🌱 NYC Monkeypox Emergency + Man Captured Near Iranian Dissident's Home

Good morning New York City! Here's a friendly reminder that speed cameras will be on 24/7 starting today.

Authorities are investigating a man with an A-47-type weapon who appeared to be targeting a well-known Iranian dissident activist, the city has declared a monkeypox emergency, and the number of NYC students homeschooled has doubled throughout the course of the pandemic.

First, today's weather:

Not as warm. High: 79 Low: 71.

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

1. A man was captured with a loaded AK-47-style weapon outside the home of an outspoken Iranian dissident activist, Masih Alinejad, in Brooklyn on Thursday. Government agencies are still determining whether the man had planned on acting alone or as part of a plot. Just last year the FBI uncovered a kidnapping plot, allegedly orchestrated by the Iranian government, against Alinejad. (NBC New York)
2. New York City declared the monkeypox virus a public health emergency on Saturday, following a similar announcement by Governor Kathy Hochul. The state’s announcement allows for additional resources to be allocated, and means more healthcare workers can administer vaccines. (Gothamist)
3. The number of NYC students being homeschooled has more than doubled to over 12,000 since the start of the pandemic. This comes at the same time as many more students are leaving the public school system. (New York Post)
4. The union representing Metro-North workers is calling for an end to mask mandates on the upstate and Connecticut train system, citing that conductors have been physically attacked for attempting to enforce the rule. Last week Governor Hochul signed a law that upgrades criminal charges for assaulting transit workers. (NBC New York)
5. New York City may release a trove of previously confidential documents detailing what was known about the toxins in the air at the site of the World Trade Center immediately following 9/11. The city's lawyers first want shielding from any liability or potential litigation that could follow. (NY Daily News)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show at Wollman Rink (10 a.m.)
• Amina Akhtar + Alex Segura: Kismet at The Strand Bookstore (7 p.m.)
• The Wiz at Our Wicked Lady's Rooftop (7 p.m.)
• Star Trek: First Contact at Bryant Park (8 p.m.)
• Broadway Sings The 80s at Wollman Rink (8 p.m.)

Crime and safety corner:

• A Queens bus crashed into a bus shelter in Ridgewood on Saturday morning, according to the FDNY. Nobody was reported injured. (New York City Patch)
• A 70-year-old woman in Sunset Park died on Friday after she lost control of the car she was driving and crashed into a pillar on 52nd Street. (New York City Patch)

From my notebook:

• After flooding devastated Kentucky, killing 26 people, 50 dogs were rescued and brought to New York City to find new homes. (New York Post)
• Amidst a lifeguard shortage–that's admittedly improved since the start of last month–Mayor Adams visited one of NYC's 51 pools in The Bronx on Sunday. (Gothamist)
• La Gran Parada Dominicana, a huge Dominican parade, filled the streets of The Bronx on Sunday. (Twitter)
• For two weeks in The Lower East Side, an art installation imitated and deconstructed the Sweetgreen salad chain. (Hyperallergic)
• Twenty Chinese families in Brooklyn were temporarily allowed to stay in their homes, after paying a developer who allegedly scammed them $4 million. (Documented)

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You're all caught up for today! See you tomorrow for another update.

— Dashiell Allen

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