Jose Martinez
LightNews LightNews
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
Jose Martinez
@jmartineznyc.bsky.social
1K followers 130 following 250 posts
Reporting on transportation at THE CITY (@thecity.nyc) • Previously at NY1, The New York Post, New York Daily News, The Journal News

Message or email me: JMartinez(at)thecity.nyc
Posts Replies Media Videos
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
WHO’S THE MAM?! Why, it’s your new mayor, NYC

From all-hours ace @katiehonan.bsky.social in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/01/m...
Mamdani Takes the Helm as City’s New Mayor
New York’s first South Asian mayor is also its youngest in more than a century.
www.thecity.nyc
January 1, 2026 at 4:26 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
"We're going to use our credit cards, our phones or whatever will replace MetroCard. But definitely, we will miss some kind of art.”

From 2017, a fun story we did on a MetroCard collector who even then was dreading the card’s inevitable demise.

Happy new year, all!

ny1.com/nyc/all-boro...
Meet a man who has collected nearly every MetroCard ever issued
Lev Radin built the collection through purchases on eBay and trades with fellow fare card fanatics.
ny1.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:11 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
New York City 2025: The Year in Photos
📸 📸 📸
Good stuff, as they say in the trade, from ace shutterbugs @fractenberg.bsky.social & @alexkrales.bsky.social www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/29/n...
New York City 2025: The Year in Photos
www.thecity.nyc
December 29, 2025 at 8:31 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
SWIPE OUT! As the MetroCard exits, artists & collectors who count on the plastic sliver sorry to see it go.

“I had to buy an OMNY card and I felt brokenhearted,” one artist sez.

NEW in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/29/m...
They’re Holding on to Their MetroCards, as OMNY Ends an Era
A Bronx collector and an East Village artist have amassed piles of the soon-to-expire farecards over the years.
www.thecity.nyc
December 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
HIZZONER’S HAT: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Going back to his days as Brooklyn BP, I’ve admired his ability to put his name on hats, shirts, jackets, etc.
December 26, 2025 at 9:50 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
HIZZONER DIZZONER: As Adams exits, mayor leaves chaotic wake

“There is nothing in the annals of New York political history quite like the scandals that enveloped Adams…”

“Absurd coda to 4 years of chicanery…”

By @yoavgonen.bsky.social & @gregbsmithnyc.bsky.social www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/24/e...
Eric Adams Reigned Over a Run of Scandal Not Seen Since Boss Tweed
The mayor’s corruption indictment capped a string of criminal charges, FBI raids and abrupt resignations that destroyed his popularity and took down his crony-laden palace guard.
www.thecity.nyc
December 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Jose Martinez
thecity.nyc
We're hiring! THE CITY is looking for our next executive editor, two other editors, a finance associate and spring intern. Take a look:
Job Opportunities
Get THE CITY sent right to your inbox.
buff.ly
December 20, 2025 at 8:01 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️ CELEB SIGHTING ⭐️⭐️

The world famous CONGESTION RELIEF ZONE sign on the UWS is weeks from its first birthday.
December 18, 2025 at 3:24 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
MTA chief rails over subway surfing videos that linger online - as dad of 12-year-old victim says 'My life is ruined.'

“If it were child pornography, they would figure out how to shut it down," Janno Lieber sez.

NEW in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/17/s...
Meta Lets Subway Surfing Videos ‘Live for Too Long,’ MTA Boss Says
As more young people die feeding a social media frenzy for dangerous stunts, parents and officials plead to take posts down.
www.thecity.nyc
December 17, 2025 at 10:59 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
HIZZONER'S GREATEST HITS: Adams tries to set record straight with time capsule showcasing his term at City Hall

Mini trash can, prism & a vinyl record tucked into metal box set to be unearthed in a decade.

WHATTA FOLO from @katiehonan.bsky.social in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/16/e...
Burial at City Hall: Time Capsule Puts Shine on Mayor’s Record
Metal box goes underground for a decade as Adams readies for exit.
www.thecity.nyc
December 16, 2025 at 10:38 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
BURIED TREASURE? New time capsule next to City Hall to mark Adams' stint as Hizzoner

Nobody — and I mean nobody! — goes deeper than
@katiehonan.bsky.social on time-capsule coverage.

Check it out, check it out, check it out in
@thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/15/c...
City Hall Time Capsule Will Mark Outgoing Mayor’s Hits
The contents of the commemorative container remain a mystery — for now.
www.thecity.nyc
December 15, 2025 at 11:58 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
Minus big-bucks lifelines, some U.S. transit systems are facing disaster.
🚇 🚍
But the MTA is *adding* subway and bus service, not cutting it — and has dodged layoffs.
💰 💰
“This is a remarkable turnaround just from a few years ago.”

NEW STORY in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/12/m...
As U.S. Transit Takes a Dive, MTA Enjoys a Rarity: More Service and Stable Cash Flow
San Francisco and Philly are limping along. Yet in New York, North America’s largest mass transportation authority finds itself running more trains and buses, and limiting fare hikes.
www.thecity.nyc
December 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
“You’re fired… wait, I’m just getting word here that this may not be the case.”

A @katiehonan.bsky.social & @reuvenblau.bsky.social
🌐 WORLD EXCLUSIVE 🌐

www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/11/c...
Mamdani Must Keep Some Adams Appointees He Had Told to Quit
Union rules protect dozens of mayor’s office workers who received notices they would no longer be needed by the new administration.
www.thecity.nyc
December 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
NYC is set to get three new casinos — two in Queens, one in The Bronx.

We took a look at what this means for the MTA’s bottom line. From October 22 in @thecity.nyc 🎲 🎰 🃏 💰
www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/22/c...
Who’s Banking on Big Bucks from Casinos? New York’s Transit System
The MTA is projecting billions in revenue from proposed NYC-based gaming halls, which are poised to win up to three licenses later this year.
www.thecity.nyc
December 1, 2025 at 4:27 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
⭐️ 🎈CELEB SIGHTING 🎈⭐️
November 26, 2025 at 11:44 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
Rx FOR SUBWAY GRIME WAVE: Midtown stations get more track cleanups with holiday-season junk surge

MTA shifts cleaning plan at 13 stations after 20-30% boost in 🗑️ & uptick in 🔥 at Rockefeller Center stop during holidays.

NEW in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/26/t...
Underground Grime Wave: MTA Cleaning Crews Tackle Tourist Trash in Midtown
Rock Center and 12 other nearby stations will get weekly track cleanings to avoid service disruptions and fires fueled by garbage piles.
www.thecity.nyc
November 26, 2025 at 1:16 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
OLD NEWSSTAND, NEW BEAT: NYPD sets up shop in West Fourth Street station’s long-vacant platform kiosk

NEW story in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/25/n...
Old Newsstand With a New Beat: Police Set Up Shop at West Fourth
NYPD officers are now stationed at the former kiosk on the northbound platform on the A, C, E lines.
www.thecity.nyc
November 25, 2025 at 10:48 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
The mayor-elect’s much-touted online portal has received 70,000 -plus applications from people seeking “roles across City agencies and offices.”

But that’s not the real path to landing a city job. Good stuff, as they say in the trade, from @reuvenblau.bsky.social www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/25/c...
70K Apply to Mamdani’s Transition Team. Here’s How to Actually Get Hired by NYC.
More than 70,000 people have applied to Mamdani’s transition site, but the real route to thousands of open roles runs through civil service exams.
www.thecity.nyc
November 25, 2025 at 2:01 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
“Edwin Ramos, 38, was slated to plead guilty and walk free Friday morning. Instead, he became the 13th person to die in city custody this year.”

@reuvenblau.bsky.social is a BIG on the NYC jails beat. NEW in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/21/r...
Hours Before Expected Release, Rikers Detainee Dies After Apparent Seizure
Edwin Ramos, 38, was slated to plead guilty and walk free Friday morning. Instead, he became the 13th person to die in city custody this year.
www.thecity.nyc
November 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
Who doesn’t love some good old-fashioned family drama?

Well, here’s some for ya — and it’s good stuff, as they say in the trade. From @rosalindadams.bsky.social in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/20/g...
The ‘Godmother’ of Weed vs. Her Uncle, the DEA Agent
Cannabis officials courted a rising pot star to join New York’s legal market. Then a stunning police raid upended everything and shattered her family.
www.thecity.nyc
November 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
"Federal agents busted into an Elmhurst apartment early last Thursday morning and pointed guns at a woman and her four children, according to video and an account from the family. "

Quite a tale here from @gwynnefitz.bsky.social www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/19/q...
On Camera, Fed Agents Point Guns at Mother and Four Kids in Queens
The agents came looking for a relative who no longer lived in the apartment, the shellshocked mother told THE CITY. Days later, her children are terrified to leave their parents' sides.
www.thecity.nyc
November 19, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Jose Martinez
thecity.nyc
During the sentencing, the mayor was hours away from jetting off to Uzbekistan, a particularly rich coincidence. Bahi, once the mayor’s liaison to the Muslim community, had admitted that he’d orchestrated the straw donation scheme through an Uzbek contractor based in Brooklyn.
Eric Adams Aide Sentenced in Campaign Fundraising Scheme — With the Mayor’s Absence Noted
Mohamed Bahi was given three years’ probation and a year of home confinement by the same judge forced to drop the mayor’s case. He had withering words for Adams, who was headed to Uzbekistan.
www.thecity.nyc
November 18, 2025 at 11:47 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
“The challenges that we’ve had with the technology…”

It’s the last thing I heard from Janno “It’s A Fair Question” Lieber before the @wnyc.org livestream cut off on my computer. Funny.
November 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
“He has talked the talk, let him bike the bike, let him stroll the stroll.”

We spoke with former DOT bigs and some advocates about Zohran Mamdani’s opening to reshape NYC streets. From @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/17/s...
Mamdani Election Signals Lane Change for Stymied Street Overhauls
From a flubbed Fordham Road bus lane to downshifted bike lanes, the new mayor has a chance to revive projects to improve the city’s streetscape.
www.thecity.nyc
November 17, 2025 at 7:05 PM
jmartineznyc.bsky.social
The quotation marks around the SOMOS “day of service” in the first paragraph… 😂
November 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM