Good Wednesday morning.
The table that doubles as my work-from-home desk sits next to the window that overlooks our side yard and a little piece of the street in front of our house.
I have a pretty good view of various comings and goings, which, aside from the occasional neighbor, the mailman, and the FedEx delivery guy, who comes fairly regularly (thanks to my online shopping habit), is of mostly non-human activity.
By that I am referring to birds, rabbits, squirrels, cats, deer, the groundhog that I think lives under the back deck, and once – only once, thankfully – a garden snake curled up in the sun in the bush about 10 inches from my face. (HATE snakes, hate them).
Recently, I spotted the elusive fox that I heard about around the ‘hood but never saw for myself. He’s pretty mangy. I hope he’s OK. He streaked across the yard and into the nearby wooded lot that I wasn’t entirely sure that I had seen him at all and also wasn’t sure if he was indeed a fox, or maybe a smallish coydog.
From this experience, I can see why people routinely convince themselves that they’ve made some sort of rare animal sighting. (Hello, Bigfoot?) A large gray cat moving very quickly could easily be mistaken for something else, for example, something like a bobcat, or maybe even a lynx.
To be clear, bobcats and lynxes (or “lynx”, which can be used as both a singular and plural noun, if you prefer), while related, are not one and the same. Perhaps most importantly, bobcats ARE present in New York – particularly upstate, but as humans have steadily encroached on their territory, some have been spotted in the suburban counties outside New York City and on Long Island.
The lynx, meanwhile, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is considered “expatriated” in New York because there’s no evidence that any actually live here anymore. Though there have been a few reported – and apparently credible lynx sightings, it’s believed these animals were just passing through rather than sticking around and setting up shop.
In terms of the physical differences, it should be noted that the lynx and the bobcat both belong to the same genus – Lynx – and are both members of the Felidae family, which basically means they’re both cats. There are four lynx species, INCLUDING but not limited to the bobcat, as well as the Eurasian lynx, the Canadian lynx, and the Iberian lynx.
They both share some distinct characteristics, such as stubby tails, compact bodies, and tufted ears. A lynx, however, has longer legs and larger feet, which help it to better navigate the deep snow that is often found in the areas where it is most likely to live. Bobcats have a wider range of habitat and are more likely to resemble overgrown housecats.
Sadly, some bobcats and lynx are endangered, in part because of the usual things that tend to threaten a wide range of animals this days – loss of habitat and food sources due to human impact and/or climate change, getting hit by vehicles, and illegal hunting (for their fur or just as trophies).
Today is International Lynx Day, which provides a good opportunity to learn some interesting things about this fascinating animal. Such as the fact that they are really good jumpers, capable of clearing distances of up to 25 feet (horizontally) and 6 feet (vertically) and also can run at speeds up to 50 mph!!
Today would be a great day to get outside and soak up some (limited) sunshine. It will be partly cloudy with temperatures reaching into the low 80s. Enjoy it while you can.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg yesterday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids.
Trump, defending his decision to deploy the National Guard and US Marines to the City of Angels amid violent riots, argued that without the reinforcements, LA would be “burning” like it did when wildfires swept through Southern California in January.
A curfew went into effect in parts of downtown Los Angeles yesterday after federal immigration raids sparked five straight days of riots, looting, violent clashes with police, and more than 150 arrests, Mayor Karen Bass announced.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped into Trump for a “brazen abuse of power” by deploying troops to Los Angeles and claimed his political rival is intentionally causing ongoing chaos in the city.
To Democrats looking for direction and leadership, Newsom used one of the highest profile moments of his political career to lay out the threat he argued Trump poses, and how Americans should resist it. And he suggested he was the man to lead that fight.
A judge has rejected Newsom’s emergency request to limit Trump’s troop deployment. Marines are expected to be deployed to the streets of LA today, joining National Guard troops already protecting federal property and immigration agents making arrests.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted the Trump administration’s request for more time to respond to Newsom’s request. The administration has until 11 a.m. PDT today to submit its arguments.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said late yesterday that he would deploy National Guard troops across the state, making him the first governor to do so as protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown spread across the United States.
Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania warned fellow Democrats that they could face a political backlash if they were seen as failing to sufficiently condemn acts of violence by protesters in Southern California, which local officials have said were limited.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that violence in the Los Angeles protests against the White House’s deportation program is “outrageous.”
Former ICE officials said the Trump administration’s push for the agency to detain record numbers of undocumented immigrants increases the chances of mistakes.
Trump warned protestors to stay away from his controversial military parade planned for Saturday in Washington D.C. — or face “very big force.”
Trump promised New York City Police Department brass over the weekend that he will not send in the military or National Guard to tamp down on anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests as long as cops keep the demonstrators in line.
Over 80 people were arrested as a massive anti-ICE protest in Lower Manhattan yesterday devolved into chaos with shrieking, sign-holding demonstrators flooding the streets, clashing with cops and hurling objects at officers.
Four dozen protesters were arrested yesterday as up to 2,000 outraged anti-ICE protestors descended on Foley Square in lower Manhattan — the second day of an “ICE out of NYC” gathering to push back on mass deportations of ICE detainees.
Senate Republicans are deeply divided over how to cut the cost of House-passed legislation to enact Trump’s agenda, which Elon Musk called a “mountain of disgusting pork” and fiscal conservatives on Capitol Hill say doesn’t do enough to cut the deficit.
House Republicans have finalized changes to the party-line tax and spending package the House passed last month, to keep the bill in compliance with Senate rules.
Musk said in a social media post early this morning that he regretted some of his posts and comments about Trump last week, which had led the president to disparage the tech billionaire, a feud that played out in real time on social media.
Trump, during his speech at Fort Bragg, N.C., said that he would restore the names of all Army bases that were named for Confederate generals but were ordered changed by Congress in the waning days of his first administration.
A federal appeals court agreed to let many of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on United States trade partners remain in effect for now, extending a pause issued late last month after a separate court ruled the tariffs were illegal.
ABC News is cutting ties with the correspondent Terry Moran after he wrote derisive comments on social media that attacked President Trump and Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff, referring to both men with the term “world-class hater.”
The matchup for New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is set, with Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli having won their respective nominations yesterday.
Sherrill, the only woman in a six-candidate race for the Democratic nomination, emphasized her service as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot.
Ciattarelli had been considered the front-runner for months, leading in most polls and in the race for campaign cash. Trump’s endorsement last month emphasized his goal of flipping New Jersey red after eight years of Democratic control.
A federal grand jury in Newark indicted U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver on three criminal counts tied to a confrontation with immigration authorities at a detention center last month, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is scheduled to testify tomorrow before a congressional committee probing sanctuary policies across the U.S. that in some instances have blocked state and local agencies from assisting federal authorities with immigration enforcement.
As Hochul weighs which prisons to close this year amid declining incarceration rates and a corrections staffing crisis, advocates and formerly incarcerated people are calling for one of New York’s most infamous facilities — Attica — to shutter its gates for good.
The next hurdle for the medical aid in dying bill will be to convince Hochul, a practicing Catholic, to sign it.
A spokesperson for Hochul would not say where the governor stands on the idea of physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients, only that she would review the legislation.
Hochul says New York should have done a better job anticipating the state’s energy needs before negotiating the deal that shuttered the Indian Point nuclear power plant in 2021.
Hochul today announced the completion of 35 Broadway, a 67-unit affordable housing development in the village of Menands, Albany County, where more than half of the units are reserved for formerly homeless veterans.
Hochul announced the appointment of 24 judges to various courts across New York State, including the New York State Court of Claims, Supreme Court, and Family Court.
Hochul was met with a chorus of boos Saturday as she made an appearance at the 157th Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs – with one observer on hand calling the moment “awkward.”
Cityslicker state lawmakers from the Big Apple want to limit the number of cows on New York’s dairy farms – a green push that opponents argue would cripple an industry that needs to be beefed up.
Former state Sen. Iwen Chu has filed to run for state office again – though she won’t say which office she’s eyeing.
Letitia James, the New York attorney general, won a fraud judgment against Trump’s business and has challenged his policies in court. Now she is a target of his Justice Department.
Senate and Assembly Democrats have reached an agreement to pass a series of prison reforms to improve accountability in state facilities on the heels of recent deaths of two incarcerated men who had violent encounters with multiple correction officers.
The NY HEAT Act has gotten a last-minute rebrand as the Customer Savings and Reliability Act. “We ended up drafting a significantly different bill, but with most of the same goals and targets,” Sen. Liz Krueger said.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo makes the case in a New York Daily News op-ed why he’s the best candidate to be the city’s next mayor.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed his old nemesis, Cuomo, for mayor, backing an ex-governor who is mounting a comeback bid in the June 24 Democratic primary.
Bloomberg said in a statement that it had been difficult to watch the city struggle since he left office, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, and that Cuomo was the best choice for mayor.
Leading Democratic mayoral hopefuls Zohran Mamdani and Cuomo are battling to see who can fend off Trump’s agenda better.
Mayor Eric Adams offered a surprising compliment to one of his challengers, Mamdani, as the Democratic Socialist makes a run at knocking off front-runner Cuomo just two weeks before the Democratic mayoral primary.
A group of executives in the finance, law and communications sectors launched a new super PAC to oppose Mamdani’s mayoral run, kicking off with an ad accusing him of pushing to “defund the police” amid an increase in pro-Palestinian protests in the city.
Jewish leaders and activists have signed an open letter condemning Queens state Sen. John Liu for endorsing staunch Israel foe Mamdani for mayor.
If there is a single point of agreement among all the Democrats running for mayor, it’s that New York is too damn expensive.
A top aide to Adams, Menashe Shapiro, has been calling Orthodox Jewish leaders in recent weeks to urge them not to back Cuomo in the June 24 Democratic primary, or to temper their support for him if they do, according to six people familiar with the effort.
The two leading candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for city comptroller gave voters their best closing arguments in an hour-long debate on Tuesday hosted by Spectrum NY1, The City and WNYC.
An Upper East Side councilwoman wants to crack down on the mayor’s ability to dole out controversial no-bid contracts after a series of high-profile boondoggles during the migrant and COVID crises.
Two New York City Council leaders are requesting a probe into whether the NYPD has been violating New York City’s sanctuary laws, which are supposed to bar local authorities from participating in federal immigration enforcement.
Some New Yorkers who used their OMNY card for a subway or bus ride this week are finding surprise charges on their bank statements — sometimes for trips they didn’t take.
Day four of deliberations in the Manhattan sexual assault retrial of Harvey Weinstein ended with no more outward signs of drama in the jury room — but with no verdict by day’s end.
A federal judge has denied a move by the Real Estate Board of New York to pause New York City’s new broker fee ban, just one day before it is set to go into effect, but did not dismiss the case entirely.
A fire at Grand Central Terminal yesterday threw Long Island Rail Road service into chaos for thousands of morning commuters.
A state prison inmate from New York City will serve an additional five years in prison for sending a letter in which he threatened to kill two judges who had presided over a criminal case against him.
The state has agreed to pay $750,000 to settle two lawsuits filed by an attorney who was terminated from her senior position at the DCJS eight years ago for her testimony during an investigation by the inspector general’s office into systemic workplace misconduct.
Albany Medical Center will pay $375,000 to the state DOH to settle violations of New York’s safe staffing laws, capping a monthslong saga over workplace deficiencies that had stoked anger between a statewide nurses’ union and the hospital’s leaders.
Capitalize Albany is demolishing another of the E-Comm Square buildings along Broadway due to “previously unidentified significant structural damage”.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said last week he expects the county to end up owning the former Kenwood Convent site.
The weekend downpours that battered the Capital Region led to the temporary closure of Howe Caverns in Schoharie County as torrents of rushing water poured into the cave system with enough force to rip bricks off pedestrian walkways.
The Republican Albany County Board of Elections commissioner said her Democratic colleague did have a chance to sign off on a faulty mailer that included an incorrect date for the June primary before it was sent to voters last week.
The Schenectady Council Public Safety Committee convened a special meeting to discuss revisions to the new police complaint packet, which is due out soon, to make it more user-friendly and accessible to people who do not speak English or Spanish.
The Schenectady County jail administrator is urging legislators to support a resolution calling on state lawmakers to amend the controversial HALT solitary confinement Act that led to some state correction officers walking off the job earlier this year in protest.
A proposal is being put forward to demolish the Pioneer Bank on Delaware Avenue, construct a drive-thru coffee shop and rebuild the same bank next to it.
While it wasn’t a decisive victory, local leaders say that this year’s Belmont Stakes Festival was a better run for downtown businesses than in 2024.
The problems at Willow Marsh Farm continue to add up for its owner and Ballston Town Board member Chuck Curtiss.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
