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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Brooklyn’s Democratic Party just tapped a candidate for a New York judgeship who previously wrote about her “disagreement with the Supreme Court’s reasoning”  in Roe. v. Wade, Now Rachel Freier could be asked to rule on cases involving abortion rights and access for the borough’s 2.5 million residents as a state Supreme Court judge. An Orthodox Jewish mother of six who founded a women-led emergency services provider in Borough Park, Freier wrote in an op-ed ten years ago that “women universally share an innate maternal instinct,” though she didn’t delve into her legal rationale for disagreeing with the Roe decision.   Freier is all but assured a 14-year term: There are six open Supreme Court seats on the ballot in November, with the Democratic Party’s six picks among just seven names on the ballot.  Freier did not reply to a request to clarify her position on abortion and how it might impact her work on the bench.  Read more here. Some other items of note: The office of State Attorney General Letitia James has quietly closed a probe into how a politically connected health network was able to distribute hundreds of hotly coveted COVID vaccine shots in December 2020 — well before the doses were available to the general public. The Moderna shots available via ParCare Community Health Network appeared to violate the state’s stringent rules, which prioritized frontline health care workers only. ParCare’s chief executive, Gary Schlesinger, has ties to James that go back years.  After months of newly licensed weed retailers clamoring for information about the financing New York had promised to help them open stores, word about the first loans finally came out in an earnings call by a private lender. Chicago Atlantic — which in June invested $150 million into a loan fund New York created as part of its social equity plan — revealed in that call it’s already awarded $19 million for 17 retail dispensaries expected to open later this year.  The New York City economy continued to be sluggish in July, losing 8,100 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis. Entertainment industry strikes played a role as the city’s economic recovery from the pandemic continues to lag behind the nation’s overall. On the FAQ NYC podcast, Dave Giffen of the Coalition for the Homeless and Josh Goldfein of The Legal Aid Society talk with THE CITY’s Katie Honan about what Gov. Kathy Hochul should be doing but is not, as "she's apparently forgotten she's also the governor of people who live in New York City"; what Mayor Eric Adams is saying that doesn't hold up, and much more. Listen here.  THE CITY is proud to be recognized by the Online News Association for our excellence and innovation as a ✨winner✨ in Digital Video Storytelling in the 2023 Online Journalism Awards. A special congratulations to reporter Yoav Gonen, who culled through evidence from 36 separate sources to show how then-NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, now Chief of Department, intervened in the case. Afterward, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell sought to discipline Maddrey, against Mayor Eric Adams’s wishes, leading to her resignation. Watch the video here.  You probably received quite a few emails from us last week as we sprinted through our summer fundraising campaign. Thank you for your patience and to everyone who contributed! Our newsroom has been blown away by our readers’ overwhelming generosity. Nearly 600 of you donated to THE CITY and helped us raise a crucial $45,000 in just five days! On behalf of everyone in the newsroom, thank you for helping to power our journalism and keeping it free to read for all New Yorkers. If you missed our campaign and would still like to contribute, here is our permanent donate link.  Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday's Weather Rating: 8/10. Okay, hear us out — we're going to start the morning with showers and storms (some strong), but this afternoon a cold front will sweep away the humidity. A gorgeous afternoon and evening is on tap with comfortable conditions. The vibes are rising!! Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Friday, Aug. 18: Shakespeare on the Beach, with a performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” through Sun. Aug 20, at Beach 94th Street and Shorefront Parkway, Rockaway Beach. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Free. Saturday, Aug. 19: August Farmhouse Family Day, with clay leaf printing activities, at Wyckoff Family Museum in Brooklyn. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Sunday, Aug. 20: Endea Owens: The Community Cookout at Marcus Garvey Park Sankofa Pavilion in Harlem, 3 p.m. Free. (Plan ahead: This is the first of many free events connected to the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival next week.) THE KICKER: A new community mural called “Girl Wonder,” painted by participants in the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program, is now finished on West 84th Street near Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side. The mural is “about how the dreams of one person can draw from a community, and, at the same time, contribute to that community.” Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday. Love, THE CITY P.S. 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