37: Buses Get Blocked and New Photos of Ground Zero

A Great Big City — New York City News, History, and Events

• In the latest city measles data, just six new cases were registered in July, with none so far in August. The number of new cases have steadily declined since the high point in April, when there were 183 new cases in one month. As the disease spreads through communities, it naturally reaches a maximum number of infections as the vast majority of people are vaccinated against the disease, and the city's efforts to distribute vaccinations ensured that the disease didn't spread further. Of the 642 total cases within the city, 88% were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. The outbreak was mainly contained within a few Brooklyn neighborhoods, with 460 cases in Williamsburg, 123 in Boro Park, and 17 in Sunset Park. While the outbreak is coming to an end, it's important to make sure newborn children receive their vaccinations on schedule, as nearly all the infections were in children under 18 years old. Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air as sick individuals cough or sneeze. The measles vaccination is included in MMR shots, standing for measles, mumps, and rubella, that contain a specially-weakened form of the virus that trains the body's immune system on how to defend against that virus in the future. For information on where to obtain a measles vaccination, call 311 or view information from the Department of Health at nyc.gov/doh.

• The M14 bus along 14th Street recently won the distinguished award for the city's slowest bus line, averaging just 4.3mph, and it won't be getting a boost anytime soon if the surrounding neighborhoods have their way. 14th Street was originally scheduled to convert to a traffic-restricted busway on July 1st to quickly move buses across the city during the L Train shutdown, but then L Train plans were modified to keep the subway open and community groups stepped in to take legal action against the Department of Transportation's plan. The DOT estimates that the changes will increase the speeds of buses by 30%, and the plan is expected to run for 18 months, whenever it finally goes into effect.

• This week, archivists released a collection of photos taken after the September 11th attacks, but the person who took the photos remains unknown. After working to restore the CD-ROMs that were found in an estate sale, the 2,389 digital photos have now been archived and uploaded to Flickr thanks to Dr. Johnathan Burgess and Jason Scott of textfiles.com.

• 49 years ago on August 5, 1970 — A fire at One New York Plaza kills two and injures 35

• 10 years ago on August 8, 2009 — A small plane collides with a sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River, killing all nine people involved

• Flight attendant Steven Slater's dramatic exit from a JetBlue flight at JFK Airport — This week, one day before the actual 9-year anniversary of his story, TMZ reported that Steven Slater has been reported missing after recently moving to Tijuana in Mexico and losing contact with friends and family for several days.

• 15 years ago on August 12, 2004 — Security guard and elevator operator Carl DeClercq is killed by an elevator malfunction

• 74 years ago on August 14, 1945 — V-J Day celebration takes place in Times Square after Japan surrenders in World War II

• If you're ordering takeout food or picking something up from a street vendor, keep an eye out for styrofoam containers. The city's new styrofoam ban went into effect on January 1st, but businesses had a six-month grace period to adjust, and now the numbers are in for the first full month of enforcement. In the first month, the city delivered 57 styrofoam violations, which each carry a $250 fine. Styrofoam cups and containers are notoriously difficult to recycle, and can't be accepted for recycling at all once they have been used for food, which leaves a permanent piece of trash sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years. To report a business using styrofoam products, call 311 with the business name, address, and type of product being used.

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AGBC is more than just a news website: Our fireworks page monitors the city's announcements of upcoming fireworks, lists them on our site, and automatically sends out a notification just before the fireworks begin, so that you can watch the show or prepare your pet for the upcoming sounds of explosions. Visit agreatbigcity.com/fireworks to see the full calendar and follow @agreatbigcity on social media to receive the alerts

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Park of the day

• Great Kills Park — The Great Kills beaches along Staten Island's east coast are perfect for summer recreation or watching wildlife. The city park portion is near Oakwood and New Dorp Beach, whereas the national park, also named Great Kills, is to the south at Bay Terrace. Watch your step in the national park portion, because nearly half of the park land is closed and being tested for radioactivity! ☢️

Parks Events

• Summer Sports Experience Jamboree — Coming on Wednesday, August 14, the Summer Sports Experience brings an array of sports activities to youngsters at the Williamsbridge Oval in the Bronx. The program is geared toward children aged 6 to 13 and Parks Department will be on hand from 11am to 3pm to show kids how to use the wide variety of sports fields at Williamsbridge Oval.

Concert Calendar

This is the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming week:

• Laraaji is playing The Noguchi Museum on Sunday, August 11th.
• Iron Age, Waste Management, Candy, New Lows, Born Sinner, Iron Age, Born Sinner, Candy, New Lows, and Waste Management are playing Saint Vitus Bar on Sunday, August 11th.
• Who Do You Trust?, Papa Roach, Asking Alexandria, and Bad Wolves are playing The Rooftop at Pier 17 on Sunday, August 11th.
• David Crosby and Anaïs Mitchell are playing Damrosch Park Bandshell on Sunday, August 11th.
• Neurosis, Bell Witch, and DeaF Kids are playing Brooklyn Steel on Sunday, August 11th.
• Self Defense Family and Husbandry are playing Saint Vitus Bar on Sunday, August 11th.
• She Wants Revenge is playing Elsewhere on Monday, August 12th.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Tuesday, August 13th at 7pm.
• Rooftop show! Damn Jackals, Jonny Couch, Drager, Trash TV, Damn Jackals, Drager, Jonny Couch, and trash tv are playing Our Wicked Lady on Wednesday, August 14th.
• The Mystery Lights is playing Berlin on Wednesday, August 14th.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Wednesday, August 14th at 7pm.
• KISS is playing Prudential Center on Wednesday, August 14th at 7pm.
• Mutual Benefit is playing Mercury Lounge on Thursday, August 15th.
• Backstreet Boys is playing Barclays Center in Boerum Hill on Thursday, August 15th at 8pm.
• John Fogerty is playing Radio City Music Hall in Midtown on Thursday, August 15th at 8pm.
• Joyce Manor with Saves The Day is playing Webster Hall in Noho / Union Square on Friday, August 16th at 7pm.
• Barry Manilow is playing Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Midtown on Friday, August 16th at 8pm.
• Lil Tjay with Flipp Dinero is playing Gramercy Theatre in Flatiron / Madison Square on Friday, August 16th at 8pm.
• Galactic with Ikebe Shakedown is playing Brooklyn Bowl in Downtown Brooklyn on Friday, August 16th at 8pm.
• Ex Hex and Frankie and the Witch Fingers are playing Industry City Courtyard on Saturday, August 17th.
• Bardo Pond and Sunburned Hand of the Man are playing Mercury Lounge on Saturday, August 17th.
• Beck with Spoon and Sunflower Bean and Cage The Elephant are playing Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills on Saturday, August 17th at 5pm.

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

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New York Fact

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

• Manhattan, Kansas is nicknamed "The Little Apple"

Weather

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:
Record High: 103°F on August 9, 2001
Record Low: 54°F on August 8, 1903

Weather for the week ahead:
Light rain today through Wednesday, with high temperatures bottoming out at 81°F on Sunday.

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com