Why Flags Are At Half-Staff In New York Today
Flags across the state of New York will be flying at half-staff today to honor a recently passed retired state police sergeant.
Governor Kathy Hochul directed that flags be half-staff today for First Sergeant Michael E. Snell, who passed away on Tuesday, May 20.
It is believed he passed away due to a condition that came as a result of his assignment in and around the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Governor Hochul said: "First Sergeant Snell honorably served the people of New York State for 23 years, making the ultimate sacrifice for his fellow New Yorkers when it mattered the most. On behalf of New York State, I extend my deepest gratitude for First Sergeant Snell's contribution to the protection of our state, and send my heartfelt condolences to his family."
Related Articles
Why Are Flags Flown at Half-Staff Today, May 15? What to KnowBill Maher Issues Warning About 'Serious Problem' for DemocratsCities Make New Official Juneteenth, Pride Flags to Thwart GOPChina Plants Flag on Disputed South China Sea Territory
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith rips Knicks president Leon Rose for ‘weak-a** statement' after firing coach Tom Thibodeau
Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back after the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday. The ESPN commentator ripped Knicks president Leon Rose for acting like a 'coward' and putting out a 'weak-ass statement' after parting with the coach that led them to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000. 'To be quite honest with you, I think we all as New Yorkers should find Leon Rose's statement offensive,' Smith said on ESPN. "Get the hell in front of a microphone and a camera and answer questions. Stop being a coward.' The Knicks announced on Tuesday that they had fired Thibodeau less than a week after the franchise fell to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the conference finals. Thibodeau led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons with the franchise, and is coming off back-to-back 50-win seasons. Advertisement Perhaps most importantly, Thibodeau brought the Knicks back to prominence in the NBA. The team hadn't been to the playoffs in seven years before he landed in Manhattan. Rose said in his statement that the decision to fire Thibodeau was what was 'best for our organization.' 'Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,' Rose said, in part. 'This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction.' While Smith's comments came in the immediate aftermath of the decision, his issue is that Rose very rarely speaks to reporters about the moves he's making with the franchise. 'This is the problem with the arrogance of the New York Knicks, OK? They deserve credit for what they have achieved,' Smith said. 'I applaud them for lifting us from basketball purgatory into relevance … but in the same breath when you make the potpourri of decisions that you have made, can you have the decency to stand before the media and answer the questions? … That statement is as weak as it gets.' Smith isn't alone in his criticism, either. Plenty of others in the Knicks world had similar thoughts. The Knicks will now start their search for a new head coach. While there are plenty of questions about the Knicks' moves now, and those aren't going away anytime soon, Smith doesn't expect anything to change. Advertisement Rose's statement, which is likely all he's going to get, wasn't good enough.


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Cheer NYC's major-crime drop — but the city isn't out of the woods yet
Rejoice: The NYPD is scoring major success against violent crime. Yes, New Yorkers still have good reason to feel less safe than they did just a few years ago — but let's consider the good news first. Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Tuesday that the city saw modern-history record lows in murders and shootings in the first five months of this year. Above all, credit the work of New York's Finest and Tisch's simple but highly effective approach to public safety: Enforce the law. Every law, all of the time. The NYPD is back to quality-of-life policing, not letting 'minor' infractions, like traffic violations and aggressive panhandling, slide — because major crime follows when cops stop sweating the small stuff. The department is also putting more cops in areas with high gun violence and nabbing more illegal firearms: Officers have yanked 2,200 guns off the streets so far this year. Lauding her officers' good work, Tisch said: 'Results like this never happen by accident, and certainly not at a time when the state's criminal-justice laws have made a revolving door out of our criminal-justice system.' Amen: The historic dip in shootings and homicides is a hard-won accomplishment. Full stop. But you're not alone in not feeling safer. For example, polling last month for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's reelection campaign found that 56% of likely Democratic primary voters described crime as out-of-control or a major problem. It's no small irony that Bragg is the messenger, but 'why' is plenty obvious: We are still less safe in important ways that are largely beyond cops' control. For one: Overall transit crime has slightly dipped, but the state's no-bail law and New York's failings on handling mentally illness are still wreaking havoc: Felony assaults on the subway are up 19%, with cops and MTA workers making up 36% of victims. And Tisch herself on Tuesday flagged another grim stat: Violent crime among kids has exploded since the state's Raise the Age law made it near-impossible to try under-18s in Criminal Court. From 2018 to 2024, the number of underage shooters spiked 192%, and the count of kids getting shot jumped 81%, while underage gun busts soared 136%. Other state 'reforms' brought a plague of retail theft that's closed countless stores and forced others to stick everyday necessities like toothpaste and deodorant behind locked plexiglass, while marijuana legalization has gifted New Yorkers with the ever-present reek of pot on the streets. Add the impact of tens of thousands of 'asylum seekers' coming to town, with their shelters serving as crime magnets and areas like the 'Market of Sweethearts' along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens plagued by open-air drug and prostitution markets. Tisch is a dedicated, no-nonsense, whip-smart leader — but she took over the NYPD after years of disastrous lefty policies wore law and order in New York down to the bone. She can't fix the city's out-of-control crime problem on her own. Her push for better enforcement is at odds with every far-left progressive in Albany and on the City Council, not to mention DAs and judges, who strive to protect perps from facing consequences for crime — which means victims suffer plenty. The NYPD alone can't fully restore your sense of safety: That requires fixing the laws that got New York into this mess and voting out the loons who oppose needed change.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith rips Knicks president Leon Rose for ‘weak-ass statement' after firing coach Tom Thibodeau
Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back after the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday. The ESPN commentator ripped Knicks president Leon Rose for acting like a 'coward' and putting out a 'weak-ass statement' after parting with the coach that led them to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000. 'To be quite honest with you, I think we all as New Yorkers should find Leon Rose's statement offensive,' Smith said on ESPN. "Get the hell in front of a microphone and a camera and answer questions. Stop being a coward.' The Knicks announced on Tuesday that they had fired Thibodeau less than a week after the franchise fell to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the conference finals. Thibodeau led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons with the franchise, and is coming off back-to-back 50-win seasons. Advertisement Perhaps most importantly, Thibodeau brought the Knicks back to prominence in the NBA. The team hadn't been to the playoffs in seven years before he landed in Manhattan. Rose said in his statement that the decision to fire Thibodeau was what was 'best for our organization.' 'Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,' Rose said, in part. 'This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction.' While Smith's comments came in the immediate aftermath of the decision, his issue is that Rose very rarely speaks to reporters about the moves he's making with the franchise. 'This is the problem with the arrogance of the New York Knicks, OK? They deserve credit for what they have achieved,' Smith said. 'I applaud them for lifting us from basketball purgatory into relevance … but in the same breath when you make the potpourri of decisions that you have made, can you have the decency to stand before the media and answer the questions? … That statement is as weak as it gets.' Smith isn't alone in his criticism, either. Plenty of others in the Knicks world had similar thoughts. The Knicks will now start their search for a new head coach. While there are plenty of questions about the Knicks' moves now, and those aren't going away anytime soon, Smith doesn't expect anything to change. Advertisement Rose's statement, which is likely all he's going to get, wasn't good enough.