The "Eco-Yogi Slumlord Update" Edition

Seizing Russian oligarch's real estate, the latest on CDC guidance for masking, Justin Theroux's neighbor drama comes to a head, the best Korean BBQ, and more

Today - Low: 23˚ High: 43˚
Clear throughout the day.

The latest seven-day positivity rate: 1.8%
76.77% of city residents have received two shots, 85.86% of city residents have received one or more shots. Source: NYC Department of Health.

The Briefly - A NYC News Email and Podcast @TheBrieflyNYC

NEW PODCAST EPISODE: The "Gabe Henry on His Book Eating Salad Drunk" Podcast Edition @_GabeHenry talks about his new book Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats, working at @littlefieldnyc during the pandemic, and more.

thebriefly.comThe “Gabe Henry on His Book Eating Salad Drunk” Podcast EditionListen now (15 min) | Collecting haikus from comedy’s biggest names in this episode.

• "For years, Manhattan has been one of the most popular safe harbors for Russian oligarchs to park their cash, especially via ultra-high-end apartments. It’s time to start seizing their properties." -Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. (Vince DiMiceli for The Real Deal)

• Five ways to help Ukraine right now in NYC. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)

• Interviews with five homeless New Yorkers, responding to the mayor's plan to evict them from the subway system. (Amba Guerguerian, interviews by Jenna Gaudino, photos by Sue Brisk for The Indypendent)

• The eco-yogi slumlords, Gennaro Brooks-Church and Loretta Gendville, reached a $2.25 million settlement with the city after evicting tenants during the pandemic and allegedly running an illegal hotel operation from various properties for years. They'll turn over their house of Dean Street, worth $2 million, and pay $250,000 in fines. (Ben Brachfeld for Brooklyn Paper)

• We're getting closer and closer to Donald Trump and his human-shaped gelatinous sludge he calls children will be forced to testify in a civil case by NY Attorney General Letitia James as part of the investigation into the Trump Organization. (Matt Troutman for Patch)

• The mayor plans to meet with LGBTQ community leaders this week to hear their concerns about all of his recent hires with disgusting anti-LGBTQ histories. It seems like a move he should have made before hiring these people. (Erica Brosnan for NY1)

• Governor Hochul included a five-year extension of Kendra's Law in the state's budget, which was set to expire in July. If you're unsure of what Kendra's Law is, this article makes a good effort to explain it and its history. (Caroline Lewis for Gothamist)

• The CDC now considers the city, Long Island, and Westchester as "low risk for severe disease," meaning testing and vaccination alone should be enough to keep virus levels low. The city's mask policies haven't changed yet (with one exception in the following story), but it could signal that they may change soon. The next date the state will reevaluate masks in schools will be March 4. (Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky and Nsikan Akpn for Gothamist)

• The outdoor mask mandate for city schools was lifted. Masks are still required inside school buildings. (Reema Amin for Chalkbeat)

• 59% of the city’s public school students have received at least one vaccine dose, and nearly 52% are considered fully vaccinated. There is a tool in this link to check each school's vaccination levels. (Christina Veiga for Chalkbeat)

• A list of 27 restaurants in SoHo in an attempt to prove SoHo is more than expensive shopping. (Robert Sietsema, Alexandra Ilyashov, and Greta Rainbow for Eater)

• Justin Theroux has been at war with a neighbor for the last five years in what was called a "targeted and malicious years-long harassment campaign." It's a perfect time to catch up on the story because the co-op board in the building they live in filed a lawsuit to remove Theroux's neighbor from the building. (Clio Chang for Curbed)

• Photos: The Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden. (Steve Smith for Gothamist)

• A guide to 2022 NYC beer week. (Brew York)

• Here are the NYC 2022 James Beard Award semifinalists. (Luke Fortney for Eater)

• Real Estate Lust: A $15.3 million Greenwich Village pre-war condo with 4,535 square feet, 12-foot ceilings, four beds, a freestanding tub, custom walk-in closet, and all the amenities you'd expect when an apartment costs that much. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)

• Expect to see Andrew Cuomo commercials on TV soon. Yeah, this jackass is still trying to make fetch happen. (Nick Reisman for NY1)

• Get ready for stroller spreading on MTA buses. (Alissa Walker for Curbed)

• Congratulations, New York City: We have the worst traffic in the United States. Take that, Los Angeles! (Matt Troutman for Patch)

• The Grand Prospect Hall is gone. It takes so much time to build something in the city but tearing something down seems to happen in an instant. (Ben Brachfeld for Brooklyn Paper)

• Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park sits on top of two-time capsules buried in 1870, and the contents of one of them remain a complete mystery. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist)

• Ten secrets of Corona. Max Scott for Untapped New York)

• Din Tai Fung will open a Midtown location of its Michelin Star-rated restaurant at 1633 Broadway. It's slated to open in 2023. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)

• The 32 best Korean BBQ restaurants. (James Park for Eater)

Thank you to readers who contributed to The Briefly using this Ko-Fi link. You’re as timeless as a haiku!

Featured Pet: Gigi!

Thanks to reader Barbara for sending in this photo of Gigi, being distracted from a moment of keeping tabs on everyone down at the street level.