Coney Island Mermaid Parade set to return after ‘urgent financial crisis’

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ⛅ Partly sunny, highs in the upper 70s.

It's Tuesday in New York City, where the 44th annual Mermaid Parade will return to Coney Island this summer after all.

In early March, the beloved neighborhood parade looked like it might be canceled after organizers said they were facing an "urgent financial crisis."

But after the nonprofit’s GoFundMe campaign took in thousands of dollars and blew past multiple fundraising targets, the June 20 event appears to be back on.

Here's what else is happening:

• New Jersey's work to remove lead paint from homes has surged in recent years thanks to pandemic-era federal relief funding. What happens when the money runs out?
• Mayor Zohran Mamdani is inviting certain municipal employees with young children to apply for free child care as part of a city pilot program launching this fall.
  • The mayor is also launching the city’s first scholarship program for municipal workers to pursue associate and bachelor’s degrees.
• The NYPD said police fatally shot a pit bull after it bit someone in the Rockaways last night.
• The murder trial of a man accused of killing an NYPD officer in Queens two years ago is scheduled to wind down today, as prosecutors and a defense attorney deliver their closing arguments to jurors.
• New York City is launching an anti-street harassment ad campaign, urging New Yorkers — in English and Spanish — to stop cat-calling.
• The head of New York City’s teachers union is telling state lawmakers to vote against the budget if it doesn’t include better pension benefits for his members.
• April arrives tomorrow, and with it, eight excellent concerts to put on your calendar.
  • Want more curated events listings and tips on how to spend your spring in New York City? Subscribe to our weekly Looped In newsletter.

• Yet another spring tip: Donate your clothes.
• Regulars at Forest Park in Queens and Silver Lake Park on Staten Island want to join Central Park and Prospect Park in going 100% car-free.
• The New York Post reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stopped by a Nassau County event last night to hear small business owners "rave about how they are making ends meet in the current economy under President Trump."
• Renderings of the over-budget-and-behind-schedule borough-based jails, which are intended to eventually replace Rikers Island, look impressive.
• Renderings of the Trump presidential library tower destined for downtown Miami look shiny.
• The U.S. Army said it's reviewing why exactly two Apache helicopters stopped by Kid Rock's backyard over the weekend.
• Bigfoot truthers are stressing about recently uncovered footage that seems to reveal that Bigfoot is a hoax.