The New York Police Department’s use of plainclothes officers and an unmarked minivan to haul away a vandalism suspect during a protest Tuesday created confusion and drew outrage from people who compared it to covert tactics used recently by federal agents in Portland, Oregon. Bystander video of 18-year-old Nikki Stone’s arrest spread quickly on social media, along with comments such as “nypd is out here KIDNAPPING protesters off of the street.” Another tweet compared the police to an African terrorist group, saying: “When Boko Haram does this there is international outrage.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would be in favor of re-examining if the city seal holds up to contemporary scrutiny. “It’s the kind of thing a commission should look at carefully and decide if it still makes sense for the 21st century,” de Blasio said Monday at his daily news conference. A city commission selected the seal in 1914 to unite all five boroughs under one flag and seal. Joe Baker, the co-founder and executive director of the Lenape Center, says the Native American man on the seal is “cartoonish” and that the seal ignores the history of violence and destruction inflicted on indigenous people by settlers. “It has the little Dutchman and the little Indian, and everyone is standing there in a very erect posture with the eagle above,” said Baker.

Officials in at least 28 states are urging residents to report any unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to have been sent from China because they could be harmful. The agricultural departments in those states released statements in recent days saying residents had reported receiving packages of seeds in the mail that they had not ordered. “Based on information provided by constituents, the packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them,” the Delaware Department of Agriculture said in a statement Monday. “All contained some sort of seed packet either alone, with jewelry, or another inexpensive item.” The seeds are believed to be an invasive species that can harm plants and livestock. People are being told not to open the packages and to not plant the seeds.

Damiana Reyes is back at work at a busy Manhattan hair salon, making highlights, blowouts and extensions. But her mind often drifts to her father, with whom she lived in Queens, before he succumbed to the coronavirus at age 76. “All my clients ask about him and then, when I return home, people ask me in the street where he is. It’s a constant reminder that he is not around anymore,” said Reyes, who thinks her father got sick while playing dominoes at a day care center for elders. The pandemic has changed Reyes’ life and those of many in Corona, a Latino neighborhood in Queens that was among the hardest hit places in the world.

Ride-sharing scooter startup Revel said Tuesday it is suspending operations in New York City after a second fatal crash in less than two weeks. Revel tweeted that service “will be shut down until further notice” as it reviews safety and rider accountability measures. The company’s app alerted riders to the news. Mayor Bill de Blasio said city officials spoke to Revel executives on Tuesday and made clear the company’s safety record is “an unacceptable state of affairs.” “When you see an incident, a few incidents, it causes concern,” de Blasio said. “Our people have been talking to Revel, and they’ve been making changes, but not enough changes is the bottom line.

The Venetian Cafe on Route 42 in South Fallsburg was destroyed by a fire overnight. The fire started at around 3:00AM, and numerous fire departments from around Sullivan County were called to assist in extinguishing the blaze. At 4:30AM, firefighters were still trying to bring the fire under control. The restaurant is a dairy establishment, and is frequented by many people. Fire investigators were requested to the scene to determine what caused the blaze. Catskills Hatzolah was on the scene assisting, but thankfully, there were no injuries reported. The well-known Bordeaux Steakhouse in Flatbush is the same owner as the Venetian Cafe. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Socialist Mayor Bill DeBlasio has a new idea how to curb the out-of-control-gun violence plaguing NYC and parts of Brooklyn: Cooking classes and a swimming pool. Yes, you read correctly. The new “recreational center” will be located at Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, and community engagement will begin in the Fall. NYS Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte announced that the center will be named Shirley Chisholm after the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. It will feature a state of the art indoor pool, indoor two-lane track, and a kitchen for cooking classes, according to Bichotte. Apparently, the Mayor believes that a cooking class will be the solution, and not to reverse his decision and put the NYPD Plainclothes “anti-crime” Officers back on the streets.

Forecasters called for several days of dangerously high temperatures and humidity as a second heat wave hits the city on Monday. A Heat Advisory is in effect for all five boroughs until 8 p.m. Tuesday. The expected heat wave comes days after the city experienced its first heat wave of the summer last week. RealFeel temperatures on Monday and Tuesday are expected to approach or surpass 100 degrees. Relief from some of the heat and humidity arrives with arrives after evening thunderstorms on Tuesday. Temperatures cool down a bit on Wednesday. The high will be 88 degrees, but it will feel more like the mid-90s. ☀️Temperatures will be in the upper 90s this afternoon but will feel like 100°F! A Heat Advisory is in effect for both today and tomorrow.

Because of pandemic precautions, the ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack will not include one of the most poignant parts of previous memorials — the personal messages spoken by families of victims. In a letter to family members Friday, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said recorded name readings from the museum’s “In Memoriam” exhibition will be used instead of having family members read the names in person. Relatives are invited to gather on the memorial plaza in lower Manhattan for an event adhering to state and federal coronavirus pandemic safety guidelines. But “out of an abundance of caution and in line with the guidance regarding social distancing,” family members won’t give tributes on stage.

New York’s quest to keep voters safe from COVID-19 by letting them vote by mail in the June primary has led to big delays in tabulating results, concerns about disenfranchisement — and questions about whether there will be an even bigger mess in the fall. Election officials say it will take them until early August to finish counting a tidal wave of absentee ballots that overwhelmed a system which typically handles only around 5% of the vote. About 1.8 million New Yorkers requested mail-in ballots for New York’s primary. Voting ended June 23, but the results of many races, including two closely watched congressional primaries, are still unknown.