Every year, the society of journalists who cover New York City politics and call themselves the "Inner Circle" throws a variety show sponsored by massive corporate interests that makes fun of, and features, the mayor. The press gets to huff the rarefied air of the most powerful person they cover, a few thousand bucks go to a slew of different charities, and many awful puns are made and sung. It's bad. It's embarrassing! It should be abolished. 

At this year's event, Mayor Eric Adams dressed up like a priest, smashed a bunch of "rats" (eggs) with Tony-nominated actor Jeannette Bayardelle, and in a prepared bit, read out a few tweets that criticized his We ♥️ NYC campaign.

OK, so the mayor stiffly read this gag off a teleprompter, but nevertheless: Eric Adams uttered the words "Hell Gate" in reference to the not-quite-one-year-old website that you are reading right now. 

We're not exactly living rent-free in the mayor's head (we would never contribute to the "urban doom spiral" by freeloading precious commercial real estate like that) but we are clearly making some bleary-eyed City Hall scribe's eye twitch a little bit, and isn't that nice?

Thank you for supporting Hell Gate and worker-owned local news. Onward!

More links to smash like, uh, rats:

• The MTA is finally getting around to putting OMNY vending machines in stations, but the program itself won't replace MetroCards until 2025 now.
• This Brooklyn Republican City Council candidate is going for the "Full Santos." Can she prevail?
• Brooklyn "Bishop" Lamar Whitehead is being sued for $5 million for allegedly locking a different congregation out of their church.
• If you are a commercial real estate broker looking to FILL SOME OFFICE SPACE in Midtown, please drop Hell Gate a line.
• The NYPD now has two dozen electric cop cars to park in bus and bike lanes.
• The NYPD's departmental trial of the officers who shot and killed Kawaski Trawick while he was suffering a mental health crisis began on Monday with the audio of the aftermath of the 2019 shooting. When asked by a dispatcher if anyone was injured, one of the officers replied, "Just a perp."
• One of the sticking points in the maybe-done-by-Friday state budget: how to deal with gray-market weed shops. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters he wants to shut them down, but not with the massive fines previously proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul.
• Also reportedly part of the budget talks: raising New York's minimum wage to $17/hour by 2026, which is still less than other, cheaper states in the union. Come on, Albany.
• Duh.
• This article about how to throw a block party is nice but it raises a bigger question: Why is it such a pain in the ass to throw a block party?