🌱 7K Nurses Strike + Adams Unveils Plan To Turn Offices Into Housing

Good morning, New York City!

In today's newsletter:

• 🩺 Patch speaks with some of the 7,000 nurses on strike from two major NYC hospitals.
• 🏙➡️🏠 Mayor Eric Adams has a plan to convert office buildings into housing.
• ⚖️ A Brooklyn judge resigns amid allegations of homophobia and racism.

But first, today's weather:

Times of clouds and sun. High: 45 Low: 31.

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Here are the top five stories today in New York City:

1. More than 7,000 nurses at two major New York City hospitals — Mount Sinai and Montefiore — went on strike on Monday. Patch spoke to some of the strikers that walked off the job on the Upper East Side, who said a 500-plus staffing shortage has exhausted them and endangered patients. (New York City Patch)
2. Yesterday marked one year since the devastating Twin Parks fire in The Bronx that took 17 lives, some of the building's remaining residents said they still lack heating — the blaze was started after a space heater caught on fire. Many of the families — roughly 80 out of 120 households — have moved out in the past year. (Gothamist)
3. Mayor Eric Adams released a plan on Monday to create roughly 20,000 new housing units by converting office buildings in Midtown and other smaller business districts like Flushing, Queens. The plan would require action from lawmakers in Albany. (AMNY)
4. Opening statements began in a court case against a man who is accused of killing eight people alongside an NYC bike path five years ago, in what federal prosecutors allege was also an intentional attempt to win over the favor of a terrorist group. The defense lawyer disputed those claims. (Associated Press)
5. A Brooklyn Surrogate Court judge accused of making homophobic and racist remarks announced she would resign, ahead of a hearing scheduled for next week about misconduct allegations against her, including that she had failed to carry out the courts' work in a timely manner. (Subscription/The New York Times) (Free/New York Post)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• Winter City Skate Concerts at Bryant Park (11:50 a.m.)
• The Mogao Caves: Buddhist Art & Architecture on the Silk Road — 92nd Street Y (2 p.m.)
• Movie Night with Machine: Evil Under the Sun — Museum of Art and Design (7 p.m.)
• Adam Kirsch + Clive Thompson: The Revolt Against Humanity — The Strand Book Store (7 p.m.)
• Meshell Ndegeocello — Blue Note Jazz Club (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York and New Jersey are now at an 11-month high as the highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant continues to spread. Deaths are also climbing. (NBC New York)
• On the Upper East Side, “Matt the Rat Killer" successfully used a device that pumps carbon monoxide into rats' burrows, suffocating them. (Subscription/New York Daily News)
• New York City is on track this winter to record its longest stretch with no traceable amount of snow. (NBC New York)
• NYCHA public housing residents in Brooklyn's Cooper Houses live nearby a toxic superfund site and say they have health problems caused by "industrial pollution." (THE CITY)
• Five electric vehicle charging "superhubs" are coming to the city, the startup Revel announced. (AMNY)

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Events:

• Center for Learning and Living Winter Semester Classes Begin! (January 10)
• White Collar Week: Elizabeth Kelley Criminal Defense for People w Mental Health Disabilities (January 10)
• Showcase From Space (January 12)
• Overcoming Burnout/Compassion Fatigue: A Workshop for Caregivers (January 14)
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You're all caught up for today! I'll see you soon.

— Dashiell Allen

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming New York City Daily? Contact me at patchnyc@patch.com