We made it to Friday, CivMixers. I’m not usually one to say it, but TGIF.
The weekend is looking pretty good, weather-wise, with clear skies, lots of sun, temperatures in the mid-80s to low 90s, and relatively low humidity, according to The Weather Channel. Another perfect summer Saturday and Sunday, with lots of stuff to do, see and hear.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. First let’s get through today, which is forecast to be partly cloudy with temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s. A stray thunderstorm is possible, so if you’re headed outdoors – like, up to the track, say – bring an umbrella, just to be on the safe side.
Speaking of the track, the third race today is The Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Race, and the baseball legend will be on hand to see it. He’s visiting the Spa City one week before he’s officially inducted into the hall of fame in Cooperstown.
Comical, a 2-year-old filly co-owned by veteran NHL defenseman Erik Johnson of the Colorado Avalanche, won the 101st Grade III Schuylerville on a muddy opening day of the 151st meet.
In the headlines this morning…
State and local health departments are investigating an outbreak of cyclosporiasis in the Capital Region. The gastrointestinal illness, which can spread through contaminated food and water, has been confirmed in 11 people so far.
The Troy City Council listened to about 100 residents last night speaking for and against a redrafted sanctuary city resolution that was later approved in a 4-3 vote.
Democratic Council members say rather than declaring Troy a sanctuary city, the updated proposal protects constitutional rights. It prevents city employees from asking about immigration status or helping ICE, unless dealing with criminal matters.
The Council also voted unanimously to waive fees at the South Troy pool this year (when and if it opens) because of the delay in opening the facility.
News about nationwide raids expected to target thousands of undocumented immigrants Sunday has stoked fear among the immigrant community and their advocates in the Capital Region — but also spurred them to get ready to respond.
There’s some concern over how the immigration raids might impact the track at Saratoga.
Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic near the Javits Center in Manhattan and interrupted an annual conference of a division of Amazon yesterday morning, over the online retail giant’s alleged connection to the ongoing debate over immigration.
Nine people were arrested in Buffalo when a boisterous but peaceful protest against migrant detention centers at the southern border shut down the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street downtown for more than two hours.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new initiative that aims to bring more people to the Catskills, as official from all over the state came to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts for the 2019 Catskills Challenge.
Miles Bailey, a boxing promoter who served as an FBI informant in a sting case targeting former Halfmoon Supervisor Melinda Wormuth, was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for his role in an unrelated tax-fraud scheme.
Local environmentalists say revamping the massive heating, cooling and power system for the state Capitol building and Empire State Plaza should rely on renewables, not than natural gas as currently proposed. They offered a detailed plan for how that could be done.
Demolition is set to begin for nearly 12 more blighted properties in Schenectady that have been deemed beyond repair.
With July 4 come and gone, the mayor of Schenectady has missed his self-imposed deadline for when an announcement would be made regarding a new home for Lady Liberty.
The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said the Capital Region has avoided the stark income inequality that has evolved in some areas as the U.S. economy continues its longest-ever economic expansion.
Caroga Supervisor James Selmser says the previously planned referendum to sell the former Sherman’s Amusement Park in Fulton County is now only “tentatively” scheduled for Aug. 20 in the wake of a notice of claim filed by the park’s former owner.
Barry is the first tropical storm to threaten the United States this year. The forecast shows it as a tropical storm at landfall, possibly by Saturday morning on the Louisiana coast, probably west of New Orleans.
President Donald Trump abandoned his controversial bid to inject a citizenship question into next year’s census, instead directing federal agencies to try to compile the information using existing databases.
William McGinley, the chief liaison between Trump’s White House and federal government agencies, will leave his post next week after more than two years on the job, depriving the president of one of his last remaining senior staff members from the start of his tenure.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló was hit by a growing furor over a corruption probe that has rocked his administration and the release of private text messages where he made derogatory comments about other public figures – including former NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
Trump’s Social Media Summit almost descended into a brawl when Sebastian Gorka, a former adviser to the president, got into a brief shouting match with a White House reporter in the Rose Garden.
Trump ripped into former House Speaker Paul Ryan on Twitter for having an “atrocious” record and becoming “a long running lame duck failure” who left his party “in the lurch.”
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a 2020 Democratic contender, is on a bus tour of several critical states that Trump won in the 2016 election. She’s calling it the “Trump Broken Promises” tour.
The Gillibrand campaign two-day tour hits three Michigan cities today after swinging through Pennsylvania and Ohio.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said it was unfair for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to single her and three other female freshman Democratic lawmakers out for criticism, and warned that the repercussions could be dangerous.
Jeffrey Epstein, the financier facing sex-trafficking charges in New York, asked a federal judge to allow him to use some of his wealth to stay out of jail while he awaits trial, filing a detailed bail proposal with the court.
NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson joined a growing chorus of politicians questioning the NYPD over its mishandling of Epstein’s sex-offender status — following a NY Post report showing cops ignored a judge’s order to make him check in with their sex-offender unit.
The singer R. Kelly, already under indictment in Chicago on state charges of aggravated sexual assault and abuse, was arrested last night by federal agents on charges related to child pornography and other federal crimes, officials said.
The U.S. government is growing the largest crop of research marijuana in five years, responding to interest in varieties with high levels of THC and CBD.
New York’s elite private-school community is “furious” over a state proposal to give the city Department of Education oversight of their kids’ curricula — and they’re fighting back.
The state’s new speed law went into effect yesterday, allowing NYC officials to dramatically expand the number of school zones with cameras from 225 now to 750 by June 2020.
Charming Charlie, which sells purses, jewelry, and apparel, will close all remaining 261 stores in 38 states – including a site at Colonie Center that opened in 2011.
After filing an appeal and submitting a new permit application, Woodstock 50’s push to hold the festival at Vernon Downs has been shot down by the town yet again. Promoters now want a review by the town planning board, which is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The town building inspector said the festival’s plans for medical care, traffic control, crowd control and security had too little detail. The security plan, he said, had “long list of shifts, activities, numbers of staff,” but failed to name which police agency would provide that staffing.
Dr. David R. Smith, the former president of SUNY Upstate Medical University, can never practice medicine again in New York. The state barred Smith from practicing after he pleaded guilty in December to padding his pay while Upstate’s president.
Pete Davidson who earlier this year said in an interview, “The whole town of Syracuse blows…Never again, Syracuse,” will return to Syracuse to perform in August.
Photo credit: Dannielle Melendez, @livinginalbany.
