Good morning, not only are we on the cusp of the weekend, BUT we’re also embarking on a brand new month.
And we have entered the unofficial countdown of days remaining until the first day of spring (March 19).
March is definitely living up to its reputation of coming in like a lion, which is to say roaring, though I guess technically it was still the end of February when we experienced the 50+ mph winds that knocked out my power. (Not bitter or anything, and thanks are indeed due to National Grid for restoration efforts).
Where did this whole “in like a lion, out like a lamb” saying originate? Well, as per the interwebs, it’s complicated.
One theory comes by way of the Farmers Almanac, which claims the saying is rooted in an ancient belief in balance. So, scientifically, if the meeting of warm and cool air generates unstable weather at the outset of the month, then it should eventually even itself out with calmer and gentler (ie: lamb-like) weather.
Another origin story lies in the stars. The rising zodiac sign in March is Leo the lion, whereas by the time April rolls around, it’s Aries the ram.
And yet a third concept claims that the saying is biblical in its origin. “Jesus’s first appearance was as the sacrificial lamb, but he will return as the Lion of Judah, hence those symbolic animals,” The Guardian writes. Easter, FWIW, is on March 31 this year, so coming on the (ahem) tail end of the month. (See what I did there?)
A number of historically large snowstorms have occurred in various parts of the country and also nationwide (recall The Blizzard of 1993, AKA the Storm of the Century) in March. We have not been immune from this phenomenon here in the Capital Region, though, because #upstatespring, it’s not unheard of to have a big blizzard in April, or even May.
I say this all not to depress you, but rather to remind you not to get lulled into a false sense of security or complacency when we’re blessed with the odd warm day around this time of year, though things are definitely headed in a positive direction, on average, as far as the weather is concerned.
Today we’ll see a mix of clouds and sun, with temperatures nearing 50 degrees. The weekend will be a mixed bag, with rain and temperatures in the mid-40s again on Saturday, and mostly cloudy skies, but warmer – near around 60, maybe – on Sunday. Monday will be warm again, though with a slight chance of a shower…or maybe not? We’ll see how things develop.
In the headlines…
The Senate followed the House in passing a temporary extension of government funding yesterday, sending the measure to President Biden’s desk after a bipartisan vote that once again averts a government shutdown.
The Senate voted 77 to 13 to approve the short-term extension that funds some government agencies for another week, through March 8, and others until March 22. The House passed the bill earlier in the day by a vote of 320 to 99.
The latest temporary spending measure buys Congress a week to finalize details of a deal on half of government spending, and another three weeks to negotiate and pass the other half.
The final contents of the bills aren’t yet clear, but it appears that the bills will not feature the big conservative policy wins. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said the package wouldn’t include “unacceptable poison-pill riders that we said would not fly.”
In a statement last night, Biden said that while the legislation “prevents a damaging shutdown and allows more time for Congress to work toward full-year funding bills,” it’s also “a short-term fix — not a long-term solution.”
The killing of more than a hundred Palestinians at a food distribution site in Gaza where Israeli troops opened fire, triggering panic as civilians gathered around aid trucks, has added urgency to ceasefire talks – but could also complicate them, Biden said.
Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address was already a high-stakes setting to discuss his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, with pressure mounting from fellow Democrats for a major change of course. It seems now there will be no cease fire for him to tout.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 70,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip since the Israel’s war on Hamas began nearly five months ago, health officials in the territory said.
The United Arab Emirates called for “an independent and transparent investigation” into the aid convoy tragedy in Gaza.
Biden and former President Donald Trump made dueling trips to the southern border yesterday, creating a stark split screen as each seeks a political advantage on a dominant issue of the 2024 presidential campaign.
Both visited Texas border communities that have been grappling with large numbers of migrants seeking asylum. Biden was in Brownsville, and Trump was a few hundred miles away in Eagle Pass.
Biden thanked border agents and said he would get them more resources “come hell or high water.” “It’s long past time to act,” he said, adding that border control “desperately” needs more resources.
Their itineraries were remarkably similar. They arrived in Texas within a half-hour of one another. Their remarks even overlapped in time for a bit.
Speaking from Eagle Pass, Texas, with the backdrop of a razor wire fence, Trump seized on the flashpoint of the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student killed in Georgia. The man charged with her murder is a Venezuelan migrant.
In Michigan, a push to encourage voters to send Biden a message about his refusal to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza may have worked.
An estimated $4 billion business merger involving Trump’s social media company could hit a major snarl after a lawsuit was filed Wednesday accusing Trump of trying to dilute the co-founders’ shares.
After previously seeking to have the proceeding in Trump’s classified documents case postponed until after the election, the former president’s lawyers unexpectedly said he could live with a date over the summer.
Federal prosecutors proposed a July 8 start date, while attorneys for Trump suggested he stand trial Aug. 12. Trump’s proposed date was a surprise, because he and his attorneys have said the trial should be held after the presidential election in November.
Florida says it will soon release the grand jury proceedings in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2006 sexual abuse case.
New York officially formed the State’s Commission to Study Reparations And Racial Justice yesterday, just a few months after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation that called for its creation.
The nine-member commission, composed of distinguished scholars, legal experts, and community leaders, will dedicate the next year to researching the systemic and enduring effects of slavery on Black communities in the state.
Hochul’s proposed budget would slash state aid for about half of all school districts in New York, but small, rural districts could bear the biggest burden.
Hochul announced a settlement of $514,000 by New York State Homes and Community Renewal Tenant Protection Unit (TPU) against Manhattan landlord Steven Croman of Centennial Properties for unlawfully defrauding renters.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Union Square, then flooded a subway platform and went to the financial district, where they condemned U.S. military aid to Israel and took aim at Hochul as she spoke at a Wall Street restaurant.
While the nonprofit Greater New York Hospital Association lobbied for more spending in Albany as its members lost money, a lucrative for-profit arm may have run up costs for hospitals.
GNYHA argues that New York can afford to ramp up health care spending — on the advice of an expert who would know: Former state Budget Director Robert Mujica.
Federal agents raided the home yesterday morning of an aide to Mayor Eric Adams, marking the latest action from federal law enforcement against a member of the New York City Democrat’s inner circle.
Following the raid, City Hall officials confirmed the official, Winnie Greco, Adams’ director of Asian affairs, has been placed on leave from her $100,000-a-year role.
Federal agents also executed at least one other search warrant at the New World Mall in Flushing, Queens. Adams has made regular appearances at the mall, including to deliver remarks at a Lunar New Year gala two weeks ago.
Greco helped host a series of fundraisers for Adams’ 2021 campaign at the New World Mall that generated tens of thousands of dollars in contributions, some of which have raised straw donor concerns.
Matawana Dispensary in Park Slope, the first licensed Brooklyn cannabis dispensary owned by a Black woman, played host to the mayor yesterday. (He didn’t buy anything).
Adams was gifted a customized leather tote bag branding him “The Cannabis Mayor Eric Adams” as he cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Matawana Dispensary.
Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, a leader of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, is calling for a boycott of any events Adams hosts to mark the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, citing his lack of support for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
City Department of Education officials were grilled about their plan to comply with a controversial state law that requires Big Apple public schools to reduce class sizes across the board by 2028.
New York City is scrambling to find enough money — and space — to comply with a new state law limiting class sizes over the next few years, local education officials said.
New York City Transit workers, responding to an overnight slashing attack that injured a train conductor, stopped work to file safety complaints yesterday morning, causing severe disruptions in subway service.
A Transport Workers Union official said the workers were concerned that the assailant was still at large.
New Yorkers against the planned $15 congestion fee to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan came out swinging in the MTA’s first-of-its-kind public hearing on the contentious issue last night.
An official in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center was accused this week of plagiarizing large sections of his doctoral dissertation, according to an anonymous complaint filed with the university.
Dorm door decorations are emerging as the next battleground in the fight over academic freedom and free speech at Barnard College.
New York City has paid more than $500 million in police misconduct settlements over the past six years, including nearly $115 million in 2023, according to an analysis of city data released by the Legal Aid Society.
New York City will begin testing public e-bike charging hubs for delivery workers in Manhattan and Brooklyn, offering an alternative to charging e-bike batteries inside homes and businesses.
The first of five charging hubs was unveiled at Cooper Square in the East Village today as part of a six-month city pilot program.
Resorts World Casino in New York York City unveiled a $5 billion expansion proposal to bring an entertainment hub, concert hall and more to Southeast Queens, as part of its frontrunner bid to secure one of three full gaming licenses on offer from the state.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a local state senator and hundreds of demonstrators rallied at an endangered hospital in central Brooklyn, urging the state not to permanently close the health care center’s doors.
Attorneys for St. Peter’s Health Partners and Samaritan Hospital filed a lawsuit against the state attorney general’s office, seeking an end to what they called an “overbroad” and “abusive” investigation into the closure of the Burdett Birth Center in Troy.
A pair of development partners who own dozens of properties in Albany’s student neighborhood are working to reopen the Washington Tavern, a beloved bar that declined after being sold by its longtime owner and never recovered from the pandemic.
South Colonie school district has joined a multitude of other districts and changed its mascot. The South Colonie Raiders will now be the Wolfpack.
The Schenectady Board of Education is scheduled Wednesday to announce an administrator from within the district’s ranks as the new superintendent of schools.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
