🌱 Rep. Jeffries Elected Dems' House Leader + Tufted Titmouse In NYC

Good morning, New York City!

• 🏠 Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is set to become the House Democratic Minority Leader.
• 🩺 Nurses are protesting what they see as a staffing shortage at the city's hospitals.
• 🐦 The Tufted Titmouse is taking the Big Apple by storm.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny; windy, cooler. High: 44 Low: 33.

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

1. New York City is planning to open a fourth site to house migrants as the total number of recent arrivals to the city reaches over 27,000, City Hall officials announced on Wednesday. Six hundred rooms at the Stewart Hotel in Midtown will add to the estimated 19,500 recently arrived asylum seekers currently in the city's care. (New York City Patch)
2. Congressman and Brooklyn resident Hakeem Jeffries was elected by his colleagues to lead the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, taking over from current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He's joining Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who also lives in Brooklyn. (New York City Patch)
3. Seventeen New York City and state employees, including members of the NYPD, are facing charges for illegally obtaining COVID-19 relief funds, according to federal officials. In some of the allegedly fake loan applications made in their names they claimed to be the operators of hair and nail salons. (NBC New York)
4. Nurses gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday to protest what they consider to be a dangerous staffing shortage. There's 800 nursing vacancies in the Mount Sinai Health System that the NYC hospital isn't willing to fill, according to one participant. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also lent her support to the rally. (AMNY)
5. NYCHA says it's not able to make repairs on schedule to public housing apartments due to a lack of rent revenue caused by COVID-19, despite being required to do so in a 2019 agreement with the federal government. For instance, the agency was supposed to have replaced 108 elevators by the year's end, but is on track to complete just eight. (THE CITY)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• World AIDS Day Observance - The West Village (1 p.m.)
• Holiday Drag BINGO with Candy Samples and DJ Chauncey — The Stonewall Inn (6 p.m.)
• 'I Am What I Am: Queer, Questioning & Christian' — A Conversation Commemorating World AIDS Day (7 p.m.)
• Baryshnikov Arts Center Presents Boris Berman (7 p.m.)
• D.T. Max + Patrick Radden Keefe: Finale — The Strand Bookstore (7 p.m.)

Coming up: SantaCon! Menorah Lightings! The third annual Santa Land Community Parade and more! Read about what to look forward to the holiday season in NYC. (New York City Patch)

From my notebook:

• The MTA has hired private security guards deployed at two Brooklyn subway stations to prevent fare evasion, which the agency says cost $500 million in lost revenue this year. (Spectrum News NY1)
• Have you spotted a Tufted Titmouse around your backyard in recent days? Once a rare sight, the adorable little birds are taking the city by storm, apparently due to climate change and the prevalence of bird feeders. (New York City Patch)
• An aspiring NYC comedian has become a TikTok star while documenting his challenge of only spending $100 for a whole month — which may have involved some turnstile jumping along the way. (New York Post)
• Apparently, there's a robotic set-up in Midtown that will park and rotate your car for only $300,000 per year. (Time Out)
• Mayor Eric Adams says he's spending his own money to travel from an antisemitism Mayoral conference in Athens, Greece, to the World Cup in Qatar, in preparation for when New York and New Jersey host the global sporting event in 2026. (Subscription/Intelligencer)

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Events:

• Marko Stout Exhibit (December 1)
• Berkeley College Transfer Open House (December 1)
• 'I Am What I Am: Queer, Questioning & Christian' — A Conversation Commemorating World AIDS Day (December 1)
• West Park Holiday Tag Sale! (December 3)
• 36th Annual Miracle on Madison Avenue (December 3)
• Best Asian Cooking Class in New York (December 3)
• The Harlem Night Market at La Marqueta (December 3)
• Sonic Sanctuary: The Luminous Darkness A concert by Tyrone Birkett | Emancipation (December 3)
• HSS Online Workshop: De-Stress & Express Yourself with Art! (December 6)
• We Didn't Start The Friars — Comedy and Karaoke at The Friars Club (December 6)
• Berkeley College MBA Information Session (December 6)
• White Collar Week Speaker Mike Kimelman All About Crypto, FTX, etc. (December 6)
• Living: Advance Screening and Conversation with Actor Bill Nighy and Director Oliver Hermanus (December 6)
• A Service of Lessons & Carols (December 11)
• Berkeley College Legal and Justice Studies/National Security Career Seminar (December 14)
• Cristina Fontanelli's 19th-annual "Christmas in Italy®" (December 17)
• The 24th Annual Pipes of Christmas (December 17)
• Arts and Jazzfest NYC — Community Christmas Caroling & Year End Holiday Celebration (December 18)
• Holiday Lights At The Bronx Zoo (December 23)
• Handel Messiah (December 23)
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• John’s Crazy Socks Celebrates the Holidays with 12 Days of Giving Back (Details)
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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update.

— Dashiell Allen

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