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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, The company that owns Madison Square Garden has donated the maximum dollars allowed to more than a dozen City Council campaigns — while the Council readies to vote on the Midtown arena’s permit, and weighs a bill that would end its controversial use of facial recognition technology. Campaign finance records show the Madison Square Garden Political Action Committee donated $1,050 each to 13 2023 campaigns, including those of Democratic Councilmembers Linda Lee and Robert Holden of Queens, Justin Brannan of Brooklyn, Keith Powers of Manhattan, Kevin Riley of The Bronx, and Staten Island’s Kamillah Hanks.  That’s the maximum allowed for campaigns participating in the city’s public funds matching program. By donating through a PAC, MSG chief executive James Dolan sidesteps a strict $250 per candidate limit on Council campaign donations from people whose companies have deals pending before city government. Read more here.  In other news: NYPD Okays New Limits on Response to Public Protests The NYPD has agreed to take steps to limit the intensity of the police response to public protests under a settlement reached Tuesday to four federal lawsuits stemming from the 2020 racial justice protests. The agreement with plaintiffs, who include state Attorney General Letitia James, also prohibits the NYPD from penning in large groups of protesters and arresting them — a tactic known as “kettling.”  And it identifies a host of minor offenses, such as disorderly conduct, trespassing and unlawful assembly, where an officer must now obtain the approval of a high-ranking officer before making an arrest at a protest. You can read more on the terms of the settlement here, here and here. — Yoav Gonen   New Yorkers Sue After Being Shifted Around City Shelters Three dozen New Yorkers who were bounced between shelters as the city moved unhoused people into and then out of vacant hotel rooms during the height of COVID-19 have filed notices that they intend to sue for allegedly transferring them haphazardly and repeatedly, with some losing days of work or missed essential medical appointments as a result. One woman alleges she was fired from her job at NYCHA after she missed work due to the transfers. Others allege shelter staff threw out their belongings, with one man losing his only photo of his deceased mother.  “I just wished they treated us more humanely,” said 56-year-old home health aide Patricia Glover. “It’s very dehumanizing. It traumatized me, it really did.” The suits are being brought by lawyers for the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center, and the plaintiffs plan to rally outside of Brad Lander’s office on Wednesday to call on the comptroller to resolve their claims before they formally file suit against the city.  — Gwynne Hogan Some other items of note: Nearly a decade ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated the triangular patch of land formerly occupied by the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company in Ridgewood, Queens, as a Superfund site. But before the EPA could clean it up, the businesses there had to leave. Some were concerned about finding a new location and defied court orders to pack up. One of two remaining businesses is moving to a new location in Greenpoint this week, while another is shutting down — meaning that the clean-up will soon begin. The city and the MTA announced Tuesday that social media platforms have agreed to take down content showing subway surfers. Stunt riding on the outside of subway cars has, according to the MTA, resulted in five fatalities this year — the same number of total deaths from 2018 to 2022. Mayor Eric Adams blamed the “overproliferation” of daredevil social media posts for driving dangerous behavior. Meanwhile, an MTA spokesperson hailed Google, Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat and TikTok for developing algorithms that flag subway surfing videos and for sharing “content that affirmatively discourages this kind of behavior.” The mayor may be about done with COVID, but is COVID done with New York City? That and much gets discussed on a new back-to-school episode of the FAQ NYC podcast.  New Yorkers are experiencing a heat wave this week. Here is THE CITY’s guide for what to do if your apartment gets too hot — plus, how to legally open the fire hydrants on your block. Stay safe out there (and remember to check in on your neighbors). Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 3/10. A heat advisory remains in effect today, with high temperatures in the mid 90s and lots of sunshine expected. Rising dew points will bring heat index values into the upper 90s later this afternoon. The vibes are uncomfortable out there. Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Saturday, Sept. 9: Growing Mushrooms in the Garden, a workshop teaching how to grow gourmet mushrooms either indoors or outdoors using low-cost tools. East Fourth Street Community Garden, Brooklyn. 2-4 p.m. Free. Saturday, Sept. 9: Queens Memory Project’s Community Weaving Project, a fabric-based art workshop facilitated by Queens-based artist Antonia Perez about “memories and ideas of home.” Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City. 1:30-3:30 p.m. Free with RSVP. Saturday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 10: Parade of Trains, an opportunity to ride the Transit Museum’s vintage subway cars. The trains can be boarded at the Coney Island-bound B/Q platform at the Kings Highway station in Brooklyn or the Manhattan-bound B/Q platform at Brighton Beach. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free with your subway fare. THE KICKER: As of yesterday, new trash regulations are in place for businesses with five or more locations around NYC. These businesses now have to use garbage containers with tight lids instead of just bags. It’s part of the city’s efforts to curb the rat population. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday. Love, THE CITY P.S. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here.

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