Heeeeere’s Thursday, CivMixers! Happiest of birthdays to all my fellow Leos out there.
We’re in for a stretch of increasing warm, dry and sunny weather, starting today and heading into the weekend, according to The Weather Channel. We’ll be moving from the low-to-mid-80s (today) to the high 80s (Sunday), with sun, sun, sun, sun, sun.
It’s going to be lovely summer weather.
In the headlines…
North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military said, the first weapons launches in more than two months and an apparent effort to pressure Washington as the two sides struggle to restart nuclear negotiations.
Here are some winners and losers of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s appearance before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees.
House Republicans maintain Mueller’s testimony uncovered no meaningful new information and that it’s time to move on. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says that “this should be the end of the chapter that we put America through.”
Mueller warned Russia is again trying to sabotage American democracy before the 2020 election, defended his investigation’s conclusions about Moscow’s sweeping interference effort in 2016 and publicly rejected President Trump’s criticism that he had conducted a “witch hunt.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her position on impeachment Trump remained unchanged after Mueller testified about his investigation, though she’s not ruling out the prospect.
House Democrats moved to strengthen their hand in legal battles against Trump by passing a measure that endorses the chamber’s subpoenas relating to the president, his administration and his businesses.
Pelosi and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are set to meet today to address the Democratic infighting that erupted after the House passed an emergency border funding bill.
Ricardo Rosselló, the embattled governor of Puerto Rico, has resigned following days of protests on the island and calls from U.S. lawmakers for him to step down. In a live-streamed message last night, Rosselló said his resignation would take effect on Aug. 2 at 5 p.m.
Accused pedophile and wealthy Manhattan financier Jeffrey Epstein was found injured and in a fetal position inside his cell at a New York City jail, according to sources close to the investigation.
Investigators are reportedly trying to get to the bottom of what happened, but the wealthy sex offender was said to have been semi-conscious when he was found. Epstein may have tried to take his own life.
With the Congress moving toward a ban on spending federal funds on Chinese buses and rail cars, the Port of Albany is facing a potential loss of business stretching years into the future.
At first, it looked like Saratoga Race Course wouldn’t see Preservationist until the Woodward on the final weekend of the season. That has changed, and the 6-year-old will now run in the Whitney Stakes.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul announced a dozen Albany projects in the Clinton Square neighborhood will be funded by $10 million in state funding from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
Hochul is scheduled to make an announcement today at 1 p.m. at Amsterdam’s Riverlink Park regarding the city’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant.
A 20-year-old Halfmoon man turned himself in after allegedly robbing a Stewart’s Shop and brandishing a knife earlier this month, Saratoga County sheriff’s investigators said.
The MTA Board has approved a sweeping reorganization plan that would shift power and eliminate thousands of jobs in an effort to save money and make the agency more efficient.
A third case of people throwing buckets of water at NYPD Officers has occurred – this time in the south Bronx. Video of the incident emerged as the NYPD made its first arrest in the dousing of officers in Brownsville, Brooklyn over the weekend.
Developers are gathering information to make their pitches to build on the final plot of the World Trade Center site in Manhattan and, for the first time, apartment units may be built there.
A lone male diner gave a waitress at Dock Brown’s Lakeside Tavern in Saratoga Springs a $1,000 tip.
GlobalFoundries marked the 10th anniversary of the start of construction of Fab 8, its $15 billion computer chip factory where more than 3,000 people now work.
Angel Torres was allegedly caught on camera while breaking into his job. He worked as a delivery driver at a Domino’s Pizza on Broadway in Schenectady.
The Troy City Council Democratic majority announced the reactivation of the Environmental Conservation Commission to advise the city in the development of programs and policies aimed at reducing environmental footprint and protecting natural resources.
Stan Lee, the iconic comic book writer who helped create Marvel’s greatest superheroes and villains, could soon have a street named after him in the Bronx.
National Grid hasn’t been providing new gas service to businesses and residents in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island because of a standoff with the state over a stalled pipeline.
Facebook says it is under antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, making the announcement just hours after the agency slapped it with a record $5 billion fine and new oversight on its privacy practices.
The Boppy Company is recalling 14,000 infant head and neck accessories due to a potential suffocation hazard.
A Swedish prosecutor has charged rapper A$AP Rocky with assault over a fight in Stockholm last month, in a case that’s drawn the attention of fellow recording artists as well as Trump.
Robert Ballard, the deep-sea explorer who discovered the wrecked Titanic, is tackling an aviation mystery: Amelia Earhart’s disappearance. He and a National Geographic expedition will search for her plane next month near a Pacific Ocean atoll that’s part of the Phoenix Islands.
Beyond Meat is creating a plant-based alternative to the beloved breakfast meat. There is no launch date yet, but the development of bacon falls in line with the company’s recent foray into breakfast.
This week and next, Saratoga Shakespeare is producing one of Shakespeare’s tragedies as a summer entertainment. The production, offered free of charge, in Congress Park downtown Saratoga Springs is “King Lear.”
Alive at Five is tonight at Jennings Landing in Albany, featuring Jocelyn & Chris Arndt and Wild Adriatic.
Actor Rutger Hauer died at his home in the Netherlands after a short illness. The 75-year-old was best known for his villainous role in Ridley Scott’s classic 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner.
“Sudden Death,” the latest over-the-top creation from Fried Specialties, will debut at the 2019 New York State Fair. It features beef, mac and cheese, bacon, pork belly and a slab of cheddar – all deep fried. It weighs in at three pounds.
Cow cuddling is officially a thing.
Photo credit, Chris Sobik, from the “Looking Good, Albany!” Facebook page.
