Northeast

Meet the American who was the 'working man' Founding Father, Irish ironsmith George Taylor

Published

2 years ago

March 17, 2024

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Meet the American who was the 'working man' Founding Father, Irish ironsmith George Taylor

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George Taylor was the Founding Father who earned his keep in America by sweating over hot coals.

He arrived in Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1736, an indentured servant to an iron foundry owner who paid for his passage to America.

He shoveled coal into a blast furnace, melting the abundant ore of the Lehigh Valley into pig, wrought and cast iron – later into musket and cannon shot, an arsenal of independence.

“Hard, dirty work,” said historian and author Tim Betz, curator of exhibitions at the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society in Easton, Pennsylvania.

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Taylor rose to become a wealthy foundry owner himself. In 1776, he joined a short list of just 56 men who propelled humanity out of darkness when he inked his name upon the Declaration of Independence.

Three of those men — Taylor, James Smith and Matthew Thornton — were born in Ireland, according to the National Archives.

George Taylor (1716-1781), circa 1765. A continental politician born in Ireland, he came to the American colonies in 1736 and became a member of the Pennsylvania provincial assembly and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Irish are the most represented people, other than those born in America, on the daring but triumphant call for a new world order.

Eminent historian Joseph Ellis, himself of Irish descent, told Fox News Digital that Ireland’s imprint on the foundational document of the United States is no surprise.

“The Irish were already committed to American independence.”

“The Irish already had hatred for Britain and King George III,” said Ellis, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning historical account, “Founding Brothers,” among other books.

“Their own country had been overtaken and destroyed by the British. They didn’t have to read Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense.’ The Irish were already committed to American independence.”

Arrived in America ‘destitute’

George Taylor was born around 1716, most likely in the province of Ulster, in what is now Northern Ireland. Some accounts say he was born in Dublin, now the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

“He was the son of a responsible clergyman,” the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich wrote in an 1840 tome, “The Signers to the Declaration of Independence.”

View of the City of Philadelphia in the 18th century. Artist: George Heap (1714–1752). (Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Taylor planned to study medicine, Goodrich writes, but instead arrived in America “destitute.”

He went to work for Samuel Savage Jr., who owned the Durham iron works on the Delaware River, near Easton, and who paid for Taylor’s journey to America. The Irishman, like other newcomers of the era, was an indentured servant.

“Exploitative labor,” said historian Betz.

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Taylor began at the bottom, fueling fires hot enough to melt iron.

“He worked his way up from furnace filler, to clerk, and then manager as the owner became aware of his education and aptitudes,” writes the Durham Historical Society.

Durham Iron Works, where Taylor oversaw production of cannon shot and shells for the Continental Army. (“History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania,” William Watts Hunt Davis, 1876, Public Domain)

Taylor’s aptitudes apparently caught the attention of another Savage: the owner’s wife.

Samuel Savage died in 1742. Taylor married his widow, Ann, in 1743.

The circumstances of their relationship are unknown, said Betz.

Goodrich writes only, “Upon the death of Mr. Savage, [Taylor] became connected in marriage with his widow.”

“He worked his way up from furnace filler, to clerk, then manager as the owner became aware of his education and aptitudes.”

One circumstance is known. “In a few years the fortune of Mr. Taylor was considerably farther increased.”

The indentured servant who shoveled coal spent much of his time running the business of ironmaking.

The Pennsylvania Regiment, 1760. Corporal. One of a collection of 12 watercolors of American Colonial militia uniforms, 1756-1761. Figure in blue, orange and white with rifle facing right. Artist Herbert Knotel, 1949. (Pierce Archive LLC/Buyenlarge via Getty Images)

He also served as a captain in the Pennsylvania militia, and became a vocal member of both the Pennsylvania assembly and its Committee of Correspondence.

Those same colonial committees eventually served as a shadow government that pushed the American colonies toward independence from Britain.

His ‘sacred honor’

The Founding Fathers are widely portrayed as triumphantly signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 — Independence Day in America.

The reality is quite convoluted and procedural. Most notably, “nothing really happened on July 4th,” said Ellis.

A feather quill and inkwell sitting on top of the American Declaration of Independence. The quill and inkwell sit next to the scribing of one of the most famous dates in world history, July 4, 1776. (iStock)

The Second Continental Congress voted for independence two days earlier. Twelve of the 13 colonies voted in favor; New York abstained.

“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail in Massachusetts the following day.

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“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.”

Congress approved the language and sent it to the printer two days later. Splashed in bold across the top of the document was this: “In Congress, July 4, 1776.”

The Declaration of Independence that we picture today, headlined by the dramatic signature of John Hancock, was not signed until Aug. 2.

George Taylor’s signature, as featured on the Declaration of Independence. (Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI))

It was the moment of truth, the day the revolutionaries publicly declared their opposition to King George — and, in the eyes of the crown, declared themselves traitors to suffer death by hanging.

“We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor,” reads the last sentence of the most influential and politically radical document in human history.

“We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

John Hancock added his oversized splash of ink below those words first; 49 of 56 signatories followed, Taylor among them. The remaining six followed at later dates.

“I would say that of all the people who are in that room,” said Betz, “he was the one we might say was a regular guy. Just a working guy.”

The working man Taylor’s labor in support of the American Revolution was not over.

George Taylor discussed the iron forge business in a 1780 letter while the American Revolution was still being fought. Taylor arrived in America as an indentured servant from Ireland in 1736, later signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. (Paul Frasier/Paul Frasier Collectibles)

“Taylor transformed the ironworks into a munitions factory for the Continental Army. Durham produced cannon, cannonballs, shot, and other military equipment, probably at a financial loss,” writes ExploreHistoryPA.com.

“Taylor’s commitment to an independent United States took precedence over financial gain.”

A ‘promise for future generations’

George Taylor died on Feb. 23, 1781 in Easton, around age 65.

He had been stricken with illness in 1777 and ended his public service, according to the Pennsylvania Center for the Book.

He’s buried at Easton Cemetery, beneath a monument erected in his honor in 1854.

George Taylor, as he appeared in a document, circa 1876, of portraits and autographs of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Taylor did not himself live up to the standards set forth in the Declaration of Independence, most notably the ideal that “all men are created equal.” He owned two slaves.

But the power of the Declaration of Independence is that it gave humanity, for the first time in its history, political standards and ideals.

“Abraham Lincoln called those words the most important in American history,” said Ellis. “He said they were not for immediate effect, but were a promise — a promise that we in future generations need to live up to.”

The Declaration of Independence “helped to inspire countless movements for independence, self-determination and revolution after 1776.”

Ireland’s impact on the Declaration of Independence ran deeper than just its three signatories, each of whom represented Pennsylvania.

Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Continental Congress, assigned among other duties to revising the final Declaration, was born in Ireland.

So, too, was printer John Dunlap, the man who put the July 4th date on the document.

The signatures to the American Declaration of Independence. Illustration from “Story of the British Nation, Volume III,” Walter Hutchinson (London, c1920s). (The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

They came from what’s now both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

“The people of the United States and of Northern Ireland remain closely bound by these deep, historic ties and by the values we share,” James Applegate, Consul General for the U.S. Consulate General Belfast, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital requested comment from the Embassy of the Republic of Ireland in Washington, D.C.

Signers Thomas McKean, George Reed and Edward Rutledge were the children of Irish immigrants. Lt. Col. John Nixon, the first man to read the Declaration of Independence in public in Philadelphia on July 8, was also the son of an Irish immigrant.

George Taylor was born in Ireland, arrived in America as an indentured servant and signed the Declaration of Independence, with U.S. flag and Declaration composite. (Hulton Archive and H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock both via Getty Images)

The statement of purpose and revolt was “the first successful declaration of independence in world history,” historian and author David Armitage wrote for the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

“Its example helped to inspire countless movements for independence, self-determination, and revolution after 1776.”

Ireland in 1776 had already lived under British subjugation for 500 years.

George Taylor and the Irish in America “carried in their hearts and souls and memories a history of the kind of horrid treatment that their country and their countrymen and their ancestors had received from the Brits,” said author and historian Ellis.

“They didn’t need to be convinced at all to support American Independence.”

To read more stories in this unique “Meet the American Who…” series from Fox News Digital, click here.

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New York

Mamdani’s First 100 Days as NYC Mayor: A Timeline

Published

4 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Mamdani’s First 100 Days as NYC Mayor: A Timeline

Jan. 1 Day 1

Mr. Mamdani took the oath of office at a midnight ceremony in the abandoned City Hall subway station, surrounded by family. On New Year’s Day, he was sworn in by Senator Bernie Sanders on the City Hall steps, in front of masses of rosy-cheeked New Yorkers bundled against the cold, cheering under a flurry of confetti.

James Estrin/The New York Times

Jan. 2 Day 2

On his second day in office, he created an Office of Mass Engagement, a reflection of the way an army of volunteers aided his mayoral campaign, with more than 100,000 people knocking on three million doors and making 4.5 million calls to talk to voters. He put the office in the hands of Tascha Van Auken, who served as Mr. Mamdani’s campaign field director and previously worked for former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign

Jan. 3 Day 3

Mr. Mamdani called President Trump to criticize the strikes in Venezuela, after New Yorkers awoke to the startling news that the U.S. military had seized Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

Dave Sanders for The New York Times

Jan. 4 Day 4

Mr. Mamdani, who had promised to help people with bad landlords, announced a series of “rental rip-off” hearings, where renters from every borough could come and meet with city officials to talk about their landlord headaches. Standing in a building on Sedgwick Avenue credited with being the birthplace of hip-hop, the mayor unveiled a series of moves aimed at supporting tenants — a key political class that makes up nearly 70 percent of New Yorkers, and a group that Mr. Mamdani strategically tapped into as he was running for mayor.

Jan. 5 Day 5

Mr. Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s relationship was still looking tenuous at the start of his term. But the two looked chummy when they came together to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the embattled congestion pricing program, which had come under attack from President Trump.

Mimi d’Autremont for The New York Times

Jan. 5 Day 5

Mr. Mamdani announced that he would pause sweeps of homeless encampments, while he re-evaluated the way they were conducted under his predecessor, Eric Adams. Before taking office, he had been a critic of heavy-handed approaches to serving the city’s homeless population.

Jan. 6 Day 6

Mr. Mamdani tested out a favorite phrase — “no issue too small” — as he stood surrounded by workers in hard hats and paved over “the bump,” a notorious pit at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge.

Vincent Alban/The New York Times

Jan. 7 Day 7

Mr. Mamdani hosted a “new media” briefing, touring influencers around City Hall. It was a friendly audience for the mayor, with one beauty influencer offering Mr. Mamdani a sentiment he’s unlikely to hear from the traditional press corps: “I have had so much fun making content for you.”

José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times

Jan. 8 Day 8

The mayor stood together with Ms. Hochul to announce a plan to expand child care options for nearly 100,000 young children. Affordable child care was a centerpiece of Mr. Mamdani’s campaign to ease the burden of heavy expenses that so many New Yorkers face.

Anna Watts for The New York Times

Jan. 10 Day 10

Mr. Mamdani announced he would commit $4 million to install at least two dozen modular toilets across the five boroughs. When the mayor talked about “sewer socialism” during his run for office, few knew that he would take the term literally.

Jan. 12 Day 12

On a cold Monday morning, the mayor moved on up from Astoria, Queens, to the Upper East Side, home to Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence. Reflecting on his home in Astoria, Mr. Mamdani said he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, would miss the Adeni chai and smell of shawarma on his old block.

By Dave Sanders For The New York Times

Jan. 13 Day 13

Mr. Mamdani made his first return to Albany since taking office. The trip in a motorcade, surrounded by aides, was a capsule of the transformation he had undergone in one head-spinning year. When he’d driven up to Albany as a state assemblyman, he used to ride shotgun with a colleague and sing show tunes.

Lauren Petracca for The New York Times

Jan. 16 Day 16

One of the mayor’s first acts to help renters was to have the city intervene in the bankruptcy case of a large landlord, Pinnacle, which was facing thousands of complaints from tenants across the city. But a federal judge ruled that Pinnacle’s sale of 5,000 apartments to Summit Realty, another landlord facing complaints, could proceed over the city’s objections, an early challenge to the mayor’s efforts to help renters.

Jan. 25 Day 25

As snow fell, Mr. Mamdani blitzed local news, sent out plows to clear streets and disappointed children by announcing there would be virtual school, though he told everyone they could pelt him with snowballs. For every mayor of New York City, snowstorms serve as a major test. The 1969 blizzard became known as the “Lindsay snowstorm” because it paralyzed the city, and voters blamed the mayor, John Lindsay. So Mr. Mamdani knew that his response to the oncoming storm would be closely watched.

Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Jan. 27 Day 27

A bitter cold snap that followed the snowstorm proved a greater challenge. The death count from the freezing weather rose to at least 10 people by Jan. 27. The Mamdani administration sent outreach workers scouring the streets for people exposed to the elements, scrambling to bring vulnerable people indoors.

Anna Watts for The New York Times

Feb. 5 Day 36

In a disappointment to some members of his progressive base, Mr. Mamdani endorsed Ms. Hochul for re-election on Feb. 5, strengthening their alliance but potentially losing leverage in his efforts to persuade her to raise income taxes on the rich.

Feb. 12 Day 43

For all Mr. Mamdani’s sweeping promises while running for office, his administration was quickly marked by a clear willingness to make some compromises. He backtracked on CityFHEPS, one of the largest rental assistance programs in the nation. Mr. Mamdani said he no longer intended to back the growth of the more than $1 billion initiative, because of the competing need to address the city’s budget deficit.

Feb. 12 Day 43

Mr. Mamdani, maestro of the stunt, surprised the city’s romantics by showing up at City Hall to wed couples there, two days before Valentine’s Day.

Feb. 15 Day 46

Mr. Mamdani announced that he was forming a new business improvement district in Coney Island, with a first-year budget of up to $1 million.

Vincent Alban/The New York Times

Feb. 17 Day 48

Mr. Mamdani presented his preliminary budget, addressing the $5.4 billion hole he has to fill by the time the spending plan takes effect July 1 — a shadow hanging over his ambitious affordability agenda. He warned that property tax rates in New York City might be raised by nearly 10 percent if he could not persuade Ms. Hochul to raise income taxes on high earners.

Dave Sanders for The New York Times

Feb. 18 Day 49

Emerging from weeks when criticism over his handling of homelessness escalated during the city’s cold snap, Mr. Mamdani announced that he would begin sweeping homeless encampments again. But the sweeps would look different than they did under Mr. Adams, and would be led by the Department of Homeless Services rather than the Police Department.

Feb. 20 Day 51

Mr. Mamdani announced that the city would crack down on employers that might be violating worker protection laws. This enforcement push came days before a new law took effect expanding time off protections for more than five million New Yorkers. Mr. Mamdani and his administration started the enforcement push, sending warning letters to 56,000 companies.

Feb. 23 Day 54

As another snowstorm began, the Sanitation Department went into a full force mobilization: Plows went block to block, 2,600 emergency workers headed out for 12-hour shifts and pay was raised for emergency snow shovelers. A total of 19.7 inches of snow fell in Central Park, placing it in the city’s top 10 storms dating back to 1869 — more than enough to persuade the mayor to declare a full snow day for school children.

José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times

Feb. 23 Day 54

A snowball fight was held in Washington Square Park on the afternoon of the blizzard. The event turned chaotic when police officers arrived and were hit with snowballs, which Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called “disgraceful” and “criminal.” The mayor was less perturbed, suggesting that throwing a snowball should not result in criminal charges. The police later arrested a man in connection with the snowball fight; prosecutors declined to bring assault charges.

By Shuran Huang For The New York Times

Feb. 25 Day 56

Hundreds of protesters, led by groups including the Democratic Socialists of America, gathered in Albany for a rally calling for raising taxes on the rich. Mr. Mamdani skipped the event. He has done a delicate dance since taking office, trying to ensure that the progressive organizers who put him in office feel that their voices are heard, while also working to maintain relationships with power brokers like Ms. Hochul.

Graham Dickie for The New York Times

Feb. 26 Day 57

In his second meeting with President Trump at the White House, Mr. Mamdani brought a mock cover of The Daily News, a play on the infamous “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” with the new headline: “Trump to City: Let’s Build.” There are few relationships in America as eyebrow-raising, perplexing, amusing and ripe for analysis as the buddy-comedy-ready duo of Mr. Mamdani and President Trump. One is a democratic socialist, the other the Make America Great Again kingpin. Both are also sons of New York City who have mastered the attention age.

March 3 Day 62

Mr. Mamdani announced that he had chosen four areas in New York City in which to begin his child care expansion, with 2,000 seats in the 2-K program set to open up this fall.

Adam Gray for The New York Times

March 5 Day 64

The Mamdani administration announced it would close the homeless shelter in the former Bellevue psychiatric hospital, which was well known among many New Yorkers seeking a place to sleep but had also fallen into disrepair.

March 6 Day 65

Mr. Mamdani was questioned about a handful of instances in which his wife, Ms. Duwaji, had liked posts appearing to celebrate Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel, right after Oct. 7, 2023. He declined to criticize the posts or address his wife’s actions, saying that she is “a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall.”

March 7 Day 66

Chaos arrived on Mr. Mamdani’s doorstep. A far-right provocateur, Jake Lang, was gathering his followers outside Gracie Mansion for a protest called “Stop the Islamic Takeover.” Two men who had expressed support for the Islamic State were arrested after one was seen hurling a homemade bomb into the protest. The device did not detonate, and no one was injured.

Vincent Alban/The New York Times

March 9 Day 68

Mr. Mamdani appeared sober-faced outside his residence on Monday morning, two days after the bomb incident. He stood alongside Ms. Tisch and denounced the attempt at violence while also condemning the “display of bigotry” at the protest. Ms. Tisch said the throwing of the devices was being investigated as an act of “ISIS-inspired terrorism.”

Graham Dickie for The New York Times

March 11 Day 70

Mr. Mamdani showed up in person at a “rental rip-off” hearing in the Bronx, even meeting with three tenants who had complaints about roaches, broken elevators and safety. He also faced protests from some New Yorkers who live in public housing and reminded the mayor that he is actually New York’s largest landlord.

Vincent Alban/The New York Times

March 17 Day 76

Mr. Mamdani sought a judge’s approval to stop representing the former mayor, Mr. Adams, in a sexual assault lawsuit that had been filed in 2024. The mayor has tried, throughout his first 100 days in office, to distance himself from his predecessor.

March 17 Day 76

Mr. Mamdani not only marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan, but also gave a speech drawing a parallel between Irish history and the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.

March 19 Day 78

Mr. Mamdani signed an executive order creating an Office of Community Safety, which will begin with just two staff members and a far narrower scope than he had pledged.

Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

March 20 Day 79

Mr. Mamdani infused the holy month of Ramadan with spirit, breaking his fast with different groups every day. He shared iftar meals with firefighters, incarcerated people at Rikers and delivery drivers, as well as stopping at some of his favorite restaurants. For New York’s more than half a million observant Muslims, this year marked a poignant shift, the first time a person who shared their faith was running the city and observing Ramadan at City Hall.

Angelina Katsanis for The New York Times

March 24 Day 83

Mr. Mamdani announced settlements with two companies that would provide nearly $2 million to more than 800 fast food and retail workers, including at Dunkin’ and Taco Bell, who had been the victims of “Fair Workweek” violations. A livestream of the announcement also included him eating a Crunchwrap Supreme.

March 25 Day 84

As the Mamdani administration grapples with the looming budget deficit, the mayor gave a quick snapshot of some of the ways the city planned to cut $1.7 billion in spending, including by cutting contracts with consultants and auditing the health care eligibility of dependents. Behind the scenes, the administration quietly identified another $1.3 billion in potential savings from scaling back programs Mr. Mamdani had endorsed on the campaign trail.

March 30 Day 89

Mr. Mamdani attended a Passover Seder at City Winery in Lower Manhattan, seeming unbothered by hecklers as he addressed a crowd that included George Floyd’s brother, Al Franken and Don Lemon, who read the Four Questions.

Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times

April 7 Day 97

The Mamdani administration announced the opening of a rest stop for delivery workers, which had been in the works for years but was sped to completion in the first 100 days of the administration.

Vincent Alban/The New York Times

April 7 Day 97

Mr. Mamdani selected Rebecca Jones Gaston, who as head of child welfare under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. oversaw the expansion of abuse-prevention services for families, to lead the city’s Administration for Children’s Services.

Ms. Jones Gaston previously oversaw child welfare in Maryland and then in Oregon, where she released a “vision for transformation” that stated that “white supremacy and systemic racism are deeply embedded in the history, fabric and institutions of our country, including child welfare systems.”

Boston, MA

Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return

Published

5 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return

NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum was not looking forward to his first game back at Madison Square Garden since he ruptured his Achilles there last May.

He won’t remember the outcome fondly, either. The Celtics lost to the Knicks in a 112-106 nailbiter, missing out on a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

But regardless of the result, Tatum viewed Thursday night’s matchup as another important step in his comeback journey.

“It was a big moment, big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play great, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.”

Tatum did that, delivering an uneven but productive performance in his 16th game of the season.

The good: He played a season-high 40 minutes and tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, narrowly missing what would have been his second triple-double in Boston’s last five games. The not-so-good: He shot the ball poorly (7-for-22; 2-for-10 from 3-point range), committed six turnovers and was a team-worst minus-16.

Despite the loss — just the Celtics’ third with Tatum in the lineup this season — he called the night a “huge” mental victory for him. He made the call earlier in the week to play in this game rather than Friday’s home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, which would have delayed his emotional MSG return until a potential Celtics-Knicks rematch in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum admitted he was “not thrilled” about the prospect of returning to MSG, but he wanted to “face the challenge head-on” and remove one of the final pieces of mental baggage he’d been carrying since his injury. The anxiety he felt when he arrived at the arena for morning shootaround lingered past tipoff before eventually dissipating.

“Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” Tatum said. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better. Even (with) the loss.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum “looked good out there.”

“It looked comfortable,” Mazzulla said. “… Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this, but once the game started, he kind of got in a game flow.”

Tatum now is likely to sit out against New Orleans, as he is not yet cleared to play on back-to-back nights. The Celtics can clinch the second seed by beating the Pelicans or the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s regular-season finale (both at TD Garden), or with a Knicks loss to the Toronto Raptors or Charlotte Hornets.

“I’m definitely checking off a lot of boxes,” Tatum said. “This was one of the last few. Obviously, playoffs coming up soon, but this is one of the ones that was at the top.”

Reserves Payton Pritchard (23 points, 10-for-20, six assists) and Baylor Scheierman (season-high 20 points, 7-for-8) starred in supporting roles for a Celtics team that was playing without top scorer Jaylen Brown. The Celtics got little offensive production from starters Derrick White and Sam Hauser, who scored a combined 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting in the loss.

The Celtics listed four-fifths of their starting lineup as questionable for Thursday’s game before upgrading White, Hauser and Neemias Queta to available. Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendonitis, the same ailment that sidelined him for wins over Atlanta and Charlotte late last month.

Jordan Walsh filled Brown’s spot, making his third start in the last seven games. Walsh sat through six consecutive DNP-CDs after Tatum’s return but recently reclaimed a spot in Mazzulla’s rotation. He spent much of the first half guarding Jalen Brunson, New York’s All-Star point guard, before getting in foul trouble and sitting for the final 20-plus minutes.

Knicks wing Mikal Bridges opened the game with a personal 7-0 run, but the Celtics responded by scoring 21 of the next 28 points. Tatum sparked that early rally with a steal and a fast-break layup, followed by a spinning and-one finish over Josh Hart and a drawn foul on another drive. He also lobbed an alley-oop to Queta, who added a putback off a missed Hauser 3-pointer and drew a foul on his second offensive rebound of the first quarter.

Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta, left, and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns battle for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA game Thursday, April 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Pritchard scored 11 points over the final five minutes of the opening period. Brunson countered with eight points in the final 63 seconds — free throws after a Walsh foul and two triples — to cut Boston’s lead to 29-26.

The Knicks built a five-point lead early in the second by capitalizing on a series of Nikola Vucevic miscues. The Celtics’ backup center allowed two makes at the rim by his counterpart, Mitchell Robinson, fouled Robinson on a lob and committed a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Jordan Clarkson.

The Celtics were outscored by nine points during Vucevic’s first shift off the bench, continuing a trend that’s persisted since his return from a fractured ring finger last weekend. The trade-deadline pickup was a minus-15 in the first half Sunday against Toronto and a minus-11 in the first quarter Tuesday against Charlotte.

Vucevic eventually scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and finished as plus-1 in 24 minutes. The Celtics view his often choppy minutes as necessary to get him reintegrated before the postseason.

“(They’re) very important,” Pritchard said. “He just came back from an injury, so he’s been out for a while. New team. So it’s an adjustment period, and we don’t have time to practice and play against each other, so this is kind of our practice time with him. He’s being thrown out there in these moments, but it’ll make us better and ready for the playoffs.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently said Vucevic will benefit more than any other Celtic from the team’s upcoming weeklong break, which will afford him valuable practice time before the playoffs begin. He’s been Mazzulla’s go-to big behind Queta since his finger healed, resulting in three straight healthy DNPs for Luka Garza.

As Boston entered halftime down 54-53, Tatum was one rebound shy of a double-double — plus four assists and a block on an OG Anunoby 3-pointer — but hadn’t made a field goal since his pair of early-game layups (2-for-11; 0-for-5 from three). Pritchard was the Celtics’ top scorer and shooter in the first half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-12. The rest of the team shot just 32.4% from the field.

Walsh picked up his fourth foul two seconds into the second half, then surrendered a Bridges 3-pointer. New York proceeded to hit four of those in quick succession, mounting an 18-6 run to stretch its lead to 72-59.

That’s when the Celtics finally found their stroke from beyond the arc. Six 3-pointers from five different players — including Vucevic’s first two 3-point makes since March 4 — erased New York’s cushion and put Boston up 78-76.

Pritchard and Scheierman — who subbed in for Walsh at the 9:23 mark of the third and played the rest of the way — each hit two threes in the quarter, and the Celtics took an 83-81 lead into the fourth.

“It was a fun experience, obviously,” said Scheierman, a second-year pro who’s looking to cement his spot in Mazzulla’s playoff rotation. “I wish we could’ve won at the end of the day, (but) obviously, it was a lot of fun to do that.”

Tatum sat for the first 2:15 of the final quarter before checking back in and burying a 3-pointer moments later. He then converted an and-one fadeaway over Robinson that made it 92-85, only for New York to reply with a 7-0 run. Hart’s transition layup off a Tatum turnover tied it at 92-92 with 6:21 remaining.

Boston scored on five of its next seven possessions — including two more 3-pointers by the red-hot Scheierman, who went 6-for-7 from deep — but could not manufacture enough stops at the other end. Consecutive threes by Hart in the final minute iced the game for New York.

Hart finished with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers, with Brunson adding 25 and 10 assists.

“We’re just taking it a game at a time, “Pritchard said. “Obviously, we wanted this one. Didn’t get it. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get that win. Once that game’s over, we’ll look forward to the next.”

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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh Pride ramping up fundraising efforts with less than 60 days to go

Published

6 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

With less than 60 days to go until Pittsburgh Pride, the pressure is on to raise crucial funds for the annual event. “It’s a place for everybody to come together, gather, and be with one another without judgment, without worrying about being ‘othered,’” Lyndsey Sickler told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Reporter Jordan Cioppa. Organizers said this year will be no different when the Pittsburgh Pride festival and parade return to the streets of the Steel City June 6-7. However, the celebrations will come at a cost. “Just for stages is over $100,000. That’s not including lighting, electric, insurance, security,” said Sickler, who serves on the board for Pittsburgh Pride. “Pride is happening one way or another, but to do it the way we’ve been doing it, we need to make sure that we can pay the insurance, that we can pay the electric, we can pay for the stages, and the artists, and all that stuff, because we pay our artists.”This year’s fundraising goal is $500,000. So far, organizers said they have raised about $150,000 of that. “There have been increased amounts of attacks on the LGBTQ community, and we’re seeing that reflected in Pittsburgh Pride this year and Prides all across the country, with corporate sponsors backing out, trying to diminish the amount of support that they’re giving to pride,” said board member Sam Wasserman. Board members said big names like Sheetz and U.S. Steel supported this year’s event, but past sponsors like Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Walmart have not stepped up. A Walmart spokesperson responded with the following statement:”Our focus remains on creating an environment where our associates and customers feel they belong. We’re supportive of associates who want to support Pride month by volunteering in their communities.”A Tito’s spokesperson told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that the company donates to more than 10,000 nonprofit events yearly. “Unfortunately, we are not always able to continue sponsoring the same events in perpetuity, as we try to spread love to as many organizations as possible,” the spokesperson added. Wasserman said they are currently on track to meet half of the fundraising goal if people continue to show support. “If we were at $250,000 as opposed to [$500,000,] we would have to have discussions about, do we only have one performance stage instead of two?” Wasserman said. “Do we have to shrink our footprint on the park in order to be able to accommodate less costs, less bathrooms, less electricity? Things like that. Less security.” While Wasserman said $150,000 isn’t quite enough, he added that it’s a good start. “On the flip side, we’ve seen a lot of Pittsburghers really embrace Mr. Rogers, being a good neighbor, stepping up,” Wasserman said. “We’ve had hundreds of our local small businesses sign up to be vendors already and pay their vendor fees.”Pittsburgh Pride is recruiting vendors, sponsors, donors, and parade participants. Organizers said they are looking to secure state grant money, too.

PITTSBURGH —

With less than 60 days to go until Pittsburgh Pride, the pressure is on to raise crucial funds for the annual event.

“It’s a place for everybody to come together, gather, and be with one another without judgment, without worrying about being ‘othered,’” Lyndsey Sickler told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Reporter Jordan Cioppa.

Organizers said this year will be no different when the Pittsburgh Pride festival and parade return to the streets of the Steel City June 6-7.

However, the celebrations will come at a cost.

“Just for stages is over $100,000. That’s not including lighting, electric, insurance, security,” said Sickler, who serves on the board for Pittsburgh Pride. “Pride is happening one way or another, but to do it the way we’ve been doing it, we need to make sure that we can pay the insurance, that we can pay the electric, we can pay for the stages, and the artists, and all that stuff, because we pay our artists.”

This year’s fundraising goal is $500,000. So far, organizers said they have raised about $150,000 of that.

“There have been increased amounts of attacks on the LGBTQ community, and we’re seeing that reflected in Pittsburgh Pride this year and Prides all across the country, with corporate sponsors backing out, trying to diminish the amount of support that they’re giving to pride,” said board member Sam Wasserman.

Board members said big names like Sheetz and U.S. Steel supported this year’s event, but past sponsors like Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Walmart have not stepped up.

A Walmart spokesperson responded with the following statement:

“Our focus remains on creating an environment where our associates and customers feel they belong. We’re supportive of associates who want to support Pride month by volunteering in their communities.”

A Tito’s spokesperson told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that the company donates to more than 10,000 nonprofit events yearly.

“Unfortunately, we are not always able to continue sponsoring the same events in perpetuity, as we try to spread love to as many organizations as possible,” the spokesperson added.

Wasserman said they are currently on track to meet half of the fundraising goal if people continue to show support.

“If we were at $250,000 as opposed to [$500,000,] we would have to have discussions about, do we only have one performance stage instead of two?” Wasserman said. “Do we have to shrink our footprint on the park in order to be able to accommodate less costs, less bathrooms, less electricity? Things like that. Less security.”

While Wasserman said $150,000 isn’t quite enough, he added that it’s a good start.

“On the flip side, we’ve seen a lot of Pittsburghers really embrace Mr. Rogers, being a good neighbor, stepping up,” Wasserman said. “We’ve had hundreds of our local small businesses sign up to be vendors already and pay their vendor fees.”

Pittsburgh Pride is recruiting vendors, sponsors, donors, and parade participants. Organizers said they are looking to secure state grant money, too.

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