Somehow, it’s only Wednesday. Good morning.
If you are back at the office, here’s a gentle reminder: It’s National Administrative Professionals Day, which used to be known as Secretaries Day until the term “secretary” became obsolete. These are the folks without whom most workplaces would not be able to function smoothly…if at all.
History…”The observance first launched in 1952 when U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Charles Sawyer proclaimed June as National Secretaries Week. In that same year, June 4th was designatedNational Secretaries Day. The name changed to Administrative Professionals in 2000 when the day was also added and the events moved to April.”
Interestingly, it’s also Global (or International) Hemp Day. (I’ve seen it both ways on the interwebs). It comes after 4/20, which is International Cannabis Day, and before Earth Day, which is tomorrow.
Known to be one of the fastest-growing plants, hemp is a strain of cannabis sativa plant species grown for the industrial uses of its products. It shares the same family as cannabis, but the two are not the same.
Main difference to note: Hemp has a THC content of 0.3% or less by dry weight. Due to its low THC concentration, it doesn’t provide the intoxicating high associated with cannabis.
It’s Queen Elizabeth’s birthday. She was born in 1926, and is turning 95. The Queen won’t be celebrating this year, because she is still mourning the loss of her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9 at the age of 99.
Though her official birthday is celebrated by the public in June, the Queen usually celebrates privately with her family on her real birthday. (For the record, Prince Harry won’t be around for the muted festivities, as he’s already back in California).
Traditionally, there are gun salutes at midday to mark the Queen’s birth, but those were cancelled last year (at her request) due to the pandemic, and are off the schedule this year, too, as a result of the Prince’s passing. She is also forgoing the tradition of releasing an official portrait on her birthday.
There are scattered thunderstorms in the forecast today – mostly in the morning – with temperatures hovering in the low 50s.
In the headlines…
While the nation paused for the reading of the guilty verdict against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin – and many rejoiced – activists say now is a moment to keep moving forward in addressing racial injustice.
The 12 jurors in the case deliberated for around 10 hours before voting to convict Chauvin, 45, of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. Chauvin could spend decades behind bars.
President Joe Biden said the conviction of Chauvin “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. But he declared that “it’s not enough.”
“The systemic racism that’s a stain on our nation’s soul — the knee on the neck of justice for black Americans — profound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every single day,” Biden said.
Biden and Vice Presiden Kamala Harris called Floyds family after the jury found Chauvin guilty on all three charges he faced.
George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd said the guilty verdict in Chauvin’s trial was “so much of a relief” after spending night after night awake and concerned about the outcome of the case.
Since Floyd’s death, calls for racial justice have touched nearly every aspect of American life on a scale that historians say has not happened since the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Chauvin wrote his lawyer’s phone number on his hand in preparation for a guilty verdict.
Twitter users pounced on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she publicly thanked Floyd “for sacrificing your life for justice.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the verdict in the Chauvin trial “an official proclamation of what so many many of us have known for nearly a year.”
Chauvin’s bail has been revoked, and he will face sentencing in 8 weeks. Experts said he’ll likely be held in protective custody or potentially even serve time out of state.
Shortly before the Chauvin verdict was announced, a Black teenage girl was fatally shot by police in Columbus, Ohio, after officers reportedly responded to an attempted stabbing.
The police in Ohio, who released body camera footage, said the girl had threatened two other girls with a knife before an officer opened fire.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law an “anti-riot” aimed at cracking down on civil unrest, with provisions that include civil immunity to people who drive through protesters blocking roads.
Biden’s plans to bolster the U.S. economy will help the country compete with China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative, former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said.
What had been an easy promise on the campaign trail — to reverse what Democrats called President Donald J. Trump’s “racist” limits on accepting refugees — has become a test of what is truly important to Biden.
A hearing on Capitol Hill highlighted that the federal government doesn’t have an exact picture for how many Americans lack access to broadband or how much it will cost to fix that problem.
The White House is officially supporting Democrats’ long-shot effort to grant statehood for Washington, D.C. – a move that would all but assure the party would gain two more seats in the Senate.
The U.S. State Department has announced plans to expand travel advisories, urging U.S. citizens to stay home as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose “unprecedented risks” around the globe.
Herpes infections may be a side effect of a COVID-19 vaccine, experts have revealed.
The European Medicines Agency said the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine has possible links to rare blood clot incidents, but reiterated that its benefits still outweighed the risks.
Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine contributed $100 million to the company’s sales growth in the latest quarter, though the future outlook is uncertain due to pauses in vaccinations while health authorities in several countries probe safety concerns.
Israel is reportedly seeking to back out of a deal to purchase ten million AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine units amid concerns over a possible link to rare blood clots in adults.
The vaccines won’t protect millions of people with weakened immune systems.
As vaccine efforts continue, recently surpassing more than 50 percent of Connecticut’s adult population, public health experts warn that even if nearly all adults get inoculated, the COVID-19 virus will remain.
Some scientists are increasingly concerned that, because of a quirk of our own biology, future iterations of the vaccines might not always be quite as effective as they are today.
Among the most pressing questions public health experts are struggling with are why so many GOP voters remain opposed to the shots and whether the recent decision to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccinations was a factor.
The border between the United States and Canada, closed since the pandemic lockdown began in March 2020, will remain closed to leisure travelers at least another month, through May 21.
New York continued to make progress in reducing COVID-19 indicators of infection levels yesterday, registering the lowest seven-day average in virus positivity since Nov. 12, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
The top Democrat in the state Senate, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, said she will not make a run for governor in 2022 against a scandal-scarred Cuomo.
Cuomo his office have so far retained four law firms in the face of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, as well as state and federal investigations — what remains unclear is who is footing the bill for the legal services.
A spokesman for State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office told the Albany Times Union that Cuomo’s office has not submitted any of the attorney contracts to the comptroller’s office for approval, which is required for contracts over $50,000.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled new initiatives aimed at reducing an uptick in gun violence that has plagued the city over the past year.
A suspected gunman who killed a colleague and shot two other workers in a Long Island supermarket yesterday was taken into custody hours after the chaotic shooting following an intense manhunt during which area schools were locked down.
Just after 11 a.m., gunshots rang out from a manager’s office on the West Hempstead Stop & Shop’s second floor. The unremarkable midday scene devolved into chaos, as employees scrambled to hide and shoppers burst out of the store in a panic.
The powerful boss of the Brooklyn chapter of the carpenters union took bribes from hundreds of workers — many delivered in cash-stuffed envelopes outside a construction site, a prosecutor charged at the start of trial.
More than 4,000 people have dropped off the MTA’s payroll since the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City amid a retirement rush and a hiring freeze — and most of them worked on the city’s subway and bus networks, new agency data shows.
The MTA’s $55 billion plan to modernize subways, buses and commuter rails is at risk because of revenue losses and increased borrowing caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the state comptroller said.
Manhattan Councilman Ben Kallos wants the city to buy 1,000 solar-powered trash compactors, saying that’s the best way to deal with litter and rat problems following Sanitation Department cuts last year.
A new city program for homeless L.G.B.T.Q. youth will offer job placement, education and mental health support to help them achieve career success.
Governors Island is the most recent greenspace in the city to use farm animals – in this case, sheep – to control plant growth and clear fields. The sheep, which are named Chad, Flour, Evening, Philip Aries, and Sam, are from a farm in Albany.
In honor of “4/20” and continued efforts to get more New Yorkers vaccinated, a group of activists handed out free marijuana joints in Union Square yesterday to adults who can prove they’re fully vaccinated.
By noon, more than 500 joints packed with the indica strain “Rogue River” were given away — and organizers expected to hand out a total of 3,000 by the end of the event at 4:20 p.m.
New Yorkers will soon be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus under the 94-foot-long model of a blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.
NYU will join Columbia University in requiring students to get COVID-19 vaccines before next fall, officials said.
The National Weather Service yesterday issued a hazardous weather outlook for large swaths of central and western New York ahead of the off-season cold snap.
Despite the state issuing guidelines on how to host a COVID-19 safe event, some schools are opting out of proms – events known for crowded dance floors, packed limousines and lively after parties – and instead are replacing it with some kind of “senior event.”
Athletics are back in the Rensselaer City School District’s proposed 2021-22 budget after being cut for the current school year with students and alumni turning to fund raising to field teams.
Following years of complaints from residents, the Schenectady City Council has proposed legislation cracking down on dirt bikes.
A new radio station – 93.5 Lake George Radio – is being touted as the first local station to exclusively focus on the Lake George area.
From pea puree to pot – that’s the direction that the abandoned Beech-Nut Foods factory looks to be headed with an agreement with Montgomery County officials.
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan will announce later this week that he has formed a new leadership PAC aimed at helping candidates with service-oriented backgrounds such as veterans and health care workers.
A bipartisan group of United States senators has introduced the latest version of a bill designed to keep unlicensed individuals from owning tigers and other big cats and forbid zoo owners from letting the public pet the animals or hold cubs.
A large new study reports some of the most persuasive findings yet to suggest that people who don’t get enough sleep in their 50s and 60s may be more likely to develop dementia when they are older.
Apple unveiled new products including a subscription podcast service that deepens its competition with Spotify Technology SA as well as upgrades to its iPad and iMac hardware lines.
