The "Would You Do the Job for $1?" Edition
Sarah Palin is infecting the city, Queens' most expensive condo, Mayor Adams was for it before he was against it, Human Rights Watch warns about NYCHA privatization, romantic restaurants, and more
Today - Low: 22˚ High: 34˚
The latest seven-day positivity rate: 10.84%
74.79% of city residents have received two shots, 84.22% of city residents have received one or more shots. Source: NYC Department of Health.
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• Unvaccinated idiot Sarah Palin dined indoors and outdoors at multiple restaurants after testing positive for Covid-19. Anyone in contact with or near Sarah Palin is encouraged to get themselves tested. Sarah Palin is encouraged to go home. (Jake Offenhartz with reporting contributed by Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist)
• Yolanda Vega is retiring from the New York Lottery after 32 years. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• The dog run at McCarren Park is temporarily closed after the leptospirosis outbreak reported earlier this week. The city is improving drainage and installing new trash cans to fight the outbreak. (Emma Davey for Greenpointers)
• Curbed makes the argument against the fine print of the plan to rebuild Penn Station: destroy a large swath of Midtown to build extra-large office towers. (Justin Davidson for Curbed)
• The city's most anticipated 2022 restaurant openings. I'm looking forward to Laser Wolf because of the name. Maybe restaurants are taking a cue from Minor League Baseball to attract attention with weird names. I'd root for the Laser Wolves. (Emma Orlow for Eater)
• The Conflicts of Interest Board gave Mayor Adams a waiver to hire his brother under a few conditions: His brother gets a $1 salary, no staff, no authority within the NYPD, us subject to the same disclosure laws as everyone else, and the mayor is recused from making any decisions about his brother's employment. (Brigid Bergin for Gothamist)
• An NYPD residency requirement put forward by Jumaane Williams has the mayor's support, or as Mayor Adams puts it, "Your children should be in our schools." It's a rule that only the state can implement. Legislation to make that change has been sitting in committee for a year. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)
• Mayor Adams's "Blueprint to End Gun Violence" is a notable departure from the criminal justice plan produced by his transition committee. While his transition plan called for investment into mental health, employment programs, and housing to reduce crime and reduce the population at Rikers, the mayor's new plan focuses on enhancing police and changing state laws to increase incarceration. (Matt Katz for Gothamist)
• A look a the series of ethics questions that marked the start of Mayor Adams's t. erm. (Samar Khurshid for Gotham Gazette)
• Mayor Adams lobbied for the Raise the Age law for years leading up to its passing in 2017. Five years later, it's that same law that he's calling on to be rolled back. (Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist)
• Eighteen restaurants for a romantic night out. Oh god, is it already time to think about Valentine's Day? The displays in Rite-Aid have been up since December 26th; my internal calendar doesn't exist anymore. (Luke Fortney, Emma Orlow, and Eater Staff for Eater)
• Real Estate Lust: This $4.995 million condo is the Queens' most expensive condo in Long Island City with 5,400 square feet, three beds, three-and-a-half baths, two outdoor spaces with over 2,300 square feet, 13-foot ceilings, and in a building with amenities like a lap pool, fitness center, resident lounge, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• The story of the hot dog king of the Upper East Side's hot dog king is extraordinary and deserves a movie. Anyone who embarrasses Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani to their faces has my respect. Sitting outside of The Met, Dan Rossi's cart might be the city's most famous hot dog cart. (Hazen Cuyler for East Side Feed)
• Guilherme Larangeira makes the argument that the congestion pricing toll should be $80. (Guilherme Larangeira for Streetsblog)
• Eleven secrets of Sunset Park. (Untapped New York)
• Farewell to the Jackson Heights White Castle, which served tiny burgers for over 86 years on the corner of Northern Blvd and 88th St until it closed on Wednesday of this week. (The Retrologist)
• Governors Ball's 2022 lineup was announced with headliners Kid Cudi, Halsey, and J. Cole from June 10 - 12 at Citi Field. I would list the bands involved, but if I said Japanese Breakfast, Soccer Mommy, or beabadoobee, would you know I was talking about musical acts? Shaq is DJing on Saturday. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan)
• What does it cost to board an NYC Ferry? $2.75. How much is each NYC Ferry ride subsidized? $9.34. (Katie Honan for The City)
• The MTA produced a 3,000-page report in 2019 to show problems with installing platform doors at stations. The report was released this week. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist)
• Before it was LaGuardia Airport, it was an amusement park with a pool, shooting galleries, the East Coast's first-ever Ferris wheel, and more. (Gabriel Neves for Untapped New York)
• Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee is coming to Grand Central. (Luke Fortney for Eater)
• Bird Photos: The Long-tailed Duck in Central Park. (D. Bruce Yolton for Urban Hawks)
• The city is shortening required isolation periods for students who test positive for Covid-19 from 10 days to five in many cases as long as the student is fever-free for 24 hours, their symptoms are improving, and they wear a "well-fitting" mask. What about a negative test? Nope. That is not necessary. (Alex Zimmerman for Chalkbeat)
• Human Rights Watch warns that after the city put NYCHA housing into private management, there are signs of compromising tenants’ rights. (Greg B. Smith for The City)
• The city will send Covid-19 test kits home with every K-12 student ahead of midwinter break in February. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• Twenty German restaurants, beer halls, and bakeries. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
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