Good Thursday morning.
On this day in 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Greenwich Village caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and girls and 23 men.
The died as a result of the fire and smoke inhalation, but also from falling/jumping to their deaths because the doors and stairwells of their sweatshop were locked – a standard practice at the time to reduce theft and prevent unauthorized worker breaks.
Most of the victims were recent Italian and Jewish immigrants between the ages of 14 and 23. The fire was the deadliest industrial disaster New York City history, and one of the worst incidents of its kind in the U.S.
It sparked a workers’ rights movement, resulting in important factory safety standards, and also helped grow the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU), which fought for better conditions for sweatshop workers.
Here’s an interesting little historical twist of fate:
As a result of the Triangle Shirtwaist disaster, a Factory Investigating Commission was created by the state Legislature and co-chaired by none other than Tammany Hall’s Al Smith. The Commission’s reports helped modernize the state’s labor laws, making it a progressive leader in that arena.
Many of the new laws, which mandated things that seem like total no-brainers today – fire extinguishers, alarm systems, better building entrances and exits, and limits on how many hours children and women could work – were signed into law by Gov. William Sulzer, who served just 11 months in that role.
Yes, THAT William Sulzer, the only governor in New York history to be impeached…thus far.
Today is also the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which was established by the UN in 2007 so we might never forget that for over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade – one of the darkest chapters in human history.
This day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice around the nation and the globe.
And one more for you, on a bit of a lighter note: It’s Tolkien Reading Day. (Why this day: It’s the date of the downfall of the Lord of the Rings (Sauron) and the fall of Barad-dûr, apparently, though I read the Lord of the Rings series and do not recall a specific date mentioned…I’ll take their word for it).
Here’s ANOTHER fun New York reference, according to The Tolkien Society: “Tolkien Reading Day began following an enquiry from Sean Kirst, a columnist of the The Post-Standard (a paper local to Syracuse, New York), in January 2002.” How cool is that?
It’s going to be partly to mostly cloudy today with temperatures in the low 70s.
In the news…
At the pandemic’s height, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration arranged for his family members and well-connected figures to have special access to state-administered COVID-19 tests, dispatching a top state doctor and other health officials to their homes.
The relatives who received priority testing in March 2020 included the governor’s CNN anchor brother, Chris Cuomo, his 89-year-old mother, Matilda Cuomo, and at least one of his sisters, as well as the heads of the MTA and Port Authority.
The orders for who should be tested were reportedly relayed by Dr. Howard Zucker, the commissioner of the Health Department, in addition to the governor himself.
A state lab immediately processed the results of those who were tested, even as average New Yorkers were struggling to get tested due to a scarcity of resources. Initially, the lab could only run several hundred tests a day for a state with 19 million residents.
Dr. Eleanor Adams, a high-ranking state epidemiologist, reportedly drove to Chris Cuomo’s Hamptons house to administer the test.
Critics ripped CNN for defending Chris Cuomo’s preferential treatment by his governor brother when it came to testing.
Richard Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the governor, did not explicitly deny that the administration had extended special treatment to anyone while also seeking to dispute the notion.
Cuomo insisted that he can still do his job in leading the state amid scandals plaguing his administration, saying that governors can handle “multiple situations” at a time.
The governor said those calling for his resignation and claiming he can no longer effectively lead the state “don’t understand the nature of the job.”
If Cuomo were to be impeached, here’s how that would work.
Cuomo’s recent remarks about the deadly rampage in Atlanta were callous and counter-productive, 50 Asian-American groups wrote in a scathing letter to the governor.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has finally made her appointment to New York’s ethics commission — a move that could end up causing major headaches for Cuomo.
Cuomo created the Citizen Public Health Training initiative, a free, state-of- the-art course from Cornell University that will give New Yorkers who volunteer to take it up to date information on preventing and responding to public health emergencies.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested that the scandal-scarred Cuomo administration may be skewing the Big Apple’s COVID-19 data for political reasons.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli should initiate a state investigation of Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes, a group of activists said.
After eight women have accused the governor of inappropriate behavior, GOP Sen. Sue Serino is introducing a bill that would establish an independent commission that would accept new cases for many state employees.
With the state budget deadline just days away, officials reached a deal to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use – a key priority outlined by Cuomo at a press conference apparently designed to send a message to his detractors not to underestimate him.
The looming agreement provides for retail sales and clublike cannabis lounges, with a large share of the resulting annual proceeds going to low-income, mostly minority neighborhoods that have disproportionately borne the negative impacts of the War on Drugs.
The deal would allow New Yorkers over the age of 21 to legally buy and possess up to three ounces of pot for their personal use, with sales by licensed dispensaries to begin as early as December 2022.
Plans call for a 9 percent state tax on retail sales that could generate $300 million a year in new revenues, according to state Sen. Liz Krueger. Cities, towns and villages that don’t opt out of allowing local sales or deliveries could tack on another 4 percent tax.
The bill will also create a new regulator for cannabis products in New York and decriminalize the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana. It is set to be taken up next week by both the Assembly and the Senate.
Cuomo kept the door open to approving billions of dollars in new taxes on businesses and wealthy residents, a day after New York’s top employers warned it could trigger the worst exodus since the Big Apple flirted with bankruptcy in the 1970s.
On the 65th day of his term in office, President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold his first nationally televised news conference.
Biden will likely face scrutiny on gun control and immigration, two sudden tests of leadership for which his administration has lacked immediate answers.
As the Biden administration grapples with the growing number of unaccompanied migrant children at the border, Vice President Kamala Harris will lead U.S. efforts to stem migration.
The surge in illegal immigration across the southern U.S. border is shaping up to be the biggest in 20 years. Unlike migrant surges in 2019 and 2014, predominantly Central American families and unaccompanied children, so far this one is driven by individual adults.
Upper Manhattan/Bronx Rep. Adriano Espaillat called on the Biden administration to “break down” a slow-moving bureaucracy that keeps migrant children locked in detention facilities for weeks even though they have family in the U.S.
With Congress unlikely to move quickly on gun legislation, the White House is pressing ahead with plans for a series of executive orders that Biden expects to roll out in the coming weeks as a way of keeping up pressure on the issue.
Two-thirds of Americans back tougher gun laws, a USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, but Republican support has fallen significantly as the issue takes on a stronger partisan cast than it did a few years ago.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, the suspect in the Boulder, Colorado, mass shooting that left 10 people dead will appear in court today and face charges of first-degree murder.
The Biden administration is taking the unusual step of making a public accounting of the Trump administration’s interference in science, drawing up a list of dozens of regulatory decisions that may have been warped by political imperatives.
Dr. Rachel Levine, Biden’s pick to be assistant secretary for health, made history yesterday by becoming the first openly transgender person confirmed by the Senate to a federal position.
Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will appear before two House subcommittees for a hearing on social media’s role in promoting extremism and misinformation.
Democrats began pushing for the most substantial expansion of voting rights in a half-century, laying the groundwork in the U.S. Senate for what would be a fundamental change to the ways voters get to the polls and elections are run.
A growing share of Americans would feel safe resuming activities like dining out or flying within a few weeks of their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but 25% to 30% would wait until the nation reaches herd immunity, according to a Harris Poll survey.
Brazil hit 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus, becoming the second country behind the U.S. to see that many deaths from the pandemic.
Cruise companies said enough is enough with COVID restrictions, urging the U.S. government to lift its sailing ban and allow phased reopening of the industry starting this summer.
AstraZeneca updated its vaccine efficacy to 76 percent after it said earlier in the week the efficacy was at 79 percent.
Governors and public health officials in more than 40 states have said they will meet or beat Biden’s goal of making every adult eligible for a vaccine by May 1, and at least 30 states plan to start universal eligibility in March or April.
Moncef Slaoui, who helped lead the U.S. government’s investment in vaccine development, has been fired as chair of the board of a biotechnology startup backed by GlaxoSmithKline and Google-parent Alphabet after an investigation into sexual harassment allegations.
Pope Francis announced salary cuts for top clerics, from cardinals on down, as the coronavirus pandemic continues its assault on the world’s economy, in what a senior Vatican cleric said was a first for the institution.
Chancellor Angela Merkel scrapped an unpopular plan to shut the German economy for two extra days over Easter, apologizing for what she called “a mistake” amid widespread anger over her government’s increasingly chaotic approach to fighting COVID-19.
Resurgent economies, led by the U.S., and a burst of demand for consumer goods are heaping pressure on already strained supply chains, with a series of acute disruptions – including a blockage of the Suez Canal – set to worsen shortages and push up prices.
A cancer-causing chemical in certain hand sanitizers poses a “serious risk,” according to the CEO of online pharmacy and product testing company Valisure.
At Harlem Hospital, about half of the eligible staff has received a Covid-19 vaccine, reflecting a wariness in the Black community.
Half of likely Democratic voters are still undecided about their top preference among the New York City mayoral candidates, according to a new poll.
“There is no front-runner,” said George Fontas, the founder of Fontas Advisors, who sponsored the poll and said that he is not affiliated with any campaign in the race. “It’s an open race.”
Carlos Menchaca, the City Council member from Sunset Park and Red Hook, has ended his candidacy for mayor of New York City.
While accepting the backing of New York City’s largest municipal labor union, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams touted himself as the only blue-collar candidate running for mayor and blasted rival Andrew Yang for never holding a job in “his entire life.”
New York City will expand its preschool program in September, creating a universal program that will be open to all age-eligible children across the city, de Blasio said.
New York Police Department officials are encouraging members of the public to report some low-level crimes to the department using a new online tool that the officials announced.
Despite changes meant to make it more accessible to applicants, the second round of New York state’s rent relief program has reached even fewer people than the first.
The former head of one of the largest homeless shelter networks in New York, Victor Rivera, was arrested on federal charges that he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors working with his organization.
A Grammy-award winning musician let his trumpet do the talking after he sued a Manhattan hotel where a white woman was accused of attacking his son, a Black teenager she accused of stealing her cell phone.
A Brooklyn judge tossed more than 850 prostitution warrants at the request of prosecutors in the borough.
The headmaster of a Long Island Catholic school who forced an 11-year-old Black student to kneel while apologizing to a teacher has resigned.
County officials are urging people not to give in to COVID fatigue just yet as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations start to climb once again in the Capital Region.
The City of Albany’s Public Safety Committee passed a motion that would ban the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by police on civilians.
Chris Spencer, the City of Albany’s commissioner of planning and development, quietly resigned after the Common Council’s leadership sent a letter to Mayor Kathy Sheehan complaining about his role in a lawsuit against the city and the council.
A wooded area on Saratoga Lake that neighbors have spent four years trying to protect from development is coming down.
Attorney General Letitia James’ office is seeking to intervene in a legal battle over a little-known 30-acre forest preserve in Loudonville which plaintiffs say has been wrongfully used for ATV traffic and other activities.
Norlite’s parent company has told the City of Cohoes it will not make a $100,000 donation for public safety expenses – a decision that will affect a city crime-fighting plan.
The Albany County Land Bank is now working with a Syracuse-based organization to help city residents who can’t access traditional forms of financing and are interested in buying a land bank property.
Capital Repertory Theatre’s decade-long journey to a new home entailed scouting more than two dozen potential spots to buy, including one only four blocks north of the 111 N. Pearl St. facility that the theater had rented since 1981.
A new co-working space is open at 111 Washington Ave.
An hour of oral arguments summed up nearly eight years of litigation this week in the state’s highest court, which will soon decide what qualifies as a constitutionally protected tree in the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
Rob Lederman, host of WGRF’s 97 Rock Morning Show in Buffalo, was fired after comparing toaster levels to Black women’s skin tones on air.
