Monday, April 20, 2026
Today’s SCOOP is brought to you by our members.
Dear New Yorkers,
It once schlepped people and cars on Rhode Island. Then it flirted with becoming a floating beer garden before being unceremoniously left adrift in the East River’s Anable Basin.
Now the Prudence Ferry is eyeing a second life — as an artificial reef that will house sea anemones, sponges, mussels, barnacles and, of course, fish.
But before she’s sunk, she’s getting a clean-up job from volunteers who are stripping the ferry of paint, wires, oils and other toxic materials.
It’s all part of a decades-long effort to repurpose industrial materials, vessels and even old rail cars to create a habitat for marine life.
“It doesn’t take very long,” said Chris LaPorta, the reef coordinator from the state Department of Conservation. “As soon as fish find it — literally, they could be on it within a day — the growth begins.”
Read more about Prudence’s transformation.
Weather 🌥️
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
MTA 🚇
In Queens, no Flushing-bound 7 trains at 103 St. Corona Plaza. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Alternate side parking 🚙
It’s in effect today, April 20.
By the way…
New Yorkers can now apply to HEAP, a federal program that helps low-income households cool their homes.
Our Other Top Stories
- Labor unions are urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to veto a City Council bill aimed at restricting protests around educational facilities, saying the “radical overreach” limits free speech and endangers New Yorkers. Unlike a similar measure related to religious sites, the education-related bill passed 30-19, without a veto-proof majority.
- The union representing more than 34,000 luxury residential building doormen and porters said it reached a tentative agreement with a prominent landlord group, averting a strike ahead of a Monday deadline.
Things To Do
Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.
- Monday, April 20: The Art Students League presents a week-long celebration of comics and narrative arts featuring classes, panel discussions, cosplay sketches, portfolio reviews and a mini comic con. Free, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
- Monday, April 20: Join the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute for a conversation with Maria Ressa on journalism in the age of disinformation, AI, social media, and the growing use of the legal system against journalists and the press. Free, at 4:00 p.m. RSVP here.
- Tuesday, April 21: Attend an early, free screening of the movie “Deep Water,” at Regal Union Square about a survival-driven thriller that follows a commercial flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai that crashes into the Pacific Ocean. Free, at 6:15 p.m., get passes here but first-come, first-served.
THE KICKER: The parents of Park Slope were very receptive to a prank post inviting them to a get-together about parenting and marijuana.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Monday.
Love,
THE CITY
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