You know the drill: COVID-19 cases are up again

Also, questions linger about Queens councilmember's illegal rental complaints. [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.]( [Got COVID? NYC health commish on what’s behind the sneaky midsummer bump.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter curated by Emily Nadal]( Today's weather: ⛅ It may be cloudy now, but don't worry, the sun will peek through later on giving us a high of 79 degrees. And be careful if you're headed to one of the city's beaches today as a ["life threatening" rip current alert is in effect.]( It’s Tuesday morning in New York City where our old friend enemy COVID-19 is back, this time with an [unexpected summer surge in cases.]( It’s hard to tell how widespread this current coronavirus outbreak is since no one seems to be testing or reporting cases that much anymore, except hospitals, where 657 people in the state found themselves with a COVID-19 diagnosis as of Friday. The recent growth in cases may be considered “substantial,” but the number is still far away from being seen as a “big wave” (let’s keep it that way). Here’s what else is happening: - Does Queens Councilmember Vickie Paladino, who’s known for confronting rule-breaking renters in her district, illegally rent out her Whitestone home? We’re not sure. A Gothamist investigation did find, however, that [occupants of Paladino's home haven't actually let inspectors enter]( amid complaints to find out. - Authorities say a woman was [taken to the hospital]( Monday evening after what they believe was a shark attack at Rockaway Beach. - The American Red Cross has adopted a [universal waiting period for blood donations]( if you recently had sex with a new partner, ending a 40-year restriction that singled out gay and bisexual men. - Loved ones and strangers alike came out Monday to honor the life of O’Shae Sibley, who was killed in a hate crime stabbing at a Brooklyn gas station. The vigil was held at the site of the attack where [mourners remembered Sibley through dance]( ahead of his funeral today. - Campbell Soup is buying Rao’s, the tomato sauce brand derived from a New York Italian restaurant that is pricier than most others on supermarket shelves, but [beloved by many for its superior taste](. Fans are hoping the quality doesn’t decline with the canned soup maker’s purchase. - A Queens doctor was [arraigned Monday on a 50-count indictment]( charging him with sexually abusing three patients inside a hospital, and raping three other women in his home. - Noodle, the late pug whose TikTok videos brought immense joy to people during the height of the pandemic, [will be remembered at City Winery this week]( with a memorial service. - A new migrant shelter is coming to Randall’s Island with the capacity to house 2,000 adults. The shelter is [set to open in the coming weeks]( along with two other new relief centers elsewhere in the city. - We are a city that embraces all sports, no matter how niche, curling included. Despite not having a physical space to call their own, the Brooklyn Curling Center [brings its mobile curling contraption all around NYC]( for people to give the sport a try. - A new New Jersey law which formalizes protections for temp workers has been [fully implemented as of Saturday]( after some earlier pushback from staffing agencies. - Restaurants are doing away with telephone access for customers, which means eager diners are [using other forms of communication]( to reach out, like DMs and employee’s personal numbers. - If you’re worried about hungry customers finding your phone number, the good news is that Google is going to start [notifying you if your contact information]( shows up in Search results so you can get it removed more easily. - It’s Halloween in August this year at the International Puppet Fringe Festival in NYC. The event, which [drives home the message that puppetry is an art, not just child’s play]( will honor Ralph Lee, master puppeteer and inventor of the Village Halloween Parade. “He got murdered for literally doing something that we do down the street just to express, just to feel happy, just to do whatever… We gotta make sure that we keep on vocal, we keep on being free, we keep on having fun.” - Isaiah Manning, [ATTENDEE AT O'SHAE SIBLEY'S VIGIL discussing SIBLEY'S DEATH.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [NYC launches program to automatically ticket overweight trucks on BQE]( After months of delays, the city has finally launched a crackdown on overweight trucks that drive on a crumbling stretch of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. [Queens Dollar Tree ‘invaded’ by rats, residents say]( Queens residents say rats have “invaded most perishables” at a Dollar Tree store, leaving droppings on shelving alongside nibbled-open bags of food. [We Rely On Your Support]( ['Ask me how long I wait to pee' — 1,700 central NJ nurses begin strike over staffing levels]( Robert Wood Johnson Hospital says it's hired hundreds of nurses amid a staffing shortage, and that its nurses are paid better than any in the state. [MTA says fare evasion crackdown coming to all NYC buses]( Transit officials said units known as EAGLE teams will be deployed to local bus routes across the five boroughs. [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.