The Briefly for January 26-28, 2020 – The "Getting Away with Attempted Murder" Tuesday Edition
Today - Low: 34˚ High: 37˚
Rain starting in the afternoon.
What do the new Covid-19 variants mean for daily life from an epidemiologist from Columbia University. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) The city will receive more Covid-19 vaccine doses this week, but only 108,000 doses. The vaccination mega sites at Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, and Empire Outlets will remain closed. (Matt Troutman for Patch) What you need to know about the Public Advocate race for 2021. (Rachel Holliday Smith for The City) Daniel Presti, the co-owner of Macs Public House that hit a sheriff's deputy with his car, avoided felony charges with a grand jury charging him with two misdemeanors instead. (John Del Signore for Gothamist) It's like real life imitating ranked-choice voting. State Senator Gustavo Rivera gave Scott Stringer his endorsement as a first pick for mayor and endorsing Dianne Morales as a second choice. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) The Times lays out how much time each mayoral candidate spent outside of NYC, Andrew Yang wants to build a casino on Governor's Island, NYPD Commissioner Shea does not have most candidates' support, and highlights from the mayor's race. (Emma G. Fitzsimmons, Jeffery C. Mays, Dana Rubinstein and Katie Glueck for NY Times)
We are so used to treating the police and policing as the solutions that they most clearly are not. Even conversations with progressives and leftists, it’s hard to shake the language and framework around incarceration. But I know we can do it if we are intentional and clear about how we want to do this work.
- Brandon West, City Council candidate, We Can Defund The Police—Here’s How for The Indypendent
Pickle Alley is, despite your dirty jokes, is the historic home of NYC's pickle scene in the Lower East Side. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York) North Brooklyn's guerrilla-style, free store, pop-ups. Where to find them, who's running them, and how to help them. (Erin Conlon for Greenpointers) Marcia Sells has been hired as the first chief diversity officer of the Metropolitan Opera to rethink equity and inclusion at the largest performing arts institution in the country. (Joshua Barone for NY Times) The Metropolitan Museum of Art launched The Met Unframed, an interactive virtual art exhibit featuring augmented reality versions of some of the museum's most iconic masterpieces. (Anna Ben Yehuda for Time Out) A primer to New York City's biryanis. (Robert Sietsema for Eater) Real Estate Lust: A cozy $1.75 million Brooklyn Heights duplex with three fireplaces, exposed brick and ceiling beams, a private terrace, and a quick walk to Brooklyn Bridge Park. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft)
The Council has led the way calling for re-authorizing the $25 million in emergency food pantry funding distributed last May. Mayor de Blasio must act again. Millions of New Yorkers still need this support.
-City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Met Council CEO David Greenfield and United Way of New York City President & CEO Sheena Wright, Mayor de Blasio Must Reauthorize Emergency Funding for Hungry New Yorkers for amNewYork Metro
The high cost of closing a restaurant. (Kevin Rouse for Gothamist) Photos: The original 1910 abandoned Penn Station power plant, the largest remnant form the original station. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York) Senator Chuck Schumer is feeling confident about the future of the Hudson River tunnel Gateway Project and congestion pricing in Manhattan under the Biden administration. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist) The NYC Sheriff's Office broke up a 75-person party inside a cramped basement in Woodside, Queens late Saturday night. Sixty-three partygoers face a rare $1,000 fine each for health code violations at the location. The party's organizer was hit with second-degree obstruction, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and organizing a nonessential mass gathering charges on top of pending alcohol beverage charges that are pending. Idiot. (David Cruz for Gothamist) Average rents in Long Island City are down, from $4,397 for a two-bedroom apartment to $3,660. Even with the declines, Long Island City is the most expensive neighborhood in Queens. (Allie Griffin for Queens Post) There are two new hot dog restaurants in Manhattan amid a decade-long decline in hot dog popularity. (Robert Sietsema for Eater) Architecture: "Inspired by biology," "snake-like," and a "ghostly stance." Take a look at a proposed idea for the weirdest-shaped building in New York City. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) I'll never not celebrate the opening of a new pizza place. Austin Street Pizza is now open in Forest Hills. (Drake for Edge of the City) New York will ask the federal government to waive state tests for a second consecutive year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Reema Amin for Chalkbeat) The MTA unveiled a memorial dedicated to the 136 employees who have died from the coronavirus since March. It can be seen on three-panel digital screens across 107 subway stations. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) There are millions of on-street parking spaces for cars in the city. Compare that to only 56,000 spots for bicycles for the 1.6 million riders, embarrassingly low compared to other cities. (Winnie Hu for NY Times) The hottest heat lamps in NYC and where to find them. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation) Thanks to reader Francesca for today's featured photo!