Wednesday’s Headlines: It Gets Cold in December Edition

Another winter is upon us and we just wanted to point out that the New York Post metro desk is obsessed with weather!

Maybe we’re being a tad overdramatic, but we promise you: watch over the next few weeks how the Post treats normal seasonal weather patterns like they’re Hillary Clinton’s emails.

In other words, the Tabloid of Record turned Thursday’s expected “wintry mix” into a “powerful storm.” But not even the Post can keep up the charade: when you actually read the story, it appears that it won’t probably do more than rain this week. A weatherman reluctantly admitted, “Sunday, we’ll have a hard time getting out of the 30s.” Sunday is Dec. 18 — a high of 38 or 39 is pretty damn normal for Dec. 18 in New York City.

If we were conspiracy theorists, we’d guess that the Post focuses such much on weather so that it doesn’t have to focus on climate. But who are we to judge what sells papers these days? (Besides, if you want a real weather story, let’s delight in the fact that the sun will set later and later starting today, Gothamist reported, as if this whole sunrise-sunset timing thing was just discovered.)

Ah, speaking of selling papers, it’s time to remind you of our annual December Donation Drive and to thank yesterday’s kind, beneficent, attractive and intelligent donors: Thanks, Chris! Thanks, Susan (and thanks for the nice note!). And thanks, Anika!

We politely beseech the rest of you to click that yellow box on this page. And then we’ll thank you tomorrow!

In other news:

• The big TV story of the day was the massive blaze at the NYPD’s evidence yard in Red Hook. This story will play out over many days, as we learn how many cases have been blown (up) and what the cause of the fire was. But for now, everyone had first-day coverage. (NYDN, NY Post, NY Times, Gothamist)
• Train disruptions are coming to the Williamsburg Bridge, thanks to renovations, but Gothamist‘s Clayton Guse kinda buried our lede: “The work will require partial closures of the bridge’s bike and walking paths … on nights and weekends throughout 2023 and 2024.” Once again, the city is encouraging driving rather than sustainable modes.
• It was nice to see Winnie Hu of the Times take up Streetsblog’s exclusive earlier in the day that the city’s talk of restoring the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to six lanes is questionable. (We also covered the latest news. Gothamist played it straight)
• Speaking of the Times, Ana Ley was late on the MTA’s announcement last week that it would redeploy station agents to platform ambassadors.
• Friends of Streetsblog Christopher Ketchum and Charles Komanoff say that “luxury emissions” are the next front in the climate battle. (The Intercept)
• David Zipper looks at super small cars. (Bloomberg)
• The Citizens Budget Commission wants Gov. Hochul to veto a bill that would reduce fees to toll scofflaws. (amNY)
• And, finally, here’s something to think about during the holiday shopping season, thanks to Eric McClure: