It’s Friyay!
Good morning, CivMixers. We made it to the end of the work week!
Temperatures will continue their ascent over the weekend, with The Weather Channel calling for mid-to-high-80-degree days today, tomorrow and Sunday. Some areas might even hit the 90s.
It will be mostly clear, with the chance of pop-up showers on Saturday – especially around Albany – and scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day on Sunday.
In the news…
The Democratic-led House passed the bipartisan budget and debt ceiling bill in a vote of 284 to 149. The Republican-run U.S. Senate is expected to vote on it next week, days before the upper chamber goes on recess.
Only 65 Republicans joined the Democratic majority in the vote, with 132 voting “no,” despite President Trump’s endorsement and pressure from some outside groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, to avoid a potentially catastrophic default on the government’s debt.
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released the first installment of its five-part report on Russian in the 2016 election, revealing that the interference dated back at least five years.
Former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe said the Congressional testimony by former special counsel Robert Mueller has convinced him the time was right to begin an impeachment inquiry for Trump.
Trump took aim at Mueller and Democratic 2020 contender Joe Biden, renewing his criticism of the former vice president’s age while suggesting that Mueller’s appearance before House lawmakers on Wednesday made Biden look like a “dynamo.”
CNN announced it will hold a Democratic presidential town hall focused on climate change on Sept. 4 in NYC.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a White House hopeful, is proposing $10 trillion in public and private funding over the next decade to combat climate change and bring the US to net-zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The man who created the altered presidential seal that appeared behind Trump briefly as he gave a speech earlier this week is a 46-year-old graphic designer who crafted the image after becoming disenchanted by Trump and the GOP.
Trump complained that Swedish authorities had charged A$AP Rocky with assault in connection with a street brawl he was involved in last month in Stockholm, despite the president’s appeal that he be released.
The U.S. economy likely grew at its slowest pace in more than two years in the second quarter as an acceleration in consumer spending was probably offset by weak exports and business investment.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, a 2020 Democratic contender, says Trump “doesn’t understand” his hometown, and won’t be welcome back when his presidency is over “really soon.”
Trump weighed in on the recent water-bucket attacks on NYPD cops, slamming de Blasio or letting the lawlessness unfold on his watch.
Four of the world’s largest automakers have struck a deal with California to reduce automobile emissions, siding with the state in its fight with Trump over one of his most consequential regulatory rollbacks.
Investigators suspect Jeffrey Epstein was assaulted in a Lower Manhattan lock-up, and reportedly questioned a hulking ex-cop who’s housed in the same unit.
North Country Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik honored the late “Queen of Saratoga,” Marylou Whitney, on the floor of the House.
The House has only just begun cleaning up its act in the wake of last year’s arrest of Republican WNY Rep. Chris Collins — and the proof lies in what lawmakers like Collins can still do, legally and without reproach.
The state Division of Human Rights is now authorized to investigate and crack down on bullying, harassment and other types of discrimination in public schools, according to a bill signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
There was urgency in late January when lawmakers at the state Capitol pushed through a package of gun restrictions. Six months later, however, the four measures have yet to be acted on by Cuomo, whose administration on Jan. 29 signaled he supported all of the bills.
The district safety plans in at least 17 school districts, including Schenectady, did not meet minimum state requirements, according to a new report from the state Comptroller’s Office.
Brendan Mulvaney, the 8-year-old who found himself at the center of controversy last summer when his lemonade stand was shut down by a state health department official for operating without a permit after complaints from vendors at the Saratoga County Fair, is back in business.
The village of Lake George will receive a $500,000 federal grant to help upgrade its aging sewage treatment plant, which is releasing excessive levels of nitrates into the lake, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced.
A Rotterdam man conspired with another person to steal $4,000 from Rivers Casino in Schenectady, authorities said. The scheme involved allegations of fraudulently getting a cash advance from a debit card.
Police arrested a suspect in the weekend attack on a woman on Phila Street. Francisco J. Ortega-Hernandez, 26, of Jalisco, Mexico, was charged with first-degree unlawful imprisonment, a felony, as well as criminal obstruction of breaking and third-degree stalking, both misdemeanors.
Police said Ortega-Hernandez was in the country legally on an H2B work visa, and was apprehended at the Albany Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Mexico.
Anthony Geraci, 42, has worn a police uniform for the past two decades, first in the NYPD, and most recently as an Albany lieutenant. Now he has sworn an oath to protect and serve the police of Watervliet as that city’s 17th chief of police.
The city of Troy will spend $60,000 to hire a Denver-based firm to design new signs aimed at directing motorists to attractions, parking and other locations.
After years of discussion, months of public hearings, and thousands of dollars spent, the Colonie Town Board unanimously approved its updated comprehensive plan in one of the shortest meetings all year. The handful of people in attendance burst into applause.
A meeting, hosted by the group A Block At A Time, was held in response to the recent spate of gun violence in the city, with one of the most recent shooting wounding a 3-year-old boy last week.
The Saratoga Springs Public Library, which is located a block off Broadway in a popular area for summer visitors, is now on the hook for policing a smoking ban that stretches 100 feet from the library’s entrances and outdoor areas.
A neglected Albany cemetery has received some TLC thanks to a local historian and complete strangers.
Out of an estimated 5,500 software developers in the Albany area, just 22 percent are women. That’s even lower than the national average of 26 percent.
Allegations of workplace hazards at RPI – including cockroaches, mold, and sewage back-ups in bathrooms – are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A community choice aggregation program, which would allow bulk purchase of energy, may soon power the town of Niskayuna.
The Williamsburg, Brooklyn shop known for its Instagram-friendly “Rainbow Bagels” has been shut down for owing more than $100,000 in unpaid taxes.
The divorce proceedings between former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his estranged wife, Judi, devolved into a wreck-the-halls battle as she accused him of swiping her Christmas decorations and he griped that she took his cable box.
Saturday and Sunday bring the 32nd annual 50 Mile Route 90 Garage Sale that stretches from the northern end in Montezuma in the Finger Lakes to the southern end in Homer. It covers two counties and nine towns.
Photo credit: Fred Coffey.
