Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Wednesday’s Headlines: Could Have Been Worse Edition

Good thing this city directional sign didn’t hit anyone. Photo: Gersh Kuntzman

Tropical Storm Isaias had a brief reign of terror on New York yesterday, knocking down trees, cutting power lines, tossing deck chairs, shutting down service on all above-ground subway lines and ruining many outdoor restaurant dining areas.

Notable coverage included a good Daily News photo gallery, a building collapse in the heart of hipster Williamsburg (NYDN, NY Post), the death of a man whose car was crushed by a massive tree (NYDN, Gothamist), and the Times focusing on utility customers.

In other news:

    • Twenty-five percent of the mailed-in ballots in Brooklyn were declared invalid because they were never postmarked or arrived late. But of course they were never postmarked — the United States Postal Service does not postmark business reply mail...which is what the Board of Elections uses on return envelopes. This better get fixed quick or else Joe Biden, not Donald Trump, is going to have a legit reason to question the election results. (NY Post)
    • The Wall Street Journal got a second day on the mayor's expansion of open restaurants.
    • Double trouble: The executive directors of Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance teamed up on an amNY op-ed about the shortcomings of Mayor de Blasio's open streets plan.
    • Cody Lyon agreed with our editorial cartoonist that the city should be cracking down on cars, not Revel scooters (City Limits).

And that's all, folks.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Budget Crunch: Advocates Push Mamdani For Massive Fair Fares Expansion

The expansion would offer free transit on the subway and bus for people making up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which is not a lot.

February 5, 2026

AV Snub: School Bus Drivers Close The Doors On Autonomous Vehicles

School bus drivers are joining the chorus of opposition to a possible statewide expansion of Waymo, but it could be too late.

February 5, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines: Menin to the Rescue Edition

Al fresco is back on the menu, Council Speaker Julie Menin said on Wednesday. Plus more news.

February 5, 2026

Commentary: US DOT’s Misguided War on Bikeways

"European genes do not produce some kind of innate affinity for human-powered mobility — [and] people on any continent will use bike infrastructure if it is safe."

February 5, 2026

City Council to Bring Back Year-Round Outdoor Dining After Adams-Era Decimation

New Council Speaker Julie Menin wants to scrap Adams-era rules that shrunk the program to just 400 approved locations from a pandemic era high of 8,000.

February 4, 2026

Meet Steve Fulop, Corporate New York’s New Mouthpiece

Streetsblog sat down with former Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop last week to discuss his new role at the Partnership for New York City.

February 4, 2026
See all posts