A Great Big City — New York City News, History, and Events

Those new state license plates may have hit a bump in the road. As we predicted when online voting opened began to choose the new plate, the actual replacement of the plates became a contentious issue, just like when the gold 'Empire' plates were rolled out in 2010. The uproar surrounded the mandatory $25 fee and the additional fees if you wanted to keep your current plate number. Vehicle owners were taken aback and now Governor Cuomo and the DMV have released statements indicating the new plates will likely follow the same path as the gold 'Empire' plates, which were changed from a mandatory replacement to a rolling schedule where only new plates were issued with the new design. The core issue in choosing a new design is to replace damaged plates that may not be readable by traffic cameras and the upcoming congestion pricing camera system, but owners with old plates that appear undamaged did not want to pay a minimum of $25 and also change their license plate number. Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder stated that "If a plate is damaged or the reflective coating is degraded the camera will not work and the person will not be charged the toll. The revenue loss will be borne by other drivers which is unfair. The national standard by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is that 10 years is a license plate's useful life. It is possible that a plate may still be in good condition after 10 years but that determination would need to be made on a plate by plate basis after inspection. If the legislature can agree to a cost effective and practical plate inspection mechanism to determine what plates are still in good operating condition after the 10 year life and thus do not need to be replaced we would welcome the opportunity to be cooperative. The 10 year life replacement program does not go into effect until next April so we have time to work with the legislature to explore alternatives. We support reducing costs wherever possible."

Bill de Blasio finally ended his run for President Friday morning on MSNBC. In an 18 minute interview, de Blasio reflected on his campaign, claiming that he actually entered the race too late, and gave various talking points on national politics and policies, including a vague endorsement on a plan similar to candidate Andrew Yang's tax on automation as it replaces manufacturing jobs, but de Blasio also played the opposite side of the issue, saying that American workers "want jobs, not Universal Basic Income". This looks to be the final President de Blasio News update, and New Yorkers may or may not be cheering the Mayor's return to the city to serve out his last two years. In the latest polling, Joe Biden remains the top pick, with Elizabeth Warren gaining in recent polls and turning out an estimated 20,000 supporters at a rally in Washington Square Park this week.

3 years ago on September 17, 2016 — A pressure-cooker bomb explodes on 23rd Street in Chelsea and an unexploded device is found on 27th Street

182 years ago on September 18, 1837 — Tiffany, Young and Ellis is founded in New York, selling stationary and fancy goods. By 1853, the store would shift its focus to jewelry and become Tiffany and Company

22 years ago on September 19, 1997 — A woman drives her 1992 Hyundai off the Staten Island ferry while it is still 50 feet from the dock, knocking down a worker and plunging into the water

61 years ago on September 20, 1958 — Martin Luther King, Jr. narrowly escapes death in Harlem

5 years ago on September 21, 2014 — The third section of the High Line opens from 30th Street through Hudson Yards

4 years ago on September 21, 2015 — A Bronx Legionnaires' disease outbreak kills 10 and sickens over 100

The air is getting cooler and it's beginning to look at lot like Fall, but 122 years ago this week, one little girl had her mind on the Christmas season! 122 years ago on September 21, 1897 — 'Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus' is first published 🎅

AGBC is more than just a news website: It also automatically checks MTA data before morning rush hour and sends out notifications if there are delays on any subway lines, LIRR or MetroNorth trains, and bridges and tunnels. Follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts.

Here's the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming week:

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Thanks for listening to A Great Big City. Follow along 24 hours a day on social media @agreatbigcity or email [email protected] with any news, feedback, or topic suggestions. Subscribe to AGBC News wherever you listen to podcasts: iTunes, Google Play, or Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, or listen to each episode on the podcast pages at agreatbigcity.com/podcast. If you enjoy the show, subscribe and leave a review wherever you're listening and visit our podcast site to see show notes and extra links for each episode.

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com

A quick note on what is undoubtedly the top story of this week: The September 11th attacks. It's a uniquely difficult subject to cover, and one that has a unique interpretation within the city, whether you witnessed it first-hand or have come to understand it by living in the city and walking the same streets. I won't be playing excerpts from eyewitness video of people's final moments. I won't be reinterpreting the attack as a patriotic celebration. I will ask that you look around you and treat your fellow New Yorkers with kindness and compassion to honor those we lost, who were also regular, everyday New Yorkers, walking these same streets. Kindness is stronger than hate. — 18 years ago: The September 11th attacks destroy three buildings in the World Trade Center complex, killing 2,606 people in and around the buildings and 147 aboard the two planes ☮️.

Also 18 years ago, just one week after the September 11th attacks, A benefit concert and telethon is simulcast across 35 major television channels and raises over $200 million for the September 11th Fund — 'America: A Tribute to Heroes' featured musical performances from New York, London, and Los Angeles, and a variety of celebrities both hosting the event and answering calls. The money raised went toward cash assistance, counseling, and other services for individuals and businesses impacted by the September 11th attacks, and the Fund would distribute $528 million by 2004. Although 'Tribute to Heroes' was the first fundraiser held, by October 2001, the 'Concert for New York City' would be held at Madison Square Garden with another all-star line-up and raise $35 million for first responders, and on October 21st 'United We Stand: What More Can I Give' concert was headlined by Michael Jackson from Washington D.C. that unfortunately was haunted by technical problems and scheduling issues with performers.

Recently I mentioned that 4 years ago, the MTA was facing a string of assaults on workers, and this week the same news appears again. The Transit Workers Union Local 100 reports that assaults on bus and subway workers are up 39% year-over-year, with 85 workers suffering various attacks in the first eight months of 2019. While the MTA and the state have been increasing the law enforcement presence in the subways, transit union president Tony Utano accused the MTA of concealing the increasing assault numbers and not making the statistics public. Earlier this year, the union had also called for greater police enforcement in the subway due to incidents where MTA workers were spit upon. This news of an increase in assaults comes as the transit union is in contract negotiations with the MTA, and workers have been without a contract since May 2019. The MTA is simultaneously trying to address increases in the homeless population within the subway system and a push from Governor Cuomo and MTA head Andy Byford to prosecute fare evasion.

This week brought the final sentencing of the student who stabbed two classmates at a Bronx school in 2017. Abel Cedeno was 18 years old at the time and stabbed two younger students with a spring-loaded knife he had purchased from Amazon. One victim survived by was in a coma for several days and of the victims was killed, making the attack the first killing inside a city school in over 20 years. This week, Cedeno received a 14 year prison sentence for manslaughter, 8 years for assault, and 90 days for criminal possession of a weapon, all of which will be served simultaneously. Although the attack was initially explained as an on-going bullying incident, the court documents described the incident that precipitated the attack as a typical school interaction, where one of the victims threw something that hit Cedeno, then claimed that he didn't intend to hit him, but Cedeno challenged the victim to a fight and drew a knife. Further complicating the theory of on-going bullying was testimony given during the trial that the two victims had not had much prior interaction with Cedeno. In an interview with ABC7, Cedeno claimed that he took the knife to school because he felt threatened and that when the attack occurred, he 'just snapped'. In a stunning detail, Cedeno's mother had contacted the school two and a half years before the attack to tell them that he had been taking a knife to school, but administrators failed to take proper action to log the event, instead simply searching his belongings one time and not notifying the school's principal of the mother's concerns.

Another terror attack also took place in the city 99 years ago on September 16, 1920 — A horse-drawn wagon bomb explodes outside 23 Wall Street, killing 38 and injuring hundreds — It was an unorthodox way of delivering a bomb, and no one knew the danger that was carried on a horse-drawn wagon as it was pulled along busy Wall Street. In the wagon was 100 pounds of dynamite surrounded by 500 pounds of sash weights, which are heavy cast-iron weights used to counter-balance windows that slide open. The dynamite exploded at noon and sent the heavy shrapnel flying into the lunchtime crowd outside the financial buildings along Wall Street. The attack is still unsolved, but historians believe it was carried out by an Italian anarchist group. The sheer cruelty of the bombing, which seemed to have no intended target and killed a random assortment of innocent people who were nearby, made it difficult to even theorize what the intent of the bombers had been. The federal Bureau of Investigation did find flyers with vague threats stuffed in nearby mailboxes, but they did not directly reference the bombing. It became the worst single loss of life in the city since the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire from nine years earlier in 1911. Today, you can still see damage from the blast at 23 Wall Street, where part of the stone wall has been preserved showing the chips in the stone from the projectiles in the explosion.

Just around the corner from the 23 Wall Street bombing, 8 years ago on September 17, 2011 — The Occupy Wall Street movement gathers in the Financial District, eventually settling in a camp at Zuccotti Park — The Occupy Wall Street movement gathers in the Financial District, eventually settling in a camp at Zuccotti Park After planning to camp in either Chase Manhattan Plaza or Bowling Green Plaza, the group lucked out and selected Zuccotti Park, which is designated as a privately-owned public space. The park's status put the protest in kind of a limbo between rules the city could enforce, with police being able to monitor the camp from the sidewalk surrounding it, but otherwise needing to be invited onto the property by Brookfield, the property's owner. The protest camp would last two months until the early morning hours of November 15, when the group was evicted from Zuccotti Park by the city after courts ruled that the protesters did not have a First Amendment right to camp in the park.

168 years ago on September 18, 1851 — The first edition of the New-York Daily Times is published. Six years later, the paper would shorten its name to the New York Times — The paper published six days a week with morning and evening editions and charged one penny for the day's news. A larger, weekly version was printed to be distributed outside the city. Times Square would not be renamed after the paper for another 53 years, so the first offices were downtown at 113 Nassau Street near City Hall Park, then 138 Nassau Street, then 41 Park Row. By 1904, the paper would move to the Times Tower in what was then known as Longacre Square before it was renamed Times Square in honor of the paper. After establishing the Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop from atop their building, the paper would again outgrow the location, expanding and moving some offices westward until completely relocating to their current building on Eighth Avenue. For a bit of local news, that first edition of the New-York Daily Times contained a front page story on the ongoing construction of the fountain in Washington Square Park, which would be completed one year later in 1852.

In another attack against the city that gets forgotten in the shadow of 9/11: 18 years ago on September 18, 2001 — One week after the September 11th attacks, letters containing anthrax poison are mailed to four NYC-area newsrooms — The letters appeared to have been mailed from Princeton, NJ and a public mailbox near the Princeton University campus was found to be contaminated with anthrax spores. Letters mailed to Democratic Senators in October 2001 contained a similar threatening note referencing the September 11th attacks. In all, 17 people were sickened and five were killed due to anthrax exposure. Victims included assistants who opened or handled the letters, postal workers who sorted the letters, and a woman from the Bronx whose exposure could never be determined. Although the letters were written to appear as if they were from Muslim extremists, an FBI investigation identified the perpetrator as an American microbiologist, vaccinologist, and senior biodefense researcher at a government facility in Maryland. Bruce Edwards Ivins, a 62-year-old white male, became the focus of the investigation seven years after the incidents, after which he started to show signs of strain and was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital where he went on to suggestively discuss the anthrax letters during therapy sessions. Ivins died by suicide on July 29, 2008 after learning that he had been identified, and the FBI formally closed the case in 2010, identifying Ivins as the sole perpetrator of the letters and detailing how he falsified evidence and attempted to frame co-workers at the governmental research lab to throw investigators off the case.

It was back in July when we discussed mosquitoes first testing positive for West Nile virus within the city, and this week, the first human West Nile infections were documented within the city, with one confirmed infection in Brooklyn, two in Queens, and one in Staten Island, although mosquitoes testing positive for the disease have been found in every borough. Now is the time to be prepared and protect yourself from mosquitoes if you will be outside. Wear clothing that covers your skin, use a mosquito repellent containing the chemical repellents DEET or Picaridin, or use a natural repellent containing oil of lemon eucalyptus. Be sure to seal around your window air conditioners so that mosquitoes won't have an easy entrance into your home, and use window screens if you'll be leaving windows open. If you'll be traveling overseas, take special precaution to avoid mosquito bites, and research which vaccinations you'll need to avoid diseases that are common in the areas where you will be traveling. If you're staying in the city, you can even do your part by calling 311 to report standing water, defined as a place on public or private property where water gathers and remains for more than five days, creating a habitat where mosquitoes may breed.

The city may have escaped the effects of the most recent Hurricane Dorian, but 81 years ago on September 21, 1938 — A Category 3 hurricane made landfall on Long Island, becoming one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded to hit New England — A Category 3 hurricane makes landfall on Long Island, becoming one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded to hit New England It became known as the 1938 New England Hurricane and heavily impacted Long Island, although winds were only 60 to 70mph in NYC, with eastern Long Island taking the worst damage. An estimated 682 people were killed, with damages equivalent to $4.7 billion.

AGBC is more than just a news website: It also automatically checks MTA data before morning rush hour and sends out notifications if there are delays on any subway lines, LIRR or MetroNorth trains, and bridges and tunnels. Follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts.

Check out some birds of prey up close at the Central Park Raptor Fest — Saturday, September 14 — The Urban Park Rangers will bring a selection of eagles, falcons, owls, and hawks to this family-friendly event on the East Lawn in Central Park, just inside the park parallel at 99th Street. The event is free and starts at noon. Call (212) 360-2774 for more info.

And on Sunday, there will be the 39th Annual Antique Motorcycle Show in Queens at the Queens County Farm Museum — Sunday, September 15, 2019 — Over 100 antique motorcycles will be part of the show, and live music and food will be available. Tickets will cost $11 at the door to benefit the Queens County Farm Museum. The event runs from 11am to 4pm at Queens Farm Park on the border of Glen Oaks and Floral Park in Queens

And now let's check in with our robot friend for the concert calendar:

Here's the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming week:

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com

This may be the final measles update for this season: The city Health Department declared the Brooklyn outbreak over as of September 3rd. During the outbreak, 33,805 doses of the MMR vaccine were administered to people younger than 19 years old in Williamsburg and Boro Park, and the 2018 to 2019 outbreak involved 654 confirmed cases. Numerous others who were unvaccinated received vaccinations from other health professionals. Although the increased vaccination rates will help prevent transmission if the disease appears again, it's important to make sure newborn children receive their vaccinations on schedule, which involves two separate doses of the vaccine. Nearly all the infections during the outbreak were in children under 18 years old. For more information on city resources, call 311 or visit the Department of Health at nyc.gov/doh.

As a result of the New York outbreak, the World Health Organization may now rescind the measles elimination status of the United States, which has been in place since the year 2000.

It's been one year since Emirates flight 203 from Dubai landed at JFK after passengers reported feeling sick. On-board the plane, people were posting to social media, describing a group who seemed to all know each other, and all of who had been sick during the flight, but gotten much worse as the plane approached New York. Ten people were hospitalized and tested positive for the flu. Although the United Arab Emirates, where the flight originated, currently has CDC travel notices for diseases like MERS, which have similar symptoms to the flu, it seems like last year's flight that caused an endless string of Twitter jokes about horror movies was instead just a routine case of the flu, which is also a great reminder to get your flu shot this season, which can eliminate your chance of getting the flu this winter or lessen its impact if you're exposed to it. You can find flu shots at local pharmacies, private hospitals, and city health clinics. Visit nyc.gov/flu for more info.

29 years ago on September 2, 1990 — Brian Watkins is stabbed and killed after confronting a group of teens trying to rob his family

114 years ago on September 11, 1905 — The Ninth Avenue Elevated derails and falls off its track, killing 13 and injuring 48

Just before making a second political appearance on the Fox channel, Bill de Blasio declared this week that he will likely maybe consider thinking about suspending his presidential run if he does not meet the polling and fundraising requirements for the next month's debate, after already not qualifying for the upcoming September debate. The requirements are the same for October as they were for the September debate: Candidates need to achieve 2% in four polls or have 130,000 unique donors. While de Blasio is still polling between 0% and 1%, some more-recognizable fellow candidates throw in the towel, including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Facing a multitude of problems at home, from NYPD officer suicides, the long-delayed firing of officer Pantaleo, and ever-increasing traffic fatalities, de Blasio took some time to visit the city this week and propose requiring Citi Bike riders to wear helmets and that all bicycles should be licensed, two measures that have previously been proposed, will never be implemented, and have shown to result in less cycling. In a reference to the Iowa state fair where de Blasio had been campaigning, comedians Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler took the opportunity last week to lay out some corn dogs and ears of fresh corn on a bed of hay outside City Hall, in an effort to lure the Mayor back home.

This week in AGBC history: Criminal City, Train Trouble, and Superstorm Scammers

One of the fake Buddhist monks in Times Square was arrested for knocking the phone out of a person's hand when the person tried to take a picture of the scammer, one of the imitation monks who roam Times Square, handing trinkets to tourists, then aggressively demanding payment.

Also 4 years ago, a string of incidents in the subway showed the danger that subway conductors face while trying to keep the city moving. That week started out with five separate assaults on MTA employees, occurring at all hours throughout the day, including three attacks within the span of two hours. By 2018, after an increase in incidents targeting their workers, the MTA proposed a voluntary program for MTA workers to wear body cameras, but it's hard to tell what the status of the program is today. As recently as this year, the transit workers' union has called for greater police enforcement in the subway due incidents where MTA workers were spit upon.

AGBC is more than just a news website: Our fireworks page monitors the city's announcements of upcoming fireworks, lists them on our site, and automatically sends out a notification just before the fireworks begin, so that you can watch the show or prepare your pet for the upcoming sounds of explosions. Visit agreatbigcity.com/fireworks to see the full calendar and follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts

Urban Starfest in Central Park — Date: September 7, 2019 See the universe from Central Park! Join the Urban Park Rangers and the Amateur Astronomers Association (AAA) of New York for their Annual Autumn Starfest. Our Urban Park Rangers will be your guides to the solar system, discussing the science, history, and folklore of the universe....

9th Annual Washington Square Park Folk Festival — Date: September 8, 2019 The Washington Square Park Folk Festival features the best of local New York and sometimes national talent in the field of folk music - including old-time string bands, Blues, jug bands, traditional Mexican and Balkan music, songwriters, New Orleans Jazz, Klezmer music and more! Washington Square...

Here's the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming week:

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com — News sound via Ali Imran on Youtube

The suspect wanted in connection with abandoning two empty rice cookers in the Fulton Street subway station and one in Chelsea was apprehended around 1am on August 17th. Larry Griffin of Bruno, West Virginia was seen in video being wheeled in a wheelchair out of a building in Longwood in the Bronx by paramedics with his head slumped to the side. Emergency responders had originally arrived at the location on reports of two people possibly overdosing, then identified Griffin from the subway security camera footage that had been circulated by police. Griffin had spoken to family members in West Virginia after the bomb scare incident and claimed he had found the rice cookers outside an Asian restaurant. Griffin's cousin described him as someone dealing with mental issues who had a tendency to pick up objects off the streets. The 26-year-old also has a criminal record in West Virginia and an active warrant was out for his arrest before the rice cooker incident. He is being held on a $200,000 bond and is facing three counts of placing a false bomb. His lawyers are reportedly in talks to arrange a plea deal and he will be back in court on September 6th.

More than five years after Eric Garner's death, the NYPD announced on August 19th that the officer seen on eyewitness video putting Garner in a prohibited chokehold will be fired. Police Commissioner O'Neill announced that former officer Daniel Pantaleo would be fired and the Commissioner attributed the years-long delay to the U.S. Justice Department asking the NYPD to postpone the internal NYPD investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation in 2014 into the actions of officer Daniel Pantaleo, and in 2019, the Department of Justice, now overseen by Trump-appointed Attorney General William Barr, announced that they would not pursue civil rights charges against Pantaleo, a decision they voluntarily chose to announce one day before the anniversary of Garner's death. Pantaleo's supervisor, Sergeant Kizzy Adonis, pleaded guilty to charges of failure to supervise and will lose 20 vacation days, with Commissioner O'Neill stating "nothing about her actions on that day either caused the use of the banned chokehold or delayed the arrival of medical attention for Mr. Garner". The city medical examiner's office concluded that the methods used to detain him during arrest, combined with his respiratory health, led to his death. A chokehold is a prohibited procedure for the NYPD to use, but video from the scene clearly showed officer Daniel Pantaleo with his arm around Eric's neck. The incident ignited protests across the city and country and Garner's dying words of "I can't breathe" became a rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2015, the city reached a settlement with the Garner family in which they received $5.9 million in response to their wrongful death claim.

15 years ago on August 26, 2004 — Protests begin surrounding the Republican National Convention scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden

Two women who were arrested in 2015 for planning terrorist bombings in the city pleaded guilty this week to charges of teaching and distributing information about the manufacture and use of an explosive, destructive device, and weapon of mass destruction.

28 years ago on August 28, 1991 — A drunken subway operator derails a '4' Train at Union Square just after midnight, killing five and injuring 121

This will be the final week if you've been meaning to take a selfie with the the marble lions at the main branch of the NYPL. The famous lion sculptures, named Patience and Fortitude, that have guarded the entrance to the library at 42nd and Fifth since 1911, will be taking a much-deserved trip to the spa starting September 2nd when their $250,000 restoration begins. Some significant cracks have formed due to water damage and the Tennessee pink marble has been dirtied by air pollution and weather conditions. The lions will be enclosed in plywood and lasers will be used to zap contaminants from the surface of the stone, while cracks will be evaluated and repaired via a variety of methods. If you'll be missing the lions during the weeks they're under repair, the NYPL's online shop even offers replica of Patience and Fortitude as bookends for $150.

AGBC is more than just a news website: It also automatically checks MTA data before morning rush hour and sends out notifications if there are delays on any subway lines, LIRR or MetroNorth trains, and bridges and tunnels. Follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts.

Movies Under the Stars: Bohemian Rhapsody — Monday August 26, 2019 at Highland Park in Queens

Coney Island Flicks on the Beach: Avengers: Endgame — Date: Monday August 26, 2019 near the Cyclone

Summer Movies Under the Stars: Crazy Rich Asians — Date: Monday August 26, 2019 in Cunningham Park in Queens at the main park house.

And now let's check in with our robot friend for the concert calendar:

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Thanks for listening to A Great Big City. Follow along 24 hours a day on social media @agreatbigcity or email [email protected] with any news, feedback, or topic suggestions. Subscribe to AGBC News wherever you listen to podcasts: iTunes, Google Play, or Player FM, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, or listen to each episode on the podcast pages at agreatbigcity.com/podcast. If you enjoy the show, subscribe and leave a review wherever you're listening and visit our podcast site to see show notes and extra links for each episode.

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com

Last week, I started out with a quick measles update saying that the outbreak has mostly subsided, but I want to reiterate how important it is to get yourself and any young children vaccinated before the next outbreak begins. Israel-based Ynetnews revealed this week that a 43-year-old flight attendant who had contracted measles while working on the New York to Tel Aviv route for Israeli airline El Al died this week after a long hospital stay. Rotem Amitai was a mother of three who fell ill and was admitted to a hospital in Israel, where there has been a serious ongoing measles outbreak. She had only received one dose of the measles vaccination and was therefore still susceptible to the disease. In the United States, one does of vaccine is usually administered when a child turns one year old and a second is administered before the child enters school, and in city data, 46 of the total 653 measles cases in this year's outbreak were children or adults who had only received one does of the vaccine. El Al Airlines now requires all flight attendants to be vaccinated against the disease, and it's believed that people flying home from overseas trips and returning to communities in Williamsburg and upstate in Rockland County were the initial sources of New York's current measles outbreaks.

16 years ago on August 14, 2003 — A cascading power outage plunges millions into darkness across the northeast — What began as a damaged power line and a software malfunction in Ohio led to overloaded equipment throughout the interconnected power system stretching from Canada into the northeast United States. The power surge from Ohio triggered safety systems across the region, creating what is thought to have been the most widespread outage in both United States and Canadian history and the second-most-widespread in the world. It took around two days for all overloaded components to be checked and brought back online, with some smaller areas remaining without power for nearly a week. In New York, the city and most of the state were in the dark. Traffic lights were out and elevators and the subway were stopped, leaving many commuters in need of emergency evacuation and with no way to reach their homes as night began to fall. Some stayed in office buildings, on the floors of generous co-workers who lived nearby, or even slept outside, while others attempted to walk home or catch a ride on a bus or taxi, turning Manhattan's bridges into one-way exits.

Update: The suspect was taken into custody around 1am on August 17th — Police are still looking for a possible suspect in Friday morning's bomb scare where two empty rice cookers were left in the Fulton Street subway station downtown. The proximity of the station to many government offices and the sheer number of commuters that pass through the station during morning rush hour, the area was quickly evacuated and subway lines were disrupted beginning around 7:30am. Police found the large silver rice cookers to be empty and deemed the situation safe, but a third, identical rice cooker was then found next to a city trash can in Chelsea at Seventh and 16th. The rice cookers were empty, and they may have been intended as hoax devices to cause disruption. Police released stills from security camera footage showing a white man in his 20s or 30s with dark, curly hair and a distinctive tattoo on his outer forearm, and described him as a person of interest. After seeing the security camera footage, a West Virginia man identified the person as his son, who may have recently been pan-handling in the city. No further info has been released and the police are still searching for the suspect as of this recording. Although the incident brings to mind the Chelsea pressure-cooker bombing of 2016, there have also been recent scares from abandoned rice cookers, one found in a suitcase in Midtown at a 6 Train station in 2017 and another in an F Train station on the Lower East Side in 2018.

42 years ago on August 22, 1977 — 19-year-old Richard Rodriguez from Staten Island sets a Guinness World Record for longest rollercoaster ride on the Coney Island Cyclone — His record time was 104 hours and 2,350 rides during the 50th anniversary of both the coaster and Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight. Rodriguez would break the record once again 40 years later on a UK coaster with a time of over 405 hours! Here's Rodriguez interviewed in the 1978 film 'Coney Island Cyclone' by Mike Edwards.

OMNY, the MTA's new fare-collecting system, sees 1 million uses in just over two months — The new MetroCard replacement is only available at 16 subway stations along the 4/5/6 and on Staten Island buses, but the tap-and-go system reached the 1 million target four times faster than the MTA has predicted. To use the system, you wave a credit or debit card or a cellphone or watch above the glowing panel. The system aims to reduce the waste and complexity of issuing disposable MetroCards since the contactless system uses your payment method directly, just like at a cash register, although there will be a refillable OMNY card once the system expands, and the MetroCard is still scheduled to be used through 2023. According to the MTA, 80% of the OMNY swipes have used mobile wallets where people have added their payment cards to their phone, since very few credit or debit cards have the built-in technology, which is different from the chips that are now seen on some cards.

AGBC history:

8 years ago — Blast From The Past: Checker Cab Spotted in the West Village

8 years ago — Volkswagen Traffic Jam on Governor's Island

2 years ago — Eclipse Viewing Info for New York City

8 years ago — Earthquake felt in New York City

AGBC is more than just a news website: It also automatically checks MTA data before morning rush hour and sends out notifications if there are delays on any subway lines, LIRR or MetroNorth trains, and bridges and tunnels. Follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts.

Here's the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming week:

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com

In the latest city measles data, just six new cases were registered in July, with none so far in August. The number of new cases have steadily declined since the high point in April, when there were 183 new cases in one month. As the disease spreads through communities, it naturally reaches a maximum number of infections as the vast majority of people are vaccinated against the disease, and the city's efforts to distribute vaccinations ensured that the disease didn't spread further. Of the 642 total cases within the city, 88% were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. The outbreak was mainly contained within a few Brooklyn neighborhoods, with 460 cases in Williamsburg, 123 in Boro Park, and 17 in Sunset Park. While the outbreak is coming to an end, it's important to make sure newborn children receive their vaccinations on schedule, as nearly all the infections were in children under 18 years old. Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air as sick individuals cough or sneeze. The measles vaccination is included in MMR shots, standing for measles, mumps, and rubella, that contain a specially-weakened form of the virus that trains the body's immune system on how to defend against that virus in the future. For information on where to obtain a measles vaccination, call 311 or view information from the Department of Health at nyc.gov/doh.

The M14 bus along 14th Street recently won the distinguished award for the city's slowest bus line, averaging just 4.3mph, and it won't be getting a boost anytime soon if the surrounding neighborhoods have their way. 14th Street was originally scheduled to convert to a traffic-restricted busway on July 1st to quickly move buses across the city during the L Train shutdown, but then L Train plans were modified to keep the subway open and community groups stepped in to take legal action against the Department of Transportation's plan. The DOT estimates that the changes will increase the speeds of buses by 30%, and the plan is expected to run for 18 months, whenever it finally goes into effect.

This week, archivists released a collection of photos taken after the September 11th attacks, but the person who took the photos remains unknown. After working to restore the CD-ROMs that were found in an estate sale, the 2,389 digital photos have now been archived and uploaded to Flickr thanks to Dr. Johnathan Burgess and Jason Scott of textfiles.com.

49 years ago on August 5, 1970 — A fire at One New York Plaza kills two and injures 35

10 years ago on August 8, 2009 — A small plane collides with a sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River, killing all nine people involved

Flight attendant Steven Slater's dramatic exit from a JetBlue flight at JFK Airport — This week, one day before the actual 9-year anniversary of his story, TMZ reported that Steven Slater has been reported missing after recently moving to Tijuana in Mexico and losing contact with friends and family for several days.

15 years ago on August 12, 2004 — Security guard and elevator operator Carl DeClercq is killed by an elevator malfunction

74 years ago on August 14, 1945 — V-J Day celebration takes place in Times Square after Japan surrenders in World War II

If you're ordering takeout food or picking something up from a street vendor, keep an eye out for styrofoam containers. The city's new styrofoam ban went into effect on January 1st, but businesses had a six-month grace period to adjust, and now the numbers are in for the first full month of enforcement. In the first month, the city delivered 57 styrofoam violations, which each carry a $250 fine. Styrofoam cups and containers are notoriously difficult to recycle, and can't be accepted for recycling at all once they have been used for food, which leaves a permanent piece of trash sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years. To report a business using styrofoam products, call 311 with the business name, address, and type of product being used.

AGBC is more than just a news website: Our fireworks page monitors the city's announcements of upcoming fireworks, lists them on our site, and automatically sends out a notification just before the fireworks begin, so that you can watch the show or prepare your pet for the upcoming sounds of explosions. Visit agreatbigcity.com/fireworks to see the full calendar and follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts

This is the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming week:

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com

Mostly Mozart Festival (All Day Event)

NYC Restaurant Week (All Day Event)

Columbia Greenmarket Thursday and Sunday

Cortelyou Greenmarket Sunday

HHFM East Harlem Market

NYC Public Beaches

NYC Outdoor Public Pools

Guster with Rubblebucket

¡Arriba! Latin Dance Party with Avenida B

A Dash of Summer: Cooking with Chef Biny

Celebrate Brooklyn!

The Marked Men, Bugg, Career Suicide, Criaturas, and Savageheads

Fister, Body Void, Pyrrhon, and Sea of Bones

David Cook

Peter Murphy - Cascade: The Peter Murphy Residency at LPR and Peter Murphy

Bryan Ferry

DRAB MAJESTY, Body of Light, and Hide

Carnegie Hall Citywide Night

Bryan Ferry

Barry Manilow

Coney Island Friday Night Fireworks

False and Vile Creature

Spirit Family Reunion

Walk Up Kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Great Hudson River Fish Count

Saturday Sculpture Workshop: Plastic Bag Couture

Ecology Park Tour

Central Park Conservancy and Jazzmobile Present: Great Jazz on the Great Hill - Live Performances in Central Park

My Morning Jacket with Warpaint

Shawn Mendes

Hootie & The Blowfish with Barenaked Ladies

Barry Manilow

Laraaji

Iron Age, Waste Management, Candy, New Lows, Born Sinner, Iron Age, Born Sinner, Candy, New Lows, and Waste Management

Who Do You Trust?, Papa Roach, Asking Alexandria, and Bad Wolves

David Crosby and Anaïs Mitchell

Neurosis, Bell Witch, and DeaF Kids

Self Defense Family and Husbandry

Walk Up Kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Urban Park Ranger Tour: The Birthplace of Hip Hop

Ecosystem Explorers: Coastline Seining

Basic Canoeing

Barry Manilow

Shawn Mendes with Alessia Cara

Hootie & The Blowfish with Barenaked Ladies

Neurosis with Bell Witch

Outdoor Movie Night at Randall's Island Park: Crazy Rich Asians (PG-13)

Visit agreatbigcity.com to learn how to support New York City local news and allow us to keep bringing you this podcast. If you are a New York-based business and would be interested in sponsoring our podcasts, visit agreatbigcity.com/advertising to learn more.

The goats brought in to clean up Riverside Park are taking a summer vacation! The original flock brought to the park in May was narrowed down from 24 to 18 after they cleaned out the weeds too quickly, and now the group will be meeting back up at their farm in Rhinebeck, NY while the weeds are allowed to regrow a bit on the steep slopes of Riverside Park that they were maintaining. As part of their going-away party, the Riverside Park Conservancy honored Massey the goat with an award for receiving the most votes in an online contest. The 166-pound, 10-year-old goat is the oldest of the bunch and received a bouquet of edible flowers as a prize. Watch for the goats to return later in the summer when they will be back for a second round of snacking on the invasive plants that will further weaken them and ensure they don't have the energy left to regrow again.

In July, one day before the anniversary of Eric Garner's death, the Department of Justice, now overseen by Trump-appointed Attorney General William Barr, announced that they will not pursue civil rights charges against officer Pantaleo, who was seen in video putting Garner in a chokehold. Immediately after, the NYPD was quick to point out that their own internal disciplinary case against Pantaleo was still underway, and on August 2nd, an NYPD judge ruled that the officer should be fired due to his use of a chokehold when attempting to arrest Eric Garner, a tactic that is prohibited by NYPD policy and was listed by the city medical examiner as a contributing factor in Garner's death. Although the ruling is preliminary, Pantaleo was suspended effective immediately, after being kept employed in administrative duty during the five years since Eric Garner's death. The announcement came days after de Blasio was heckled by protesters demanding he fire Pantaleo during the second Democratic Presidential primary debates in Detroit. In response, he continued to claim that justice would be served in the next 30 days. Fellow Democratic candidate Kirsten Gillibrand had a more decisive answer. \n\n De Blasio has been polling between 0% and 1% among likely voters. \n\n The NYPD judge's decision will now make its way to NYPD Commissioner O'Neill, who will decide whether to fire Pantaleo in the upcoming weeks. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement saying:

15 years ago on August 3, 2004 — The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens for the first time since the September 11th attacks

You may not think of the city as harboring invasive insects, but arborists from the national Department of Agriculture have been inspecting trees in Brooklyn and Queens for Asian longhorn beetles. The beetles are thought to have originally traveled to the United States in 1996 in wooden shipping pallets, and now they threaten trees across the city. Inspectors search for the telltale signs of round holes in the wood of a tree, where the adult beetles emerge in late July. \n\n Keep an eye out for the signs of beetle infestation on your local trees: They create deep round holes big enough for a pencil to fit in and leave a collection of sawdust below the holes. The beetles themselves are about one and a half inches long, mostly black with white specks, and have distinctive blue stripes on their legs and long striped antennae. If you find a tree or piece of wood that may be infested, call the Asian longhorned beetle tip line at 1-866-702-9938 or email [email protected].

9 years ago on August 9, 2010 — Upon landing at JFK, a JetBlue flight attendant announces that he is quitting his job and exits the jet via the emergency evacuation slide, taking two beers with him

42 years ago on August 10, 1977 — David Berkowitz is taken into custody

3 years ago on August 10, 2016 — A man partially climbs Trump Tower

And finally, thanks go out to Eric Boyo, an MTA subway operator for 27 years who stopped his train to help a woman on the tracks this week. As he approached Fulton Street on the G Train line, he noticed people on the platform waving their arms. Seeing that something must be wrong, he slowed his train early and then spotted a woman on the tracks. He stopped the train and opened the door at the front of the train to speak with the woman, and ended up helping her back onto the platform. Whether the woman intended to be struck by the train or had just fallen was unclear, but onlookers praised Eric for remaining calm and showing compassion during the rescue. According to the MTA, the recommended way to flag down an oncoming train during an emergency situation is to light your cellphone's flashlight and wave it side to side while facing the train.

AGBC is more than just a news website: Our fireworks page monitors the city's announcements of upcoming fireworks, lists them on our site, and automatically sends out a notification just before the fireworks begin, so that you can watch the show or prepare your pet for the upcoming sounds of explosions. Visit agreatbigcity.com/fireworks to see the full calendar and follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com

164 years ago on August 1, 1855 — Castle Clinton begins functioning as the country's first immigrant processing center at the tip of Manhattan — Castle Clinton begins functioning as the country's first immigrant processing center at the tip of Manhattan \n\n It was operated by New York until April 18, 1890, when the U.S. government would take control. Immigrant processing moved to Ellis Island on January 2, 1892.

Thursday, August 1 — The Rolling Stones and The Wombats — — MetLife Stadium

Thursday, August 1 — The Summer Slaughter Tour, Cattle Decapitation, Brand of Sacrifice, Carnifex, Lorna Shore, Nekrogoblikon, Rivers of Nihil, and The Faceless — (le) poisson rouge

Thursday, August 1 — Ben Folds and Violent Femmes — The Rooftop at Pier 17

Thursday, August 1 — Blood Orange and Kelsey Lu, Blood Orange, and Kelsey Lu — Lincoln Center

Thursday, August 1 — Coffee and Connections — Muhlenberg Library

Thursday, August 1 — Central Park Tour: The Belvedere: Beautiful View — Belvedere Castle (in Central Park)

Thursday, August 1 — Conception Art Show - New York City - August — M1-5 Lounge in Tribeca

Thursday, August 1 — Movies with a View: Crooklyn — Harbor View Lawn (in Brooklyn Bridge Park)

Thursday, August 1 — NYAFAIR VIP Artist Reception August 1, Tribeca’s Contemporary Art Fair NYA — NYA art center | newyorkart.com in Tribeca

Thursday, August 1 — Open House/Open Studios: Summer 2019 Artists — Celebrate the summer with BRIC and our summer 2019 artists-in-residence! — BRIC House in Boerum Hill

Thursday, August 1 — West African Dance Workshop — Sherman Creek Park (in Sherman Creek)

Thursday, August 1 — The Chemical Brothers with Charlotte de Witte — Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills

Thursday, August 1 — Twilight in the Garden: Moonflowers and Angel’s Trumpets Walk — Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill)

Thursday, August 1 — Disco 54 Show — George Seuffert Bandshell (in Forest Park)

Thursday, August 1 — The Rolling Stones with The Wombats (Rescheduled from 6/13) — MetLife Stadium

Thursday, August 1 — Khalid with Clairo — Madison Square Garden in Midtown West / Chelsea / Hudson Yards

Thursday, August 1 — Herbie Hancock — Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side

Friday, August 2 — Bad Religion and The Explosion — — Webster Hall

Friday, August 2 — Torche, Murder Pact, and Wear Your Wounds — — Brooklyn Bazaar

Friday, August 2 — Cayetana, Bacchae, and Katie Ellen — — Music Hall of Williamsburg

Friday, August 2 — First Fridays: House Music Edition Honoring Larry Levan — Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Striver's Row / St. Nicholas

Friday, August 2 — Hidden Colors 5-Film Screening — SVA Theatre in Chelsea

Friday, August 2 — Sarah McLachlan with The New York Pops — Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills

Friday, August 2 — Barry Manilow — Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown

Friday, August 2 — Coney Island Friday Night Fireworks — Between West 10th Street and West 15th Street (in Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk)

The Department of Transportation's Summer Streets will close streets in Manhattan from 7am to 1pm from 72nd Street down Park Avenue and to the Brooklyn Bridge. The streets will be emptied out and made available to bicyles and pedestrians, with events and activities all along the route.

Saturday, August 3 — Walk Up Kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park — Pier 2 Dock (in Brooklyn Bridge Park)

Saturday, August 3 — Brooklyn Beach Sports Festival — West 10th Street Boardwalk Entrance (in Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk)

Saturday, August 3 — GetCoveredNYC - Table — Organization GetCoveredNYC assists New Yorkers with enrolling in affordable health insurance through in-person outreach. — Stapleton Library

Saturday, August 3 — Bike Camp For Adults — Forest Park Visitor Center (in Forest Park)

Saturday, August 3 — Bad Religion with The Explosion — Brooklyn Steel in Greenpoint

Saturday, August 3 — Ghana Fest-NY 2019 — Crotona Park in Tremont

Saturday, August 3 — Ecology Park Tour — Ecology Park

Saturday, August 3 — Central Park Tour: The Belvedere: Beautiful View — Belvedere Castle (in Central Park)

Saturday, August 3 — Summer on the Hudson: Sweet Spot Festival — On the Pier (in West Harlem Piers),125th Street and Marginal Street (in West Harlem Piers)

Saturday, August 3 — Movies Under the Stars: Crazy Rich Asians — Annunciation Playground

Saturday, August 3 — Barbra Streisand — 8pm Madison Square Garden

Sunday, August 4 — 23rd Annual Rockaway Sandcastle Championship — Beach 117th Street (in Rockaway Beach)

Sunday, August 4 — Walk Up Kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park — Pier 2 Dock (in Brooklyn Bridge Park)

Sunday, August 4 — Barry Manilow — 7pm Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown

Hudson Yards may be New York's newest neighborhood, but it has already risen to the #2 spot on PropertyShark's list of the city's most expensive neighborhoods

Way back in Episode 7, we talked about the proposal for a public beach in Manhattan, and this week, the Hudson River Park Trust revealed some renderings of what the park and beach may look like

231 years ago on July 26, 1788 — New York becomes the 11th state to join the United States of America

This week, the city Department of Health detected mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus within the NYC area. July begins the active season for West Nile infections, which are spread via mosquito bites, and no human cases of West Nile have been detected yet, so now is the time to be prepared and protect yourself from mosquitoes if you will be outside. Wear clothing that covers your skin, use a mosquito repellent containing the chemical repellents DEET or Picaridin, or use a natural repellent containing oil of lemon eucalyptus. Be sure to seal around your window air conditioners so that mosquitoes won't have an easy entrance into your home, and use window screens if you'll be leaving windows open. If you'll be traveling overseas, take special precaution to avoid mosquito bites, and consider a vaccination against diseases that are common in the areas where you will be traveling. If you're staying in the city, you can even do your part by calling 311 to report standing water, defined as a place on public or private property where water gathers and remains for more than five days, creating a habitat where mosquitoes may breed.

102 years ago on July 28, 1917 — 10,000 people march in the Silent Parade down Fifth Avenue to protest recent violence and riots aimed at Blacks in the South — Learn more about the Silent Parade from the Bowery Boys.

3 years ago on August 2, 2016 — Karina Vetrano is attacked and murdered while jogging in Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach, Queens

74 years ago on July 28, 1945 — A U.S. Army B-25 bomber hits the Empire State Building, killing the three crew members and 11 people in the building

43 years ago on July 29, 1976 — David Berkowitz shoots two young women in the Bronx, beginning the Son of Sam murders that would keep NYC on edge for the next year

103 years ago on July 30, 1916 — The Black Tom explosion near Jersey City levels buildings, kills four, and injures hundreds — Read more from the FBI's history of the explosion

48 years ago on August 1, 1971 — George Harrison and Ravi Shankar organize the Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden

The Straphangers Campaign and TransitCenter had some distinguished awards to hand out to two of the city's bus lines this week: In Manhattan, the M14A, which runs from the Lower East Side to Chelsea along 14th Street, received the award for slowest bus line, achieving an average speed of just 4.3mph. When it comes to reliability, Brooklyn's B15 comes in last place, leaving bus riders wondering when or if the next bus would arrive. The slowest buses in Queens and Staten Island are leaving the other boroughs in the dust, racing down city streets at 6.4 and 7.8 mph respectively.

Looking back through AGBC history:

1 year ago — Revel Brings Electric Moped Rentals to Brooklyn — The pilot program must have been a success, because by May of 2019 they announced that they would be adding 1,000 more electric mopeds to their fleet and expanding their service area.

2 years ago — De Blasio Takes a Hit in Latest Polling Numbers; Homelessness a Major Issue — Back in 2017, voters surveyed only gave de Blasio a 50% approval rating and he was hammered on the issue of homelessness, with 63% disapproval on his handling of poverty and homelessness and with 73% of respondents ranking homelessness as a very serious problem. Unfortunately those job approval numbers have only gotten worse, sinking down with each survey until he reached a 42% approval when Quinnipiac last asked the question in an April 2019 poll.

AGBC is more than just a news website: It also automatically checks MTA data before morning rush hour and sends out notifications if there are delays on any subway lines, LIRR or MetroNorth trains, and bridges and tunnels. Follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts.

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

Those silver Water Sampling boxes along the sidewalk are used to monitor the quality of NYC's water — There are 965 sampling stations citywide and more than 1,300 samples are collected each month

The West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium F and Q Train station in Coney Island is the southernmost station in the subway system

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:

Weather for the week ahead:

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com