Happy Monday, CivMix crew. It’s time to wake up and take on the world!
It’s going to be a fairly decent day, weather-wise, compared to the rain-fest we saw yesterday for Father’s Day. (Sorry, soggy dads).
The Weather Channel says to expect a mix of sun and clouds in the entire Capital Region area, with only a slight chance of showers and a predicted high hovering around 80 degrees, give or take a degree or two.
Don’t get used to the clear skies, though, because there’s more rain in the forecast for the next four days or so. It looks like next weekend will be sunny and dry, so we have that to look forward to.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump had a lot to say in his Sunday interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, including an assertion that his tax cuts and cuts to government regulation, not the appointment of conservative federal judges, will be his lasting legacy when he leaves the White House.
The president also exchanged some Twitter barbs with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said on ABC’s This Week that that Democrats have a “very real risk of losing the presidency” to Trump in 2020, and also renewed a push to begin impeachment hearings saying the pressure to impeach grows every day.
In Albany, there were a flurry of talks on a variety of subjects at the state Capitol as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders rush to nail down some final policy deals before the 2019 session’s scheduled end this week.
It looks like the Senate will vote on the controversial Green Light bill to give undocumented immigrants the ability to get driver’s licenses, even though a number of suburban lawmakers are uncomfortable with the issue and Democratic Party leaders warn the measure could be politically toxic. (The bill has already passed the state Assembly).
Talks to legalize marijuana in New York have come down to the wire, with major issues still to be resolved by negotiators at the Capitol if a tentative deal is to be presented to lawmakers today. There’s a potential for a two-way deal between the Assembly and Senate Democratic majorities if a three-way can’t be reached with the governor.
State AG Letitia James urged legislative leaders to back a provision in a marijuana legalization agreement that would expunge records for those who have been arrested, detained or convicted of marijuana-related possession.
Another two-way deal is brewing on legislation to combat climate change, which was also the subject of (so far fruitless) three-way talks this weekend.
Down in NYC, summations are scheduled this morning in the trial of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, who, along with member of the cult-like group’s inner circle, reportedly paid to obtain financial information (much of it inaccurate) on top-level New York elected officials.
One person died at an off-road outdoor “Monster truck” event in the Schoharie County town of Esperance Saturday night, Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffrey Smith confirmed.
Two troopers were involved in a crash in Montgomery County Saturday morning, hospitalizing one trooper and the driver of the other car with minor injuries, a state police spokeswoman said. The incident is under investigation.
Opposition to the pace of development, debate over sewers on Route 50, and the controversy surrounding a now-scuttled water line in the town of Ballston’s Agricultural District appear to have energized many town voters and altered the usual sleepy GOP sweeps, creating a rare hotly contested Republican primary.
An elderly Mechanicville woman found a stranger sleeping in her spare bedroom over the weekend. He fled the home and rode away on a bike.
Dylan J. Dunney, a 19-year-old Guilderland resident, crossed the barrier at an overlook at Thatcher Park and plunged about a hundred feet into the ravine, before sliding even farther from help. He reportedly had been drinking, and was rescued in critical condition and flown to Albany Med.
A former employee of the federal Housing and Urban Development Office in Albany was sentenced for defrauding co-workers by claiming he had cancer and using leave time donated by those co-workers.
A man is in critical condition after a parasailing accident near Lake George’s Tea Island Saturday.
The owners of Beekman 1802, a locally based global beauty and lifestyle brand, say they’ve experienced backlash after announcing a donation in honor of Pride Month.
Officials announced Saturday that the boil water order for customers affected in portions of the City of Troy, and the towns of Brunswick, North Greenbush and Poestenkill has been lifted.
The Rotterdam bear, weighing in at nearly 200 pounds, has been caught.
The Tri-City ValleyCats will wait a day to play their home opener and celebrate their 2018 New York-Penn League title, both of which were rained out yesterday. The ‘Cats will now begin their 2019 home slate tonight at 7 p.m. against the Staten Island Yankees, with gates at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium opening at 5:00 p.m.
The great Target outage of 2019 continued on a smaller scale Sunday with a few shoppers reporting that some stores were unable to process credit card purchases.
Photo credit: Fred Coffey.
