🌱 LaGuardia Airport Not Getting AirTrain + Rikers Closing Schedule

Good morning, New York City!

• NYC-based Signature Bank collapsed over the weekend.
• LaGuardia isn't getting a new air train.
• Rikers might not be closing on time?

But first, today's weather: A bit of snow and rain. High: 40 Low: 34.

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

1. Gov. Kathy Hochul urged New Yorkers to remain calm following the collapse of New York City-based Signature Bank over the weekend, which was shut down by its state chartering authority after a potential run on the bank. It's a key player in the cryptocurrency industry, but state officials also noted its wide base included many NYC small businesses. (New York City Patch)
2. LaGuardia Airport won't be getting an AirTrain. Instead, the state will invest an estimated $500 million into improving bus and other shuttle service from the Queens Airport, rather than the roughly $2 billion a light rail would have cost. (Queens Patch)
3. A public notice on a city contract indicates Rikers Island might not close until 2029 — a full two years past the initial 2027 date approved by City Council for the jail complex. The contract with a construction company working on a borough-based jail in Brooklyn is set to expire at the later date, implying work isn't expected to be finished until then. (New York Daily News)
4. In Flushing, Queens, Councilmember Sandra Ung is asking the city to crack down on street vendors, who aren't allowed on a major neighborhood thoroughfare due to a law passed by her predecesor, saying their presence "creates a sense of lawlessness that attracts criminal elements." Small business owners on Flushing Main Street say vendors are taking away their business, but the vendors say they have no other options. (THE CITY)
5. Jurors said they couldn't reach a unanimous consensus on whether to give the man responsible for using a speeding truck to kill eight people on a New York City bike path in October 2017. The man, a resident of New Jersey, was convicted in January and "inspired by Islamic State group propaganda." (Associated Press)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• Let’s Talk About Space, 2023 & Beyond — The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (9 a.m.)
• Lobby Sounds by Najah Lewis — MOXY East Village (5 p.m.)
• PAWS NY Virtual Volunteer Orientation (5 p.m.)
• St. Patrick’s Themed Trivia with Quizmaster Marco! (7 p.m.)
• Sweet Everything — Comedy show (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A New York City toy store, CAMP, was one of the clients of Silicon Valley Bank, the other bank that collapsed over the weekend. (Spectrum News NY1)
• Bard High School Early College is opening a third selective high school campus in the South Bronx, which will have a preference for local students. (New York Daily News)
• As Pi Day approaches (today!) a pie shop in Park Slope is struggling to hang on. (Park Slope Patch)
• Republican Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino has been removed from the Committee on Mental Health, Disability and Addiction after comments she made criticizing Drag Queen Story Hour. (Bayside-Douglaston Patch)

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Featured events:

• New York Open House (March 15)
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That's it for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Dashiell Allen

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