Evictions and car-booting spiked last year. NYC marshals profited.

Plus: MTA starts ticketing drivers for illegally blocking bus stops [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.]( [Evictions and car-booting spiked in 2023. It was big business for NYC marshals.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☁️ Cloudy, with possible showers and thunderstorms and highs in the mid 80s. It's Monday in New York City, where marshals — private contractors appointed by the mayor to boot cars, collect debts on behalf of creditors and lock out evicted tenants — had a busy 2023. Here's how the end of a pandemic eviction moratorium translated to [a median net income of $577,000 for these individuals](. And here's what else is happening: - Starting today, the MTA will use automatic ticketing cameras on the front of buses to [fine drivers who block bus stops]( instead of first issuing a warning. - Police said [a man was stabbed to death]( and two others were wounded on a street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on Sunday morning. - Authorities are investigating [a string of armed robberies]( in the Bronx, where two unidentified people have been preying on unsuspecting victims. - Spotted lanternflies are [blasting New York City with their caramel-colored poop]( known as “honeydew,” that can be destructive to plants and property. - Former Rep. George Santos is [expected to plead guilty to campaign fraud charges]( in court on Long Island today. - Popular Greenpoint metal bar Saint Vitus has [closed for good](. - The super blue moon peaks in New York City at 2:26 this afternoon — and [will remain visible]( if obscured by clouds, for several days. - About $155 million worth of environmental mitigation programs in the Bronx, including [support for asthma management and the planting of roadside vegetation]( have been thrown into limbo now that Gov. Kathy Hochul has indefinitely paused congestion pricing. - Northwell Health is turning its hospitals into [reality show sets](. - Mayor Eric Adams mistakenly gave multiple shout-outs to Pakistan [at yesterday's India Day Parade](. (His office said he then ran back onstage to apologize and confirm that he meant India.) - Broadway [had a strong summer]( at the box office. - Containerized trash, but [make it fashion](. - [Australia's version]( of "The Office" — which is apparently the 13th international iteration of the show — premieres this fall. - Bookstores: [still useful](. [“As private citizens, not city employees, marshals tend to have their most profitable years during times of economic hardship for many others.”]( - City Councilmember Gale Brewer on [THE CONTROVERSIAL MARSHAL SYSTEM]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [An East Village grocery store is selling a ‘dupe’ of an Erewhon smoothie for much less]( A steady stream of customers is lining up at East Village Organic for an order that’s barely more than half the cost of the popular “Coconut Cloud Smoothie” from Erewhon Market, an upscale L.A.-based grocery chain. [Subpoenas cast a cloud over Mayor Adams' political future as he heads to DNC]( A wide-ranging federal probe into Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign fundraising, combined with his low approval ratings, have left the incumbent mayor vulnerable to a rare primary challenge. [We Rely On Your Support]( [NJ's Bob Menendez officially ends independent bid for U.S. Senate days before resignation]( Menendez had been hoping to get re-elected in a political Hail Mary after his bruising conviction on more than a dozen bribery and corruption charges. [Where to eat in Elmhurst, a Thai food mecca in Queens]( Chef Max Wittawat argues that Thai food should be eaten family style, enjoyed bite by bite around the table, not coursed out as you might find at other restaurants. Here are his recommendations for where to go. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.