Wednesday is not yet over, CivMixers, not by a long show. You know why? Night II of the second round 2020 Democratic debates is tonight.
Get out your popcorn. There might be some fireworks here. Though, if you’re not into politics, well, just carry on about your business. It’s a good time to get some chores done around the house. Go out for ice cream. Catch that movie you’ve been meaning to see. And there’s some live music scheduled for tonight, too.
If you do tune into the debate…
Capital Region Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Schenectady native Andrew Yang will be on the stage, along with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former Vice President Joe Biden, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
After last night’s performance by liberal Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, the hopes of jittery moderates rest on Biden. His ability to dominate the debate may settle decisively whether or not his wing of the party will have a compelling champion as it enters a six-week stretch until the next debate in September.
….some other things to watch out for.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate for the first time in a decade to try to counter threats ranging from uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump’s trade wars to chronically low inflation and a dim global outlook.
Saying the opioid crisis requires bold measures, the state of Arizona filed an audacious lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to order members of the Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, to return what the state said were billions of dollars looted from the company.
Another horse has died at the Saratoga Racecourse, marking the sixth since racing season began on July 11. Of those, one was racing related, two were non-racing and three were training deaths.
Woodstock 50 is officially canceled. Organizers announced that the troubled festival that hit a series of setbacks in the last four months won’t take place next month.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill into law that allows emergency and first responders to rescue animals in distress inside of unattended vehicles.
Cuomo also continued to approve new gun control measures, signing into law bills that would prevent school districts from arming teachers in classrooms and having the State Police create a gun buyback program.
State Ag and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball is warning residents in Columbia County to not consume unpasteurized raw milk from a local dairy due to contamination.
A federal judge overseeing the sex-trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein set a tentative trial date for mid-2020 during the financier’s first court appearance since he was discovered unconscious in his jail cell in what prison officials were investigating as a possible suicide attempt.
Rochester Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle is headed to the southern border to get a first-hand look at migrant detention centers and processing facilities. He and 23 other members of Congress will stop in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico.
Scabby, the glowering inflatable rodent that has long a curbside fixture at union protests in New York and around the country, could soon be banned.
The Franklin Alley Social Club in Troy is hosting a Sasquatch talk Thursday by Steve Kulls, a Saratoga County private investigator who has been featured on History Channel’s “MonsterQuest” and “America’s Book of Secrets,” the National Geographic Channel series “Paranatural,” Fox News and other major outlets. Admission is free.
Glens Falls is celebrating the 100th anniversary of one of its most iconic restaurants, New Way Lunch. A small shop on South Street that built its success on a hotdog in a steamed Freihofer’s bun topped with a special meat sauce.
Proctors announced a digital lottery will be available two days before each “Hamilton” show Aug. 13-25. Forty tickets for every performance will be available for the price of $10 each.
The wake and funeral for Siena College President Brother F. Edward Coughlin will be held at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, this weekend.
Irad and Jose Ortiz, as well as Hall of Fame jockeys Javier Castellano and John Velazquez, will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 207 Broadway in Saratoga Springs serving customers a new iced beverage from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 1.
The state’s environmental agency has formally recommended the cleanup of two former building sites at the corner of Albany and Craig streets in Schenectady’s Hamilton Hill.
SI Group, the longtime Schenectady County chemicals manufacturer, is moving its headquarters from Niskayuna to a new, undisclosed location.
The Redburn Development and PAZ Management families, owners of the fire-scarred Marshall Ray building in Troy, vowed to rescue and rebuild.
Two North Country men were arrested this week, accused of possessing 116 pounds of marijuana after a traffic stop next Exit 19 on the Northway, state police said.
A new farmers market opens this weekend in Albany’s Washington Park, run by the organizer behind the new-last-year Guilderland Farmers Market. The Washington Park Farmers Market will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday from Aug. 3 through Sept. 28.
RIP Hal Prince, the Broadway royal and prodigious Tony winner who produced or directed (and sometimes both) many of the most enduring musicals in theater history, including “West Side Story,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Cabaret,” “Sweeney Todd” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, who died at the age of 91.
