The Briefly for January 22, 2020 – The "You'll Never Escape A Fart On These New Subway Cars" Edition
Today - Low: 29˚ High: 39˚
Clear throughout the day.
Governor Andrew Cuomo released his 2021 executive budget proposal in Albany, a $178 billion spending plan, including a 1.9% increase over 2020. (Samar Khurshid for Gotham Gazette) In one attempt to fix the state's $6.1 billion deficit, the governor is putting a focus on cutting the state's Medicaid costs by $2.5 billion. (Jesse McKinley and Luis Ferré-Sadurní for NY Times) Part of the state budget is an increase of $826 million to education funding, bringing it to $28.5 billion for the year, but it still falls short of the $2 billion state officials requested in December. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNewYork Metro) Take your first look at the new kind of subway cars featuring no doors between cars, wider doors, security cameras, and more real-time information. (Elise Czajkowski for 1010 WINS) The surrounding a wall that would visually separate a privately-owned public space inside Hudson Yards from the from the High Line and would block the High Line's views of the space highlights the problem with private developers building public spaces. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist) Photos: Here is the city's fanciest Duane Reade, and it's on Wall St of course. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer dropped out of the race for Queens borough president, citing family reasons. (Christian Murray and Allie Griffin for Jackson Heights Post) We'll just go with the headline for this one. Making Sauce With Instagram’s Mildly Furious, Exceedingly Horny Italian Uncle (Rachel Handler for Grub Street) The blowback continues against Eric Adams for his idiotic comments on how newcomers should "go back to Ohio," including pushing back on his thesis and bringing up how his campaign for mayor is accepting donations from the real estate industry. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) If you've ever gone looking for where Ebbets Field used to stand, you know how hard it is to find the small plaque, noting where home plate once was. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) The MTA will overhaul all of the 42nd St stations in one large $750 move to cut costs and speed up the schedule from 49 months to 36. Grand Central, Bryant Park, and Times Square stations are included as well as the ADA compliance for the 42nd St Shuttle and signal upgrades. (Alexandra Alexa for 6sqft) Video: The story of Seneca Village, the lost Black community underneath the west side of Central Park. (Ranjani Chakraborty for Vox's Missing Chapter) In defense of the loud restaurant. (Pete Wells for NY Times) Four people died across the city in four fires on Monday. The last of the four victims was 11-year-old Shirr Teved in Kensington. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) Appellate judges upheld former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's convictions in a real estate scheme and money-laundering, but overturned a corruption conviction. Silver will remain in prison and be resentenced by the trial judge. (Benjamin Weiser for NY Times) Martin Luther King III, Lucy Liu, and Lin-Manuel Miranda will serve as co-chairs for the 2020 Census Council. (Alexandra Alexa) Tips on upgrading your apartment on a budget. (Zoe Rosenberg for Curbed) Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is calling on Manhattan District Attorney to resign based on how his handling of sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and Dominique Strauss-Kahn show evidence of a dangerous pattern of leniency. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) The Brooklyn Democratic Party has a new chair in State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte, the first woman to hold the post. (The Brooklyn Home Reporter) The MTA has six new top-level hires, including a chief transformation officer, chief operating officer, chief innovation officer, chief people officer, chief technology officer, and chief procurement officer. Maybe among them should have been a chief diversity officer, because all six C-level hires are white men. Only 18% of the MTA's 74,000 employees are women. (Dana Rubenstein for Politico) Congratulations to Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter on this year's induction. The induction ceremony is July 26. (NY1) After the United States' first case of Coronavirus, the CDC will be screening arrivals to JFK from Wuhan, China for Coronavirus. (Adam Nichols for Patch) What is it about old lofts and buildings styled like old lofts in NYC that tech companies love so much? (Winnie Hu and Matthew Haag for NY Times) 22 excellent restaurants for vegetarians. (Eater)