The Guardian
Hospitality boom and $100 chicken nuggets: how the US Open became obscenely expensive 30 August 2026 at 15:14

Hospitality boom and $100 chicken nuggets: how the US Open became obscenely expensive

By: Bryan Armen Graham at Flushing Meadows

30 August 2026 at 15:14

Record crowds, premium seats and an unchecked resale market are transforming the self-styled people’s slam – and leaving ordinary fans fighting to get through the gates

It takes a truly exceptional affordability crisis to put Bill Ackman and Zohran Mamdani on the same side of the barricade. Yet this month the billionaire hedge fund manager and New York’s democratic socialist mayor found common cause over an unlikely grievance: the cost of getting into the US Open.

Ackman took objection to the cost of a grounds pass listed for $363. Mamdani responded to the broader uproar by securing 1,000 tickets for New York residents at $100 apiece, prompting more than 336,000 people to apply for them. Somewhere between the two sits the uneasy economics of the modern US Open, where a $65 ticket with no guaranteed seat on any court can fetch more than five times that amount on the tournament’s resale marketplace.

The Guardian
New York City to increase cooling tower inspections after legionnaires’ outbreaks 30 August 2026 at 15:00

New York City to increase cooling tower inspections after legionnaires’ outbreaks

The Guardian

By: Eric Berger in New York

30 August 2026 at 15:00

State and city lawmakers push to boost regulations after two outbreaks of the disease over the last two summers

New York lawmakers are now trying to better protect residents from the deadly legionnaires’ disease by increasing regulations and inspections of cooling towers after two outbreaks of the infection over the last two summers and a raft of new lawsuits.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious pneumonia caused by a bacterium called legionella. It often comes from large air-conditioning systems, like those used in hotels, hospitals and high-rise buildings, because the cooling towers contain water to remove heat. If not well maintained, the liquid can foster the bacteria, which can then be swept into fans and circulated through the air.

World news | The Guardian
New York City to increase cooling tower inspections after legionnaires’ outbreaks 30 August 2026 at 15:00

New York City to increase cooling tower inspections after legionnaires’ outbreaks

World news | The Guardian

By: Eric Berger in New York

30 August 2026 at 15:00

State and city lawmakers push to boost regulations after two outbreaks of the disease over the last two summers

New York lawmakers are now trying to better protect residents from the deadly legionnaires’ disease by increasing regulations and inspections of cooling towers after two outbreaks of the infection over the last two summers and a raft of new lawsuits.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious pneumonia caused by a bacterium called legionella. It often comes from large air-conditioning systems, like those used in hotels, hospitals and high-rise buildings, because the cooling towers contain water to remove heat. If not well maintained, the liquid can foster the bacteria, which can then be swept into fans and circulated through the air.