🌱 Flaco The Owl Hunts Rat + NYC Uber, Lyft Take Large Amount Of Fares

Good morning, New York City!

• 🚗 💵 Uber and Lyft are taking a sizable chunk of fare dollars, a new study finds.
• 🏫 The city's public university, CUNY, is trying to cut costs.
• 🦉 Flaco the owl catches a rat.

But first, today's weather:

Clouds breaking and breezy. High: 56 Low: 39.

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

1. Uber and Lyft have been taking an increasingly larger share of drivers' earnings since 2019, when New York City implemented a minimum wage for drivers, a study from the University of California–Los Angeles found. That rate was as high as 21.4% in April 2020, according to researchers, although Uber and Lyft dispute those numbers. (THE CITY)
2. An internal memo at the City University of New York, CUNY, asks colleges to cut their expenses by 5 percent next year, as well as implementing a hiring freeze. That could lead to higher costs for students and larger class sizes. (Subscription/New York Daily News)
3. The Bronx is left out as the state moves forward with its inter borough express train, which would link Brooklyn and Queens. Advocates had been hoping that project, along with the recently-opened Penn Access station, which connects Metro North to Penn Station, would provide a direct ride between Queens and The Bronx. (Gothamist)
4. A plan to demolish and then rebuild a waterfront park in Lower Manhattan can now move forward, after a judge ruled against a neighborhood group that had sought for an alternative. The $221 million project would provide protection from storm surges. (THE CITY)
5. Staten Island's St. Patrick's Day Parade is again planning to exclude two LGBTQ+ groups from marching under their own banner, making it believed to be the only parade commemorating the holiday to still do so. Two groups–the Pride Center of Staten Island and the Gay Officers Action League–were rejected when they attempted to submit applications on Sunday. (Staten Island Advance)

New York City pic of the day:

Remember to submit a photo from your neighborhood to newyorkcity@patch.com for a chance to be featured! We love skylines, bodega cats, coffee shops, streetscapes, parks and everything else that makes this city great. Please include your full name and an optional description.

Today in New York City:

• Valentine's Day Trivia Night with Quizmaster Marco! (7 p.m.)
• With Love, Kendall: Valentine's Day Drag Show at The Strand (7 p.m.)
• Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at HandCraft Kitchen & Cocktails (7:30 p.m.)
• James Francies Residency - Blue Note Jazz Club (8 p.m.)
• Drag Bingo - Moxy NYC Chelsea (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Flaco, the owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, is learning to hunt rats, leading some onlookers to wonder whether he could indeed survive in the wilds of Central Park. (New York City Patch)
• The 25th annual Lunar New Year parade in Manhattan's Chinatown filled the street with dragons and dancers. (AMNY)
• Lots of lawsuits around the city allege wage theft at iconic pizzerias–anywhere from a hipster joint in Williamsburg to a famous shop in Little Italy. (Subscription/New York Daily News)
• Refusing to pick a side, the Empire State Building was lit up in green and red on Super Bowl Sunday–repping both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. (Pix 11 New York)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Monday. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Dashiell Allen

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