Will drivers with fake license plates evade congestion pricing tolls?

Plus: Connecticut vibes [View this email in a browser.]( Our Gift to You! Get this T-shirt when you [donate & help fund]( our non-profit newsroom. [Donate Now]( [NYPD is ticketing more 'ghost cars,' but congestion pricing could drive a surge in new toll dodgers]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: 🌧️ [More rain and strong wind leftover from last night]( with highs in the mid 40s. It's Monday in New York City, where drivers with phony or obscured license plates are threatening to undermine congestion pricing. Even as the NYPD reports a 75% bump in tickets for so-called "ghost cars," traffic guru Sam Schwartz estimates that without stricter enforcement, as many as one in five drivers entering the congestion zone below 60th Street in Manhattan [will get away without paying](. Here's what else is happening: - New York City may end up bringing in enough tax revenue to [avoid some of Mayor Eric Adams' proposed budget cuts]( according to the City Council. - Both Columbia and NYU could be forced to [pay hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes]( directly to CUNY if state legislators revoke the private schools' longstanding tax exemption. - A New Jersey man's sarcastic "Walmart Self Checkout Christmas Party" has blown up on Facebook and [turned into a real toy drive](. - Gov. Kathy Hochul [has until the end of the year]( to sign or veto a bill that would effectively ban noncompete agreements. - Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi kicked off his bid for George Santos' old congressional seat with [a rally in a Long Island backyard](. - The ACLU has agreed to represent the National Rifle Association in a Supreme Court case over the gun group's free-speech rights, and the ACLU's New York chapter [isn't happy about it](. - In other gun news, a federal appeals court has ruled that concealed weapons are allowed in New York [churches, stores and restaurants]( — for now. - Two NYPD officers who [drove their SUVs into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters]( in 2020 and were charged by the Civilian Complaint Review Board have been cleared of wrongdoing by the police commissioner. - New Jersey-based Kars4Kids is suing Texas-based Cars for Kids for [copyright infringement]( — even though the Texas one started first. - [Concerned drivers on the Staten Island Expressway]( successfully removed a runaway Chihuahua from traffic last Tuesday night. - Connecticut is spending about $5 million on dual rebranding campaigns: ["Make It Here" and "Find Your Vibe."]( - SIN Club, a Lower East Side music venue that [lasted six months before the police shut it down in 1983]( sounds like it was a fun time. - George Santos says [he's raking it in on Cameo]( — so much so that he ordered pizzas for his friends at a bar last week. - [An asteroid]( is going to pass in front of the shiny star Betelgeuse tonight. - The reason reality TV contestants act that way is because they're underfed, plied with booze and [extremely sleep-deprived](. - [What happened]( to Prince Louis' middle finger? "[If enough people are doing it without consequence, and people in the neighborhood are seeing them, then [they] start thinking, 'Wait a minute, I'm the only person paying taxes]( - adam white, a lawyer and erstwhile license plate vigilante, and the need to [CRACK DOWN ON TOLL EVADERS]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [23 fun and affordable things to do in NYC this winter]( Here’s a roundup of options for New York City fun this season, whether you prefer to hang indoors or out — or both! [SantaCon raises money for charity. They've spent a lot on crypto and Burning Man.]( A Gothamist analysis shows that the organization raised $1.4 million through SantaCon programming from late 2014 through the end of 2022, and that less than a fifth of that money has gone to registered nonprofits. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Unlicensed vendors at Grand Army Plaza lament holiday crackdown]( “They’re shutting us down at the height of the holiday season,” said one vendor. “I would say, not even joking, 80% to 90% of my annual income comes from the holiday season.” [By women, for women: A new exhibit at The Met highlights women fashion designers]( “Women Dressing Women,” a new exhibit from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, highlights how women’s creative contributions and labor in the fashion industry have gone largely unrecognized. [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.