There's been a 63 percent increase in the number of shootings at the city's bodegas with six people killed (The New York Times)
A controversial plan to rezone the waterfront in Flushing was approved by a City Council committee after promises to add hundreds of jobs and more affordable housing (Gothamist)
The newest park under the Brooklyn Bridge will be named Emily Roebling Plaza after the engineer who helped design and build the iconic span (New York Post)
Mark your calendars: The public review period for the rezoning of Gowanus starts on January 19th (Brooklyn Paper)
A new NYC real-estate obsession: Move for a better deal after landlord asks for more money, then spite-watch the falling rent on your old place (Curbed)
A humpback whale was spotted in the Hudson River breaching near the Statue of Liberty (NBC News)