Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said 2025 was a historic year for the NYPD and for the City of New York. In a prepared address, she commended the city’s crime-fighting success “in recorded history” and thanked the NYPD’s partnership with Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani who took office on January 1, 2026. There was […]
“Progress extended into our transit system. 2025 was the safest year on our subways outside of the pandemic years since 2009. For six consecutive months, major crime on the subway system fell, contributing to a 4 percent drop over the course of the year. Transit robberies reached their lowest levels ever in 2025, even when […]
By Mayor Zohran Mamdani Fifty-two years ago, on a hot summer night, a new sound emerged from the first-floor community room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where we stand today. New York is where greatness so often is born. And on that August evening, greatness was born in the Bronx. The hip-hop that millions of people around the world listen to […]
By Wendell Gaa The end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 mark the end of an era in TV history, namely Netflix’s globally popular series “Stranger Things.” After five seasons, this show just aired its final episode on New Year’s Eve, and it is one that I am truly going to sorely miss. Set […]
The year 2025 has been a somewhat harsh year for the community. News of Filipinos entangled in legal troubles, restaurant closures, and other difficult developments often dominated the headlines. To be fair, the year also produced its share of uplifting stories—reports that drew strong readership and profiles of individuals whose work inspired others and made […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Marcelito Pomoy, the Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 champion whose rare vocal range has mesmerized audiences around the world, was not quite ready to close out the year on a quiet note. On December 28, the Filipino singer found himself performing at Mar-a-Lago, the luxurious Palm Beach, Florida club resort owned […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Another pillar of the community has died. Ismael Jampayas, Honorary Grand Marshal of PAFCOM 2023, passed away on December 28 from cardiac arrest. He was 89 years old. Jampayas — fondly called Mike by close friends — told me he worked as a Professor of Clinical Pathology and Coordinator of Clinical […]
By Loida Nicolas Lewis On Christmas Day, 2025 the Philippines lost our modern Filipino hero. Diosdado “Dado” Banatao died peacefully in the presence of his family in his Alma Mater Stanford due to a neurological condition at 79 years old, five months before his 80th birthday. But what a life of eight decades! Dado was […]
By Father JM Manolo A. Punzalan The Christmas season places a profound demand on both body and spirit, especially for us Filipino priests ministering in America. For nine straight days, my life revolved around Simbang Gabi every day at either 5 in the morning and again at 7 in the evening. My days began before […]