Our Town | Your local paper for the Upper East Side

Two City Council bills that would ban biometric data collection by stores and landlords are under consideration.

Two City Council bills that would ban biometric data collection by stores and landlords are under consideration. ( Photo: Max White )

The New York City Council is considering two bills that would curtail the practice. The technology used by the grocery chain Wegman’s drew criticism at a March 2 hearing on the subject.

Council Push to Ban Biometric Data Collection by Stores, Landlords Underway

03 Mar 2026 | 06:45

The New York City Council is actively considering two bills that would ban private businesses and landlords from collecting biometric data, via methods such as facial recognition technology, in a push to strengthen consumer and tenant privacy protections.

The legislative push in hearings on March 2 for...

A suspect was in custody for setting a homeless person on fire outside Penn Station on March 2, police sources told Straus News. The suspect could be facing attempted murder charges.

A suspect was in custody for setting a homeless person on fire outside Penn Station on March 2, police sources told Straus News. The suspect could be facing attempted murder charges. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly)

Suspect Nabbed, Charged with Setting Homeless Person on Fire at Penn Station

03 Mar 2026 | 03:35

A suspect is in custody after setting a 37 year old homeless person on fire outside the Amtrak level...

Anti-war protest in Times Square on 3/1/26

Anti-war protest in Times Square on 3/1/26 ( Instagram/unamericain)

NYC Remains On Edge After US-Israel Strikes Against Iran

02 Mar 2026 | 04:57

Tensions were high in New York City over the weekend as both pro and anti war demonstrations erupting...

Barbetta, the famed Italian restaurant in the heart of the Theater District, has closed after 120 years in business.

Barbetta, the famed Italian restaurant in the heart of the Theater District, has closed after 120 years in business. ( Photo: Jack Ahern )

Barbetta Closes Doors After 120 Years

02 Mar 2026 | 04:23

Barbetta, a staple of fine dining on West 47th St. for more than a century, shut its doors for the last...

James Dolan is proposing a spinoff of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers into separate publicly traded companies.

James Dolan is proposing a spinoff of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers into separate publicly traded companies. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly)

What Does the Proposed MSG Spin-Off Mean?

24 Feb 2026 | 04:22

Madison Square Garden and I go way back.

I attended my first event there on Sunday night, Nov. 17, 1968...

Olivia Bannerman, aka “the Poop Fairy” with the “light of her life,” her golden retriever Violet.

Olivia Bannerman, aka “the Poop Fairy” with the “light of her life,” her golden retriever Violet. ( Photo: Genevieve Hartnett)

Here with the Scoop–Central Park Dog Poop Clean Up Builds Community

02 Mar 2026 | 02:01

After months of cleaning up after people’s dogs, Olivia Bannerman hopes more people give a sh*t about...

The work crew on Feb. 25 shoveling snow on the Upper East Side. Our intrepid reporter Heather Stein (left) was one of the few women on the job.

The work crew on Feb. 25 shoveling snow on the Upper East Side. Our intrepid reporter Heather Stein (left) was one of the few women on the job. ( Photo: Heather Stein)

Snow Hustle: How I Joined NYC’s Blizzard Brigade and Found Community at $30/Hr

02 Mar 2026 | 01:01

When nearly 20 inches of snow fell across Manhattan at the end of February, the city looked like a snow...

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