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☆ Street Sheds Transformed New York City Dining. Many Will Soon Disappear.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than four years after the coronavirus upended life in New York City, some of the most visible vestiges of the pandemic — outdoor dining structures erected outside thousands of restaurants — are facing a deadline that could see many of them razed. Restaurants that currently offer outdoor dining in sheds on sidewalks or in roadways and wish to continue doing so must apply to the city’s new outdoor dining program by Saturday night and comply with new guidelines, which some owners say will be costly. Business owners who do not apply must take down their existing setups or face fines. As of Friday afternoon, more than 1,900 restaurants had applied to take part in the new program, which is known as Dining Out N.Y.C. The volume of applications represented a significant drop from the number of restaurants that applied to take part in the temporary outdoor dining program that sprang up at the height of the pandemic.

Organizations: city’s Department of Transportation Locations: New York City

☆ Think N.Y.C.’s Roads Are Crowded? Good Luck on the Sidewalks.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is Street Wars, a weekly series on the battle for space on New York’s streets and sidewalks. Any New Yorker who regularly walks around the city quickly learns which sidewalks are a pleasure to navigate and which are more like obstacle courses. Some are wide enough to stroll two, maybe three people across. Some are so narrow and crowded that it’s easier to just walk in the street, despite the danger. He was able to track those factors using data from the city and images from dash cameras used widely by ride-share drivers.

Persons: Matthew Franchi Organizations: Yorker, Cornell University Locations: Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bronx

☆ Early-Morning Escalator Fire at Kennedy Airport Injures 10
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ten people were injured and nearly 1,000 were evacuated after an escalator caught fire at Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday morning, airport officials said. The escalator, in Concourse C of Terminal 8, started emitting smoke around 7:15 a.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. The Fire Department and Port Authority police officers responded, and about 990 travelers were taken by bus to other areas of the terminal, according to the Port Authority. Eleven U.S. and international airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways and Japan Airways, use Terminal 8. American Airlines said that three of its 89 total departing flights from the airport on Wednesday had been canceled because of the evacuation.

Organizations: Kennedy International Airport, Port Authority of New, Fire Department, Port Authority, American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airways Locations: Concourse, Port Authority of New York, New Jersey

☆ It May Feel Like 100 Degrees in New York on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Tuesday is expected to be another scorcher in New York City, with officials expecting it to feel as hot as 100 degrees in some parts of town. Other parts of the Northeast, including parts of Connecticut, were also placed under excessive heat advisories. Officials predict temperatures in Central Park will reach 93 degrees on Tuesday before dropping to 89 degrees on Wednesday. It was 90 degrees there on Monday, but with the humidity it felt as hot as 100 degrees. “Do not underestimate the heat,” New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, said during a news conference on Monday.

Persons: Eric Adams, ” Organizations: ”, York City’s Locations: New York City, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Central, York

☆ Why These Summertime Braids Cost $450 (and Can Take About 5 Hours)
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Lola Fadulu | Naima Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Ms. Charles’s first memory of getting braids, at age 4, was painful. As an adult, she visited salons that were cluttered and dirty — it made her dread going. In September 2021, Ms. Charles opened her salon in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, offering a variety of braid styles, including straight back feed-in braids and braided updos. Her reach grew to include braiding hair for the rapper Cardi B and the reality TV star Tanisha Thomas. Ms. Charles was also part of the hair-braiding team for Beyoncé’s “Black Is King” visual album.

Persons: Charles’s, Charles, Cardi, Tanisha Thomas, Ms, Beyoncé’s Locations: Tobago, Crown, Brooklyn

☆ A Wave of Pride Lights Up New York City
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Lola Fadulu | Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tens of thousands of people wrapped themselves in L.G.B.T.Q. Pride flags and wore their brightest rainbow gear to celebrate the New York City Pride March on Sunday. The march commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising, the catalyst for the modern L.G.B.T.Q. The New York march is the largest of its kind in the United States, with organizers this year expecting around 25,000 marchers and around two and a half million spectators. Luccy Griman, 52, of Waterbury, Conn., was among the paraders on Sunday, marching for the 20th time.

Persons: Luccy Griman, ”, “ Organizations: New York Locations: L.G.B.T.Q, New York City, York, United States, Waterbury, Conn

☆ Here’s What You Discover When You Walk Every Block in New York City
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is Street Wars, a weekly series on the battle for space on New York’s streets and sidewalks. As the sun climbed in the sky, it was largely quiet. Birds could be heard chirping, and so could the shh of tree leaves swaying in the breeze. Occasionally the beeps from a garbage truck pierced the silence, as did the rumble of a subway train passing overhead. Many New Yorkers find the simple act of being a pedestrian in the city a challenge.

Persons: Greg Miller Locations: Astoria , Queens, Park, Brooklyn

The Police Department is seeking to revoke former President Donald J. Trump’s license to carry a concealed weapon after his conviction in his New York hush-money case, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Mr. Trump had a concealed carry permit in New York and had three pistols registered under the permit, the people said. It is unclear whether it is still in Mr. Trump’s possession. The Police Department will complete an investigation that is likely to lead to the revocation of Mr. Trump’s concealed carry permit, according to the people with knowledge of the matter. Mr. Trump has the right to file a challenge to the move.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Police Department, Police Locations: New York, Florida

☆ Owner and Manager of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Plead Guilty to Wage Theft
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The owner of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and the manager of the restaurant’s Manhattan location pleaded guilty to stealing more than $32,000 in wages from 18 employees by bouncing checks and sometimes by not paying workers at all, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The owner, Anthony Piscina, 63, and the manager, Frank Santora, 71, each pleaded guilty to one count of attempted scheme to defraud in the first degree. They submitted a cashier’s check to the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Wednesday to pay full restitution as their sentence. The plea means that “18 hard-working New Yorkers will be made whole,” Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said in a statement. Gerard Marrone, a lawyer representing both Mr. Piscina and Mr. Santora, said his clients had entered guilty pleas to put the case behind them and that they were merely “guilty of very bad record-keeping.”

Persons: Anthony, Frank Santora, ” Alvin Bragg, Gerard Marrone, Santora, ” Locations: Manhattan

☆ After Student Encampment Ends, New School Professors Set Up Their Own
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Lola Fadulu | Julian Roberts-Grmela | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Faculty members at The New School in Manhattan this week set up what may be the first professor-led pro-Palestinian encampment on a college campus since the Israel-Hamas war has prompted waves of protests at schools across the country. The New School’s urban campus in Greenwich Village lacks the open spaces and green lawns of other universities that have been the site of protest encampments, so the professors set up their camp inside the lobby of a university building on Fifth Avenue. On Thursday afternoon, eight tents were visible on the same spot where some of the school’s students had previously set up a lobby encampment for several days. The university called in the police last week to remove it and arrest the student protesters.

Organizations: The New School Locations: Manhattan, Israel, Greenwich

New York University officials will move to discipline student demonstrators who remain in a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, the university announced in a statement on Monday. The encampment was erected on Friday, as similar sites spread on college campuses across the country, following Columbia University’s lead. Students removed their tents on Friday as N.Y.U. demanded but continued to stay overnight at the encampment. By Monday afternoon, students had not responded and had remained at the site, John Beckman, a university spokesman, said in the statement.

Persons: Columbia University’s, John Beckman, ” Organizations: New York University Locations: Columbia

Dr. Shafik herself was preparing to confer with the university senate, which could censure her as soon as Friday. On Monday, police were called in to make dozens of arrests at Yale and New York University. Mr. Johnson’s visit to campus will not include a meeting with Dr. Shafik. The university senate could vote on a resolution to censure Dr. Shafik as soon as Friday — not long after the 48-hour negotiation period concludes. By calling in the police anyway, the resolution said, Dr. Shafik had endangered both the welfare and the futures of the arrested students.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Nemat Shafik, Shafik, Kathy Hochul, Emerson, Johnson’s, Columbia, —, “, ” Brendan O’Flaherty, Grayson, Kirk’s, Dr, O’Flaherty, Shafik’s, Liset Cruz, Eryn Davis, Annie Karni, Santul Nerkar, Katherine Rosman, Karla Marie Sanford, Ed Shanahan Organizations: Columbia University, New York Police Department, National Guard, Gov, Guard, Yale, New York University, Tufts, University of California, Hamas, New York City Police, Johnson’s, Republicans Locations: York, Gaza, Berkeley, Israel, ”, Washington, Columbia, New

☆ 2 Men Fined $1.25 Million for Robocall Scheme to Suppress Black Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two right-wing political operatives who used a robocall campaign to try to discourage Black New Yorkers from voting in the 2020 election will pay up to $1.25 million for their actions, the New York State attorney general’s office announced on Tuesday. During the summer of 2020, around 5,500 New Yorkers received robocalls falsely claiming that if they voted by mail, their personal information would be sent to law enforcement agencies, debt collectors and the government. The calls were made at a time when many states were encouraging voters to cast their ballots by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic. One New Yorker was so disturbed by one of the calls that he experienced “severe anxiety and distress and ultimately withdrew his voter registration,” according to the attorney general’s office. The office said the calls came from a “sham” organization called Project 1599, which was created by the operatives, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman.

Persons: general’s, robocalls, Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman Organizations: New York, Yorkers Locations: New York State

But the rattling shook buildings in New York City and drove startled residents into the streets. Image The command room of New York City Emergency Management. Today’s earthquake Magnitude 4.8 Conn. Pa. 1964 4.5 1994 4.6 250-mile radius from New York City Md. 250-mile radius from New York City Del. While earthquakes in New York City are surprises to most, seismologists say the ground is not as stable as New Yorkers might believe.

Persons: “, Kathy Hochul, ” Gov, Philip D, Murphy, Con Edison, Eric Adams, ”, Adams, Zach Iscol, Dave Sanders, Ron Hamburger, Valorie Brennan, Ada Carrasco, The New York Times “ I’ve, Kristina Feeley, Feeley, Folarin, “ There’s, Kolawole, Lazaro Gamio, Riyad H, Mansour, Janti, Hamburger, Michael Kemper, Clara Dossetter, David Dossetter, Dossetter, ’ ”, Lola Fadulu, Gaya Gupta, Hurubie Meko, Michael Wilson, William J . Broad, Kenneth Chang, Emma Fitzsimmons, Sarah Maslin Nir, Erin Nolan, Mihir Zaveri, Maria Cramer, Grace Ashford, Camille Baker, Liset Cruz, Michael Paulson, Patrick McGeehan, Troy Closson Organizations: ”, United States Geological Survey, Police Department, Fire Department, Con, Gracie Mansion, The New York Times, Whitehouse, New York City Emergency Management, Credit, Lamont, Columbia University, Maine CANADA, New York City Del, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, United Nations, Children U.S, Security, New York Police, United Airlines, Newark Liberty International Airport Locations: Newark, New Jersey, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, New York, Rockland County, Murphy of New Jersey, Whitehouse, N.J, California, Japan, Zach Iscol , New York, New, Northridge, Los Angeles, Califon, Marble, Ramapo, New York , New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Palisades, N.Y, N.H, Pa, New York City Md, Del, Va, Maine, R.I, Md, Palestinian, Gaza, East Coast, “, York, San Francisco, Gaya

☆ Severe Weather, Including Tornadoes, Expected in Midwest and South
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

People across much of the Ohio Valley were bracing for severe weather, including thunderstorms and tornadoes, through the afternoon and evening on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. Ohio and Kentucky, and parts of Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, were likely to be affected, officials said. More than 3.6 million people were under a tornado watch early Tuesday afternoon, the bulk of them around Nashville, according to weather officials. Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee were under a tornado watch until 3 p.m. local time, according to the Louisville office of the National Weather Service. Parts of western West Virginia were also under a tornado watch on Tuesday, according to weather officials there.

Organizations: National Weather Service Locations: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia , Tennessee , Alabama , Mississippi, Georgia, Nashville, Tennessee, Louisville, West Virginia

☆ Sailor’s Remains Identified 82 Years After Pearl Harbor
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

California, the flagship of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, was moored on “battleship row” at Pearl Harbor when it was struck by Japanese torpedoes and bombs. The ship caught fire, flooded and sank over the course of three days, and 103 crew members were killed. Officials were initially unable to identify all of the victims and the remains of 25 “unknowns” were buried in Hawaii. Accounting Agency, or D.P.A.A., an arm of the Pentagon whose mission is to find and return missing military personnel. “It’s a promise fulfilled to the service member,” he said, adding that “we also owe it to the families to give them answers.”

Persons: David Walker, ”, Sean Everette, “ Organizations: Navy’s, Defense, Accounting Agency, Pentagon Locations: . California, Pearl, Hawaii, Norfolk, Va

☆ U.C. Berkeley Parents Hired Private Security to Patrol Near Campus
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I just don’t see how this stunt can do anything to significantly alter those risks and instead reflects the relative privilege of the parents involved,” he said. Parents have been on edge after a few high-profile crimes on university campuses. Berkeley mascot — spent more than $40,000 to hire the security officers through a contractor. From March 6 to 23, six “safety ambassadors” in bright yellow jackets patrolled areas near the school, but not on campus, from 6:30 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. The areas were chosen because of recent crime reports, according to the parents.

Persons: “, ”, —, Sagar Jethani, SafeBears Organizations: Augusta University, University of Georgia Locations: Athens, Ga, . Berkeley

☆ Facebook and Instagram Users Report Meta Services Are Down
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram went down starting around 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, according to Down Detector, a website that tracks user reports of telecommunication and internet disruptions. More than 3,200 users reported that they were having issues with Facebook shortly after 10 a.m., compared to a base line of 17 such reports on an average day. By around 10:20 a.m., there were more than 350,000 reports of trouble with the website. More than 53,000 people reported issues with Instagram around 10:30 a.m. and more than 8,800 users reported issues with Facebook Messenger around that time, according to Down Detector. Some users flocked to X to see if others were also experiencing trouble with those sites.

Persons: Instagram Organizations: Facebook

☆ Surge Pricing for Burgers and Shakes? Wendy’s Will Give It a Whirl.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Maybe you are the type who enjoys biting into a warm, spicy chicken nugget from Wendy’s, and at $5.99 for a 10-piece in Midtown Manhattan, it is a tempting treat. Soon, you may want to consider what time it is before you satisfy such a craving, because the fast-food chain is going to price those crispy chunks of meat and other menu items differently, depending on demand. The company plans to begin testing dynamic pricing as early as 2025, Wendy’s president and chief executive, Kirk Tanner, said during a February earnings call. In other words, the prices of a Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty and other menu items will rise and fall based on demand. The feature will be rolled out along with digital menu boards that would reflect the price changes; the company plans to invest approximately $30 million in those initiatives.

Persons: Kirk Tanner, Frosty Locations: Midtown Manhattan

A 26-year-old man was charged on Friday with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student whose body was found in a wooded area at the University of Georgia in Athens the previous day, the authorities announced. They called the homicide, the first in nearly 30 years on campus, “a crime of opportunity” and said that the two apparently had not known each other. The victim, Laken Riley, 22, was an undergraduate student at the school until the spring of 2023 and then enrolled at Augusta University’s nursing program, which has a campus in Athens, school officials said. University police identified the suspect as Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, at an evening news conference. He said that while Mr. Ibarra lives in Athens, he is not a citizen of the United States.

Persons: ”, Laken Riley, Augusta University’s, Jose Antonio Ibarra, ” Jeffrey Clark, Ibarra, Clark Organizations: University of Georgia, Augusta, University police Locations: Athens, Augusta, United States

☆ Squishmallows and Skoosherz Plush Toys Face Off in Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What is the difference between Squishmallows and Skoosherz? Don’t fret if you couldn’t come up with an answer. The companies behind the colorful plush toys are in a court battle this week over what actually makes the toys distinct from each other. Kelly Toys, which said it released the Squishmallows plush toys in 2016, filed a lawsuit on Monday against Build-A-Bear over its Skoosherz line, which launched last month in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. Build-A-Bear filed its own lawsuit against Kelly Toys.

Persons: Kelly Toys, ”, Kelly, “, ” Kelly Toys Organizations: Kelly Toys, Central, Central District of Locations: Central District, Central District of California

☆ Plane Crashes on Florida Highway, Killing at Least 2, Authorities Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At least two people were killed when a small plane crashed on Interstate 75 near Naples, Fla., on Friday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 600 series jet, was carrying five people when it crashed on the highway around 3:15 p.m., the F.A.A. It was not immediately clear if the plane crashed into any cars or whether anyone on the ground was injured. Photos and video footage from the scene showed the aircraft’s fuselage in flames and a large plume of smoke billowing above the crash site. A six-mile stretch of the interstate will be closed for at least 24 hours, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Bombardier Challenger, Sheriff’s Locations: Naples, Fla, Collier

☆ Dairy Products Are Linked to Listeria Outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from food-borne illness in the United States, according to the C.D.C. Two of the people sickened in the outbreak were pregnant, and one lost the pregnancy, according to the investigation. Two others who fell ill were newborns. The median age of those who fell ill was 52. “In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”

Persons: “ Organizations: López Locations: United States

☆ Southern California Braces for Life-Threatening Rain and Flooding
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Parts of Southwest California on Sunday braced for heavy rains — potentially as much as an inch an hour — that could lead to life-threatening floods and “one of the most dramatic weather days in recent memory,” forecasters said. An intensifying coastal storm will strengthen an atmospheric river that will stream warm tropical moisture into California. Rare forecasts have been issued for life-threatening flooding, hurricane-force winds, waterspouts, tornadoes and heavy snowfall across California from Sunday into Monday. “This major storm will bring a multitude of dangerous weather conditions to the area,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said on Sunday morning. The Weather Prediction Center issued a rare “high risk” prediction of excessive rain in an area that extends from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, saying eight or more inches of rain could fall in a 24-hour period.

Organizations: National Weather Service, Prediction Locations: Southwest California, California, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara

☆ How Did These Strange Songs Hit No. 1?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When Melanie’s “Brand New Key” debuted in 1971, some people were confused. What did the singer, who died on Tuesday at 76, mean when she sang about having a brand-new pair of roller skates and someone else having a brand-new key? Melanie told interviewers that she wrote the song in 15 minutes, after ending a 27-day fast, and that it was intended to be cute. It sounded strange, like a song out of time — Melanie said she intended it to hearken to the 1930s — sung with what could now be called a warbling “indie girl voice.” And it somehow hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Persons: Melanie’s, ”, Melanie, “ Don’t, — Melanie

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