Gray Jay

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Publishers Clearing House (PCH) is an American company founded in 1953 by Harold Mertz. It was originally founded as an alternative to door-to-door magazine subscription sales by offering bulk mail direct marketing of merchandise and periodicals. They are most widely known for their sweepstakes and prize-based games which were introduced in 1967. From August 2020 to March 2024, they owned the Wide Open Media publications Wide Open Spaces (about outdoors lifestyle), Wide Open Country (about country music), and FanBuzz (about sports).

Their sweepstakes has been subject of legal actions regarding whether consumers were misled about the odds of winning, and whether purchases increased their chances. By 2010, the company had reached settlements with all 50 states, and in 2023 the Federal Trade Commission ordered PCH to overhaul its sweepstakes processes. (Full article...)

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, soldier, statesman, conservationist, naturalist, and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He previously held positions in New York politics, rising up the ranks to serve as the state's 33rd governor for two years. He served as the 25th vice president under President William McKinley for six months in 1901, assuming the presidency after McKinley's assassination. As president, Roosevelt emerged as a leader of the Republican Party and became a driving force for anti-trust and Progressive policies.

A sickly child with debilitating asthma, Roosevelt overcame health problems through a strenuous lifestyle. He integrated his exuberant personality and a range of interests and achievements, into a "cowboy" persona defined by robust masculinity. He was home-schooled and began a lifelong naturalist avocation before attending Harvard College. His book The Naval War of 1812 established his reputation as a historian and popular writer. Roosevelt became the leader of the reform faction of Republicans in the New York State Legislature. His first wife and mother died on the same night, devastating him psychologically. He recuperated by buying and operating a cattle ranch in the Dakotas. Roosevelt served as assistant secretary of the Navy under McKinley, and in 1898 helped plan the successful naval war against Spain. He resigned to help form and lead the Rough Riders, a unit that fought the Spanish Army in Cuba to great publicity. Returning a war hero, Roosevelt was elected New York's governor in 1898. The New York state party leadership disliked his ambitious agenda and convinced McKinley to choose him as his running mate in the 1900 presidential election, in which Roosevelt campaigned vigorously and the McKinley–Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of victory, peace, and prosperity. (Full article...)

They say life's what happens when you're busy making other plans. But sometimes in New York, life is what happens when you're waiting for a table. — Carrie Bradshaw

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Elliott Fitch Shepard (July 25, 1833 – March 24, 1893) was a New York lawyer, banker, and owner of the Mail and Express newspaper, as well as a founder and president of the New York State Bar Association. Shepard was married to Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt, who was the granddaughter of philanthropist, business magnate, and family patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt. Shepard's Briarcliff Manor residence Woodlea and the Scarborough Presbyterian Church, which he founded nearby, are contributing properties to the Scarborough Historic District.

Shepard was born in Jamestown, New York, one of three sons of the president of a banknote-engraving company. He graduated from the University of the City of New York in 1855, and practiced law for about 25 years. During the American Civil War, Shepard was a Union Army recruiter and subsequently earned the rank of colonel. He was later a founder and benefactor of several institutions and banks. When Shepard moved to the Briarcliff Manor hamlet of Scarborough-on-Hudson, he founded the Scarborough Presbyterian Church and built Woodlea; the house and its land are now part of Sleepy Hollow Country Club. (Full article...)

The small train station at the Essex County hamlet of Port Kent is more important to regional transportation than its size and rustic construction would suggest. Amtrak Empire Service trains that stop here in season on their route between New York City and Montréal deliver passengers bound for Burlington, Vermont, via ferry across Lake Champlain.

• June 16: Wikinews interviews candidate for New York City mayor Vitaly Filipchenko
• August 13: Water main bursts in White Plains, New York, US
• June 19: On the campaign trail in the USA, May 2020
• February 15: California lawyer Michael Avenatti convicted of attempted extortion
• October 17: Hundreds arrested for 'dark web' child porn by international task force
• October 10: U.S. judge orders release of President Trump's tax records, appeals court issues delay
• September 29: Fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist demands justice at UN General Assembly
• September 21: NYC Mayor de Blasio ends US presidential campaign

• ...that contrary to some beliefs, the Battle of Plattsburgh was decided by the naval engagement and not other means?
• ...that Hawker v. New York is a law preventing convicted felons from practicing medicine, even when the felony conviction occurred before the law was enacted, as decided by the Supreme Court of the United States?
• ...that Representatives of the Albany Congress met on a daily basis between June 19 and July 11 to discuss better relations with the Indian tribes and common defensive measures against the French?

• Ruth Atkinson Ford, born Ruth Atkinson (June 2, 1918 – May 31, June 1, or June 15, 1997) was a pioneering female cartoonist and comic book artist, raised in New York, who helped create the long-running Marvel Comics characters Millie the Model and Patsy Walker.
• Kevin Burns (born June 18, 1955 in Schenectady, New York) is an Emmy Award-winning American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter.
• Francis Marion McDowell (June 12, 1831 in Wayne, New York – March 22, 1894) was an American banker and farmer and a co-founder of the National Grange.