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COURIER LIFE, DEC.12 31, 2021-JAN. 6, 2022
YEAR IN REVIEW
The mayor unveiled plans to prop up the crumbling BQE in
August.
over 3,500 marijuana
cases, virtually clearing
docket of Brooklyn
weed charges: Brooklyn
District Attorney Eric
Gonzalez asked for, and a
judge granted, a motion
to clear over 3,500 marijuana
cases from the borough’s
docket, scrubbing
almost all weed-related
cases, including warrants
and guilty pleas,
from the record books.
AUGUST
City mandates proof
of vaccination for indoor
dining, fi tness,
entertainment: The
city announced its first
COVID vaccine mandate
in August, a sign
of things to come. The
fi rst mandate, dubbed
“Key to NYC,” required
businesses to verify at
least one dose of the
jab before being allowed
to participate in
indoor dining, fitness,
or entertainment like
movies or theater. This
and other mandates profoundly
shaped the city’s
political, economic, and
social climate going forward.
Mayor unveils plan
to prop up crumbling
BQE until 2040: The
city wants to extend the
lifespan of the dangerously
decaying Brooklyn
Queens Expressway
at the Brooklyn
waterfront by almost 20
years, giving offi cials
nearly two more decades
to come up with an actual
plan for what to do
with the ailing highway,
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.
While ultimate
plans for the roadway
and eyesore are being
left to future administrations,
the mayor’s plan
has included reducing
the number of lanes in
each direction and enforcing
weight limits for
heavy trucks.
Most expensive
apartment lease in
Brooklyn history
signed: A deep-pocketed
New Yorker signed a
$27,000-per-month lease
for an under-construction
penthouse in Downtown
Brooklyn, the most
expensive apartment
lease in Brooklyn history.
The steep rental
contract falls slightly
short of the most expensive
residential in
Brooklyn history overall,
which belongs to a
townhouse in Brooklyn
Heights which rented for
$30,000 in June.
Violent crime falls
in NYC, reversing a
months-long trend:
Crime began to trend
back downwards at the
beginning of August,
reversing a monthslong
trend that came to defi ne
the Democratic primary
for mayor. Overall, the
summer of 2021 was signifi
cantly less violent
than was the summer of
2020.
Andrew Cuomo resigns
as governor:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned
from offi ce in August,
capping off a stunning
fall from grace for
the three-term governor
who had been widely celebrated
early in the pandemic
for his response,
but saw his fortunes
turn after being accused
by multiple women of
sexual harassment and
misconduct. Cuomo’s fi -
nal year in offi ce was defi
ned by scandal, including
sexual harassment,
misreporting COVID
deaths in nursing
homes, and using state
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