Good morning and happy Friday. Two bits of good news… It might dry up just before sunset this afternoon — and after that, we’ve got sunshine through until Tuesday. But for now, just try to keep dry…
Hell’s Kitchen holiday shoppers are eagerly awaiting the last blast of gifts to arrive home, but there are more than a few Grinches ready to steal Christmas. Package theft is on the increase across the neighborhood — including this thief, caught on camera during a heist that ended in a dramatic chase on W47th Street. Read more…
More New Yorkers than ever are turning to community food shares and pantries — and one enterprising teen has created a new app that maps the ever-growing directory of neighborhood food sources. Read more…
What we’ve been reading
The battle to make license plates visible for speeding and toll cameras. (Gothamist)
You may be surprised to learn that the climate impact of New York neighborhoods is small compared to others. (New York Times)
Could NYPD’s ShotSpotter tech also be used to listen in on New Yorkers? (Bloomberg)
Can the Governor-Mayor “new” New York plan work? (Curbed)
Want to put your name up in lights? Or even better, see yourself on a Times Square billboard? That will be $150, please. (New York Post)
Freeze Frame
Thanks to Hell’s Kitchen artist Frédéric Lère for sending us this photo of his painting. “Port Authority Jungle: birds on access ramp 94, 10th Avenue and 39th Street. John James Audubon was the first to spot them,” he said about this oil on canvas work.
That area is a positive haven for birds. Check out our story about the pigeons in that area that are probably distant relatives of those kept by gangster Owney Madden before the Lincoln Tunnel was built.
Happy birthday to Frank Burke and Andy Cohen.
