Good morning, CivMix crew and at ’em. The middle of the week has arrived. Happy Wednesday.
Remember how I said that yesterday there would be a ticker tape parade in Manhattan celebrating the U.S. women’s soccer team members and their fourth World Cup win? Well, yeah. That’s actually taking place TODAY at 9:30 a.m.
So, to reiterate: The parade will traverse the “Canyon of Heroes” along Broadway from the Battery to City Hall. The last ticker tape parade in NYC was also held honor of the women’s team, after they won the World Cup in 2015.
A special ceremony at City Hall Plaza will follow the parade at 10:30 a.m.
Chalk that error up to recovering summer vacation brain. So sorry for the confusion. If you happen to be traveling down to the Big Apple for the big parade, make sure to factor in the heat and humidity. It’s going to be a hot one.
Ditto for the Capital Region, which is forecast to see the temperature hit 90+ degrees, with lots of sunshine and no rain. (That’s apparently coming tomorrow).
In the headlines…
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta faced fresh calls to resign, and rising pressure from inside the Trump administration, over his role in brokering a lenient plea deal over sex crimes for the New York financier Jeffrey Epstein as a federal prosecutor in Miami more than a decade ago.
Epstein lived a luxurious life, socializing with celebrities, jetting off to Europe, California or the Caribbean, where he owned a private island. He has friends in high places – presidents and princes – and one of the largest private houses in Manhattan, but largely stayed out of the spotlight.
The arrest of Epstein on federal sex-trafficking charges has renewed scrutiny of Manhattan DA Cyrus R. Vance Jr., whose office I 2011 argued that the financier, who had been convicted in Florida of soliciting an underage prostitute, should not be registered as a top-level sex offender in New York
A federal judge in New York rejected the Justice Department’s request to switch its legal team midway through a case challenging the Trump administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who cultivates a middle class persona, and wife, Jill, raked in more than $15.6 million in the two years since leaving the White House, according to newly released financial disclosure forms.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s comment to reporters that he had “to look into” St. Clare’s Hospital’s pension crisis sparked anger among some local lawmakers, who say he should be aware the plight of retirees who have lost or had their pensions reduced.
Former Assemblyman Dov Hikind sued Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for blocking him on Twitter, citing a court ruling that determined Trump’s practice of blocking critics on Twitter runs afoul of the First Amendment.
Chinatown Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou was accosted and called a “bitch” and a “whore” by a pack of unruly “Statue of Liberty ferry” ticket salesmen, but police who witnessed the harassment ignored her pleas for help, claiming the mayor told them not to intervene.
Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new law enabling undocumented immigrants to get a New York driver’s license.
The suit targets Cuomo, Attorney General Letitia James and DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder and requests an injunction to block the measure until a judge determines if it’s legal.
New cases of Measles have reached a new record in the country, even as the rate of new cases is slowing.
Garrett Meeson, a Shenendehowa High School student who was set to start 10th grade in the fall, has died, according to online posts by the school district.
Police are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash near the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Dove Street in the city’s Sheridan Hollow neighborhood that killed a 43-year-old Albany man last night.
The derelict Leonard Hospital continues to be a drain on city finances as the Troy City Council prepares to settle a lawsuit by paying $120,000 to a woman who fell through a skylight in the hospital roof five years ago.
Ramsey Place residents are unhappy with Albany’s newest plan to help reduce flooding in the area, which includes green infrastructure, removing and adding trees and narrowing the street. One resident said she may chain herself to a centuries-old tree if the city moves to take it down.
The price of the Northway Exit 3 providing access to the Albany International Airport, called the “Airport Connector,” is expected to be $50 million, and is expected to be done by next spring – ahead of schedule.
The South Troy pool is still closed as the city continues making repairs, insisting it is making progress and hopes to open the facility in the coming weeks.
Woodstock 50 has hit yet another bump in its plans to stage the festival in New York Aug. 16th – 18th. The festival’s effort to obtain a permit for its latest proposed location, Vernon Downs in the town of Vernon in Oneida County has been denied.
The promoters have appealed the decision. But Oneida County Executive Tony Picente said “what they have submitted to date has not met many of the requirements” to stage the festival and the chances of it taking place seem “highly unlikely.”
More than 30 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies remain on the hunt for an inmate who escaped custody Monday afternoon at Berkshire Medical Center. Harry Chandler, who has a black belt in judo, overpowered a deputy with the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office as he was being released from the hospital.
Margaret “Peggy” King, a former president of the Schenectady City Council, was named to the Schenectady County Legislature seat formerly held by the late Karen Johnson. She will serve through the end of the year, and must win an election in November to fill the remaining two years in Johnson’s term.
The Rensselaer County Legislature has passed a one-year moratorium on new approvals or permits for solid waste treatment facilities near the Hudson River as the future of the Dunn Landfill and the building of the Rensselaer biotech facility are in question.
The process of recounting all the votes in the Democratic primary for Queens district attorney has started, while the controversy goes on.
The Saratoga Race Course is now home to the 1863 Club, a three-story luxury facility overlooking the track. It has porches and suites that offer unimpeded views of the turf as well as betting terminals, televisions, cushy dining booths, buffets and bars – all air conditioned.
Two New York universities – SUNY Albany (44) and Syracuse (19) – made this list of the nation’s 50 “top party schools.” (Tulane, in New Orleans, is No. 1).
The annual Troy Pig Out returns to Riverfront Park Saturday, bringing the area’s best barbeque eateries to Troy with their best and most unique recipes.
Uber passengers can now get a more spacious ride and a less talkative driver if they’re willing to shell out a few extra dollars.
Brace yourselves for an onslaught of NYC tourists, Kingston and Poughkeepsie residents.
Photo credit: Fred Coffey.
