Good Monday morning, and welcome to the holiday season!
The shopping frenzy is officially underway. I saw it with my own two eyes over the weekend. One took one’s life in one’s hands if one chose to go anywhere near Wolf Road. Yikes.
I hope you had a restful/joyful/exciting/family-filled/solitary/delicious/abstemious Thanksgiving, whichever best suited you.
And I hope the festivities weren’t too dampened by the arrival of our new friend, Omicron, who has showed up – in a most unwelcome fashion, I might add – just in time to really put a damper on the season.
It was a fairly mellow holiday in my neck of the woods, which was fine by me.
The lone spark of excitement was caused by the consumption – AGAIN – by the dog of a good portion of an oversized chocolate-chocolate cookie that was oh-so-carelessly left too close to the edge of the counter by a certain someone who shall not be named but might find himself the victim of a most unfortunately-placed dog toy on the stairs one day soon.
Look, I get it. The dog likes to eat things he shouldn’t. AND the dog is a counter surfer of amazing capabilities. Seriously. If there were a doggie Olympics, and if counter surfing was a competitive sport, Henry would win the gold every time.
That dog has UPs for a rather small beast.
BUT, knowing the propensities of one’s pet, shouldn’t a person temper his behavior accordingly and take extra precautions to keep dangerous treats out of harm’s way?
AND shouldn’t that selfsame person, whose name shall not be named to protect the (ahem) supposedly innocent, take a hint when the other adult individual in the household routinely relocates the cookies AWAY from the edge of the counter?
Yes, dear readers, the answer is yes, he should. But he does not.
And so here we are with a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide always at the ready.
BTW, if you are of the Jewish persuasion, then happy Chanukah (or Hanukah, if you prefer). Holy crap did the Holiday of Lights come early this year. It’s not even December yet, and already we’re on Night II. Thankfully, the East Greenbush Target and its meager single display of Chanukah-related items was not yet sold out of candles when I made an emergency trip last night.
Lots of big things happened over the weekend – we have yet another COVID-related state of emergency in New York, compliments of Governor Kathy Hochul and the aforementioned Omicron, and the King of Broadway, Stephen Sondheim, died at the age of 91.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I feel like I’ve taken up enough time with all my holiday-related/dog confession throat clearing, but I would be remiss not to remind you that it’s Cyber Monday, which comes as a relief to all those – like myself – who do not relish the idea of battling the crowds on Wolf Road, or wherever your local shopping mecca is located.
Unless, of course, you want to patronize independently-owned local businesses, which you should do by all means. You can shop them online, too, for the most part, but it’s always nice to drop in and say hello and experience a little in-person holiday cheer.
Masked and with clean hands, of course.
After seeing some of the season’s first snow over the weekend, we’ll have overcast skies and maybe a few flurries here or there. Temperatures will be seasonally cold, in the mid-30s.
Oh, and if you’re into this sort of thing, the White House holiday decorations will be unveiled today.
And now, the news…
President Joe Biden’s attempts to limit the spread of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant begins today with new US restrictions on travel from South Africa and seven other countries taking effect.
Inflation is soaring, businesses are struggling to hire and Biden’s poll numbers have been in free fall. The White House sees a common culprit for it all: COVID-19.
Biden’s disjointed fall season has inspired some on the left to think creatively about what the next presidential election could look like with a more liberal top of the ticket.
Top federal health officials in the United States urged unvaccinated Americans to get their shots and for eligible adults to seek out boosters, as the discovery of a new variant sparked a new wave of travel restrictions and alarmed scientists.
Countries reported their first cases of the Omicron variant and some imposed new travel restrictions, racing to protect themselves against the potentially more contagious strain even as scientists cautioned they don’t yet know how severe it will prove to be.
Speedy discovery, announcement and global response shows a new phase in the fight against Covid-19, as health officials hunt for variants that could evade vaccines.
Vaccine makers will spend several weeks assessing the danger and potential impact of the coronavirus’s new Omicron variant. But they are already racing to develop ways to combat it.
U.S. companies responded to the new Covid-19 variant with a mix of both concern and confusion.
The omicron variant of coronavirus is yet to be detected in the U.S., but will “inevitably” reach the country, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
The new Covid-19 variant was detected in South Africa last Wednesday, prompting renewed concern about the pandemic, a major stock market drop, and the imposition of new international travel restrictions to stop the spread.
South Africa’s president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbors over the new coronavirus variant Omicron.
“This variant has a large number of mutations, and some of these mutations have some worrying characteristics,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, said in a video published on Twitter.
As world leaders scrambled to take measures against the omicron variant of coronavirus, many questions about the new strain are yet to be answered, the head of the National Institutes of Health said.
After boggling some minds with its naming system for COVID variants, the World Health Organization made some clarifications.
Swiss voters gave clear backing to legislation that introduced a system with special COVID-19 certificates under which only people who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested negative can attend public events and gatherings.
Australia will review its reopening plans for skilled migrants and students after the country detected its first two cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant.
Big cats have returned to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, S.D., nearly two months after a rare snow leopard was confirmed to have died of COVID-19.
A day after declaring a state of emergency for New York, Governor Kathy Hochul ordered nursing homes and adult-care facilities to make boosters available to all residents after hospitalizations across the state jumped 20% in the past week.
Hospitalizations statewide due to COVID-19 continue to increase, as Friday’s level hit 2,696 people – a number not experienced since early May.
NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who has enjoyed several overseas trips in recent months, was supposed to travel to Europe this week, but the visit is “up in the air” amid mounting international concern over a new coronavirus variant.
Adams was going to head out of the country to an unknown destination from Nov. 30 through Dec. 8, sources said. The trip had not previously been reported.
Hochul has publicly invoked her Catholic faith — frequently and deeply — since taking office in August, at times quoting the Old Testament and occasionally letting loose with shouts of “Amen!”
Hochul holds a commanding lead in the Democratic primary for governor — with more than double the support of her nearest rival, state Attorney Letitia James, a new survey reveals.
Hochul’s hopes of trying to persuade reluctant lawmakers about a public subsidy deal for the Buffalo Bills’ stadium are having a key moment.
Hochul has announced two massive transmission-line projects to help bridge the upstate/downstate energy divide, which environmental advocates hope is a sign she’s accelerating efforts to address climate change and environmental inequities.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Hochul issued a press release stating she was signing a bill amending New York’s legislative redistricting process. Conservatives asserted she had buried a crucial bill and circumvented New York voters.
Advocates for supportive housing for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness are hoping Hochul will make a bold commitment for their cause, including a financial pledge to help develop 14,000 housing units over the next decade.
Travelers returning home his weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday encountered busy airports and full flights, but relatively few of the problems that have plagued air travel in recent months.
A string of organized retail thefts continued over Thanksgiving weekend, with a Best Buy in Minneapolis becoming the latest victim of a nationwide wave.
U.S. shoppers spent more time and money at bricks-and-mortar stores over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend than the same period last year, though foot traffic remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Former top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa took a none-too-subtle swipe at Hochul Friday evening over her handling of the coronavirus.
Cuomo spent Thanksgiving with his mother and three daughters, and tweeted out a photo of the gathering.
On the heels of notching a $5.2 million contract for a memoir about his management of the pandemic, Cuomo has begun collecting a monthly state pension check in the amount of $4,219.11.
While Cuomo projected calm during his daily public briefings, with thousands dying as the virus ravaged New York City, public health officials were forced to find ways to work around him.
Despite many revisions, some say neither chambers’ sexual harassment policies go far enough to protect the employees that need it, nor do they offer a trauma-informed approach for survivors wanting to launch a complaint.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has recently been reaching out to donors to discuss his planned Democratic Primary challenge — only to find out they already put their money behind Hochul.
Adams in a NYDN op-ed: “The shooting of two police officers Wednesday night in the Bronx should serve as a harrowing reminder of just how much work we have to do to get guns off of our streets — and, also, how we need to do it.”
Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi said he’s declining an offer to join Adams’ administration as a deputy mayor — while also fueling speculation that he plans to make a run for governor.
Suozzi is set to make a “major announcement” regarding his plans for future elected office today.
Queens Republican Councilwoman-elect Vickie Paladino is gearing up for a showdown with her new colleagues over rules that mandate Council members and their staff be vaccinated against coronavirus.
State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, who championed the idea of bail reform, says the law’s critics overlook how prosecutors and judges have mishandled its administration.
Yonkers Rep. Jamaal Bowman is facing the fury of fellow Democratic Socialists of America, who have accused their party member of betrayal for daring to visit Israel and meet with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres is asking the SEC to demand the parent company of Ben & Jerrys to amend their regulatory filings to reflect potential new risks caused by the woke ice cream maker’s decision to no longer peddle its products in parts of Israel.
A long-running criminal investigation into Donald Trump and his family business is reaching a critical phase as Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the prosecutor overseeing the inquiry, enters his final weeks as Manhattan district attorney.
Members of the far-right Proud Boys group marched through Rockville, LI, over the weekend, storming into stores and disrupting shoppers.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice skirted state law by hiring two retired NYPD officers to serve as drivers for its president, and having most of their salaries paid by an affiliated foundation, a new report by the state Inspector General found.
Opening arguments begin today in the closely watched trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the Oxford-educated British socialite accused of serving as Epstein’s chief recruiter.
A New York state trooper was struck by a car and fired his weapon on the ramp to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in the Bronx yesterday afternoon, police said.
Workers for the state Department of Motor Vehicles say the agency has stepped up efforts to prevent widespread cheating in an online driver’s permit program that was implemented a year ago to allow individuals to take the tests during the pandemic.
The Long Beach Emergency Department resumed 24-hour service last Friday after closing because of a shortage of nurses vaccinated against COVID-19.
Holiday travel is back at Albany International Airport. Travelers yesterday morning were greeted with a checkpoint line that extended onto the pedestrian bridge linking the terminal to the North Parking Garage.
New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Jack James has become deputy commander of the 42nd Infantry Division.
When students in Pittsford, a suburb of Rochester, returned to school in the fall, a disturbing video of a white student threatening to kill Black people renewed concerns about racism.
Actor Jussie Smollett’s criminal trial on charges from his allegedly staging a hate crime against himself is set to begin today after three years of delays and an investigation into the district attorney’s handling of the case.
Virgil Abloh, the U.S. designer who championed streetwear and hip-hop culture in luxury fashion as one of the industry’s most prominent Black executives, died yesterday, according to a post on his Instagram account. He was 41 years old.
Actor Matthew McConaughey shot down swirling speculation that he might launch a gubernatorial bid in his home state of Texas, saying that’s a path he’s choosing not to take “at this moment.”
Actress Lindsay Lohan is engaged to her financier boyfriend, Bader Shammas.
