A ‘once-in-a-generation’ project nears final OK at Willets Point, Queens

Plus: Staten Island's 1st St. Patrick's Day parade to include LGBTQ+ groups [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.]( [A ‘once-in-a-generation’ project nears final OK at Willets Point, Queens]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☁️ Cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. It's Friday in New York City, where a plan to build a 25,000-seat soccer stadium in Queens is nearing the finish line. In the coming weeks, the City Council is expected to approve a major revitalization of Willets Point, a 62-acre tract long defined by wetlands, auto body shops and urban neglect. [Here's what the end result will look like](. And here's what else is happening: - Police said a 36-year-old man is in stable but critical condition after [being shot in the head with his own gun]( during an altercation on a Brooklyn subway Thursday evening. - A new boots-on-the-ground survey from Councilmember Gale Brewer’s office found [more than twice as many illicit weed shops]( operating on the Upper West Side compared to late 2022. - Four law enforcement officers in Suffolk County [died by suicide in a four-week span]( earlier this year, bringing renewed attention to the mental health risks facing police. - Tens of thousands of New Yorkers insured through Aetna [could lose coverage for New York-Presbyterian’s hospitals]( physician networks and specialty clinics if the insurer and hospital system don't reach a contract agreement by the end of this month. - Transparency advocates are pushing two new bills in Albany that would [make government records in New York more accessible to the public](. - Meanwhile politicians in New Jersey are [trying to make public records less accessible](. - For the first time, a St. Patrick’s Day parade on Staten Island will openly welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community. [Here's what to know about the event](. - The Central Park Conservancy is [restoring the stone sidewalks]( on each of the 108 blocks surrounding the park — at a cost of about $600,000 per block. - Following last summer's raid on vendors at Corona Plaza, [the few remaining vendors]( — who can only operate within limited hours, five days a week — say they're struggling to get by. - Indicted Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is considering a run for re-election [as an independent]( according to NBC. - A nonprofit composting group that's been operating in Long Island City under the Queensboro Bridge for more than a decade is [being evicted by the Parks Department]( to make way for renovations. - The "Stranger Things" play, which has been running in London since December, is holding auditions in New York City next week for [the upcoming Broadway staging](. - A swarm of bees [invaded a pro tennis match]( in California yesterday, causing a two-hour delay. - A bunch of Minnesota teens gathered for a hairdo pageant and [a hockey tournament broke out](. - Traveling the country by Amtrak: Slow and expensive, [but also extremely cool](. - "It wasn’t the fans who created the bad narrative about us, it was the press. The fans and the public spoke by buying over 50 million records in six years": Creed's Scott Stapp [isn't worried about the haters](. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“I just hope everyone comes out and celebrates their Irish heritage, and really understands what a great community we have on Staten Island and just has a fun, awesome day.”]( - Carol Bullock, executive director of the Pride Center of Staten Island, on the LGBTQ+-friendly [FOREST AVENUE ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Ahead of NYC summit, Al Gore says addressing climate change is one way to solve migrant crisis]( In an interview with Gothamist ahead of his Climate Reality Leadership conference at the Javits Center next month, Gore said climate change is already a leading cause of migration into the United States. [More New Yorkers are applying for gun permits. The NYPD won't say how many they granted.]( The number of New Yorkers petitioning to arm themselves with guns — both at home and on the streets — more than doubled last year, according to new data on NYPD license and permit applications obtained by Gothamist. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Why is Broadway's 'Six' so popular with teens and tweens? We asked them.]( "Six," the blockbuster musical that reimagines English King Henry VIII's six wives as members of a pop group, marked its 1,000th Broadway performance on Saturday. The show's "Spice Girls-meets-Hamilton" vibe is a big reason for its popularity among girls. [The NYC Half Marathon is on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know.]( While it won't conflict with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will be held on Saturday along Fifth Avenue from 44th to 79th streets, the 13.1-mile race will still shut down several streets to car traffic — including in Times Square — along its route from Prospect Park to Central Park. 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