Good Friday morning!
Like most of you, (I’m betting), we spent much of yesterday digging out of the snow and cursing whoever leaves those really annoying plowed mounds at the end of your driveway that freeze into small icebergs and are impossible to move.
It was decidedly NOT a snow day.
Today is International Migrants Day, as per the UN, and the theme this year is “International Human Mobility.” Blurb worth recreating here regarding a population that is vulnerable and paying a disproportionate price during the pandemic:
“The pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to rollback commitments to promote and protect the rights of migrants regardless of their legal status. It cannot become an excuse for the increased use of detention, often in overcrowded conditions, and the forced return of migrants to their countries of origin without due process, in many cases in violation of international law.
People on the move hope for a brighter future. It is our collective responsibility to create a safer, more resilient world. Migration should be a choice, not a necessity. On #MigrantsDay, let’s reaffirm our commitment to safe and dignified migration for all.”
– The UN.
On a far more lighthearted note, it’s also National Ugly Sweater Day.
I never got into this trend myself, but I know it’s near and dear to a lot of folks during the holiday season. Apparently the concept of the Ugly Sweater Party originated in Canada, which makes a lot of sense, since Canadians know a little something about the cold, and….beer?
If you’re into this sort of thing, late night host Jimmy Fallon is putting on an Ugly Sweater Contest.
It’s also Bake Cookies Day – just in time for Christmas. My social media feeds are full of pictures and videos and stories about people making holiday cookies, some even engaging in virtual cookie exchanges, however that works.
I saw a really good-looking tray of those peanut butter thumbprint cookies with the chocolate kiss in the center yesterday, and a lot of sugar cookies with festive icing. I am impressed, but not, truth be told, motivated to break out the stand mixer.
The temperature is hovering in the single digits at the moment, but is going to soar up to a balmy mid-20s. We will, however, have a lot of sun.
In the headlines…
The U.S. logged its latest record-high number of newly reported Covid-19 cases in a day, while also setting new daily records for reported deaths and for hospitalizations. The nation reported more than 247,000 new cases.
A coronavirus vaccine developed by drugmaker Moderna was recommended for use by a Food and Drug Administration panel of experts on Thursday — just days after the first doses of Pfizer’s shot began rolling out across the country on Monday.
A formal decision, expected today, would clear the way for some 5.9 million doses to be shipped around the country starting this weekend.
The federal government has granted companies like Pfizer and Moderna immunity from liability if something unintentionally goes wrong with their vaccines.
Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna’s vaccine can be stored in normal freezers and does not require a super-cold transportation network, making it more accessible for smaller facilities and local communities.
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence will be vaccinated publicly today at 8 a.m., the vice president’s office confirmed. The vice president will be the most high-profile person yet to publicly receive the coronavirus vaccine.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to receive his injection on camera next week. Notably absent from any planned public proceedings is President Trump.
A limited number of doses are being reserved for members of Congress, federal agency leadership, and the Supreme Court, Capitol Physician Brian Monahan said in a letter.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they would get the Covid-19 vaccine within days to ensure the continuity of government during the pandemic.
The Trump administration helped deliver vaccinations earlier than even some in his administration thought possible, but the president has been largely absent from the effort to sell the American public on what aides hope will be a key part of his legacy.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is keeping his Christmas gathering small this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and he’s urging other Americans to do the same.
“I’m going to be with my wife — period,” Fauci said. “The Christmas holiday is a special holiday for us because Christmas Eve is my birthday. And Christmas Day is Christmas Day. And they are not going to come home…That’s painful. We don’t like that. But that’s just one of the things you’re going to have to accept as we go through this unprecedented challenging time.”
Biden selected North Carolina regulator Michael S. Regan as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his pick for interior secretary.
If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Native American to hold a Cabinet-level position in U.S. history.
Biden appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where he told the comedian that he has “great confidence” in his son Hunter.
“I’m not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him. It’s used to get to me,” Biden said. “I think it’s kind of foul play.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has a “fever” and is “tired [and] coughing” after testing positive for Covid-19, according to an Élysée spokesperson. He will self-isolate for a week.
Macon’s positive test prompted other European leaders he has met to take precautionary measures, complicating Europe’s efforts to overcome a crippling second wave of the pandemic.
Louisiana Democrat Rep. Cedric Richmond, who will serve as a senior aide to Biden, tested positive for COVID-19 after joining the president-elect for a Tuesday campaign trip to Georgia.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that he’s in quarantine at home after his 9-year-old daughter, Maya, tested positive for COVID-19.
Lawmakers were weighing another stopgap spending measure to give themselves more time to wrap up negotiations on a coronavirus relief bill, as they raced to complete the details of the roughly $900 billion package.
Congressional leaders remained divided yesterday over a handful of issues whose outcome could help determine the course of a sputtering economic recovery.
The compromise proposal coming together would give billions of dollars though another round of direct stimulus checks to small businesses, schools, hospitals, the unemployed and everyday Americans. It also includes more money for vaccine distribution.
As lawmakers race to put the final touches on a $900 billion bipartisan stimulus package, one thing is becoming clear: Congress has left a significant challenge for Biden and his efforts to revive the faltering economy.
Rising Covid-19 cases are taking a steep toll on economic activity, battering the labor market even as new vaccines offer a ray of hope for next year.
The number of Americans filing initial claims for unemployment insurance remained high last week, the Labor Department reported.
The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits remained elevated last week amid a surge in COVID-19 infections and governments ordering new restrictions to help curb the spread of the virus.
Consumer caution, coupled with new restrictions on business activity like indoor dining, has pummeled the hospitality industry, lodging, airlines and other service businesses.
New York’s statewide unemployment rate fell last month from 9.2 percent in October to 8.4 percent in November, according to the state Department of Labor. There were 36,300 private-sector jobs added – a 0.5 percent increase in the state compared to 0.3 percent nationally.
The Capital Region continued to see a sharp year-over-year decline in the number of jobs in November, the state Labor Department reported.
Coca-Cola Co. said it is cutting 2,200 jobs globally, including 1,200 in the U.S., as the coronavirus pandemic accelerates the soda giant’s restructuring efforts.
The coronavirus crisis is leading many performing arts unions to agree to concessions, but some fear it could change the balance of power between labor and management.
New York City’s public housing agency needs “significant new investments,” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Biden’s housing secretary nominee, Rep. Marcia Fudge.
The number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 across New York state reached 6,147 people yesterday, a figure not seen since mid-May and more than six times the number of patients hospitalized for the disease just two months ago.
New York’s coronavirus-ravaged nursing homes are still “acutely vulnerable” to the deadly illness — more than nine months into the pandemic, according to a report from the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo huddled virtually with labor leaders to discuss the gravity of New York’s pandemic-fueled fiscal crisis as he and lawmakers struggle to close a massive hole in next year’s budget.
Cuomo unveiled a revamped rent relief program meant to help tenants struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic, just two weeks before federal funds for the measure are set to expire.
The New Jersey legislature passed a bill setting up the regulatory framework for a recreational marijuana marketplace, one month after voters approved a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug.
For the second year in a row, Cuomo has vetoed a bill that would loosen GPA requirements for admission to graduate-level teaching programs in New York and allow colleges and universities to consider other measures.
A coalition of New York lawmakers is calling on Biden to address COVID-caused food insecurity by ramping up assistance programs.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a 15 percent reduction in spending for 2021 because of budget cuts and delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
City EMTs and paramedics can get COVID-19 vaccines starting next week — and firefighters will be able to get their shots the following weeks, according to an FDNY memo.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said there is a chance, however slim, that the COVID-19 vaccine would be required for cops.
It will take until at least June to get every New Yorker who wants a COVID-19 inoculation a shot, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
De Blasio must comply with a probe into the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, a judge ruled.
The Legal Aid Society filed a petition in state Supreme Court that seeks a court order compelling the DOCCS to release details on correction officers who have been tested for COVID-19, and the number who tested positive at each prison facility.
The New York City Council passed a bill that would shield workers from being fired without a valid reason. Fast food restaurants say the new rules will make it harder to hire and keep the best workers.
City and state officials are trying to recover millions from quick deals made during the worst weeks of the pandemic this spring.
Cuomo declared a state of emergency in 18 counties following the first snowstorm of the season.
New York City was walloped with its biggest snowstorm in years overnight, leaving Central Park blanketed with 10 inches of snow as of 7 a.m. yesterday morning and the Bronx with even more, according to city officials and meteorologists.
Sleds were sold out all over as the city, for once, met an oncoming nor’easter with a measure of delight.
The roof of an athletic dome in Binghamton — one of the largest in the state — collapsed Wednesday night as the area was pummeled with over three feet of snow.
The area’s major north-south highway, Interstate 81, was “basically a parking lot” yesterday morning, after disabled vehicles snarled traffic. There were widespread reports of cars off the road elsewhere as well.
A National Weather Service spokesperson said this week’s storm set a new two-day snowfall record, eclipsing the previous record of 35.3 inches set in March 2017.
When it was all done, the Capital Region was smothered with a December snowfall deeper than anything seen in more than a half-century.
A 12-year-old Albany County girl was hospitalized yesterday morning after a family member accidentally buried her in a snow bank.
A driver riding a snowmobile on Interstate 787 in yesterday’s storm was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer.
With more than 2 feet of snow blanketing parts of New York and New England, winter sports enthusiasts should have a great weekend in the fresh powder – if, that is, they’ve already purchased season passes or reserved lift tickets.
New York health officials are moving forward with a plan meant to free up bed space in hospitals across the state amid a resurgent coronavirus pandemic that is affecting virtually every corner of the country.
COVID-19 exposures among Rensselaer Senior High School students and staff have led the school to switch to remote learning until after the upcoming holiday break, the Rensselaer City School District said.
A marathon meeting of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors authorized Ballston Supervisor Eric Connolly “to decide and facilitate what, if any, action should be taken to any personnel as a result of the findings” about the county’s pandemic pay program.
An appellate court upheld a ruling that the Bronx Zoo’s Happy the Elephant is not a “human being” and therefore can’t be sprung from captivity under a law reserved for people.
Carter Rubin, a Shoreham 15-year-old who stole the hearts of celebrity judges and viewers across the nation, was named the winner of NBC’s The Voice. He’s the youngest winner ever.
RIP Jeremy Bulloch, the English actor who suited up as the fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, who has died at age 75.
