The Briefly for July 24, 2019 – The "You Can Beat This Bus in A Walking Race" Edition

City Comptroller Scott Stringer asked the MTA board to slow down their reorganizing plan, requesting that it be thoughtful, thorough, and transparent, three words that do not describe the MTA. (Streetsblog)

The Jet Ski Invasion seems to be just about as punk rock as the East River can get, and for two hours at the end of June, controlled chaos ruled the water. (NY Times)

Want to see the Department of Sanitation's new trash bins being field-tested? If you're near Castle Hill in the Bronx, you can keep a lookout for them. (Bronx Times)

The city's slowest and least reliable bus is the M14A-SBS, at a blazing speed of 4.3 mph. This is the bus is feeling the effect of the petitions and legal arguments to turn 14th St into a busway. (amNY)

If you ask the CEO of the Emerald Media Group, someone who is trying to "make pot pretty" and appears to be trying position herself the Gweneth Paltrow of pot, about privilege and incarceration rates in NYC for people of color, you should expect a goopy answer. (Bushwick Daily)

Who will have the final say over the fate of the Industry City rezoning? Councilmember Carlos Menchaca. The community board will vote, which is purely advisory, the borough president will make a recommendation, but it's only a recommendation. From there it goes to the City Planning Commission, which can approve, strike down, or make changes, and then it goes to the City Council, which will defer to the local councilmember for approval. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

More rain, more power outages. ConEd hadn't fully restored power from its man-made power outage on Sunday before Monday's storm knocked out thousands of more customers' power. (Curbed)

One of the main issues that the city has been having with heavy rain is that the sewers and grates were not built with this kind of volume in mind. Monday night's storm dumped over three inches of water, an amount we haven't seen since 1996. If the grates are clogged, the streets can't drain. That was the case on the Long Island Expressway near Utopia Parkway, and it would have stayed that way if not for Daphne Youree's work to clear the grates herself. (Gothamist)

Manhattan DA Cy Vance announced last year that he would stop prosecuting subway fare evasion due to the racial bias that came along with the arrests and arrested dropped by 96%. Meanwhile, the Manhattan DA has prosecuted 100% of the people who were caught evading fares on buses, and those people happen to have disproportionately low income and are people of color. (Streetsblog)

If the New York Times is covering it, you know the trend already crested. The Gray Lady says traditional Irish sessions, a gathering where people perform traditional Irish music, are thriving. (NY Times)

If you're received preferential rent, described as rent below the legal maximum allowed and accounts for about a quarter of all rent-stabilized apartments, your preferential rent is now your base rent and your rent increases are limited by the Rent Guideline Boards instead of your landlord's whims. Anything above a 1.5% increase for a one-year lease (or 2.5% for a two year) is illegal. (Gothamist)

The weather-made and ConEd-made blackouts have been devastating to restaurants. It goes beyond the loss of business during the blackouts, like equipment damaged as a result of losing power, or food spoiled by a lack of power. (Eater)

The MTA hired a contractor to handle its homeless outreach in Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal. Is anyone surprised that the MTA's pick, Bowery Residents Committee, was slacking on the jobs, reporting false data, and regularly ignored people asking for help? A report from the state's comptroller audit shone a spotlight on the shameful performance. (amNY)

The recount rages on between Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Public Defender Tiffany Cabán. Cabán's campaign has spent over $70,000 on its attorneys, while Katz has spent a total of $0 because hers are being provided by the Queens Democratic Party. How does this seem remotely fair? Blame a loophole in the state's election laws. (Gothamist)

Will the Queens Night Market retain its name when it opens an output in Manhattan? (Time Out)

Pity the real estate developer who might not "break-even" on their plan to build a 105,000 square foot underground gym at the Atlantic Yards. The plan was postponed by the site's board of directors who are investigating why an environmental impact study was not conducted. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

They won't be able to legally drink for another six years, but Control the Sound is already playing bars and opening for Questlove. (Bedford + Bowery)

Okay, here are some answers about drinking alcohol on the city's beaches. Here's a hint: don't make it obvious if you won't want a fine. (amNY)

How to spend 10 hours in the Rockaways. (Brooklyn Based)

The 16th cyclist to be killed by a driver on the city's streets in 2019 was 17-year-old Alex Cordero on Castleton Ave on Staten Island. (Streetsblog)

The 17th cyclist killed by a driver was being withheld, but they were killed on McGuinness Blvd in Williamsburg. There were a total of 10 cyclists killed by drivers in 2018. (Gothamist)

An oral history of Margot Gayle, an author, city councilmember, activist, and preservationist. (GVSHP)

The Fraunces Tavern unveiled a new exhibition, celebrating the 300 years of history that the building has witnessed and been a part of/a>. (amNY)

Traffic news rarely makes it into The Briefly, but the BQE near the Brooklyn Promenade will have multiple lanes shutdown overnight every night for the next month. (Brooklyn Paper)

The president is suing New York state for its recently passed law that would allow his tax returns to be made public. (Politico)

The Bronx Zoo will be bringing back its holiday light show now that LED technology will allow the Wildlife Conservation Society to run the show without violating its core mission of conservation. (amNY)

An alligator was found in the woods of Staten Island. How the hell did it get there? (SI Live)

It's time to up your bar game, here are the best boat bars in the city. (6sqft)

Get your photo featured or suggest stories for The Briefly by responding to this email or tagging your NYC photos and news on Instagram or Twitter with #thebriefly.