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Facts vs. Fear

The National Guard is out, the NBA is suspended, and the first—hopefully the last—New York City public schools have temporarily closed in light of the Coronavirus outbreak.

There is plenty of conversation about the disease, and plenty of debate about how governments are responding. It's important to keep tight hold on the facts, both to protect your own health and assess how officials are handling it.

The daily situation reports by the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are helpful, and the city's main information page contains some other resources.

City Limits reporters are out in their home neighborhoods, tracking how the virus and the response are affecting life there. If you see something noteworthy about how the Coronavirus is affecting life in your part of the city, please let me know.

In a crisis, it's important to look beyond official pronouncements and the centers or activity to see how the emergency is shaping everyday life. You can help us do that.

Stay well,
Jarrett Murphy, executive editor

Voices of New York

School Absences Rise in Chinatown Amid Coronavirus Epidemic
At P.S. 124, the Yung Wing School in Chinatown, where more than 90 percent of students are Asian, more than 50 – or 10 to 15 percent of students – missed school on March 10.

Chinese Restaurants in Sunset Park Close Temporarily Amid Coronavirus Epidemic
Several Chinese restaurants in Sunset Park have decided to close temporarily to prevent coronavirus from spreading, and to relieve economic pressure on their businesses.

COVID-19's Hidden Airport Crisis: Uninsured Immigrant Workers
Union members are calling on lawmakers to pass a bill that would provide airport workers with supplemental pay to buy health insurance.

Seeking a New Rhythm: NYers Tap into Arabic Percussion
‘I have evolved my own identity based on the different cultures I’ve been interacting with.’

City Council Seeks To Stop ICE Abuse in New York Hospitals
A City Council hearing discussed alleged abuses committed by immigration officers against detained people who are hospitalized in the city.

City Stat

The Department of Investigations referred 712 cases for criminal prosecution in fiscal year 2019, and its investigations led to 549 arrests -- the lowest numbers in three years.

See the data from the Mayor's Management Report.

Una Ciudad sin Límites

City Limits en Español

‘Downzoning’: Confrontación por proyecciones de vivienda que condujo al estancamiento de Bushwick
Entre otras disputas, ambas partes discutieron sobre lo que podría parecer una simple cuestión de hecho: si la visión de los locales para el vecindario —el plan comunitario de Bushwick, que la administración rechazó— era o no una re-clasificación de la zona para reducir la intensidad del uso de la tierra.

Mapping the Future

City Doing Hundreds of Homeless ‘Clean-Ups’ Each Year
Critics say sending teams of cops, sanitation workers and outreach personnel to roust people from their makeshift homes is punishing victims rather than addressing the homelessness problem.

Emergency Grants Can Help Stop Homelessness — if You Have a Lawyer
Nearly 900,000 families may have received 'one-shot deals' from the city over the past decade, but chances are only those who had an attorney—as well as a check—avoided eviction.

Immediate Steps Seen for Sunnyside Development Plan
The de Blasio administration’s vision will take decades to realize. But in the near term, a subway station must be funded and a nonprofit steering entity created, amid deep concerns from some local advocates.

City Views

Opinion: The Rights of Three-Quarter House Residents Still Don’t Matter
A recent court ruling ‘is just the latest in a storied history of a systemic disregard for the dignity and humanity of people who live in three-quarter houses.’

Opinion: Sunnyside Yards Master Plan Sits on a Deck of Myths
'Decking over the180 acres of these rail yards isn’t the answer to the challenges facing Queens residents.'

Opinion: Funding for Public Financing is Essential to Fight for Equality in NYS
'It’s also important to note that the governor did not include any funding for a reform fundamental to all of these issues: the state’s new public financing program.'

Job Board

Uniondale Community Land Trust, Inc.
Executive Director

U-CLT is seeking a highly motivated, passionate, and experienced leader with a commitment to affordable housing development for the multifaceted role of Executive Director. The Executive Director will work closely with the Board of Directors to provide vision and leadership to the organization, and will be involved in all phases of program operations. This includes program and project management, real estate finance and development, budgeting, grant writing, and fundraising. Direct experience with a CLT is preferred but not required.

City Limits
Grants and Business Administrator

Join our non-profit digital news agency team in a key broad based business role that supports the growth of the organization by managing critical business administration functions including grant administration, bookkeeping, business administration.