The Briefly for May 21, 2019 – The "Great White Sharks in NYC Waters" Edition

The bill that would criminalize "texting while walking" is DOA. (Streetsblog)

“I told all my friends they’re never going to see me in the Staten Island Mall again.” (Curbed)

The new logo for privately owned public spaces was unveiled from 600 entries. It's three chairs. (amNY)

Scared of sharks? A ten-foot long great white shark was spotted a few dozen miles from the city. Just in time for the holiday weekend! (Patch)

Right now students can get a half-priced MetroCards if they live within walking distance of their school. Students often wind up paying the remainder in coins, causing the bus system to grind to a halt. This is why the city wants to get rid of them in favor of free MetroCards, good for three rides a day from 5:30am to 8:30pm for school-related activities. (Patch)

A Brooklyn Community Board approved of a protected bike lane on Flatbush Avenue from Grand Army Plaza to Empire Blvd, mirroring Prospect Park West's lanes. (Streetsblog)

The history of New York City’s original rooftop bars. (6sqft)

Punk Island added a slew of bands to the lineup of the free punk festival on Randall's Island, with the addition of a stage whose goal is to raise awareness for mental health and drug addiction in addition to free Narcan training and distribution. (BrooklynVegan)

Photos from Saturday's 13th Dance Parade in the East Village. (Gothamist)

Say hello to Summer Sucks, an ongoing series from Gothamist. (Gothamist, duh)

Where to get all dressed up and not feel stupid. (The Infatuation)

It seems that only now that Amazon's HQ2 is a distant memory, city officials are getting serious about developing the Long Island City waterfront and this time around they're including the neighborhood in the discussions. (The Real Deal)

The state's Attorney General opened an inquiry into more than a decade of lending practices that left thousands of immigrant taxi drives in debt, while the mayor ordered an investigation into the brokers who arranged the loans. (NY Times)

No one wants to talk to Steve Doocy. (HuffPost)

The Vendy Awards, New York's awards for street eats, will come to a close after 15 years. (Grub Street)

Attention. If you lost an absolutely gargantuan inflatable pink flamingo in the East River, it has been found. (Gothamist)

Idea: Buses can't run late if there are no buses! The MTA is curring service on 13 bus lines this summer. (Streetsblog)

How're the subways treating you? The MTA says they've hit a five-year high of being on time. The percentage? A solid C+ at 79.8%. (Sunnyside Post)

Welcome to the era of OMNY. (mtainfo)

Meet some of the 42 heroes who are fostering 90 kittens for the ASPCA. (amNY)

Four Department of Education executives claim that they are victims of "reverse racism." (The Root)

Here's a look at what's open and closed on Memorial Day. (Patch)

A look back at the Coney Island that was, through the archive of the New York Times' photography. (NY Times)

“I consider it a social experiment, I wanted to see how people would respond to this character.” The character the saran wrapped Shiva. (Bushwick Daily)

There has been an 82% rise in anti-semitic attacks in the city compared to last year. (Bklyner)

In light of the spike, Speaker Corey Johnson is calling on the mayor to fully fund the Office of Prevention of Hate Crimes, which was approved by the city council this winter. The mayor has only funded 70% of the office. (amNY)

A gang member who participated in the killing of 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz said that a mistake led to the attack. (NY Times)

The MTA reports that the L Train Slowdown is going as planned. Is anyone else tired of hearing about how resilient New Yorkers are? (amNY)

Congratulations to this year's Obie Award winners. The Obies honor Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway work, and "What the Constitution Means to Me" was named best new American play. (NY Times)

“What is art,” you may ask yourself while looking at photos of slop buckets from a restaurant in Park Slope. (Viewing NYC)

24 ideal outdoor bars in the city. (Eater)

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