Bronx: New York City’s borough facing public-health and safety headlines, from Legionella to immigration enforcement and high-profile political discourse.
New Yorkers will see five city-owned grocery stores offering a 30% discount on a core basket of goods, funded by a $70 million capital budget and run by private operators. Officials say no ID will be required to shop, but questions about logistics, subsidies, and price stability have sparked a wave of scrutiny from critics.
Vincent Pastore, famed for his role as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died at age 80. Reports say he was found at his Bronx home; his former colleagues praise his loyalty and charity. Pastore also appeared in Goodfellas, Awakenings, Law & Order, and other projects across four decades.
Arlene Smith, founder of the Chantels, has died in New York at 84. Smith helped spark a wave of girl groups in the 1950s with the hit “Maybe,” elevating Black female voices in doo-wop and shaping pop history. Her career later included teaching music in New York schools.
New York City is moving to open five government-run grocery stores by 2029 to address food affordability. The plan, inspired by Atlanta’s Azalea Fresh Market, uses subsidies to lower core-food prices and seeks experienced grocers to operate the stores. The initiative follows a broader debate over food deserts and market-based solutions.
The NYPD says two hate-crime incidents at Orthodox synagogues are under investigation after bags of motor oil were thrown at two Brooklyn/Queens temples. Authorities are ramping up security as antisemitic incidents rise; a Bronx suspect has been linked to a separate deli shooting and a wider spree is under review.
A raft of moves in MLS and NWSL, including Esther Gonze1lez 's Saudi signing and Julian Hall 's MLS extension, have reshaped careers and raised questions about professionalism, pay, and league dynamics.
The Multicultural Business Coalition has filed two lawsuits in New York state court challenging Mayor Mamdani’s plan to open five city‑run grocery stores by 2029, arguing it will harm small, minority‑owned stores and that the city failed to conduct proper studies. The suits seek to halt rollout and demand rigorous analysis.
A blaze at the Albany Houses in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, has killed an 18-year-old man and injured another after a lithium-ion battery is believed to have sparked the fire. Fire crews extinguished the flames within an hour of reporting. Authorities say the cause remains under investigation and no identity has been released.
Democrats face a challenging stretch as the 2026 midterms approach. The GOP is staging a two-day event in Dallas with Trump appearing again; Vance headlines, and a plan to send every adult $5,000 sparks debate. Polls show mixed views on AI and economic concerns. The events are shaping the political landscape.
The Health Department has identified a likely Legionnaires’ disease cluster in the South Bronx, with ten cases including one death. Cooling towers are being drained and disinfected while tests confirm whether the bacteria are alive. Yankees Stadium towers are not linked to current cases, and officials are urging those in Melrose and Morrisania with flu-like symptoms to seek care.
A Bronx jury has convicted Jancys Santiago of first-degree rape in a 2001 case and has sentenced him to 25 years, to run consecutively with a 20-year sentence for a separate 2000 Manhattan home invasion rape. The case used investigative genetic genealogy to identify Santiago after decades-long cold cases were reopened. The judge has also issued a permanent protection order and sex offender registration.
Federal immigration agents have shot and wounded a 28-year-old man in the Marble Hill area of the Bronx at about 4pm on Thursday; a five-year-old child was in the vehicle and is believed to be physically unharmed. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called the incident "unconscionable" and has phoned President Donald Trump to demand an end to ICE operations in the city.
Federal officers have shot a man in Manhattan during an arrest, with a 5-year-old in the car. The man survived and is being treated in hospital. DHS says officers fired because they believed their lives were in danger; critics describe the incident as a danger of federal immigration enforcement in the city. Local officials call for more oversight and transparency.