Housing takes center stage in Albany in 2024 — again

Plus: Times Square litter clean-up [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]( [Housing to take center stage in Albany in 2024 — again]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Sunny and cold this morning, with highs getting into the lower 40s later. It's Tuesday in New York, where state lawmakers are about to try — for the second year in a row — to strike a deal to build more housing. Last year, members of both parties rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to add 800,000 units and force each town to boost its housing stock. [Here's what a 2024 compromise might look like](. And here's what else is happening: - The Columbia professor who popularized the term "urban doom loop," which describes a cycle of urban decline as office workers flee, says [things are actually looking up for New York City](. - That said, prosperity in 2024 won't be [distributed evenly among New Yorkers]( according to a New School economist. - Good news for New Jerseyans joining gyms this week: When the New Year’s resolution enthusiasm wears off, a new bill on Gov. Phil Murphy's desk could [make it easier to cancel your membership](. - Buses appear to be dropping off migrants in New Jersey cities in order to circumvent a new order by Mayor Eric Adams that [seeks to limit arrivals](. - How will U.S. Attorney Damian Williams carry out his investigation into the Adams campaign? [His past work on public corruption cases]( gives us a hint. - The city's Parks Department says it will remove four trees it planted in the middle of an Astoria sidewalk after [fierce backlash from locals](. - More than 80% of the city's landmarked buildings [are in Brooklyn and Manhattan]( which the Landmarks Preservation Commission is trying to change. - Besides the local "racinos" in Yonkers and Ozone Park, only one bidder is likely to get a casino license in New York City. [Here's a look at the possible sites](. - Residents from the Upper East Side to Astoria [felt a quake this morning]( after a building explosion occurred on Roosevelt Island right under the tram line. - Cheers to the Sanitation Department for [clearing 100,000 pounds of litter]( out of Times Square early this morning. - Bouncers at local nightclubs have been [confiscating overdose-reversing naloxone sprays]( even though the city's health department is encouraging bars to have the medication handy. - A large pro-Palestinian car caravan [slowed traffic into JFK Airport]( yesterday. - The conditions were [as mild]( as you could've asked for during yesterday's 121st annual Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge. - Will Donald Trump win? Will the Poconos become the new Catskills? Will pants get bigger, smaller or effectively cease to exist? Hell Gate has some [bold predictions for 2024](. - The crazy sneakers [are gone](. - Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actor who voiced Mama Coco in the Disney and Pixar movie "Coco," [has died at the age of 90](. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“I’m all for trees, but this is stupid.”]( - A reddit commenter on the four trees [PLANTED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ASTORIA SIDEWALK]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [A little-known MTA program pays artists to add beauty to the subway]( More than 400 artists have been commissioned by MTA Arts & Design, which brings public art to subways, rail stations, buses and elsewhere throughout the transit system. [9 free events in NYC this January to get you fired up about winter]( If you’re hoping to rebound from holiday spending but still want to enjoy the city’s cultural offerings, read our guide to free things to do around town. [We Rely On Your Support]( [NY’s legal cannabis market tops $150 million in sales its 1st year]( So far, just 40 retail dispensaries across the state have received approval to sell marijuana legally. [The biggest New York City transportation stories of 2023]( Last year marked the 119th anniversary of New York City’s subway, the 55th anniversary of the MTA, and one of the most consequential years ever for both. [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.