The Briefly for October 20 - 21, 2020 – The "Times Square Gets A PerFect Addition" Tuesday Edition
Today - Low: 64˚ High: 68˚
Mostly cloudy throughout the day.
In a touch of good news, there were only 18 positive Covid-19 tests out of the 10,676 that were administered in schools. (Dana Rubenstein and J. David Goodman for NY Times) JFK and Newark airports are now offering Rapid Nasal Swab Tests for Covid-19 with results in under 15 minutes. (Will Gleason for Time Out) In the last days of warm-enough weather, here's where to work outside with wifi. (Matt Tervooren for The Infatuation) Welcome to NYC, P.F. Chang’s, you will fit in perfectly in Times Square. (Bao Ong for Time Out) In one of the weirder stories this week, we all found out that the city can be shut out of its own ferry docks, as it was in Greenpoint for most of Monday. (Matt Troutman for Patch) The Greenpoint Library is now open for grab-and-go service. (Greenpointers) Everything to know about putting up temporary walls in an NYC apartment. (Lambeth Hochwald for StreetEasy) With a drop in Covid-19 cases in hot spots, expect Governor Cuomo to make adjustments to the red zone maps this week. (Robert Pozarycki for Brooklyn Paper) A fire in Cypress Hills burnt down a marijuana grow house. (John Del Signore for Gothamist) 215 idiots were busted mid-party inside the Queens Luxe Banquet Hall on Rockaway Boulevard in Queens. The owner and staff were charged with misdemeanors. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer has released a new plan that would make CUNY community colleges free to all students in an attempt to close the inequality gap. (The Brooklyn Reader) For $4.75 million, you can own Toni Morrison's Tribeca loft. (Erin Hudson for The Real Deal) New Hope Family Services refuses to provide services to married same-sex couples and won a preliminary injunction to block the Office of Children and Family Services from shutting them down for doing so. (Arthur S> Leonard for Gay City News) Photos: Inside Frenchette’s takeover of the old Arcade Barkery space. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) Remember when I linked to a report that said the homeless New Yorkers in The Lucerne would be moved to the Financial District on Sunday? That has been reversed again. A state supreme court judge approved a restraining order preventing anyone from being moved until at least November 16. (Mirela Iverac for Gothamist) Andres Fernandez was convicted of killing the owner of the legendary L&B Spumoni Gardens pizzeria in 2016 and will face 25 years to life behind bars. (Rose Adams for Brooklyn Adams) Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) The scariest thing about Blood Manor haunted house is the giant, maskless crowds. (Tribeca Citizen) Governor Cuomo's office released its Covid-19 vaccination plan, including a vaccine prioritization matrix, with New Yorkers falling into Priority 1-6. First we were dealing with "phases," now we're dealing with "zones," next up is "priority." Most of us will fall into Priority 5. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) Another look at Times Square's “Plastic Bag Store” now that the plastic bag ban is real and being enforced. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) AOC is encouraging voting on the Working Families Party line instead of the Democratic line for the presidential election to help preserve WFP's place on the ballot moving forward. (Daniel Marans for HuffPost) The New York Times has discovered Breezy Point, the NYC right-wing hideout full of police and firefighters. (Corey Kilgannon for NY Times) Holding up a magnifying glass to the NYPD's impunity when it comes to killing people on NYC streets with their cars in light of NY Attorney General Letitia James opening an investigation into the killing of Sofia Gomex, who was killed by an NYPD highway officer. (Julianne Cuba for Streetsblog) Everything that the city did to campaign for New Yorkers to fill out their census forms ended up raising the response rate by a measly 0.1%. The city is pushing this as a win. (David Cruz for Gothamist) The Times already declared cuffing season starting early this year. That means it's time for hot cocktails. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater)