Good Monday morning, CivMixers!
It’s going to be a mostly sunny day thought the Capital Region, though clouds will start to form in the afternoon, with temperatures forecast in the low-to-mid-80s, and no rain in the picture, according to The Weather Channel.
Barry has weakened to a tropical depression, but dangerous flooding remains a concern in Louisiana. We’ll likely be seeing some wet wether as a result of the storm later in the week.
Amazon has kicked off the fifth annual Prime Day, a two-day sales event that the online retailer hopes does not cause a site crash like last year. A number of other competitors – Walmart, Target etc. – are also running sales today.
It’s one of two dark days at the track. Remember: even though the meet opened historically early this year and it’s eight weeks long, there is no racing on either MONDAY OR Tuesday.
There has already been one horse death at the track, which opened just last week. Dozens of protestors picketed this weekend after the death of thoroughbred Fight Night.
(The horse, a 3-year-old filly, was euthanized on the track after suffering a catastrophic fracture to her right front ankle).
Speaking of dark…if you happened to be in New York City Saturday, perhaps to catch a show on Broadway, you may have gotten stuck in a power failure that plunged a stretch of the West Side of Manhattan into darkness, impacting Times Square and causing most theaters to cancel performances.
The outage plunged more than 70,000 Coned customers into darkness, knocked out power to buses, subways and elevators, and forced the evacuation of Madison Square Garden in the middle of a Jennifer Lopez concert. (The show is rescheduled for tonight).
Power was fully restored by midnight, with cheers ringing out on the streets in response. But now ConEd, which was already under pressure for mechanical failures in years past, is on the hot seat yet again.
ConEd’s president, Timothy Cawley, said that because the system was nowhere near its capacity, he was certain that the root cause was not overwhelming demand for electricity. It could take weeks to determine exactly what happened.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio cut short a presidential campaign trip to Iowa to return home to deal with the issue, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo went on TV to demand answers from “Mr. ConEd” himself.
They both called for investigations, as did U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The governor warned that ConEd “does not have a franchise granted by God” and “can be replaced.”
Cuomo could not resist taking a shot at de Blasio for being out of town on the presidential campaign trail as the power outage hit, saying: “Situations like this come up and you have to be on site, I believe that…I can count the number of times I leave the state, basically on my fingers.”
The NY Post is calling on Cuomo to remove de Blasio from office, saying he “does not care” about the city or its people.
This incident occurred on the anniversary of the historic 1977 NYC blackout, though that outage lasted 25 hours.
In other news at the national level…
President Donald Trump made headlines yesterday when he said progressive congresswomen should “go back” and try to fix the “crime infested places” they “originally came from” before telling the U.S. government how to handle its problems.
…Then, after his comments were denounced as racist, he doubled down.
Wrapped inside that insult, which was widely established as a racist trope, was a factually inaccurate claim: Only one of the lawmakers was born outside the country.
A Trump administration official said ICE had begun conducting raids slated for Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco, in an operation expected to target about 2,000 undocumented immigrants ordered by courts to be removed from the country.
Only a handful of arrests appear to take place in just a few cities. In New York, ICE agents attempted two arrests on Saturday in Brooklyn, and a third in East Harlem, according to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Amid reports of an elevated Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in New York City, advocates for the state’s recently passed Green Light Bill, which will allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses, hosted a party in Newburgh to celebrate their “victory”
Meanwhile, religious leaders across the country used their pulpits yesterday to quell concerns in immigrant communities and spring into action to help those potentially threatened by the operation.
American Airlines said it will keep the Boeing 737 Max plane off its schedule until Nov. 3, which is two months longer than it had planned.
Jeffrey Epstein may have millions of reasons why he should be released on bail — but a Manhattan judge is still likely to deny him his freedom at a hearing today, experts say.
In local news…
A deadly crash that took place at a busy intersection in Malta – on Route 9 right near the Malta Drive-In – remains under investigation.
Colonie Police are investigating a fatal crash in Latham that involved three vehicles – a cement truck and two cars – and took place just past the corner of Watervliet Shaker Road and Caroline Street.
A bill that would set up national protocol for the doping of racehorses – co-sponsored in the House by Rep. Paul Tonko and led in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – is working its way through Congress.
Industry insiders are anticipating a shakeup based on the state’s decision to commission a study examining every aspect of gambling in New York — including the potential ramifications of opening three new casinos in the New York City area.
The state has launched a “Reimagine the Canals” initiative to breathe life into the storied waterway that runs across upstate. First opened in 1825, the Erie Canal spans more than 360 miles.
9/11 first responders got some good news Friday as House members overwhelmingly voted to extend the Victim’s Compensation Fund.
The Albany Dutchmen won the first game of a scheduled doubleheader against the Amsterdam Mohawks in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League 4-2, but the game was officially called after second baseman Luke Gold was hit by a pitch in the helmet.
More than 650 cyclists took part in the Cycle the Erie Canal bike tour, which ended yesterday, crossing New York state along the Erie Canalway Trail between Buffalo and Albany.
The start to the popular Boilermaker Road Race in Utica was briefly delayed while police investigated a homicide.
The Times Union Center hosted this year’s three-day educational public event hosted by Jehovah’s Witnesses, which is estimated to have around 18,000 in attendance.
The Johnstown Public Library has joined the Albany Public Library in eliminating late fees in hopes of winning back old patrons and gaining new ones.
Andy Chestnut, elected to the Schenectady school board in May, took time from his first meeting to remind people about an issue important to him: having staff and teachers who live in the city.
Despite city lawmakers passing the FACT Act, previously known as the Sanctuary City Resolution, last Thursday night, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden vetoed the measure Friday evening.
A protest at West Capital Park in Albany on Friday called for an end to detention centers at the southern border. More than 20 local organizations participated in the “Lights for Liberty” protest and vigil.
As National Disability Voter Registration Week begins today, a new secure voting machine that would dramatically improve the experience of voters with disabilities is winning the praise of advocates in New York.
Photo of the Troy Farmer’s Market this past weekend. Credit: George Fazio.
