The Briefly for September 22 - 24, 2020 – The "Anarchist Rat Cluster Jurisdiction" Tuesday Edition

Today - Low: 59˚ High: 72˚

Clear throughout the day.

Everything known about outdoor dining, which kicks up again on September 30. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation) It was a bad day for the MTA as an A train derailed inside the 14th St/8th Ave station as a result of "an act of vandalism" and the person responsible has reportedly been arrested. (Jen Chung and John Del Signore for Gothamist) A 40-year-old man was fatally struck by a Manhattan-bound Q train during the evening rush hour on Monday at the Cortelyou Road Station in Flatbush. (Todd Maisel for amNewYork Metro) There were 295 subway windows smashed so far this year, which represents a 64% increase over last year. Reminds me of the Dumbo Car Window Smasher from a dozen years ago. (Jose Martinez for The City) It's been five years since Pizza Rat. Say hello to the rat cluster, a living nightmare for all to see. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) New York City is now an "anarchist jurisdiction" in the eyes of the federal government. As stupid as this new title is, it is setting the stage for a fight over federal funding for the city. (Monique Judge for The Root) It wouldn't be a story without a "Twitter responds to..." post about it. (Elyse Wanshel for HuffPost) "The president can't supersede the law and say 'I'm going to make those funds basically discretionary funds,' which is what he would have to do. He doesn't control federal funding. Federal law controls federal funding." -Governor Cuomo on the designation. (Nick Reisman for NY1) Brooklyn Bridge Park may be the home of Governor Cuomo's planned statue honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Kevin Duggan for Brooklyn Paper) In a quote that he will eventually regret saying, Mayor de Blasio said "I feel very good about the trajectory we’re on" regarding the first day of schools being open to students. (Matt Troutman for Patch) An interactive map showing which schools had recent Covid-19 cases. (Jake Dobkin, Clarisa Diaz for Gothamist) 46% of city students opted for remote learning, up from last week's 42%. (Matt Troutman for Patch) Congrats to Punkie Johnson, the first out Black lesbian member to join SNL. (Matt Tracy for amNewYork Metro) The state's ban on plastic bags will be enforced starting on October 19. (Matt Troutman for Patch) Photo Essay: Phil Buehler's Bushwick: Art or Garbage. (Phil Buehler for Bushwick Daily) Photo: Take a look at all the ways to cross the Brooklyn Bridge in 1903. (Ephemeral New York) Photo: A subway tribute to RBG. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie) Are restaurant "space bubbles" a good idea or just another sad reality in 2020? (Bao Ong for Time Out) Nearly 90% of NYC bars and restaurants were unable to pay full rent in August, with 34% unable to pay any rent at all. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) The week's most batshit-wild story is the story of an NYPD officer that is accused of spying on Tibetans for China. (Nicole Hong for NY Times) The DOE’s long-promised vow to make yeshivas violating state education requirements start teaching the subjects they’re supposed to is once again falling behind. This is one of the longest running stories of Mayor de Blasio's failure to stand up for what is right in the city and it will continue to roll on. The city blew its deadline to produce a timeline for when state-mandated instruction would be in place and missed another deadline to finish meetings by June. This all started when he deliberately hid this failure from the public so he could convince Albany he was capable of running the city's schools and he'll run out the clock without doing literally anything about it. (Reuven Blau for The City) State Attorney General Letitia James has stepped in and declared that her office will release body camera footage of police-involved deaths after previously leaving it up to local jurisdictions. This was spurred by the death of Daniel Prude in Rochester. (Sydney Periera for Gothamist) A look at mayoral candidate and City Comptroller Scott Stringer's affordable housing plan. (Samar Khurshid for Gotham Gazette) The best outdoor date night spots in NYC, while it's still warm enough for an outdoor date. (Matt Tervooren for The Infatuation) Apartment Porn: Inside the amenities in Long Island City's Skyline Tower, like the pet spa and 75-foot pool. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) A bike brisket tour of NYC. (Robert Sietsema for Eater) Thanks to reader Reynard Loki for today's featured photo