Brooklyn Dodgers infielders Spider Jorgensen, Pee Wee Reese, Eddie Starkey and Jackie Robinson are captured in this undated photo.
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Topline:
As the New York Yankees prepare to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers on tonight, it’s clear that one team represents the Big Apple. But long before the Yankees were formed in 1903, there was another New York City team: The Dodgers were Brooklyn’s darlings until 1958, when they moved to Los Angeles.
Why now: The World Series featuring the two powerhouse teams kicks off tonight, the latest turn in their storied rivalry.
Read on... to learn more about the Dodgers' time in Brooklyn before they moved to L.A. in 1958.
LAist note
We are cross-posting guides to the World Series with our friendly cross-country rivals at Gothamist in New York City.
In a sense, there are two New York City teams in the World Series.
As the New York Yankees prepare to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, it’s clear that one team represents the Big Apple.
But long before the Yankees were formed in 1903, there was another New York City team: The Dodgers were Brooklyn’s darlings until 1958, when they moved to Los Angeles.
My 91-year-old grandfather, Kenny Frishberg, is still upset about losing “Dem Bums,” as the team was once fondly nicknamed.
“My love for the Brooklyn Dodgers started, I'm going to guess, in 1939 when I was 6 years old,” he told me recently. When they left, “I felt betrayed. Heartbroken.”
But nearly 70 years after Dem Bums last played in New York, relics and tributes to their time here still remain — if you know where to look.
Ebbets Field (Crown Heights)
An undated photo of a Brooklyn Dodgers game at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.
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The Brooklyn Dodgers’ legendary final home was completed in 1913 and demolished in 1960, shortly after the team went west and broke the borough’s heart.
In its place rose the Ebbets Field Apartments complex, a sprawling rental development that looms where there used to be a ballpark (and before the ballpark, a garbage dump named Pigtown).
There’s little to remind passersby of what once was at the Bedford Avenue address, except the name and, for those who know to look, two plaques. One, in the shape of a base, marks home plate, and the other simply states “This is the former site of Ebbets Field” beneath a baseball inscribed with the number 1962 — the year the apartments were completed.
The Old Stone House (Park Slope)
Before the Dodgers were even the Dodgers, this Brooklyn landmark in Washington Park in Park Slope served as their original clubhouse. At the very beginning of the team’s history in the late 19th century, the “Brooklyn Baseball Club” (as they were then known) were based out of the original 1699-built Old Stone House. It was destroyed in 1897, and the current replica of it was built in 1933. Starting in 1883, the Dodgers played in the adjacent Washington Baseball Park.
The Jackie Robinson Museum (SoHo)
Jackie Robinson, first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, leaps for a throw at Ebbets Field during warm ups before a game in 1947, his first season.
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April 15, 1947 is a historic day for the Brooklyn Dodgers and American history: It's the day Jackie Robinson first played on Ebbets Field and broke the color line in Major League Baseball.
That, among Robinson's many other superlative achievements, is commemorated at a Downtown Manhattan museum dedicated to his legacy, including his years as a Brooklyn Dodger. Opened in 2022, the Jackie Robinson Museum is located at 75 Varick St. It’s open Thursday through Sunday, and tickets start at $15. Children 5 and under can get in for free.
The Dodgers' former office (Brooklyn Heights)
From the 1930s until they defected to California, the Brooklyn Dodgers had an office at 215 Montague St.'s Mechanics Bank building in Brooklyn Heights. The building was demolished in 1958, shortly after the Dodgers played their first game in Los Angeles. The Brooklyn Savings Bank was erected in its place in 1962, and a plaque acknowledging the address's historic importance was added in the late 1990s. (It reads: “Where The Dodgers Made Baseball History And Jackie Robinson Changed America.”) The plaque was removed in 2019, but was later reinstalled after the Brooklyn Heights Association was alerted to the fact, Brownstoner reported.
Dodgers Triangle (Staten Island)
On Staten Island, a little spit of park quietly commemorates Hall of Fame Dodger (and later, Mets manager) Gil Hodges. The itty bitty green space — which contains "a tree and two shrubs" according to its devotedly detailed NYC Parks bio — is located on Dongan Avenue and Hodges Place. The cross street, however, is named for another Hodges from Staten Island. Still, the three-sided parklet is named Dodgers Triangle, in honor of the home run legend.
This story was originally published on Gothamist, which is owned by New York Public Radio.
Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published January 1, 2026 6:21 PM
Conditions along the Santa Ana River can become dangerous during heavy rains.
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Topline:
An unidentified body was recovered from the bed of the Santa Ana River just before noon on Jan. 1, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
What we know: Officials said a witness called 911 to report a person in the riverbed near the intersection of Warner Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana. The person traveled about two miles downstream before the search and rescue crew recovered their body in the city of Fountain Valley.
The response: About 60 firefighters from OCFA and the Fountain Valley and Costa Mesa fire departments contributed to the water rescue effort.
The danger of moving water: With more rain in the forecast this weekend, keep in mind that just six inches of fast-moving water can knock down most people, while 12 inches can carry away most cars.
How to stay safe: Emergency officials recommend limiting travel as much as possible during heavy rain and floods, including by car. If you see flooding in your path, remember the slogan, “Turn around, don’t drown.” LAist also has a guide on driving safely in the rain.
Manny Ruiz strikes alongside other workers with Teamsters 2785 at Amazon Warehouse DCK6 in the Bayview District in San Francisco on Dec. 19, 2024. Amazon workers at multiple facilities across the U.S. went on strike to fight for a union contract.
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Topline:
Under a law taking effect Jan. 1, California seeks to uphold the labor and unionization rights of private-sector employees, as the federal agency that has held that power for decades is in limbo.
Where things stand: The new law’s future is unclear because the Trump administration is challenging it.
Why now: The law, which grants more powers to the California Public Employment Relations Board, is a response to the National Labor Relations Board lacking a quorum. President Donald Trump fired the NLRB’s chairperson, Gwynne Wilcox, days after he began his second term in January. His two nominees to the board have yet to be confirmed, so the federal board has been without the three members it needs for a quorum for months.
California under a law taking effect today seeks to uphold the labor and unionization rights of private-sector employees, as the federal agency that has held that power for decades is in limbo.
But the new law’s future is unclear because the Trump administration is challenging it.
The law, which grants more powers to the California Public Employment Relations Board, is a response to the National Labor Relations Board lacking a quorum.
President Donald Trump fired the NLRB’s chairperson, Gwynne Wilcox, days after he began his second term in January. His two nominees to the board have yet to be confirmed, so the federal board has been without the three members it needs for a quorum for months.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, the Inglewood Democrat who wrote the bill, said when the governor signed it in September that “California will not sit idly as its workers are systematically denied the right to organize due to employer intransigence or federal inaction.”
The NLRB sued California over the law in October, saying in its lawsuit that the state is trying to assert authority over “areas explicitly reserved for federal oversight.”
On the legal challenge to the law, Terry Schanz, McKinnor’s chief of staff, referred CalMatters to the state attorney general. Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office is responsible for defending the law in court. A spokesperson for Bonta said the office would have nothing to say about it.
With the NLRB unable to fulfill its duties, states are trying to fill the gap in enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, which Congress passed in 1935. But labor experts contacted by CalMatters do not have high hopes for the California law, which is similar to a law passed in New York this year. They said courts, including the Supreme Court, have ruled that states cannot decide matters pertaining to federal labor law because of preemption, the doctrine that a higher authority of law overrides a lower authority.
“It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the courts do not overturn these (state) laws,” said John Logan, professor and chairperson of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University.
William Gould, a former chairperson of the National Labor Relations Board during the Clinton administration and a professor emeritus at Stanford University, agreed: “In the courts the matter is a dead letter unless (the Supreme Court) shifts gears.”
That’s what the California and U.S. chambers of commerce, along with other business groups, are hoping, according to their amicus brief in support of the Trump administration’s lawsuit against California: “Under California’s view, every state could have its own labor law for private-sector workers. Dozens of laws would overlap and collide.”
The California Labor Federation, an umbrella organization for unions that represents about 2 million California workers, said in an amicus brief that even before Trump fired the NLRB chief, the federal agency’s backlog had been a problem, leading to companies being able to delay bargaining in good faith with their employees’ unions without consequences.
If the California law is overturned, employees who have formed unions but have not succeeded in securing contracts with employers such as Amazon and Starbucks — which are among the companies seeking to have the NLRB declared unconstitutional — may continue to face delays, according to Logan. Or, he said, it’s not clear what would happen if other workers tried to organize and their companies simply fired them.
“The NLRB defunctness is a scandal which cries out for political reform,” Gould said.
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Why now: As the clock struck midnight across time zones, people gathered to celebrate the new year.
Keep reading... for those photos.
As the clock strikes midnight across time zones, people gather to celebrate the new year.
We take a look at the shared joy and traditions in these photos.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Reveler use their smartphones to film the falling balloons and confetti as they celebrate the start of 2026 during the New Year countdown event held at a shopping mall in Beijing, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
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Revellers watch a fireworks and light show for children on Museumplein as part of New Year's Eve celebrations in Amsterdam on December 31, 2025.
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Members of the public gather to celebrate the New Year during the annual bell-tolling ceremony at the Bosingak Pavilion on January 01, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea.
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Fireworks explode over skyscrapers during New Year celebrations on January 01, 2026 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.
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People buy batons that read happy New Year 2026 on December 31, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands lined the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok as the country welcomed the new year.
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Fireworks explode from the Taipei 101 building during the New Year's celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
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Revellers watch the New Year's Eve fireworks from the The Huc Bridge at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on Jan. 1, 2026.
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People attend the New Year countdown event to celebrate the start of 2026 in the Central district of Hong Kong, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
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Fireworks explode around the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, during New Year's Eve celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
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People pose for pictures near illuminated decorations on New Year's Eve in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
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Revellers watch fireworks during the New Year celebrations in Karachi on January 1, 2026.
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Iraqis gather in Baghdad's Al-Zawraa Park during New Year's Eve celebrations on December 31, 2025.
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Onlookers stand beside light ornaments on New Year's Eve at Bakrkoy Square in Istanbul on Dec. 31, 2025.
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People strike a giant bell to celebrate the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, minutes after midnight Thursday Jan. 1, 2026, in Tokyo.
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A couple takes a selfie as the last sunset of 2025 is seen over the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
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People watch and take photos as the Ferris wheel displays "Happy New Year" in 16 different languages at Pacific Park on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 in Santa Monica.
Millions of Americans are facing higher health care premiums in the new year after Congress allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire.
Where things stand: Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of senators worked to strike a compromise that could resurrect the enhanced ACA premium tax credits — potentially blunting the blow of rising monthly payments for Obamacare enrollees.
What's next: Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who is part of that effort, says he thinks the Senate can pass a "retroactive" Affordable Care Act subsidy extension, but "we need President Trump."
Millions of Americans are facing higher health care premiums in the new year after Congress allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire. But earlier this week, a bipartisan group of senators worked to strike a compromise that could resurrect the enhanced ACA premium tax credits — potentially blunting the blow of rising monthly payments for Obamacare enrollees.
"There's a number of Republican and Democratic senators who are seeing what a disaster this will be for families that they represent," Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said on Morning Edition Thursday. "That's the common ground here, and it's a doable thing."
Welch said he joined a bipartisan call Tuesday — first reported by Punchbowl News — in which a handful of senators charted out a possible health care compromise.
"We could extend the credits for a couple of years, we could reform it," Welch said of the call. "You could put an income cap, you could have a copay, you could have penalties on insurers who commit fraud. You actually could introduce some cost saving reductions that have bipartisan support."
But according to Welch, this legislation is only doable with President Trump's blessing.
"It would require that President Trump play a major role in this, because he has such influence over the Republican majority in the House and even in the Senate," Welch said.
Last fall, Republicans and Democrats fought bitterly over the Obamacare subsidy extension, causing a political standoff that led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Meanwhile, Trump has remained relatively hands-off, withholding his support for any health care legislation.
Despite these obstacles, Welch said he believes the jump in prices that people across the country now face will break the logjam in Congress.
"A farmer in Vermont, their premium is going to go from $900 a month to $3,200, a month," Welch said. "So they're going to really face sticker shock. There's going to be a secondary impact, because the hospitals, particularly in rural areas, are going to lose revenue."
But even if the Senate advanced a compromise bill on the ACA, the House would also have to get behind it. And the lower chamber has its own bipartisan effort on an ACA subsidy extension.
Just before the recess began in mid-December, four House Republicans joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition on a three-year extension of the ACA subsidies — forcing a floor vote on the bill when the House returns.
Hours after bucking House Speaker Mike Johnson and joining Democrats, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., told Morning Editionback in December that he thinks this vote will get even more Republican support.
"I don't like the clean extension without any income cap," Fitzpatrick said. "But given the choice between a clean three-year extension and letting them expire, that's not a hard choice for me. And I suspect many of my other colleagues are going to view it the same way."
Fitzpatrick and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., have held meetings with moderate senators on legislative paths to extend the ACA subsidies, a source familiar with the talks but not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR.
The Senate returns on Jan. 5 and the House comes back to Capitol Hill on Jan. 6.
