mayor de Blasio's control over the city's schools been effective? The state Assembly will hold a hearing on the 16th. (Samar Khurshid for Gotham Gazette)
What’s coming to Off-Broadway this December. (Matt Windman for amNewYork)
Vending machines like the CVS machines in Union Square and Chambers St station is both a new and nearly 120 year old idea. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
A holiday tipping guide: How much to tip your doorman, super, porter, and more. (Brick Underground)
New York spends the most per student than any other state in the country and has the 13th lowest graduation rate. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)
Quickly: What's the different between hemp and marijuana? The Brooklyn District Attorney's office doesn't know either. Earlier this year they boasted about stopping 106 pounds of marijuana from hitting the streets, but it was hemp, and they arrested Oren Levy from Green Angel CBD under the same assumption. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
It'll be easier to prove tenant harassment from landlords thanks to new bills signed into law by Governor Cuomo. The laws expand the definition of harassment, remove the requirement that tenants prove they've been physically hurt by their landlords, and increases punishment for landlords who try to force out rent-regulated tenants. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)
Everything you need to know about the 2019 Rockefeller enter Christmas tree. (Claire Lampen for Gothamist)
New Yorkers pride themselves on knowing the best alternatives. The best delis that aren't Katz, the best pizza in DUMBO that isn't from Grimaldi's, the best food that isn't outside your neighborhood, etc. Here are 20 Christmas trees that aren't in Rockefeller Center. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
A new public light installation at Brookfield Place called Light Up Luminaries creates a canopy of multi-colored, lit up cubes suspended from the ceiling with a "show" every hour. (Adam Goldman for Time Out)
Lord & Taylor is returning to the city for two weeks in December in the form of a 2,400 square foot pop-up shop in Soho, a far cry from their 676,000 square foot Fifth Avenue flagship location that was shuttered at the beginning of the year. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)
The NYPD has been shooting surveillance films of "individuals and enemies of the state" for decades and thanks to the Handschu agreement, over a hundred hours of digitized footage from the 1960s through the 1980s is available through the Department of Records & Information Services. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
The laws passed on Tuesday are only the start of what advocates hope will be a fruitful 2020 session when it comes to rent reforms. Multiple bills addressing evictions, tenant protections and housing stability are still in-process in Albany. (Mark Hallum for amNewyork)
The mayor is venturing towards full-on idiot mode with every passing day. When asked if the NYPD should be allowed to publicly display Thin Blue Line flags on NYPD property, the mayor said "There's a lot of Photoshop in this world, so we'll see." The Thin Blue Line flag has been adopted by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
40 inexpensive dining destinations. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
New Yorkers speak 637 languages, and the Endangered Language Alliance has mapped them all. (Christopher Robbins for Gothamist)
"Let's start with the obvious, we did not arrest Wolverine." (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)
How much did your school’s PTA bring in last year? (Alex Mitchell for amNewYork)
The most popular dog names in the city and Max and Bella. You've gotta step up your dog naming game. (Adam Nichols for Patch)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is offering free admission Tuesday to Friday, noon to 4:30pm. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
At least five Rikers Island correction officers have been suspended as investigators examine their failure to stop an 18-year-old detainee’s suicide attempt. (Ed Shanahan and William K. Rashbaum for NY Times)
Where to go when you've eaten everywhere in Williamsburg. (The Infatuation)