🌱 New Subway Cars By Year's End: MTA + Illegal Weed Shops Task Force

Good morning, New York City!

Happy Monday! Flaco, the Central Park Zoo's Eurasian owl, was still out of captivity as of yesterday afternoon. Here's what else is going on:

• New subway cars will be rolling onto select subway lines before the year's end.
• An off-duty NYPD officer was shot at on Saturday.
• A task force cracking down on illegal cannabis shops doesn't seem to be doing much.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 50 Low: 33.

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

1. NYC's new subway cars are currently undergoing testing and are expected to enter service on the A/C line before the end of 2023, according to MTA officials. They have an "open gangway" layout, which allows passengers to seamlessly walk through all interconnected cars. (AMNY)
2. A 65-year-old man has died in custody at Rikers Island, making him the first death at the city's jail facility this year–19 people died in city jails in 2022. His cause of death is still under investigation, but his lawyer said he died of a seizure while in the shower. (Gothamist)
3. Republican Congressman George Santos has been accused of sexual harassment by a former staff member who left his office on Jan. 25. He is also requesting an investigation based on allegedly being coaxed to work as a volunteer due to a payroll issue. (AMNY)
4. An NYPD officer was shot at while off-duty in Brooklyn at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, police said. The officer had arranged via social media to purchase a car from someone, in what apparently turned out to be a set up for a robbery. Federal and state police are reported to be contributing to the investigation. (New York City Patch)
5. A task force created by Mayor Eric Adams to crack down on illegal cannabis shops has only reached 10 percent of all the businesses selling marijuana without a license, according to documents presented to the City Council. Two of the shops that were raided later went on to sell cannabis products again when inspectors came for a second visit. (THE CITY)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• MoMA Presents - Projects: Ming Smith (10:30 a.m.)
• Hundreds of new wines & spirits to be previewed at 17th annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience - Chelsea Piers (3 p.m.)
• Porchlight Cocktail Book Club: Sammi Katz & Olivia McGiff (6:30 p.m.)
• Author Allegra Goodman in Conversation with Literary Agent Julie Barer - JCC Manhattan (7 p.m.)
• Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at HandCraft Kitchen & Cocktails (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The newly renovated bathrooms at NYC subway stations like Union Square and Jay Street-Metro Tech are looking quite clean and spiffy. (Hell Gate)
• The city now has its own 'Bean' sculpture just like the one in Chicago! It's under a tower that looks like the game Jenga in TriBeCa. (Hypebeast.com)
• The New York Post reports that some asylum seekers have been taking busses to close to the U.S. border with Canada from New York City–and are being directed to workers with free tickets by National Guard soldiers. (New York Post)
• In the West Village, a tenant paying just $1,500 in rent is worried he could lose his apartment if his landlord demolishes his landmarked building. (Gothamist)
• The FDNY is cancelling its "Calendar of Heroes," which for years has featured pictures of shirtless fire fighters, apparently due to a lack in revenue. (Subscription/New York Daily News)

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• Dirty Words & Dangerous Ideas: Censorship Battles in American Culture, Past and Present (February 9)
• The Moving Memory project (February 10)
• La Boutique Fantasque (February 11)
• Gregory Porter Annual Valentine's Concert with Special Guest Jazzmeia Horn (February 11)
• Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway (February 11)
• Love Can Really Hang You Up the Most (February 14)
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You're all caught up for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update!

— Dashiell Allen

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