Happy Thursday! Now that the MetroCard is a relic of the past, how soon before that old card I found hiding in the back pocket of my least favorite pair of jeans becomes worth something?
It may not take as long as you think. Already, the classic blue-and-yellow cards are being listed on eBay for anywhere from $10 to $5,000. While the high end of that range remains… aspirational, hundreds of customers have shelled out tens or hundreds of dollars for the slivers of plastic that once cost a buck at the subway machine.
Some mint-condition special edition cards have even sold for thousands. It’s a shocking resurgence in value for an object so disposable that people used to buy new ones rather than refill their old cards simply because it required hitting fewer buttons.
Like former star athletes hawking memorabilia or washed-up actors chasing quick cash on the Cameo app, the MetroCard’s second act as a collector’s item may lack the import of its old days, gatekeeping transit access for millions of New Yorkers — but man, I guess that’s where the money is.
A federal judge disqualified U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III, discarding his subpoenas against Attorney General Letitia James.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani appoints Christine Clarke, a noted civil rights attorney, to head the city’s Commission on Human Rights.
The Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation concluded that the actions of police officers were not unjustified in the May 12, 2024, shooting death of Christin Emile, who was armed at the time. Specifically, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers’ actions were justified under New York law.
Mayor Mamdani defended his newly-appointed executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, who is facing backlash for her 2017 ‘white supremacy’ posts.
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act was signed into law yesterday. The bill, sponsered by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, expands access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service.
Yesterday, NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn marked the 10-year anniversary of its merger with Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park by bringing in food trucks for staff and patients and handing out goodie bags.
An 88-space battery-backed EV charging depot in Williamsburg is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2026.
PS9 Pet Supplies, a pet store in Williamsburg for more than 20 years, faces possible closure, prompting residents to mobilize in an effort to keep the small business alive.
The Bensonhurst GameStop, located at 6713 18th Ave., will permanently close today, Jan. 8.
Brooklyn Nets rookie Egor Dёmin scored an acrobatic 3-pointer with 5.3 seconds left in overtime during Wednesday night’s game between the Nets and Orlando Magic.
Our World In Photos
Photo: Anupam Nath/AP
INDIA — Could there be a greater contrast in leg mass in nature? A Great Egret walks near a one-horned Rhinoceros as migratory birds arrive at a wetland in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
For more pictures like this, see Our World in Photos.
🔎 Today’s ballot watch
Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10) on Tuesday, the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, launched his re-election campaign for New York’s 10th Congressional District (Western Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan) with endorsements from Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others.
He also released a video highlighting his leadership “standing up to Donald Trump,” harkening back to his role as the House’s chief investigator during Trump’s first-term impeachment, and played up accomplishments including authorship of the ROBINHOOD Act, designed to make billionaires “pay their fair share.”
Goldman admitted in a New York Times interview that his staunch support for Israel could cost him votes in his progressive district. He also faces some local friction over his stewardship of the development of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in the Red Hook area.
Goldman faces stiff opposition from former Comptroller Brad Lander, who issued a statement Tuesday saying, in part, “Dan Goldman literally chummed it up with Don Jr. on vacation in the Bahamas, praising Trump’s Israel policy.” Lander’s campaign played up his own work “stopping evictions, building new housing, passing paid sick leave and protecting immigrants from ICE,” and released a video featuring praise by members of the disabled community.
Before his role as comptroller, Lander was a member of the City Council representing many Brooklyn neighborhoods overlapping D-10, including Carroll Gardens, Gowanus and the Columbia Waterfront.
Lander received endorsements from Mayor Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Lander was also endorsed by the New York Working Families Party.
The two Democrats will face off in a primary on June 23, 2026.
The Mini
Our solver finished in 1 minute 46 seconds. Can you beat it?
Cartoon Sketchbook
For the Road
Get Emo: Oh My Rockness is giving away a pair of tickets to Emo Night Brooklyn, scheduled for Jan. 24 at the Brooklyn Paramount. The 21-and-over event will feature rotating sets and guest appearances by artists including Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens, Craig Owens of Chiodos, Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, Hit the Lights, Nothing, Nowhere, Mason Musso of Metro Station and Social Order and CARR. Enter the giveaway by Jan. 22.
Happy Birthday to rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Bowie, who was born on this day in 1947.
On This Day in 1928, the Eagle reported, “Brooklyn within the past two years has had an amazing building growth, with still greater promise in store for the future.”
Got a tip? Send it in to [email protected].