Hello, CivMixers! Welcome to this hot and steamy Hump Day. (That sounds almost dirty, doesn’t it? Sorry, that was not at all what I intended).
Got something of a late start today. Let’s blame it on the heat. Although, technically speaking, it’s not all that hot. The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 80s. But the humidity is high – about 76 percent.
Also, expect some thunderstorms later in the day, so if you’re headed to the track, which is open for Week II of the meet after two dark days, keep that in mind. Also, the rain could be heavy at times, and there might be some significant wind along with it.
In short, just be careful out there.
Some headlines…
After a day full of partisan bickering, the House passed a resolution condemning President Donald Trump for making “racist” remarks against four of its Democratic members.
The vote only occurred after the debate over the president’s language devolved into a bitterly partisan brawl that showcased deep rifts over race, ethnicity and political ideology in the age of Trump.
Four Republicans crossed party lines to vote along with the Democrats against the president. None of them were from New York.
It’s been more than 100 years since Congress offered a formal rebuke of a sitting president and so the vote, in and of itself, is newsworthy and noteworthy. But there’s no next step, no further action that Congress can or will take, and no real-world implications for the president.
The president has told aides that he is pleased with the Democratic reaction to his attacks, boasting that he is “marrying” House Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party to the four congresswomen known as “the Squad.”
For the first time, a federal court in Ohio is releasing a trove of data that offers far more detail about the size and scope of the nation’s opioid epidemic — and about the role played by drug companies and pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens and Johnson & Johnson that profited from the rapid growth of prescription opioid sales.
Will the notorious Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo go quietly? For Joaquin Guzman, that’s the biggest question at his sentencing in New York City today. The highly-anticipated hearing could be his last chance to speak publicly before spending the rest of his life behind bars at a maximum security U.S. prison.
For the first time in the seven-year history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, dropped to the No. 3 slot — giving way to France’s Bernard Arnault.
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens, whose U.S. Supreme Court opinions transformed many areas of American law during his 34 year tenure, died at the age of 99 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., of complications following a stroke he suffered Monday.
Here in New York…
Scherie Murray, a Jamaican-born woman who grew up in Queens and founded a TV production and advertising company, plans to run for the congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, is urging the New York City police commissioner to fire the officer involved in her son’s chokehold death. Today is the five-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s death, and also a day after federal prosecutors announced they would not bring civil rights charges in the case.
Power outages hit Staten Island yesterday evening when a fire erupted at a Con Edison substation — just days after mass outages hit tens of thousands of customers on the West Side of Manhattan, officials said.
A measure designed to eventually eliminate greenhouse gas from energy production as well as most of the state’s economy has been sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk and could be signed as soon as tomorrow.
Although he’s not up for re-election until 2022, Cuomo is continuing to rake in big money after spending more than $25 million last year to defeat progressive challenger Cynthia Nixon in a primary and Republican Marc Molinaro in the general election.
The driver of one of the tractor trailers involved in a fiery crash this morning has died, State Police said.
The fifth attempt to redevelop 1 Monument Square turned the development process upside down last night with developers meeting with about 125 residents and business owners to introduce themselves and give some insight into what they plan for the site.
A former senior investigator with the state prison system was arrested on felony charges for allegedly forging and falsifying records related to the handling of evidence, including illicit drugs and weapons, that he temporarily stored in his South Glens Falls home for “convenience.”
The boyfriend of social media star Bianca Devins may have flipped out when she kissed another man while attending a concert in Queens on Saturday night, according to Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara.
Albany County has begun screening juvenile offenders for suicide risk and behavioral health concerns, as part of a pilot program aimed at reducing rising suicide rates among young people, officials announced.
Just hours after three people were injured in three Albany shootings, five residents were arrested while allegedly trying to steal evidence officers were actively guarding, city police said.
An autopsy is scheduled for today in Boston to identify a woman’s body found in Berkshire County. Massachusetts State Police say a crew spotted the body while logging in a densely wooded area off Curtin Road, in Peru.
There’s been no shortage of words to describe recent activity in downtown Schenectady, which local officials often point out seemed moribund just a short decade ago. Now for the first time since 1978, the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC) wants to expand its service area.
The town of Vernon has rejected the appeal of its denial of a permit to hold the Woodstock 50 Music Festival. The town denied a permit application last week for a festival August 16-18 at the Vernon Downs Racetrack and Casino.
Former CBS anchor Dan Rather will speak at the University at Albany on Sept. 6 as the headline speaker for the campus’ Speaker Series. Tickets for Rather’s appearance are free and will be available here later this summer.
Photo credit: Joe Bonilla, another shot from his recent West Coast trip, this one is also from Point Mugu State Park.
