The Briefly for March 12, 2020 – The "Why is Mayor Bill de Blasio So Hated?" Edition

Today - Low: 46˚ High: 49˚

Light rain in the evening and overnight.

The census begins today. Last time around, the city's participation rate was 62%, compared to the national average of 76%. With as much effort the city and state have put into marketing the census, it's gonna be mighty embarrassing if we maintain that low rate. (Alex Williamson for Brooklyn Eagle) Why is DeBlasio so hated? (AskNYC) Rapist and rotting ghoul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison. His layer had previously said that he may not outlive any sentence over five years. May he live a long life to experience every single day of that sentence. (Jen Ransom for NY Times) Even Harvey Weinstein's own body hates him, as he was hospitalized again with heart problems and chest pain. Let's all hope he's got great doctors because he has at least 23 years minus a day to live. (Dean Meminger for amNewYork Metro) RIP Modell’s, who will be liquidating all of its stores starting Friday. The company is pointing to an unusually warm winter as the final nail in the coffin. If you gotta go to Mo’s, make sure it’s soon. (Crain’s) The $3.2 million revamp of Woodside’s Little Bush Playground is set to start next month and should take about a year to finish. (Michael Dorgan for Sunnyside Post) The Chelsea Hotel renovations continue to be an utter mess. Work has stopped because the building did not qualify for a Certificate of No Harassment with multiple tenants complaining about unlivable conditions dating back years. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft) Governors Island announced its free programming for the 2020 season, which starts on May 1. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) May we all be lucky to have birthday parties half as wild as 87-year-old Ray from Ray's Candy Store. (Bob Krasner for amNewYork Metro) Sometimes you don't even have to go outside to birdwatch. (Mike Mishkin for I Love the Upper West Side) Crown Heights has a new vegan Ethiopian restaurant in Ras Plant Based. (Scott Lynch for Gothamist) The number of families in shelters each night was 46 percent higher last year than it was in December 2009, and one out of every 100 babies born in the city was brought to a shelter, rather than a permanent home. Needless to say, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio did not earn high marks on The Coalition for the Homeless' annual report. (Janaki Chadha for Politico) "I can now proudly call myself an NYC housing lottery winner." One person's story of how they won the lottery. (Kim Turner for StreetEasy) Frank’s Cocktail Lounge in Fort Greene has been the backdrop to a changing neighborhood since the 1950s, and on April 10 of this year, that comes to an end. (S.E. Blackwell for East New York News) Photos: A first look from the observation deck of Edge. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) The lone Yelp review gave it four stars, but still called it "crack head city." KN Mi Delicia Bakery and Coffee Shop in Mott Haven was part of a drug ring and multi-state 14-person arrest, with a raid finding $50,000 cash and bags stuffed with what is suspected to be heroin and cocaine. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Brooklyn Democratic Party's leaders have endorsed Councilmember Donovan Richards for Queens borough president. (Alex Williamson for Brookly Eagle) The city is beginning to experiment with, get this, actual dumpsters for businesses that will be set on the street to remove trash bag mountains that pile up on our sidewalks. It's almost like the sidewalks should be for people to walk on, not for businesses to store trash on. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog) 26 excellent Midtown East bars and restaurants to try. (Alexandra Ilyashov for Eater)

---

Six months. According to the mayor, that’s how long the fight against COVID-19 will take before things return to normal again. Get ready for the worst summer ever. (Adam Nichols for Patch) The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on restaurants will be akin to a major natural disaster. (Serena Dai for Eater) Restaurants, open-air markets, and catering companies are expected to take a hard hit, Grub Street takes a look at how businesses are preparing to support their hourly staffs if at all. (Chris Crowley for Grub Street) “We’re not in a position where we can rely on the CDC or the FDA to manage this testing protocol.” -Governor Cuomo. New York will start contracting 28 private labs to help administer coronavirus testing for New York residents. (Emily Davenport for amNewYork Metro) Daytime talk shows filming in New York will be forgoing live studio audiences during the COVID-19 outbreak. (Kimberley Richards for HuffPost) SUNY and CUNY schools will halt in-person classes for the rest of the semester, beginning on March 19. The dorms won't be closing and classes that are impossible to hold remotely will still be held. (Niedzwiadek and Madina Touré for Politico) Coronavirus fears may jeopardize the election process, which requires candidates to collect up to thousands of signatures of supporters. This may lead to the governor altering election law, as he did following Superstorm Sandy. (Max Parrott for QNS) If you're healthy, you should still consider dining out. The virus is not transmitted via food or drink. (Serena Dai for Eater) An usher for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Six” has tested positive for COVID-19. Both theaters underwent a deep clean, the shows are continuing, and the usher is now in quarantine. (Michael Paulson for NY Times) Manhattan's St. Patrick’s Day Parade is officially canceled. (Todd Maisel and Robert Pozarycki for amNewYork Metro) How to help during the coronavirus outbreak. (Azi Paybarahf or NY Times) A big thank you to reader Taina for today's featured photo, taken in Red Hook.