Happy Friday in New York City, where the promise of heavy snowfall used to strike joy in the hearts of millions of children.
It’s a tradition that carries a kind of magic unequalled in adult life: refreshing the snow day calculator until the percentage ticks above 90%; sleeping in late and waking up to snow piled high on tree branches and the garbage can; bundling up in mittens and a scarf and taking a sled to the nearest hill. Few things are sweeter for a K-12 student than a snow day.
But with the advent of virtual learning, the classic snow day is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Mayor Mamdani held a press conference this morning where he announced that schools would be open on Monday, either in-person or online, shattering the hopes of expectant children across the five boroughs.
It’s one of the first decisions in what will be a major test for the three-week-old mayor as he prepares for Sunday’s blizzard, a time-honored nemesis of mayors past. “Mayors can’t win snowstorms, they can only lose them,” Eric Phillip, former press secretary for Mayor Bill de Blasio, told Gothamist.
“I knew this moment would come,” Mamdani told reporters. It’s a good thing for him that children can’t vote, or he would have lost a few hundred thousand voters this morning.
With the impending snow, the FDNY requests that residents shovel hydrants out of snow.
And the FDNY released safe heating guidelines for space heaters.
The DMV will close all its offices and its website from Feb. 13 to 18 to implement system upgrades. Appointments scheduled during this time will need to be rescheduled.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams released his annual “Worst Landlord Watchlist.” This year’s number one and two are both associated with the same company.
Two 15-year-old boys were arrested on Thursday and charged with painting dozens of swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti onto playground equipment in Gravesend Park earlier this week.
Nathan’s Famous hot dogs was purchased by the Chinese-owned packaged meat producer Smithfield Foods for around $450 million.
More than 20 Pomeranian-type dogs — including over 15 puppies — were seized from a Greenpoint apartment this week after police found them living in filthy, overcrowded conditions without reliable access to food or water.
Our World In Photos
Photo: Allison Robbert/AP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the era of AI technology, laws like this will increasingly be needed to remedy the harms: Paris Hilton, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., laugh during a news conference promoting the passage of the DEFIANCE Act at the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Washington.
For more pictures like this, see Our World in Photos.
A unique marine haven, 99 miles from NYC, remains unprotected
A squid photographed in Hudson Canyon. Photo: NOAA
Fisheries, local markets and restaurants rely on healthy fish populations in Hudson Canyon. A proposed National Marine Sanctuary designation could protect it from overfishing and potential oil, gas and mineral extraction, but political turmoil, shifting federal priorities and the recent government shutdown stalled the process.
The Mini
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Cartoon Sketchbook
By Christopher Weyant
For the Road
New exhibit: The Brooklyn Museum will host the traveling exhibition “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses,” a tribute to the Dutch fashion designer known for her use of cutting-edge technologies and her avant-garde pieces, this spring. Learn more about the exhibit at brooklyneagle.com.
Happy Birthday to “Saved by the Bell” star Tiffani Thiessen!
On This Day in 1963, the Eagle reported, “Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower has suggested limiting the tenure of members of Congress so ‘we would no longer have the unhappy spectacle of elderly Senators and Congressmen perpetuating themselves in power.’”
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