Graffiti as a hate crime divides Hochul and progressive Democrats

Plus: Snow on the way [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.]( [Graffiti as a hate crime divides NY Gov. Hochul and progressive Democrats]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ⛅ Partly cloudy, with highs in the upper 40s. It's Monday in New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul is trying to include graffiti in an expanded list of what can be considered a felony hate crime. While the governor points to a number of recent incidents of graffiti found on Jewish-owned businesses, some progressive lawmakers said they [fear the change could harm young people]( before they’ve had a chance to get their footing in life. Here's what else is happening: - Meteorologists said New York City could get [5 to 8 inches of snow]( when a nor’easter moves through town on Tuesday. - City officials are planning to [turn six waterfront locations into barge landings]( so boats can replace street-clogging trucks for e-commerce deliveries. - A 15-year-old who'd been staying at a migrant shelter has been charged as an adult with attempted murder after allegedly [shooting a bystander while shoplifting in Times Square]( last week. - In response, Mayor Eric Adams has [set an 11 p.m. curfew]( for select migrant shelters. - New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, who's running in the state's Democratic U.S. Senate primary, [defeated NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy]( at the Monmouth County Democratic Committee convention on Saturday. - The win is significant given that committee members got to cast their ballots in secret, as opposed to in other Democratic county committees, where powerful bosses [chose to endorse the governor's wife](. - New York City is reminding residents and out-of-towners that abortion remains legal here, a few weeks before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that [could curtail access to abortion pills](. - New York Attorney General Letitia James has reached a settlement with a Westchester real estate broker whose agents repeatedly [turned down apartment seekers using housing subsidies](. - Police said a trio of thieves robbed several Buddhist monks [at gunpoint]( inside a Flatbush temple yesterday. - The former "eco-yogi slumlord" townhouse in Crown Heights — which was seized from the previous owners after an unlawful eviction saga — [has been impeccably restored and is up for sale]( through the city's affordable housing lottery for $678,000. - Ricardo, the New Jersey bull who escaped a slaughterhouse, halted train traffic at Newark Penn Station and then contracted a leg infection that landed him in an animal hospital for six weeks, has [healed and returned to his new home]( at an animal sanctuary. - About 100 people participated in the [Cupid's Undie Run]( through the Lower East Side on Saturday. - Steve Ostrow, who founded [a gay men's sex club]( and theater in the basement of an Upper West Side hotel in the 1970s, has died at the age 91. - Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, the [men's world record holder in the marathon]( has died in a car crash at the age of 24. - British woman to Boston: Why are all your meals [in bowls]( - [Jeff Goldblum]( 👍. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“There's a clear need for state intervention so that every New Yorker feels safe and is safe. The governor's proposal of [longer] max sentences for graffiti is not the solution.”]( - Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani on the governor's proposal to [MAKE GRAFFITI PUNISHABLE AS A FELONY HATE CRIME]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Meet the New Yorker behind some of TV's most iconic commercials]( You may not know Steve Karmen by name, but chances are you know some of his roughly 2,000 jingles, including "Nationwide is on your side," the "I Love New York" theme song, and Budweiser’s "Here Comes the King." [9 ideas to enjoy Valentine’s Day in New York City – all by yourself]( What if Valentine’s Day was instead a day of self-love, reflection or meditation? True love, as they say, starts from within. [We Rely On Your Support]( [The MTA’s new ‘open gangway’ trains aren’t fully open. Here’s why.]( The gleaming 10-car trains — which have started carrying riders on the C line — have an MTA-required conductor cab at their center that prevents passengers from walking end to end. [Want an NYC apartment under $2,400? Good luck with that.]( New York City’s latest housing survey shows less than 1% of apartments priced below $2,400 a month are vacant and available to rent. [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.