Good morning, it’s Thursday, the weekend is just around the corner!
There are 15 days – just over two weeks – remaining until the first day of spring. Looking ahead to next week, I’m seeing two days with high temperatures in the 70s !!!!! So, we just have to hang on a little longer and enjoy the upstate weather roller coaster.
There are some U.S. “firsts” with which you may or may not be familiar that are attributed to York City: Black and white cookies. Roller coasters. Teddy bears. Toilet paper. Pizza. Yellow cabs. Eggs Benedict.
Here’s one more to add to the list that I’m betting you didn’t know: Cheez Doodles. Yep. This iconic neon orange snack food that dissolves in your mouth and stains your fingers was originally developed and manufactured by King Kone Corp. in the Bronx.
The man most often credited with inventing Cheez Doodles is a Turkish-American inventor named Morrie Yohai, who was born in Harlem and later relocated to Long Island. As the story goes, Yoahi invented Cheez Doodles during the 1950s while working at his family’s company, Old London Foods, (established in the 1920s as King Kone Corp.), which also made Melba Toast.
Old London Foods was bought out by Borden Foods, which, in turn, purchased Wise Foods in 1964. Wise today is owned by a Mexican food and beverage company called Arca Continental, but continues to operate as a ubsidiary under its own name.
Wise Foods produces about 15 million pounds of Cheez Doodles annually, or at least it did back in 2010 when the New York Times wrote about Yohai’s passing at the age of 90. Cheez Doodles, the Gray Lady noted, are a quintessentially New York snack. There are many variations – Cheese Puffs, Cheese Curls, Cheetos, Cheez-Its, etc. But Doodles are an East Coast phenomenon and beloved by the Big Apple, in particular.
In case you were wondering, there really IS actual cheese in Cheez Doodles. It’s cheddar, to be exact. The snack is primarily constructed from puffed cornmeal, according to Wise Foods, and then coated with a blend that includes cultured milk, salt, and enzymes to provide that “real cheese” taste.
For the record, Cheez Doodles are baked, not fried, which gives them a slight edge in terms of healthiness over, say, potato chips, though no one would ever formally classify them as health food.
The snack, by the way, is Cheez Doodles – spelled with a “z” – if you want to go deep on food brand misspellings, click here. Today, however, is National Cheese Doodle Day (with an “s”). Don’t ask why, just go out and celebrate.
As an aside, I was today years old when I discovered that there are a variety of flavors of Cheez Doodles, including Honey BBQ and Hot & Honey, which gives you some indication of how frequently I purchase and consume this particular snack.
We will again see patches of fog this morning, with overcast skies and potential rain showers throughout the day. Temperatures will top out in the low 40s.
In the headlines…
Republican lawmakers blocked a measure yesterday that would have limited President Donald Trump’s power to continue waging war against Iran without congressional authorization, even as the conflict expanded into a wider international crisis.
Earlier in the day, NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkey, the United States sank an Iranian navy ship in international waters and several European nations deployed military assets to the region to protect their interests.
Iran denied Turkey’s claim that it had fired a missile toward Turkish airspace, as countries in the region and beyond grappled with a widening conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran six days earlier.
For the first time since World War II, a torpedo launched from a U.S. Navy submarine struck a vessel in combat, sending the Iranian frigate Iris Dena to the bottom of the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat widely seen as a likely presidential candidate, delivered sharp criticism of Israel this week, suggesting that the U.S. should reconsider its military support for the country, which he compared to an apartheid state.
Newsom’s comments reflect a stark shift in the Democratic Party, which in recent years has grown critical of Israel. While past party leaders were largely united in support of the U.S. ally, many prominent Democrats have taken a more combative stance.
Rep. Burgess Owens, a Utah Republican, announced that he will not run for reelection, joining a notable mass of House Republicans not running for Congress again this year.
“After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, DC, and then step away from elected office,” Owens said on the social platform X.
Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines said that he is not making a reelection bid in this year’s midterm, ending a career in Congress that included serving in the House and Senate.
Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted to having an affair with one of his congressional staffers, who died after setting herself on fire last year, saying that he “made a mistake” and had a “lapse in judgment.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, said that she had filed a formal censure of Gonzales, who is fighting to hold onto his seat amid allegations of having coerced a staff member into a sexual relationship.
A key House committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to compel her to testify about the DOJ’s investigation of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and its release of investigative material about him.
Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee tore into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, over their handling of a fraud scandal within Minnesota’s social services programs.
The vote compels Bondi to appear before the committee for a closed-door deposition regarding the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into Epstein and his associates in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace moved to subpoena the attorney general and it passed 24-19, with bipartisan support. Mace was joined by Democrats and fellow Republicans Tim Burchett, Michael Cloud, Lauren Boebert and Scott Perry.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pushed back against allegations that she and her deputies had “systematically obstructed the work” of the department’s inspector general, as he complained in a letter to Congress this week.
Noem didn’t deny an affair with top aide Corey Lewandowski when she was asked under oath during dramatic testimony before Congress.
Noem, whose husband, Bryon, attended the hearing, reacted with noticeable anger in her voice. “I am shocked we’re peddling tabloid garbage in this committee,” she responded.
The US Department of Justice is reportedly set to file a lawsuit against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration over its allegedly rigged revamp of the state’s Medicaid homecare program.
Hochul expressed confidence that neither a new probe by the Center for Medicaid Services nor the reported impending DOJ lawsuit will have an impact on a crucial federal decision that could decide the future of the state’s public health care option.
After years of defending the state’s landmark climate change law that was passed in 2019, Hochul is now making the case to roll it back — arguing the fast-approaching deadlines aimed at curbing emissions could be too costly for New Yorkers.
A sobering memo predicting the mandates of the 2019 Climate Act will result in significant price increases for utility and gasoline prices for consumers has set off a firestorm of debate just as state budget negotiations are beginning to intensify.
In New York, among the 10 most expensive states in terms of electricity costs, the battle over utility rates is pitting climate activists and like-minded legislators against supporters of Hochul’s “all-of-the-above” approach.
Hochul announced that 275 million free school meals have been served in schools statewide over that past six months.
Hochul announced that New York has received the highest ranking in the nation for technology laws aimed at protecting children online.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman gained 6 percentage points on Hochul in one month – and is in striking distance in the crucial New York City suburbs, a new Siena poll found.
Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are urging vigilance against price gouging amid Middle East tensions impacting supply chains.
A coalition of fire officials gathered with state lawmakers at the Capitol to call for legislation that would allow volunteer departments to offer their members small stipends, a change they say is needed to reverse a deepening staffing crisis statewide.
Fire officials say the number of volunteer firefighters has dropped to its lowest level in over 40 years, affecting small towns across the state.
New York state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office has issued a warning letter to 19 technology companies about the impacts of large-scale data centers.
A dispute between the nonprofit Housing Works and the owner of a cannabis dispensary shows the risks for businesses in an industry that is locked out of traditional financing and resources.
Conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg returned to the airwaves to issue an apology to Zohran Mamdani after receiving fierce backlash for calling the New York City mayor names and a “Jihadist.”
Rosenberg said he didn’t believe his comments were Islamophobic and he had apologized to defuse a volatile situation. He said his problems with the mayor related to his policies and “the way he treats certain people, including mine, the Jewish people.”
“I was compelled to send out a tweet that was a bit over the top,” Rosenberg said. “So I made my apology to the mayor this morning. I was sincere about it. Him and anybody else … I may have offended, and I meant it.
Mamdani has said that “time will tell” if Rosenberg was sincere after the WABC host apologized on-air for calling the mayor a “cockroach” earlier in the week.
Mamdani visited a South Richmond Hill child care center to mark the Hindu festival of Holi and celebrate the rollout of the first phase of an initiative that will deliver free childcare to two-year-olds.
Mamdani defended his administration’s decision to exclude Staten Island from the first phase of the city’s new “2K” child care program, saying the borough’s single school district makes a rapid rollout more difficult than in other parts of the city.
City Council members clashed with the Mamdani administration over the limited scope of information released on mental health emergencies, with lawmakers demanding more transparent reporting from City Hall.
As Mamdani continued his push to promote 2-K programs starting in a few months, he praised a new Siena Poll that says a majority of New Yorkers want to raise taxes on the rich.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson is getting a Bronx cheer for abruptly canceling the 54th annual “Bronx Week,” citing budget woes.
PATH service between Hoboken and Manhattan was suspended yesterday evening due to a power issue at the Hoboken station, according to the Port Authority and NJ Transit.
Two people have been arrested in connection with an attack in which a homeless man was set on fire inside Penn Station earlier this week, police officials said.
Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs and other officials announced plans for the 75th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set to take place on March 14, kicking off at 2 p.m. on Lexington Avenue.
The War Room Tavern and Todd’s Back Room Cigar Lounge in Albany will close as owner Todd Shapiro says he will now focus on the Greenhouse Social Club at La Serre.
Last night was the final night for both, said Shapiro, a New York City public relations executive who opened the tavern and cigar lounge, at 42 and 40 Eagle St., respectively, to cater to the political crowd.
Schenectady would switch from plastic bags to trash bins and garbage would be picked up on the same day all year under a proposal from City Council President Carl Williams aimed at streamlining the existing system to reduce trash collection costs.
Citing “circumstances in the Republican Party,” the Town of Ballston’s tax collector, Karen Russell, who won reelection in November as a Republican, has resigned.
A great horned owl made a trip to the vet after State Police say it was likely struck by a vehicle along the Thruway.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
