Biden's out: NY Dems express thanks and relief

Plus: There's a mouse in my couch [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Biden dropped out of the race. NY Democrats express thanks and relief.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ⛅ Partly sunny, with possible afternoon thunderstorms and highs in the mid 80s. It's Monday in New York, where some Democrats had been fearing that President Joe Biden's place at the top of their ticket would jeopardize the party's chances to win competitive seats on Long Island and the Hudson Valley this November. Here's how the president's decision to bow out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris [changes the situation for New York Democrats](. And here's what else is happening: - Police said they found a man dead in the water near the Rockaway Beach boardwalk early Monday morning. [At least four people have drowned at a city beach]( so far this summer. - The City Council is considering a bill to erect a sign at the site of the city's first slave market on Wall Street as part of [a broader effort to recognize Black history within the five boroughs](. - Two New York City tunnels that connect to Manhattan — the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and Queens Midtown Tunnel — will be partially closed overnight on select dates throughout the summer [while the MTA tests massive flood doors]( to protect against hurricanes and tropical storms. - Authorities said they raided an illegal weed shop in the Bronx early Sunday and seized 1,300 pounds of cannabis and 200 pounds of psychedelic mushrooms in [one of the largest drug busts at an unlicensed store]( this year. - City Council members voted last week to give Speaker Adrienne Adams authority to bring legal action against Mayor Eric Adams to ensure that [a ban on solitary confinement in city jails]( goes into effect later this month. - Are [parks in the city's wealthier areas]( more biodiverse? NYU researchers are counting ants, slugs and earthworms in various parks to find out. - After Gov. Kathy Hochul told an interviewer last week that the kitchen staff at an unspecified Sheraton gave her a "standing ovation" for pausing congestion pricing, Hell Gate did some investigating and [discovered no evidence that this ever took place at any Sheraton in the region](. - In other congestion news, New York City Uber and Lyft drivers hate all the traffic [they've caused](. - Some residents of southeast Queens are [complaining about the expansion of an e-scooter pilot program]( into the area, claiming that people ride the scooters recklessly and then dump them where they're not supposed to go. - The Jersey Shore town of Beachwood is closing its beach to swimmers for the rest of the summer due to [unsafe levels of bacteria in the water](. - "Odd Man Out," an immersive two-hour show about flying from New York to Argentina [that takes place completely in the dark]( closes next month. - Mark Zuckerberg is considering [buying a stake in Supreme]( as part of an effort to eventually sell Meta smart glasses to young people. - A painting of Abraham Lincoln wearing a floral tuxedo with a flashy Rolex [was stolen]( from a Hamptons art fair. - [This]( guy! [“The more diverse of an environment you have around you where you're living, I think that really impacts how you feel about life.”]( - ecologist Diane Hope on [THE NEED FOR BIODIVERSITY IN LOWER-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [An NYC tail: There’s a mouse in my couch]( When you find the outline of a mouse scurrying inside the upholstery of the couch, is there any way to remove the rodent without sacrificing the furniture? [How to start your own block (or tenant) association in NYC]( Block associations work by organizing neighbors to rally around causes like street safety, cracking down on loud nightlife, trash cleanup and block beautification. In an apartment building, tenants can unite to advocate for updates and repairs or even to organize meal trains for sick neighbors or new parents. [We Rely On Your Support]( [In Queens, one family has been serving up Jewish food from Central Asia for 24 years]( The dissolution of the Soviet Union forced Isak Sionov's family, along with many other Bukharian Jews from what's now Uzbekistan, to leave and eventually settle in Rego Park. That's where Sionov's restaurant, Cheburechnaya, serves a signature half-moon of dough stuffed with meat and deep fried. [Transit union gives big bucks to NY Gov. Hochul’s campaign while blasting her in public]( The influential union boss representing a majority of the MTA’s workforce has in recent months publicly called Gov. Kathy Hochul an "enemy" of transit workers. But behind the scenes, his organization has poured cash into her campaign fund. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 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