🌱 Tentative NYC Workers' Contract + Radioactive Water In Hudson River

Good morning, New York City!

• Mayor Eric Adams has struck a contract deal with a large city worker's union
• One million gallons of radioactive water could be dumped in the Hudson starting this summer
• Read about the Central Park Zoo's latest strategy to bring its owl back home

But first, today's weather: Cooler with plenty of sun. High: 44 Low: 36.

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

1. Mayor Eric Adams has struck a tentative five-year contract with New York City's largest municipal worker's union, DC 37, on Thursday. It includes 15.25 percent wage increases by 2026 and a "trial run for remote work and flexible hours." It still needs to be ratified by the union's roughly 100,000 members. (THE CITY)
2. NYC homeowners are staying put longer than they were in pre-pandemic times, a new study has found. "The median homeowner tenure in New York City was 8.1 years in 2022, up one year compared to 2019," it states. (New York City Patch)
3. The now-closed Indian Point nuclear plant's owner is planning to dump as much as one million gallons of radioactive water into the Hudson River, possibly by August. That's well within the upstate power plant's legal rights, although some scientists and environmental advocates question whether it's the best option. (Gothamist)
4. City Council members are calling on the Department of Transportation to overhaul portions of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, including the cantilevered section in Brooklyn Heights, hoping to make them more environmentally sound. Their renewed push comes after President Joe Biden's signing of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. (News 12 Bronx)
5. A massive dark web drug gang that laundered $7.2 million with cryptocurrency came "crashing down" after prosecutors made undercover purchases, Manhattan District Attorney said on Friday. The gang also shipped 10,000 narcotic-filled packages across the country. (New York City Patch)

New York City pic of the day:

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This weekend in New York City:

• Saturday: Winter Ice Sculpture Show — Governors Island (12 p.m.)
• Saturday: Four tet x Fred Again... x Skrillex — Madison Square Garden (8 p.m.)
• Sunday: Black Future Festival — Brooklyn Children's Museum (10 a.m.)
• Sunday: Strawberry Fields, Ultimate Beatles Brunch — Lower Manhattan (12 p.m.)
• Sunday: Harlem Globetrotters — Barclays Center, Brooklyn (5 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Some community boards in The Bronx are struggling to make quorum, with members not showing up. In some cases, that's led them to resort to new methods–like promotion on Instagram–to attract new participants. (THE CITY)
• The iconic department store Century 21 is reopening its Lower Manhattan location "within weeks." (Subscription/New York Daily News)
• Check it out — the Garment District has a new (sculpture of a) button. (AMNY)
• A viral video posted this week shows a heckler streaming bigoted insults at singer Sam Smith in Central Park. (New York City Patch)
• No, the Central Park Zoo did not attempt to use a female Eurasian eagle-owl to try to lure its escaped owl Flaco back home, despite rumors on social media. It did, however, use owl recordings. (New York City Patch)
• A minke whale was found stranded on the Rockaway shoreline on Friday, making it "the 5th large whale to strand in New York since Dec. 1." (New York City Patch)

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