The Briefly for July 29, 2019 – The "Are Inflatable Rats An Endangered Species?" Edition
"Clumsy, overcooked and pointless." Moulin Rouge on Broadway isn't winning over critics. (amNY)
Inside the Department of Sanitation's Certified Organic Recycling (CORe), which probably smells just lovely, where they are turning the city's food scraps into methane that will be used to heat homes and run in natural gas lines. (Bushwick Daily)
A fifth NYPD officer since June has committed suicide. Commissioner James O'Neill declared a mental health crisis in June in an attempt to fight the stigma of seeking help. (NY Times)
Don't leave your unwanted pets in the city's parks, they don't have the survival instincts necessary to stay alive. A rabbit was rescued from Prospect Park. Larry the bunny is in a foster home in Bergen Beach. (Patch)
Is the inflatable protest rat an endangered species? (Gothamist)
Amazon continues to make headlines whenever the company looks at office space. After abandoning the Long Island City HQ2 idea and One Court Square's million feet of office space, they've continually looked for a smaller space for their current NYC employees. The latest location is the old Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Ave, which is currently owned by WeWork. (Curbed)
Has street flooding during rainstorms always been this bad? The city's construction boom is contributing to the floods. (Gothamist)
An attempt to answer the question "why is the city so loud?" (Viewing NYC)
How much should you be earning to afford a two-bedroom apartment in the city? According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, it's $162,857, but when was the last time you knew anyone to only spend 30% of their income on rent? (6sqft)
Advocates in Gowanus are proposing the idea of an Environmental Special District to prevent any new construction due to a possible rezoning to prevent adding more wastewater that would end up in the canal, potentially spoiling the ongoing Superfund work. (Curbed)
The latest location for a flower flash was one of the city's last phone booths on the Upper West Side, which was the subject of the children's book The Lonely Phone Booth. Blink and you'll miss it because flower flashes sometimes last only a few hours. (Gothamist)
Another week, another entry into the 100+ point health inspection violation club. Among the restaurants ordered closed by the Department of Health is Jorge's in Ridgewood with 124 points. (Patch)
Find every Privately Owned Public Space in the city with this map. (Viewing NYC)
After 20 years, Park Slope rents will finally drive gay bar Excelsior out of business for good. (Bklyner)
The city is suing American Airlines for violating its paid sick leave laws, passed in 2014. (Gothamist)
Come for the photos of Gil, an eight-month-old Labrador retriever, stay for the story of a guide dog learning how to navigate the subways. (amNY)
City Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm celebrated the New York Public Library's new $564 million budget with Drag Queen Story Hour, which will receive $25,000. (Jackson Heights Post)
A dispensary grows in Brooklyn. (6sqft)
Crown Heights is experiencing something rarely seen in the city: an attempt at a compromise between two competing plans when it comes to the future upzoning of the neighborhood. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
Which is worse: Rodents or roaches? (Splinter)
A shooting during a Saturday night block party in Brownsville resulted in 11 wounded and one dead. (Huff Post)
A body was discovered in the waters under the Verrazzano Bridge on Sunday afternoon. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
Rising rents may be an issue, but the next retail crisis will come from rising property taxes, which are up 71.6% since 2009. (Patch)
Raising a child in NYC costs more than sending that same child to a four-year state college. (Patch)
The millions of dollars the city has wasted on paying for roof work which should have been free in NYCHA buildings would have been better spending lit on fire to replace the failed heating systems. The spending on roofs still under their warrantees was discovered by City Comptroller Scott Stringer. (NY Times)
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney is requesting the mayor have a Canyon of Heroes parade for the survivors and first responders of 9/11. The mayor called it a "great idea." (Patch)
Sometimes you just want to look at photos of baby animals, and that's okay. Here are some newborn owls and ospreys born in the city. (Gothamist)
In response to the backlash over some police officers having water thrown on them, the political right (and the president) are demanding respect for the NYPD. Josmar Trujillo asks "Have they earned it?" (Gothamist)
The five best ice cream sandwiches in the city. (Thrillist)
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