🌱NYC Flu Cases Jump 100% In Single Week + Dog Swims Across the Hudson

Good morning, New York City!

• 📈 Flu cases are spiking earlier than normal in New York City.
• 🗞 New York Times employees appeared likely to walk out on the job on Thursday.
• 🐶 An intrepid dog swam across the Hudson River.

But first, today's weather:

Rather cloudy. High: 54 Low: 35.

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

1. Flu cases in New York City increased by 100 percent in the week ending on Nov. 26, according to recently released data. They went from roughly 5,500 one week to 11,500 the next, with health officials and Gov. Kathy Hochul noting that cases are rising significantly earlier into the season than in past years. (New York City Patch)
2. Five women are accusing Astoria's Kaufman Studios and NBC of looking the other way when they claim Bill Cosby sexually assaulted them. In a suit filed this Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court they allege the parties are "culpable and liable" for the abuse by letting it take place under their watch. (New York City Patch)
3. Unionized employees of the New York Times appeared likely yesterday to walk out on the job for 24 on Thursday, having not yet reached a contract deal with the newspapers' management. The strike would be the first of its kind at the paper since 1981. (Associated Press)
4. Mayor Eric Adams applauded on Wednesday a deal with Switzerland-headquartered MSC Cruises, which plans to operate out of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal starting next year, bringing approximately 200,000 more tourists annually and $102 million in revenue. (Subscription/New York Daily News)
5. The state authority regulating cannabis permits announced New York's first licensed recreational dispensary will be located in Harlem on 125th Street, close to the historic Apollo Theater, although it's unclear who will operate it. Gov. Kathy Hochul had stated in October that 20 dispensaries would open before the end of the year. (THE CITY)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• Eataly's Taste of the Holidays — Flatiron (5:30 p.m.)
• The History of Black Miami-Dade: rendering black, queer, and elder populations visible — a lecture by Nadege Green, CBVC Distinguished Writer/Community Activist-in-Residence - NYU (6 p.m.)
• "Divine New York" Book Talk: In Conversation with the Photographer & Author — Museum at Eldridge Street (6 p.m.)
• Mount Gay Rum x resident Holiday Dining Experience (7 p.m.)
• A Holiday Céilí Celebration — Irish Arts Center (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• New York State's gun laws restricting firearms in locations deemed sensitive, such as Times Square, can remain in effect until at least Jan. 9 when the state's appeal is due, a federal appeals panel determined on Wednesday. (New York Post)
• Meet the Brooklyn man revolutionizing the Christmas tree business, one worker coop at a time. (New York City Patch)
• This Upper Manhattan artist created a mural (see above) on 173rd Street making use of the discarded glass she found scattered on the ground. (New York City Patch)
• Bear, a beloved service dog on the Upper West Side, swam all the way across the Hudson River, later to be reunited with his family. (New York City Patch)
• And speaking of dogs, here's the most popular pet names in New York City. (New York City Patch)

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Events:

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That's it for today! See you tomorrow for another update.

— Dashiell Allen

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