Monday Bulletin: COVID Milestone, Helen Rosenthal Out of Comptroller Race, Some Libraries Reopen for Grab-and-Go

Photo by Ellen Joy of Sunday night’s Manhattanhenge.

July 13, 2020 Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 87 degrees.

Notices:
Our calendar is full of events you can enjoy from home.

A found gold bracelet listed in last week’s bulletin has been returned to its owner, who learned about it through the Rag!

News:
No COVID deaths were reported in New York City on Friday, July 11th, four months after the city’s first official death from the disease was recorded, on March 11th. But we’re not out of the woods yet, experts told NBCNewYork. “New York’s early experience is a ready-made blueprint for states now finding themselves swamped by the disease. It could also come in handy at home, as the region readies for a potential second wave of infection that experts predict will likely come at some point.” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said, “The big thing, for me, is to shut down swiftly, open up slowly and make sure there’s an infrastructure for communities we know are going to be impacted the most.”

UWS Councilmember Helen Rosenthal has withdrawn from NYC’s 2021 comptroller’s race, and won’t be running for any other office that year, she told Gotham Gazette. The reason is, “she no longer sees a path to victory. ‘I think the campaign was going very well in 2019,’ she said of the initial phase of her run. ‘But at the beginning of 2020, I knew that I had to hit some pretty significant benchmarks in order to have a viable campaign…And the way 2020 unfolded, it became very clear that I wasn’t going to be able to hit those marks.’” In 2021, Rosenthal will be term-limited out of her City Council seat, which she has held since 2013.

Eight branches of the city’s three public library systems, including the George Bruce Library on West 125th Street off Amsterdam Avenue, will reopen today, July 13th, for limited “grab-and-go service,” the NYPL announced. “New Yorkers can access a small area of the open branches to pick up and return checkouts placed online or on the phone (the process will be contactless) …To keep staff and patrons as safe as possible, the three library systems are following guidelines outlined by safety experts, government partners, and library trade organizations. For example, all returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours before being recirculated.”

And congratulations to the UWS’ own Stationery and Toy World (72nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam) for being named by Kev’s Best one of the 5 Best Stationery Stores in New York. We already knew that, and wrote about them here. Kev’s Best said, “Stationery and Toy World is Manhattan’s Upper West Side toy, game, and hobby shop. Their shelves are stocked with an extensive selection of papers and pens. Look no more for other school supply stores because they also have many choices for your needs.”

Correction: We originally wrote that 22 library branches were reopening. In fact, the first eight of 22 branches scheduled to reopen began grab-and-go service today. We will keep you posted about future branch reopenings.