The "OMNY Cards Are Here, Kinda" Edition
The "OMNY Cards Are Here, Kinda" Edition
The Village Halloween Parade is a go, the George Floyd statue in Union Square was defaced, the LGA Air Train could be dead (hooray), and more.
Today - Low: 62˚ High: 67˚
Possible drizzle in the morning.
• The 2021 Village Halloween Parade is officially happening with grand marshal Randy Rainbow. (Jen Chung for Gothamist)
• The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is happening on October 23. (EV Grieve)
• After a successful trip to the US Supreme Court, Monday was the first day of school after the city's school staff vaccine mandate and the mandate seems to have worked. 95% of the staff received at least one dose with 96% of teachers and 99% of principals. (Alex Zimmerman for Chalkbeat)
• The MTA will require new employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 starting in mid-November. The agency will also require current unvaccinated employees to be tested weekly starting Monday. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• Ten-foot tall busts of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and John Lewis by artist Chris Carnabuci were unveiled in Union Square on Thursday. On Sunday morning, a vandal threw silver paint on the George Floyd bust. The busts are on display through October 23. (EV Grieve)
• Nine FDNY firefighters have been suspended for sharing racist messages and memes. The Root outlines the story of several Black firefighters whose complaints fell on deaf ears until getting Eric Adams involved. (J.L. Cook for The Root)
• The New York Civil Liberties Union is suing the NYPD for the release of more disciplinary records of officers, arguing the public database currently available offers an incomplete look of misconduct complaints. (David Cruz for Gothamist)
• Farewell to Hunky Dory in Crown Heights, which will be closing at the end of the month. (Luke Fortney for Eater)
• The AirTrain is not as sure as Governor Cuomo made it seem. Governor Hochul asked the Port Authority to examine alternative solutions for increasing connectivity to LaGuardia Airport. (Eve Kessler for Streetsblog)
• One reason for the search for an AirTrain alternative could be that if the Biden $550 billion infrastructure package falls through, New York could lose out on $10 billion in projects. (Jose Martinez for The City)
• A guide to Lebanese food in Bay Ridge. (Carina Finn Koeppicus for The Infatuation)
• Keith Haring's never-before-seen "Fiorucci Walls" will be on display at the New York City Center through the end of this year for performance attendees. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• Real Estate Lust: This $6.95 million penthouse facing Prospect Park will become the priciest condo ever sold in Park Slope with views over Prospect Park, 3,180 square feet, 10-foot ceilings, reclaimed hardwood floors, a 1,460 square foot roof terrace, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• There could be more to the story about CORE Services dropping out of the soon-to-be-former Trump Links golf course in the Bronx. CORE Services never gave a reason for pulling out of the golf deal, but an investigation by The Times took a look at how Jack Brown, CORE Services' CEO, has been benefitting handsomely from the plight of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. CORE Services channeled at least $32 million into for-profit companies that Jack Brown is connected to, earning him over $1 million a year. (Amy Julia Harris for NY Times)
• This is what the first OMNY card will look like for people not using contactless payments on a personal device. The cards are only available at places like CVS or Duane Reade in the gift card area. (Christopher Bonanos for Curbed)
• 14 new public art installations around the city in October. (Irene Madrigal for Untapped New York)
• The Infatuation updates its list of the best new restaurants in Brooklyn. (The Infatuation)
Featured Pet: Zingone Brothers Grocery Cat
Thank you to reader Madeline for sending in this photo of a very stern-looking grocery cat from Zingone Brothers on 82nd. Send in your pet and animal photos to thebriefly@gmail.com
So many people sent in pet and animal photos after this weekend and I want to tell you how grateful I am to have such great readers. It was a thrill to have my inbox fill up with photos of cats and dogs and other animals across the city.
Thank you to the four readers who contributed to The Briefly since the last edition.