Happy Thursday in New York City, which today celebrates a holiday of such civic pride that it may as well be our high holy day: National Bagel Day.
New York City does many things better than other cities: better water, better theater, a more ruthless public isolationism. But our greatest product is the humble bagel. A quick Google search will show that there is no self-respecting list-maker online who ranks any other city than New York as the bagel capital of the country, and perhaps the world.
Certain bagel shops will be offering deals today, which means you can catch me ordering an everything bagel with lox, cream cheese, onions and capers. The Platonic ideal.
What will you be eating to celebrate this momentous day? What would you never eat in a million years to celebrate this momentous day (as in, any bagel involving dill or raisins)? Let us know at [email protected]!
A bill, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, to once more allow whole milk in school meal programs is headed to the president’s desk for a final signature. “It’s a win for students, schools and New York agriculture,” Sen. Gillibrand said.
Several locations of PureGym, including four in Brooklyn, are being investigated for violations of the city’s fire code after a video of a woman appearing to get stuck in one of the gym’s unique door pods went viral.
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum received a $20,000 grant from the Ponce de Leon Foundation to support BCM’s cultural festivals in 2026.
An Orlando-based gun retailer was accused of illegally shipping firearms, ghost guns and high-capacity magazines into New York. The owner sold over 1,300 rounds of ammunition to an undercover police officer between January and May 2025 and faces up to 25 years in prison.
A two-alarm fire that tore through a building in Sunset Park left 57 residents displaced and living in temporary housing provided by the American Red Cross.
The ninth annual Swamp in the City Cajun & Creole Music Festival returns to Red Hook from May 7–10, 2026. Event highlights include a kickoff party, a neighborhood pub crawl and a crawfish boil.
The Brooklyn Nets took home their fifth consecutive loss, this time against the team with the NBA’s worst record, the New Orleans Pelicans.
Our World In Photos
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
JAPAN — Nothing like chillin’ in a hot bath: Japanese monkeys bathe in a hot spring in the snow, at Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden in Hakodate city, Hokkaido, northern Japan, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
For more pictures like this, see Our World in Photos.
Brooklyn-born artist reflects on his multifaceted life, roots in Kings County, beating cancer — and what it was like to work with Kiss
The exterior of Stabin’s museum, located at 268 West Broadway in Jim Thorpe, PA.
Photo courtesy of Victor Stabin
Victor Stabin is more than an acclaimed painter, illustrator and author. The artist is also a cancer survivor and lover of all things Brooklyn — particularly, the neighborhood where he was born 71 years ago and where his family flourished entrepreneurially.
Stabin is quite well known for creating the cover art for “Unmasked,” the eighth studio album by iconic New York-based rock band Kiss in 1980.
The Mini
Our solver finished in 1 minute 17 seconds. Can you beat it?
Cartoon Sketchbook
By R.J. Matson
For the Road
Shutter shock: Emphasis Restaurant, a longtime Greek-American staple in Bay Ridge, served its final customers on Jan. 9 after more than two decades in operation. “We didn’t close the store, we sold the store,” one of the owners explained. The new buyers, who were consistent patrons of the restaurant for the last decade, said the Emphasis name will remain. Renovations are expected. Read on to learn more.
Happy Birthday to “Mr. Worldwide” himself, rapper and producer, Pitbull!
On This Day in 1938, the Eagle reported, “A reprimand by the Federal Communications Commission of the National Broadcasting Company’s ‘Adam and Eve’ skit featuring Mae West drew from Congressmen today suggestions for a self-imposed censorship by the broadcasting industry.”
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