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Early Addition: Guess what's in those ancient 'drinking water sampling station' sidewalk boxes
By
James Ramsay
Published May 1, 2025
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Michel Porro/Getty Images
By
James Ramsay
Published May 1, 2025
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Good Thursday morning in New York City, where basically all the Democratic mayoral nominees not named Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams want a rent freeze.
Here's what else is happening:
- If you care about bees, May is not the month to mow your lawn.
- Those old silver boxes on NYC sidewalks that say "drinking water sampling station" do, in fact, have little sinks in them where authorized personnel can sample the drinking water.
- Some teachers are upset about a recent NYC Department of Education newsletter that contained the sentence: "The genocide in Gaza, among other global injustices, emphasized the urgent need for student voices to be centered and heard."
- A new lawsuit challenging the NYPD's gang database notes that police can currently add people if they're seen on social media sporting gang-affiliated colors that "include black, gold, yellow, red, purple, green, blue, white, brown, khaki, gray, and orange."
- NYC finally has a tofu temple.
- Rita's Italian Ice in Nutley, New Jersey, broke its two-year social media fast this week by posting a picture of the Jonas Brothers visiting the shop.
- Is Ballerina Cappuccina a fascist? Time will tell!
- Grow up and stop blaming the refs.
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James Ramsay
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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