What a glorious Thursday that was, CivMixers. I hope you got a chance to enjoy it – if even for a short moment walking out to grab lunch, or during an afternoon coffee break.
It’s going to be perfect weather for enjoying some outdoor music. If you’re interested, check out Dan’s post earlier in the day on some of what the region has to offer in that department.
And there’s so much to look forward to! Tomorrow is Friday, and then there’s the weekend. But first things first, let’s get to the headlines…
President Trump, frustrated by increasingly fruitless negotiations with China, said the U.S. would impose a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports next month, a significant escalation in a trade war that has dragged on for more than a year.
The fresh tariff threat sank stocks, pushing the S&P 500 to its fourth consecutive daily decline and reinvigorating investor worries about the outlook for the global economy.
Though he’s a frequent critic of Trump and his trade policies, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports getting “tough” on China.
Five officers associated with an undercover investigation that led to Stormy Daniels’ arrest at a strip club last year face discipline, the Columbus, Ohio police department announced.
While you were working, the governor and state attorney general were fishing on Lake Ontario. (The name of the boat was “INSTEDDA WURKIN“).
Legislation creating a maternal mortality review board was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who previously commissioned a task force to study maternal deaths and disparate racial outcomes in New York.
Cuomo also signed a bill into law that allows human trafficking victims to hide their address from offenders, saying it will protect survivors from “further abuse” by shielding their addresses from public view.
A just-released transcript from a recent parole hearing offers a glimpse into Joyce Mitchell’s rationalizations for helping two inmates escape Dannemora, the ways she’s spent her time in prison, and the parole board’s belief that “there is a reasonable probability” she would break the law again.
New York authorities are the latest regulators to crack down on what once was one of the nation’s largest seller of rent-to-own homes. The AG and DFS contend in a federal lawsuit the company, Vision Property Management, operated an “illegal, unlicensed mortgage lending” business by using deceptive lease agreements to sell often-rundown homes in upstate.
With nine horse deaths so far this season at Saratoga Race Course, famed horse trainer Nick Zito along with industry leaders came out today to say they support national legislation that will protect the health and welfare of the racehorses by banning race-day doping.
The legislation would set uniform drug testing standards for race horses and also ban race day medications across the country.
Democratic New York Rep. Paul Tonko has reintroduced the Horseracing Integrity Act in the House along with Republican Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is sponsoring it in her chamber.
An attempt by Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady to waylay a potential internet competitor has failed to gain traction with a mid-level state appeals court.
Attorneys for a 19-year-old man shot in the back as he ran from Albany police last August are appealing a federal magistrate’s decision blocking their access to use-of-force reports on file for the past decade for three detectives at the scene of the shooting.
The Bronx district attorney’s office said it had not yet presented evidence to a grand jury in the case of a Rockland County father who left his year-old twins in his car for eight hours, causing them to die of heatstroke.
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill says a decision on whether to fire the officer involved in the banned chokehold death of Eric Garner could be made within the next few of weeks.
A bill that would make it a felony for tossing water onto a police officer was backed by state Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan.
A chase in Albany’s South End ended with a one-car crash and a man in custody today in Sheridan Hollow, police said.
As immigration continues to be a hot button issue across the country, here in the Capital Region, one local county jail is no longer housing ICE detainees. According to Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, ICE stopped sending detainees back in January.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez toured local community gardens in the Bronx.
Protestors brought inflatable rats to the construction site for the massive Amazon warehouse in Schodack to demonstrate their disapproval with a Connecticut-based contractor.
Drivers who stand on their accelerators may soon be standing in traffic courts as police across the state today began a crackdown on speeding. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee announced that police will be watching for fast cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles through Wednesday, Aug. 7.
Are you rich? Take this (New York Times) quiz and find out.
Oh, and speaking of rich. Helicopter service is blossoming across the New York region, showing how income inequality affects even the basic commute.
Even if you’re NOT rich, you can own a piece of a racehorse.
Researchers studying trees at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn found a nonnative beetle previously unknown to science.
The Troy City Council will vote tonight on bringing the on-going sanctuary city debate to the people. It will determine if a referendum would be put on the ballot in November letting voters decide if they want to prohibit Sanctuary City status in the Collar City.
Meet the man behind the signature Saratoga Race Course “look.”
THIS is one of the reasons why sites like CivMix matter so much. This site is yours, folks. Engage, comment, emote, criticize, contribute! But most of all, keep reading.
