The Briefly for July 3, 2020 – The "Hey Kid, Want To Buy A Baseball Team?" July 4th Edition

Today - Low: 71˚ High: 90˚

Rain in the evening.

This weekend - Low: 72˚ High: 87˚

The Briefly turns two years old today! Here is the MTA's July 4th weekend beach subway and bus schedule. (Matt Troutman for Patch) On the night of July 4th, we'll be able to see a buck moon and a lunar eclipse. Don't be so impressed with the buck moon part, all that means is that it's the first full moon in July. (Adam Nichols for Patch) RIP Free Slurpee Day 2020. (Fanni Frankl for amNewYork Metro) Want to buy the Mets? You have until July 9 to place your bid. Can we start a Go FundMe? (Joe Pantorno for amNewYork Metro) Eight tips for dining outside right now at NYC restaurants. (Collier Sutter for Time Out) More than 20 streets closed to cars citywide will now be dedicated to outdoor dining starting this weekend and lasting every weekend through Labor Day. (Davin Gannon for 6sqft) The High Line will reopen on July 16 with a limited capacity. (NY1) New York City families will be able to keep their children home this fall and opt for a full remote school schedule regardless of medical need. 25% of students surveyed said they were "very" comfortable returning to school. (Reema Amin for Chalkbeat) Alternate side parking will be suspended from July 5 through the 12. The reason given is the pandemic and trying to keep people from making unnecessary trips. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNew York Metro) Video: Exploring the origins of the St. James Place in Clinton Hill nightly 7 pm dance party. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) New York is no longer on track to contain the coronavirus as infection numbers surge to record new highs across the country. At this rate, herd immunity is possible, but it will take years to set it. CT, MA, RI, and VT are on the list of states on the path to contain the virus. (Adam Nichols for Patch) One of the big questions coming out of the pandemic is its effect on the city's real estate and it looks like we're starting to get hints of what's to come. Median sales prices in Manhattan fell 17.7% compared to this time last year and the volume of sales dropped 54%. (Stefanos Chen and Sydney Franklin for NY Times) Astoria's Artopolis Bakery, Gussy’s Bar, and Monika’s Cafe-Bar are now among the 4% of the city's restaurants and bars that have permanently closed since March. (Loulou Chryssides for Give Me Astoria) Do NYC is attempting to compile a list of permanently closed bars and restaurants. (Do NYC) By the time Governor Cuomo announced day camps could operate this summer and release safety guidelines for them, it was less than a month to their start date. Hundreds of applications for camps from the city rolled into Albany and there hasn't been enough time for the Health Department to properly review them before being approved, so the summer started with over 225 camp applications sitting in limbo. (Reuven Blau for The City) You can see the new exhibition Art on the Grid across the city on 500 bus shelters and 1,700 LinkNYC kiosks. The exhibit explores healing and loss, community and isolation, intimacy and solitude, and inclusivity and exclusivity. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) The Times highlights the importance of the bike protests that have spring up around the city since Memorial Day weekend. (Troy Closson and Sean Piccoli for NY Times) The Times, feeling optimistic, asks: Could New York finally become a bike city? (Sasha von Oldershausen for NY Times) Photos: The city's first day with open beaches. (Todd Maisel for amNewYork Metro) Meet Whitney Hu, a candidate looking to succeed Carlos Menchaca for City Council for District 38, the district at the center of the Industry City rezoning fight. (Zainab Iqbal for BKLYNER) The city will spend $80 million toward the reconstruction of 70 Mulberry St, which was destroyed by fire in January, including many items from the Museum of Chinese in America. (Robert Pozarycki for amNewyork Metro) Looking to get married but don't want to leave your car? Now you can get married in a drive-thru. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) Photos: Hundreds of people marched from Bay Ridge to the Barclays Center as a part of the international "Day of Rage" ªin opposition to Israel's occupation and annexation of Palestine. (Meaghan McGoldrick, photos by Paul Frangipane for Brooklyn Paper) Video: A one-minute explanation of why some animals thrive in NYC and some flounder. (Matt Coneybeare for Viewing NYC) A first look at a proposed mixed-use development on the Astoria/Long Island City that will take up five blocks with twelve buildings that are being called "Innovation QNS," which is an awful name. (Christian Murray for Queens Post) During the construction of a seawall to protect a train yard in Inwood from another Hurricane Sandy, the MTA unearthed a patrol torpedo boat from the Harlem River that was once commanded by John F. Kennedy. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) How many times have you ridden a subway to the end of a line? Exploring the end of the 2 line. (Roger Clark for NY1) The problem with asking your employees for their feedback is that they know that you heard it. When WNYC's newsroom was asked who should lead their daily news coverage them after the harassment and discrimination that plagued the newsroom was brought to light, the answer was clear: a person of color who understood New York, with experience in public radio. Their new boss? A white woman from California with no public radio experience. (Ginia Bellafante for NY Times) The state is rolling back some of its bail reforms, which took hold six months ago. More charges will be eligible for bail and more categories will be eligible for bail, which will result in more people being sent to jail, which has become an extremely dangerous place to be during the pandemic. (Beth Fertig for Gothamist) A Blue Lives Matter rally in the Bronx, as you might expect, quickly devolved into the participants screaming obscenities and threatening protesters. Yes, there is video. (Ed García Conde for Welcome2TheBronx) NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea says the City Council bowed to "mob rule" when it came to the city's budget. Mayor de Blasio, never one to not put his foot in his mouth, defended Shea's comments. (Joe Anuta for Politico) The NYPD has refused to hand over 1,137 requests for body camera footage, according to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which has made investigating complaints "untenable." It's this kind of bullshit response for the NYPD, who refuses to take accountability for their actions, that brought us to this moment, where the public's trust in them has eroded and created the NYPD-led violence during the George Floyd protests. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) Making the case for a subway stop in Harlem to be named after Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, who collected one of the world’s largest libraries of African American books, prints, and artifacts and whose collection became the basis for the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library’s Division of Negro Literature, History, and Prints. (Wilfredo Florentino for Streetsblog) 17 outdoor bars and restaurants to hang out at by the water. (Matt Tervooren for The Infatuation) thanks to reader Lizzy for today's featured photo!