The Briefly for October 18, 2018 – The "This Will Make the L Train Shutdown Look Easy" Edition
The L train is not running between Broadway Junction and 8th 8 Ave, from 10:45 pm until 5 a.m. every weekday until November 30. The MTA is also reducing service to one train every 12 minutes between Myrtyle-Wckoff and Rockaway Parkway from 11am to 3pm. Add that to the L not running at all on the weekends during October. Good lord. (Gothamist)
According to the Department of Transportation commissioner Polly Tottenberg, the challenge the impending BQE construction poses to the city "makes the L train look like a piece of cake.” Oh, cool.
15 ways to celebrate Halloween. (Untapped Cities)
Activists are accusing Mayor de Blasio of refusing to enforce animal-cruelty laws against Orthodox Jews who ritually slaughter tens of thousands of chickens Brooklyn streets ahead of Yom Kippur. The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaproros wants to show in court that the selective enforcement favors a particular class. (NY Post)
November 6's election ballots will be two pages for the first time which is expected to cause multiple logistics issues at polling locations throughout the city. Uh oh. (Bklyner)
Could one way to reduce the burden on the subway system be lowering the cost of in-city trips on the LIRR and Metro-North to subway fares? (Curbed)
LA chef Ilan Hall is back in NYC with Ramen Hood, a pop-up vegan noodle bar at the Chef's Club in SoHo. (Gothamist)
Speaking of challenges Tottenberg also said “I’m the first to admit we have a long way to go.” when talking about parking placard abuse. She's recommending automatic license plate readers, which likely won't be a hit with civil liberties groups. (NY Post)
Three Crown Heights parks will see their first improvements in 20 to 30 years. It's a double edged sword, as investments in these parks could result in higher rents and sale prices in the already fragile neighborhood. (The Brooklyn Reader)
Ferry buffs, sorry to see that Hurricane Michael forced a delay in the delivery of new boats for the Staten Island Ferry. The first boat was opting in late 2019 and there is no new delivery date yet. (amNY)
Governor Cuomo is actually praising Mayor de Blasio. Cuomo is joining de Blasio in calling for a boycott of NY1 by any state officials over an ongoing strike by the electrical workers union. (NY Post)
A new audit of the MTA between 2015 and 2017 shows, surprise surprise, the MTA has not properly maintained the system. 76% of inspections are not completed on time and thousands of inspections never happened at all. (NY Post)
Low-level offenders (disorderly conduct, littering, drinking alcohol in public) with outstanding warrants have the opportunity to clear their record in Woodside on Saturday. (Sunnyside Post)
Trump Place at 200 Riverside Blvd will now be known as...200 Riverside Blvd. The building is the latest of many in Manhattan to dump Trump signage due to the actions of our current president. (NY Times)
The former NYPD detective on the Harvey Weinstein case allegedly told one of his victims that she could delete text messages from her phones before turning them over to prosecutors. She didn't, but that sounds shady to say the least. (Gothamist)
The baby Trump balloon is making its way to the city for the Impeachment Parade on October 27. (amNY)
10 spots that will reveal the city's haunted history. (6sqft)
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