Staten Island

A Staten Island judge has ordered New York City to redo its rollout of a new tax on pricey secondary homes, a signature initiative of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration expected to raise about $500 million a year for the city.

State Supreme Court Justice Wayne Ozzi ruled in favor of homeowners who sued the city, finding the Department of Finance's July rollout was "arbitrary and capricious," violated recipients' due process rights, and unfairly shifted the burden onto homeowners to prove a property was their primary residence. The city had posted a list of more than 900,000 properties potentially subject to the tax and mailed notices to homeowners ahead of an Oct. 6 deadline to contest the designation. Ozzi ordered the city to pull the list from its website, cancel the mailings, and issue new individualized notices using updated records, including information on how to challenge determinations.

The city has appealed and will seek a stay to keep collecting the surcharge during litigation; plaintiffs' attorney Randy Mastro says redoing the process correctly would be faster. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella called the rollout an "enemies list" and urged an apology. The ruling adds to mounting legal pressure, with President Trump calling the tax a "dangerous political experiment" and Wilbur Ross and Steve Wynn separately suing the city this week.

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigned Friday, a day after Gov. Mikie Sherrill released a 61-page report from a four-month investigation, led by former Attorney General Christopher Porrino's law firm, substantiating findings of sexual harassment and repeated ethics violations. Investigators found credible evidence that Caldwell made an unwanted romantic advance toward a staffer's friend, sought a promotion for a state employee he was secretly dating, and brought unpaid guests to ticketed events despite prior warnings. Sherrill said the episode reflected a longstanding Trenton culture of overlooking sexual harassment that her administration would no longer tolerate.

Caldwell, who is Black, suggested race played a role in the allegations and disputes the report's findings, saying he resigned to avoid distracting from Sherrill's administration; days later he preached at his church about false accusations. Acting Comptroller Shirley Emehelu now oversees the Division of Elections ahead of the midterms, while Senate President Nicholas Scutari serves as acting governor when needed. Sherrill has 45 days to name a permanent replacement, with reports suggesting she may favor another Black leader, possibly a woman, for the role.

A personal recollection describes the morning of September 11, 2001 from the perspective of a high school senior at Staten Island Technical High School, roughly 20 miles from the World Trade Center. Word of a plane hitting the towers first arrived as classroom rumor before spreading into confirmed reports of a second crash and an explosion at the Pentagon. Students watched the first tower collapse live from the school library; cell service failed locally even as long-distance calls occasionally connected. A classmate's father, working in one of the towers, could not be reached and later was confirmed to have died.

The account details the days that followed: a school counseling room filling with grieving students, many with ties to Staten Island's large firefighter and police community; the acrid smell over the borough the next morning; talk of war and a possible draft; and months of lingering trauma, including families waiting for word on missing loved ones and a neighbor who kept a nightly vigil for a firefighter husband who never returned. The essay reflects broader themes of loss, memory, and how the attacks reshaped daily life for New Yorkers.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, communities across the country continue to maintain memorials honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed and the first responders who died in the response. Beyond the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, dozens of smaller tributes exist in states far from the attack sites, including Kansas, Arizona, California, Texas and Illinois. Many incorporate recovered steel or artifacts from the World Trade Center, donated to towns that raised funds or built connections with New York agencies in the aftermath.

New additions mark the anniversary, including a Brooklyn wall dedicated this year honoring retired FDNY members who died from WTC-related illnesses, underscoring that the attacks' death toll has continued to grow over the past 25 years. Organizers and artists behind the memorials say the goal is to keep the tragedy personal rather than abstract, ensuring the scale of loss doesn't obscure the individual lives behind it.

FDNY families, active firefighters and retirees gathered on Staten Island to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, honoring both those killed that day and the growing number of firefighters who have since died from illnesses tied to their service at Ground Zero. The ceremony outside the Staten Island FerryHawks stadium featured a fireboat water salute, ladder trucks holding a large American flag, and a fence lined with flags bearing the names of the fallen.

Attendees shared personal stories of loss, including relatives of firefighters who died from 9/11-related glioblastoma and lung cancer years after their response to the attacks. Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore addressed the crowd, acknowledging the continuing toll illness has taken on FDNY families in the years since 2001. The event closed with a pledge to remember those lost both on the day of the attacks and in the decades that followed, as attendees received commemorative books with messages from city, state and national leaders.

Thomas Fahmy, a congressional staffer for Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), was struck by lightning while walking to a dentist appointment in Staten Island's Castleton Corners neighborhood during a storm. Doorbell camera footage captured the moment: a flash and thunderclap as Fahmy, carrying an umbrella, collapsed to the ground. He described intense burning, tingling, numbness, and severe pain in both feet.

After lying on the ground for several moments, Fahmy called out for help. A neighbor, Stefanie Homan, heard him and let him into her yard while calling an ambulance. He was taken to Staten Island University Hospital and, remarkably, suffered no burns despite the pain. Fahmy later attended church to give thanks and bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket afterward. Malliotakis praised the neighbor and hospital staff who assisted her "valued" staff member.