There’s this meme going around about the “13 seasons” of upstate New York. I’m sure you’ve seen it. It includes such gems as “Fool’s Spring” and “Spring of Deception,” which a lot of us probably relate to after the diabolical reappearance of snow this past weekend.
According to this meme, we are now in “Third Winter”, which will be closely followed by “The Pollening” – the nightmare of allergy sufferers everywhere. We will then move into “Actual Spring” and from there into the much anticipated “Summer.”
In case you’re counting down the days, summer will arrive in the Northern Hemisphere at 10:41 p.m. on Friday, June 20.
As jarring and disconcerting as the snow felt – even if it didn’t stick around terribly long – the truth is that snow is April is really not so unusual around these parts.
According to Steve LaPoint, the chief meteorologist at Channel 6 News, measurable amounts of snow have fallen in the Capital Region in eight of the past 10 years, though a doozy of a storm in April 2016 really stands out for dropping more than 6 feet of the white stuff on the weather-weary local populous.
Big storms like that are not, thankfully, the norm. But those of us who get lulled into a false sense of security at the earliest sign of warming temperatures, the arrival of robins, and the blooming of daffodils really need a reality check.
The coming week is looking slightly better in the weather department, with temperatures trending upward (generally speaking) and no more snow in the forecast. (Stick around, though, because things could change). We will continue to see quite a bit of rain, but that, too, is standard. April showers and all that.
I did a little looking ahead on Friday to note the impending arrival of Passover. Today, I’ll do a little looking back to note the passage of Palm Sunday, which marks the end of the Lenten period of abstinence, the start of Holy Week and the impending arrival of Easter.
Palm Sunday, for those not in the know, commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, where he was reportedly met by crowds who waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” (This triumphant welcome was short-lived, and was followed by Jesus’ eventual crucifixion).
Most churches have a special celebratory mass at which palms are distributed. Some people make these into crosses that can be pinned to your clothes (depending on how large the original palm was) or used in religious displays. These are called sacramentals.
The palms are supposed to be returned to the church to be burned, and the resulting ash is deployed on the next year’s Ash Wednesday. The ash is usually mixed with either water or oil as a bonding agent, since ash on its own doesn’t adhere to surfaces terribly well.
Another option is to burn or bury and/or both the blessed palms yourself, remembering to place them somewhere where they won’t be trod upon. Simply throwing them into the garbage can is a big no-no.
The weekend did end on a relatively high note – last night was sunny and lovely, at least in my neck of the woods. Today will be warmer, with temperatures in the mid-60s and intervals of clouds and sun throughout the day.
In the headlines…
Pennsylvania State Police have arrested a Harrisburg man for the arson attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family that sent them fleeing from the governor’s residence on the first night of Passover.
Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris identified the man in custody as Cody Balmer, 38, but emphasized as a news conference yesterday that the investigation is continuing.
Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said that forthcoming charges will include attempted murder, terrorism, attempted arson and aggravated assault.
Vice President JD Vance responded to the fire at Shapiro’s residence, calling it “really disgusting violence,” adding: “Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed in this attack,” Vance said in a post on X.
China has suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets, threatening to choke off supplies of components central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world.
President Donald Trump signaled that he would pursue new tariffs on the chips inside smartphones and other tech, just two days after his administration excluded a variety of electronics from the steep import taxes applied on goods arriving from China.
The goal, Trump said, is to incentivize companies to make their products in the United States. But experts have warned that could be a lengthy process and that the price of electronics could go up for consumers.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that smartphones and other electronics will be included in future semiconductor sectoral tariffs, two days after the Trump administration said such products were exempt from China import levies.
Trump noted in a Truth Social post that the goods are still subject to existing 20% tariffs imposed over the flow of fentanyl and denied that there was a tariff “exception” announced Friday.
“NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook,’” Trump said. “There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’”
The White House released Trump’s health report, which declares that he “is fully fit to execute the duties” of the presidency while laying out a few conditions, such as high cholesterol, for which he has been treated and the report describes as “well controlled.”
The report, written by the president’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Barbabella, who is also a Navy captain, says that Trump, 78, “remains in excellent health” and “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health.”
Per the report, Trump’s height and weight are 75 inches and 224 pounds, respectively. Scans of several body systems—including the eyes, ears, neck, throat, and heart—came back normal.
Dr. Barbabella shared that the President had undergone a colonoscopy in the summer of 2024, during which it was revealed that he had a benign polyp and diverticulitis, which is inflammation in the pockets of the colon.
Trump had an annual physical Friday and concluded, “I did well,” praising his own heart, soul and cognitive ability while noting medical reports from White House doctors would not be ready until the weekend.
A Manhattan federal judge ruled on Friday that a member of Elon Musk’s government efficiency program could have access to sensitive Treasury Department payment and data systems, as long as they go through appropriate training and files disclosures.
The order by the judge, Jeannette A. Vargas, came nearly two months after she had ruled that Musk’s team, members of the so-called DOGE, would be banished from the agency’s systems until the conclusion of a lawsuit that claims their access is unlawful.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States had sent 10 members of two gangs — MS-13, which originated in the United States and operates in South America, and Tren de Aragua, rooted in Venezuela — to El Salvador late Saturday.
Rubio added in a social media post that “the alliance” between President Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador had “become an example for security and prosperity in our hemisphere.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of the country’s leading progressives, delivered an impromptu speech onstage at the Coachella music festival in California on Saturday night in which he implored young people to oppose Trump’s policies.
“This country faces some very difficult challenges, and the future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation,” Sanders, 83, said during his brief address, which received cheers from the crowd.
Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a federal court on Friday to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against him, arguing that Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recently announced decision to do so was “explicitly and unapologetically political.”
Former-three term Republican George Pataki praised Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for holding up approval of the state budget — until fellow Democrats in the legislature accept a measure to help prosecutors put criminals behind bars.
With no state budget deal and the governor digging in, lawmakers passed a budget extender to get them through an abbreviated break for Passover until Tuesday. They were scheduled for a two-week break.
Hochul’s attempt to overhaul a costly Medicaid program is leaving homecare workers without pay and vulnerable people in jeopardy as a federal court steps in to try and mitigate the situation.
The alleged Chinese agent who worked as an aide to Hochul landed on authorities’ radar after she improperly obtained official proclamations for her father, a family friend and a Chinese government official.
At the onset of the pandemic, New York purchased 247,343 pieces of durable medical equipment, including ventilators and X-ray machines. Only three of those items were ever distributed to hospitals, according to the state comptroller’s office.
The computer versions of the state English language arts and math tests are now working after two days of problems, the state Education Department announced.
The F.B.I. director saw sales of his book about the government’s “deep state” rise by nearly 800 percent after Mayor Eric Adams lavished praise on it.
Adams is technically running for reelection under the ballot line, “Safe Streets, Affordable City,” but that won’t actually appear on ballots because it runs past the character limit.
Though he agreed to plead guilty in February, Mohamed Bahi, an ex-City Hall aide charged with funneling illegal straw donations to Adams’ campaign, has held off on formally owning up to any crimes as his lawyer remains in talks with federal prosecutors.
Adams will travel to the Dominican Republic this week to mourn the Santo Domingo nightclub roof collapse that killed 221 people and left over 150 injured. Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, who is Dominican, will also go on the two-day trip.
Flags at City Hall and other city-owned buildings were lowered Saturday in response to the tragic nightclub roof collapse. “We stand in solidarity with our Dominican community,” Adams wrote on X.
The helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River killing all six people on board lacked any flight recording devices and hadn’t received a “major inspection” since March 1, according to an update published by the NTSB Saturday night.
The helicopter’s avionics, which can include its navigational, communications and fuel systems, did not record any usable information, the statement said.
The FAA said New York Helicopter Tours, whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in flight and crashed, killing the pilot and a family of five from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately and will have its operating license and safety record reviewed.
The F.A.A. said in statement that it would launch an immediate review of the tour operator’s license and safety record, as well as cooperate with the NTSB’s investigation into the crash.
The fatal helicopter could have been even worse had the aircraft landed on either side of the Hudson, so Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop says limiting tourist flights is a no-brainer. Adams disagrees.
The helicopter tour company behind a fatal 2018 New York City crash is slashing prices after another chopper wreck rocked the Big Apple last week – and it’s not the first time the company has offered massive discounts in the wake of an aviation disaster.
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed he will stand up to “bully” President Trump if he’s elected New York City mayor — but critics sniped back that the Democrat knows all about bullying.
Cuomo is rolling out a housing plan that seeks to build 500,000 new apartments in New York City over 10 years, but the blueprint is light on some key specifics and contains few novel policy prescriptions for how to achieve the ambitious goal.
Mayoral candidate Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor and prominent lawyer, has vowed to fight the New York City Council from handcuffing the NYPD if he is elected.
The Big Apple’s influential fire officers union threw its support behind Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine for city comptroller Sunday – splitting from another powerful FDNY labor group that has backed his Democratic opponent in the race.
While the City has been a focal point for debate over the deportation of undocumented immigrants, many of its major industries and institutions are immersed in a budding policy fight over which and how many skilled foreign workers to allow into the country.
New Yorkers are lining up in opposition to dozens of new lithium-ion battery storage facilities planned across the Big Apple and beyond, over fears they could spark toxic infernos in residential neighborhoods.
Frank Morano, the host of 770 WABC “The Other Side of Midnight,” who is running for City Council, admitted he was duped into helping a romance scam artist get out of prison only for the ex-con to show he was anything but reformed once he was set free.
A Massachusetts-based neurosurgeon who was an executive director at a Rochester health system, his physician wife, son, daughter and his children’s two partners, were killed when their plane crashed in a field in Copake, Columbia County Saturday.
The Barnes & Noble at Colonie Center is closed indefinitely after a pipe broke above the chain bookstore Friday afternoon.
WAMC Northeast Public Radio plans to sell The Linda, its 23-year-old performing arts space located in a former bank building at the corner of Central Avenue and Quail Street.
Health leaders in the Capital Region gathered last week in Colonie to discuss the state of the health care industry at a symposium hosted by St. Peter’s Health Partners.
Amid plans for the CDC to halt recommending water fluoridation, City of Albany officials intend to go forward with adding fluoride to its drinking water by the end of the year.
Rory McIlroy’s long, painful wait for the career Grand Slam is finally over. And the greatest achievement of his career was as nerve-racking and dramatic as the near misses that came before it.
McIlroy won his first Masters and etching himself into an elite group of golfers to win every major at least once in their careers, alongside Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
