Monday’s Headlines: Henri Ennui Edition
So the historic NYC Homecoming concert got scrubbed mid-Manilow (and our old man editor got soaked at an otherwise perfect Wilco concert in Forest Hills), but Hurricane Henri ultimately packed his greatest punch for New England.
Nonetheless, Gov. Cuomo was in Big Dog Excelsior Car Guy mode over the weekend (NY Post), making full use of his title for the last few days of his sputtering reign. It’s enough already, governor. Good news: Kathy Hochul takes over at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday (amNY).
In other news from the wet weekend:
- NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea begged his employees to get vaccinated (NY Post) — but a majority (a majority of a city workforce that’s sworn to protect and serve) remain anti-vaxxers (NY Post). A majority of cops also live in the suburbs.
- Speaking of Shea doing a terrible job, his cops should obviously have taken this report from a woman who said she was slightly injured after being struck by a cyclist (NY Post) — just as his officers should do more to rein in the scores of drivers who kill pedestrians every year and are never charged. Reminder: It is terrible when any pedestrian is struck by any vehicle, but those struck by car drivers tend to die or have life-altering injuries.
- No, people should not be trying to blow up police cars … but they do make such a tempting target when cops park illegally. (NY Post)
- Speaking of tempting targets, you gotta love (and bemoan at the same time), the video of Brooklyn Darren walking over a car that was parked illegally in Carroll Gardens (though later put in a larger context by the great Friend of Streetsblog Brian Howald):
https://twitter.com/brooklyn_darren/status/1429137471393210376
- Following our own incredible investigation into the connection between a street trees and median incomes, the Times did its own version (we liked ours better — and we even linked the Times in ours. Hint. Hint).
- Here’s a story about dropping your phone on the subway tracks (it has a happy ending!). (Oransky Journal)
- Take a moment to meet freshman Queens Council Member Tiffany Cabán, a rising star. (Gotham Gazette)
- Here’s a must read from Henry Grabar about the onerous environmental laws that make it harder to build transit than highways. (Slate)
- Broken Clock Cuozzo had a good analysis of the questions that Kathy Hochul should be asking (and is being asked) about the outgoing governor and campaign contributor Steve Roth’s boondoggle Empire Station Complex. (NY Post)
- We wrote last week about the Battery Park City Authority’s dangerous constriction of the Hudson River Greenway, the busiest bike path in the hemisphere. Turns out, it’s going exactly as the state DOT wanted it:
The northbound "lane" leads directly into a bollard. Yet another great job by @NYSDOT_NYC and @bpca_ny. https://t.co/Lao6TWtzx1 pic.twitter.com/jqKRU9PWTi
— ItsEasyBeingGreen (@Fresh_Kermit) August 21, 2021
- And finally, our Staten Island correspondent Vince DiMiceli took the train to Yankee Stadium — and was appalled at the advice given by The Bronx Bombers to their fans:
Leaving Yankee Stadium after another big win and taking the Subway, no matter how much the scoreboard tells me not to. @GershKuntzman @StreetsblogNYC pic.twitter.com/bzaDIMY6Cj
— Vince DiMiceli (@vdimiceli) August 21, 2021