The Briefly for September 15-17, 2020 – The "Flesh Eating Bacteria? Who Cares, It's 2020" Tuesday Edition

Today - Low: 61˚ High: 68˚

Clear throughout the day.

This isn't NYC specific, but Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren fired Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, demonstrating that some mayors know how and when to yield their powers. (Michael Wilson and Edgar Sandoval for NY Times) Photos: Behind the scenes in Chinatown. (Molly Tavoletti for RESY) New York City's highways, reimagined in a subway map. (Zirocket on r/NYC) We're inching closer to normal because the F train is closing on nights and weekends for construction. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) It's not all bad news for the subway, there's a new escalator in Union Square on the L platform. (Mark Hallum for amNewYork Metro) "Five Connecticut residents were hospitalized with a flesh eating bacteria after going in the water in the Long Island Sound this summer" barely even was a blip on the radar. What a year. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) Can you help identify this woman, who had a shitfit in a Verizon store when told to wear a mask, throwing around the N-word as she left the store? In a city with so many assholes, she still managed to be the asshole of the week and it's only Tuesday. (John Del Signore for Gothamist) Want to ride the subway or bus without a mask? Get ready for a $50 fine. Next question: Will they fine the NYPD when they ride without masks? (Mark Hallum for amNewYork Metro) NYU's dorm Rubin Hall is on lockdown after 4 students tested positive for Covid-19. (Matthew Fischetti and Trace Miller for Washington Square News) Photos: The "new" Chelsea Flea opened over the weekend. (Scott LYnch for Gothamist) Brooklyn Public Libraries in Midwood, Kensington, Mill Basin, Walt Whitman, Washington Irving, and the Annex in Dumbo are open for grab-and-go lending. (Rose Adams for Brooklyn Paper) The City Council will vote on the Industry City rezoning today. City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, whose district contains Industry City, has come out against the rezoning. The City Council usually defers to the local councilmember for these decisions, but multiple members have come out against his stance. (Greg David for The City) What's happening to us? New York City's zip codes don't even touch the ten most expensive zip codes in the country. (Tim Moran for Patch) Photos: Baby lynx cubs in the Queens Zoo! (Emily Davenport for amNewYork Metro) The Cloister Cafe was shut down by the SLA in August du to social distancing violations by its patrons but reopened this week thanks to a temporary restraining order against the suspension by a judge. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) The story of how the police unions, full of white Republicans who live in the suburbs, betrayed the city they are supposed to serve by endorsing President Trump. (Alan Feuer for NY Times) The year in (sad) photos. (Tribeca Citizen) The NYPD takes a full minute longer to respond to shootings and other crisis incidents than they did a year ago. Ambulances are arriving faster than ever before. (Suhali Bhat for The City) A new vegetarian burger spot, Pop’s Eat-Rite, is opening up a block from Superiority Burger. I, for one, look forward to this burgeoning vegetarian burger district. (Luke Fortney for Eater) Farewell to Coyote Ugly, whose original location is officially gone, but it sounds like a new location is coming. (EV Grieve) Photos: I'll never not link to photos of goats mowing the grass. (Forrest Michael Bomann for Untapped New York) The MTA is betting big on the federal government bailing them out to the tune of $12 billion. The rest of us live here on earth. (Jose Martinez for The City) The Thanksgiving Day Parade isn't happening. Let's just go take a nap until it's 2021. (Jen Chung for Gothamist) Want to ask the 2021 mayoral candidates a question? Here's your chance. (The City) This isn't new, but sometimes I think about how Governor Cuomo said he changed his mind about the L train because someone yelled at him on the street. (Christopher Robbins for Gothamist in 2019) Satire: Help! I'm Being Priced out of the Neighborhood I Gentrified. (Graham Isador The Hard Times)

"Teaching has a powerful way of consuming your time that is antipode to the stay-at-home summer of 2020. I’m optimistic that the new school year will sweep away my grief — grief for the hardship and loss my students experienced these past few months, for not being there to offer hugs and high fives, for missing yearbook signing and graduation photo swapping, and for a lackluster farewell. I trust that the new school year will bring with it acceptance, even as I hold on to the wonderful young learners who have filled this classroom with laughter and wonder before."

Krisy Lawlor, a teacher in the Bronx, My classroom is a time capsule , for Chalkbeat

Last week the number was 19, this week 55 school employees tested positive for Covid-19. (Erin Durkin for Politico) The state threatened to cut 9,000 jobs from NYC school less than one month ago. (Reema Amin for Patch) Monday, the mayor announced the city will hire 2,000 additional teachers to meet the demands of blended learning. 2,000 is extremely short of the 10,000 teachers the principal's union called for to make blended learning possible. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNewYork Metro) School nurses are reporting that they've yet to receive any PPE for the school year. (Fred Mogul for Gothamist) 42% of NYC students opted for remote learning, up from 26% a few weeks ago. (Lauren Cook for PIX11) A look at the next Bowery Mural from Mojo, in progress. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie) Turns out New York's most famous guitar teacher Dan Smith will still teach you guitar. A story of how Smith is teaching former Governor David Patterson to play guitar. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) Expect a marketing campaign to persuade you to vote for Joe Biden under the Working Families Party, as without either 130,000 votes or 2% of the total vote, the Working Families Party will lose ballot access. (Dana Rubenstein for NY Times) Where to eat outside in Park Slope. (Nikko Duren for The Infatuation) Thanks to reader Helene for today's featured photo!