The Briefly for January 30, 2020 – The "So Many Non-Coronavirus Ways to Die" Edition

Today - Low: 33˚ High: 38˚

Partly cloudy throughout the day.

12 contenders for a NYC subway mascot. (Ben Yakas with illustrations by Matt Lubchansky for Gothamist) The Lunar New Year Chinese Temple Bazaar in Queens was canceled over coronavirus fears, despite New York having no confirmed cases. (Joseph Goldstein and Jeffrey E. Singer for NY Times) Worried about Coronavirus? Don’t be. The flu killed 5,000 Americans in the first two weeks of the year. (Buzzfeed) If you live in NYC, you can request a Department of Transportation bike corral by filling out a form, even for a residential building. (@jeffnovich) The NYPD issued more moving violations to bicyclists than truck drivers in 2019. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) In reaction to the Clearview AI mess with the NYPD, State Senator Brad Hoylman proposed legislation that would outright ban on biometric technology use by police on a city level, a bill is being pushed that would require the NYPD to disclose every surveillance tool it employs. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist) The city collectively passed a ballot measure to expand the power the Civilian Complaint Review Board has to oversee the NYPD. In response, the NYPD is suing the city to prevent the change from happening. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) The Harlem neighborhood that Langston Hughes praised in 1944 is still one of the ‘best-kept secrets in New York.’ But it’s not quite as affordable as it once was. (Aileen Jacobson for NY Times) According to Mayor Bloomberg, New York City "isn't trying to be the lowest-priced product in the market." Now the city is full of empty luxury apartments, because oligarchs don't have the same kind of money that they used to. (Cory Doctorow for Boing Boing) Krispy Kreme is coming to Times Square with a 24 hour 45,000-square-foot store and it's bringing five more NYC locations with it. (Bao Ong for Time Out) What happened with Fairway in Red Hook? According to their landlord private-equity ruined the store. (Eddie Small for The Real Deal) 15 places to find vaulted Gustavino tiles in the city. (Shirley Mgozi Nwangwa for Untapped New York) Should New York public schools teach climate change? Wait, climate change isn't taught in New York schools? (Scott Enman for The Brooklyn Home Reporter) Hey, did you buy a lottery ticket and not check it? Two Take 5 tickets were sold and they're each $29,249 winners. Go check your pockets. (Emily Davenport for amNewYork Metro) The Alamo Drafthouse in lower Manhattan was supposed to open in 2018, then it was supposed to open in 2019, now it's been postponed until summer of this year. (Bill Pearis for BrooklynVegan) It's been ten years since it was declared a superfund site, but the long-awaited cleanup of the Gowanus Canal officially has a start date, and it's in September. (Devin Gannon or 6sqft) The city paid Childrens Community Services half a billion dollars to provide homeless services since 2017, but there’s only one problem. It appears that the nonprofit doesn’t exist. (Nikita Stewart for NY Times) Someone’s been spotted stealing the Spotted Pig’s pig. (Serena Dai for Eater) The website for The Villager, one of the media brands inside the Schnepps empire, has been eaten by amNewYork Metro. The Villager was already the home for The Villager, Chelsea Now, Downtown Express, and Manhattan Express. Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie) Brooklyn bakery Butter & Scotch sent 53 sheet cakes to Washington with various messages to encourage Republican senators to allow John Bolton to testify int he impeachment trial of Donald Trump. (Nikita Richardson for Grub Street) Dozens of Rise and Resist members grouped themselves at Grand Central during the peak of rush hours, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday night, for a vocal demonstration, sparked by the impeachment proceedings on speed and lack of witnesses. (Gabe Herman for amNewYork Metro) Brooklyn may seem like a liberal's paradise, but politics within the borough's Democratic party is becoming less transparent as leaders voted to hold fewer meetings and restrict member-driven resolutions. (Rose Adams for Brooklyn Paper) The famous hot chocolate from City Bakery is getting a second life with founder Maury Rubin's The Wonderbon Chocolate Co. (Emma Orlow for Time Out) The team behind Brooklyn Bazaar is bringing a new restaurant within McCarren Park inside the restored bathroom building. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) The most beautiful interiors in New York City, mapped. (Amy Plitt for Curbed) Nothing says "punk rock" like a limited edition pair of Doc Martens with the CBGB logo stamped on them. (BrooklynVegan) After the Knicks shit the bed (again) on Wednesday night, the entire Garden broke out in a "sell the team" chant aimed at team owner James Dolan. The Knicks are 13-36 and have had a using record 16 if the last 19 seasons. (Dan Bernstein for The Sporting News) Video: A look at People and Animals Living Safely (PALS), a non-profit that provides a safe space for human and animal victims of domestic abuse. (Matt Coneybeare for Viewing NYC) The MTA has big plans for 2020, which include work on making nine subway stations ADA compliant, spending a billion dollars on signal upgrades for the A, C, and E lines, improving the 7 and F tunnels, station improvements along the J and Z lines, and working on extending the Q train to 125th St. (Mark Hallum for amNewYork Metro) Shaun Donovan, a former secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration, is planning to run for mayor of New York. (Danielle Muoio for Politico) The City Council is imagining the future of Rikers Island, with an emphasis on creating renewable energy and a waste water treatment plant is a possibility. (Gloria Palzmino for NY1) There are 1,400 buildings whose facades have been determined to have major structural problems and are a serious threat to pedestrians, hundreds with no protections for pedestrians. Those buildings have racked up $31 million in unpaid fines from the city. (Matthew Maah for NY Times) 39 holiday happy hour deals in NYC. (Eater)