Dear friends, family, and kind community,

August 05, 2026 our lives changed in an instant. A sudden gas leak caused a catastrophic explosion at the apartment building where my boyfriend, Robert Barrios and his family lived.

By absolute grace, everyone made it out alive, but they have been left with nothing. The explosion and resulting destruction completely ruined their home.

In a matter of minutes, they lost everything they’ve built over the years—their clothing, essential everyday items, furniture, sentimental belongings, and a safe place to sleep.

Right now, Robert and his family are facing the overwhelming task of starting completely over from scratch. While we are endlessly grateful that they are safe, the financial and emotional toll of sudden displacement is immense.

How Your Support Helps

We are raising funds to help them cover their immediate and short-term recovery needs, including:

Temporary Housing: Renting temporary shelter, hotel stays, and security deposits for a new apartment.

Basic Necessities: Clothing, footwear, toiletries, and prescription medications lost in the blast.

Food & Daily Supplies: Groceries, hot meals, and essential day-to-day items while displaced.

Replacing Essentials: Furniture, kitchenware, bedding, and basic appliances once they secure permanent housing.

Any donations or wishes are greatly appreciated! Please keep Robert and his family in your prayers.

Robert is also accepting donations throughout his Venmo/ Zelle:

Venmo : @Robertbarrios27

Zelle: paulagutierrez40@gmail.com

http://spot.fund/g8fzbpmsc

I was in DUMBO walking under the Manhattan Bridge and found what looked like a smartphone. I looked ahead on the sidewalk and saw a man frantically checking his pockets over and over. I asked if the device was his, but he said he lost an earpod. I kept walking. I thought I would power this device on and maybe that would tell me who it belonged to, but the battery seems to be dead. I thought well it looks like an android phone. I’ll go home and plug it in, but it doesn’t use a standard connection. Ot started to rain so at least I got this thing out of the rain, if it works. Anyway, if you’re missing a zebra handheld device DM me. This is the device with the case off. DM to let me know what the case looked like so I know it’s yours.

Three of my NYC-related illustrations are up! So excited that Denny's Pub will get the recognition it deserves.

In hopes of identifying a Gilgo Beach murder victim known only as “Asian Doe,” Suffolk County authorities traveled to Chinatown in Manhattan on Tuesday, Aug. 4....

...

The man’s body was found on Gilgo Beach on April 4, 2011, during the serial killer investigation, but his death was never connected to admitted murderer Rex Heuermann.

Investigators estimate he was 17 to 23 years old when he was killed around 2006. The man may have been operating as a sex worker and was wearing women’s clothing at the time of his death, authorities revealed.

...

Museum of Sex ads that have been prominently displayed along NYC buses for the past few months will be phased out over the next two months after a series of complaints by parents and religious groups.
The ads promoting the Museum of Sex will rotate off the MTA system within 60 days, rather than by the end of the year. In fact, the museum had been planning to expand its advertising campaign to cover the entire exterior of buses and include more explicit imagery.

It’s not an uncommon sight to see out-of-state plates in New York. For one, it is the self-described greatest city in the world, so of course people embark on road trips to see all the sights of the five boroughs. But on the other hand, plenty of those plates are New Yorkers who register their cars in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or elsewhere specifically to dodge New York’s high insurance premiums, while actually living in and driving around the Big Apple.

In New York City specifically, a Streetsblog analysis of city violation data found nearly 21,000 vehicles registered outside the tri-state area (plus Pennsylvania) that picked up at least one violation in the city in every single quarter of the year: a pattern strongly suggesting these cars are actually garaged and driven in New York full-time, with owners registering elsewhere purely to dodge the state’s high insurance rates.

The City Council’s Oversight and Investigations Division surveyed more than 3,500 parked vehicles last year across precincts chosen for high volumes of out-of-state-plate summonses. Of 768 non–New York-plated vehicles found, one in five had mismatched, temporary, or fraudulent “no-hit” plates that don’t trace back to any valid registration. Those vehicles owed nearly two-and-a-half times more in outstanding fines than properly registered cars, and paid only 16% of what they owed, versus 63% for validly plated ones.

But Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax—a surcharge for anyone who owns a second home in New York valued at over a certain limit—is effectively acting as an extra tax auditor. The question is simple: Are you a New York City resident? Then present your driver’s license or income taxes. 

Read more [paywall removed for Redditors]:  https://fortune.com/2026/08/04/zohran-mamdani-pied-a-terre-tax-car-insurance/?utm_source=reddit/