Cuban-born Karen Rodriguez and American-Lithuanian Gabriella Hoffman converse to Fox Information Digital about their household historical past with socialism and warn over NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
As New York Metropolis Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani promotes the concept of city-run grocery shops, one city-owned market in Missouri closed its doorways on Tuesday after years of struggling and thousands and thousands of taxpayer {dollars}.
Native information retailers reported the doorways to the Kansas Metropolis Solar Recent market have been locked that morning with a word saying the shop was “unable to serve” the group.
“Sadly, because of unexpected circumstances past our management, we’re now not, presently, capable of serve the residents of this vital group,” the word learn, in line with KSHB in Kansas Metropolis. “It has at all times been our dream and fervour to supply high quality services and products in a protected, household atmosphere. At the moment, sadly, we’re unable to do this.”
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Fox Information Digital confirmed Solar Recent market closed its doorways on Tuesday. (iStock / iStock)
Fox Information Digital confirmed the shop’s closure by means of an announcement from Group Builders of Kansas Metropolis CEO Emmet Pierson, whose non-profit group took possession of the market in 2022.
“Group Builders of Kansas Metropolis, by means of Midtown Grocers LLC, has labored tirelessly to supply meals and vital providers to the city group all through its historical past,” Pierson mentioned. “Group Builders has been vocal for years about our considerations and fears relating to the more and more insurmountable challenges of the KC Solar Recent Midtown location – they’re well-documented and well-known to the group, the media and the Metropolis of Kansas Metropolis, Missouri (the owner of the Solar Recent Midtown location).”
He continued, “As of August 12, 2025, CBKC is now not capable of serve the residents from this Midtown Solar Recent location. We have now no different feedback presently.”
Sherae Honeycutt, a spokesperson for Mayor Quinton Lucas, confirmed to Fox Information Digital that the placement could be closed completely as the town decides its subsequent motion.
“We’ll instantly start working with group stakeholders, potential new non-public operators, and neighborhood leaders to determine sustainable options for the placement,” the spokesperson mentioned. “Regardless of latest challenges to grocery operations on either side of the state line, Kansas Metropolis’s residents deserve dependable entry to high quality groceries, and we’re dedicated to persevering with our work with non-public sector actors to assist fulfill this long-term group want.”
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Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani has campaigned on opening city-owned grocery shops in New York Metropolis. (Spencer Platt/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Town bought the Linwood Procuring Middle the place Solar Recent is in 2016 and opened the grocery retailer in 2018 in an effort to supply extra choices for residents within the space. Kansas Metropolis spent greater than $17 million in taxpayer cash buying and renovating the Solar Recent market.
Regardless of its efforts, Solar Recent has been plagued with empty cabinets and crime, main workers to reportedly carry tasers. Final 12 months, the Kansas Metropolis Council authorised spending $750,000 in emergency metropolis funding in an try and maintain the shop open.
Solar Recent got here into the highlight over the previous couple of months after Mamdani started pushing his marketing campaign for comparable city-owned grocery shops in New York Metropolis.
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In a TikTok video, Mamdani mentioned that his city-run grocery shops will “function with no revenue motive,” as an alternative of specializing in “value gouging” as he alleged some non-public shops do. He claimed that with out having to pay hire or property taxes, these city-run shops would purchase and promote at wholesale costs, centralize warehousing and distribution and be capable to supply New York residents decrease costs than privately-owned shops within the metropolis.
