Joe Macken, a truck driver from upstate New York, turned a basement hobby into a 50-foot replica of New York City that went viral on TikTok and landed a spot at one of Manhattan's most prominent museums. Macken's model, built from balsa wood, foam board, and Elmer's glue over more than twenty years, contains an […] The post A truck driver spent two decades building 800,000 tiny structures into a scale model of New York City — now it's a museum exhibit appeared first on American Almanac .
Joe Macken, a truck driver from upstate New York, turned a basement hobby into a 50-foot replica of New York City that went viral on TikTok and landed a spot at one of Manhattan's most prominent museums. Macken's model, built from balsa wood, foam board, and Elmer's glue over more than twenty years, contains an estimated 800,000 miniature structures spanning all five boroughs, parts of New Jersey, and stretches of suburban Long Island. It sits on more than 300 large foam boards, interconnected like puzzle pieces, and measures nearly 30 feet wide. Each inch represents roughly 160 feet of real city. The exhibit, titled "He Built This City," opened in February at the Museum of the City of New York on Manhattan's museum row near Central Park…Open
More than four in ten Bronx residents say they feel lonely, making the borough New York's most isolated county, a finding that lands in a state already ranked among the loneliest in America. An August 2026 report from Mood.com, a cannabis sales site, analyzed CDC data on community, mood, and loneliness covering 39 states and […] The post The Bronx tops New York's loneliness rankings, with 41% of residents reporting isolation appeared first on American Almanac .
More than four in ten Bronx residents say they feel lonely, making the borough New York's most isolated county, a finding that lands in a state already ranked among the loneliest in America. An August 2026 report from Mood.com, a cannabis sales site, analyzed CDC data on community, mood, and loneliness covering 39 states and 184.2 million American adults. Bronx County came in first among New York's loneliest counties, with a 41% loneliness rate, meaning roughly four out of every ten adults in a borough of more than 1.4 million people told federal surveyors they feel lonely always, usually, or sometimes. The New York Post reported the full county-by-county breakdown. Queens followed at 39.4%. Manhattan came in third at 38.1%. Brooklyn…Open
A Republican congressional staffer survived a lightning strike just feet from his parked car on a Staten Island street, collapsing to the pavement before a neighbor rushed to help, and he was back home the next day. Thomas Fahmy, a staffer in Rep. Nicole Malliotakis's Staten Island office, was walking to a dentist appointment on […] The post GOP congressional staffer struck by lightning on Staten Island sidewalk — and walked away appeared first on American Almanac .
A Republican congressional staffer survived a lightning strike just feet from his parked car on a Staten Island street, collapsing to the pavement before a neighbor rushed to help, and he was back home the next day. Thomas Fahmy, a staffer in Rep. Nicole Malliotakis's Staten Island office, was walking to a dentist appointment on Todt Avenue during a thunderstorm when a bolt of lightning hit him. CCTV footage captured the moment: Fahmy, umbrella in hand, passed a white picket fence and dropped to the ground. He estimated he was roughly 15 to 20 feet from his car when the strike landed. Fahmy survived. He spent one night at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital for evaluation and walked out the following day with no burns and no…Open
A Staten Island man survives a close-range lightning strike while walking to a dentist appointment. #foxnews #news #us #fox Don’t just watch Fox News—be part of it. Become a Fox News Patriot today. https://youtube.com/foxnews/join
Thomas Fahmy was holding an umbrella when a flash sent him to the ground in Staten Island, New York. He got back up moments later and walked into a neighbor's home. He was later taken to a hospital, where he says doctors found no burns and he did not lose consciousness.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's flagship universal childcare program faces an embarrassing debut, providers contracted to open classrooms on September 10 say the city has not sent the advance payments they need to hire staff, buy supplies, or even fix the plumbing. Across Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, directors of small daycare centers told the New York […] The post NYC childcare providers still waiting on six-figure payments as Mamdani's free pre-K expansion stumbles before day one appeared first on American Almanac .
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's flagship universal childcare program faces an embarrassing debut, providers contracted to open classrooms on September 10 say the city has not sent the advance payments they need to hire staff, buy supplies, or even fix the plumbing. Across Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, directors of small daycare centers told the New York Post they are draining personal savings, maxing out credit lines, delaying staff paychecks, and skipping their own salaries to keep doors open, all while City Hall and the Comptroller's office trade blame over unregistered contracts. The result: the city's 2-K, 3-K, and pre-K programs, the centerpiece of Mamdani's 2025 campaign, risk opening without teachers, without supplies, and without…Open
A coalition of immigrant grocers and small business owners has filed lawsuits against Mayor Zohran Mamdani's $70 million municipal grocery store plan, claiming it threatens minority-owned businesses.
A coalition of immigrant grocers and small business owners has filed lawsuits against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $70 million municipal grocery store plan, claiming it threatens minority-owned businesses. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Immigrant-owned grocers and bodegas are suing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his proposal to establish five taxpayer-funded supermarkets , arguing the plan could unfairly harm small businesses. The Multicultural Business Coalition, representing 50 chambers of commerce, filed two lawsuits Monday, including a proposed class action on behalf of hundreds of minority business owners. DETAIL: The coalition claims the city-owned stores would directly compete with family-owned bodegas and grocery stores,…Open
The ruling is a win for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who argued that the case be heard in Manhattan and not in Staten Island where the lawsuit challenging the decision had been filed.
Ryan De Nino, the Staten Island businessman who appeared on Season 2 of Lifetime's Married at First Sight, has died at 40, a loss his family called "sudden" and his sister marked with a raw, grief-stricken tribute. A family member told TMZ that De Nino died earlier this week in New Jersey. No cause of […] The post Married at First Sight star Ryan De Nino dead at 40 after sudden passing in New Jersey appeared first on American Almanac .
Ryan De Nino, the Staten Island businessman who appeared on Season 2 of Lifetime's Married at First Sight, has died at 40, a loss his family called "sudden" and his sister marked with a raw, grief-stricken tribute. A family member told TMZ that De Nino died earlier this week in New Jersey. No cause of death was disclosed. The family offered no details about the circumstances, describing the loss only as sudden. De Nino was 29 when he stepped in front of Lifetime's cameras in 2015 for the show's second season, a social experiment that pairs strangers at the altar and gives them six weeks to decide whether to stay married. Producers matched him with Jessica Castro, a receptionist from Manhattan, and the two wed on camera without having…Open
AI:Ryan De Nino, the Staten Island businessman known for appearing on Season 2 of Lifetime's Married at First Sight, has died unexpectedly in New Jersey at the age of 40. Family members have described his passing as sudden, though no official cause of death has been released to the public. De Nino was famously featured on the reality series in 2015 when he was matched with Jessica Castro; following their televised marriage and subsequent highly publicized breakup involving allegations of threatening behavior, he largely retreated from the spotlight to focus on his business career. His sister, Melissa, shared a heartfelt tribute mourning her brother’s loss, remembering him as a witty, loyal, and big-hearted individual whose absence leaves an…Open
New York officials were already hurrying to roll out the tax. A lawsuit by homeowners, which persuaded a judge to issue a temporary pause, has made the process thornier.
