Good morning, it’s Thursday. Welcome to the last day of July, which, personally, I find a little depressing, because we’re now heading into the final summer countdown.
I’m already starting to see some back-to-school/get ready for fall content, though – thankfully – no pumpkin spice anything has popped up in my feed – yet. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of fall. I love the crisp weather, the colorful leaves, everything apple related, etc. I’m just not ready for all that at least for another few weeks.
I’m still very much in the space of enjoying all the seasonal summer produce, which to me means tomatoes, stone fruit, and corn – lots and lots of corn.
This is all very hyper local (there’s a great farm stand down the road for me that for some reason I only just discovered even though I have lived in this house going on three years now), but if you’re living in another part of the country, what’s in season for you might be quite different.
For example, if you happen to be on the West Coast, you’re smack in the middle of peak avocado season.
Avocados are available all year round now, thanks to global sourcing (though the Trump administration’s tariffs are likely to impact that). The vast majority of the fresh avocados consumed here in the U.S. – about 90 percent – are important and most come from Mexico, which is the only country that is capable of meeting demand for the hyper popular fruit regardless of the season.
Avocados are a bit on the tricky side to grow, in part because they require an enormous amount of water – on average, about 528 gallons are needed to produce just 2.2 pounds. And as avocados had grown more popular with in recent years with everyone getting on the “healthy fats” and plant-based diet train, the environmental impact of keeping up with demand has grown – not necessarily in a good way.
Add to that the carbon footprint created by both growing and transporting this creamy green fruit and you’ve got a mounting problem on your hands.
As an aside, I’ve been referring to the avocado as a “fruit,” which is technically true. But if you want to get technical about it, from a botanist’s point of view, the avocado is a large berry with just one gigantic seed that grows on a tree and not on a bush like so many other berries do.
Both California and Mexican avocados are of the Hass variety, but the former are best known for their creamy, almost buttery, texture and taste, while the later have a thinner skin, slightly firmer flesh and more pronounced flavor. Due to some of the aforementioned challenges, as well as supply chain fluctuations, California avocado production has decreased in recent years, leaving room for the important market to grow.
But California – specifically the southern part of the state – continues to be synonymous with all things avocado – health, wellness, and fresh food consumption, in particular – so today is National Avocado Day, in celebration of the peak season for the U.S.-grown version of this fruit/berry.
I have good and bad news when it comes to the weather forecast for the Capital Region.
First, the good: It’s going to be a heck of a lot less hot – like dropping down into the low 70s, which is downright frigid for this time of year, comparatively speaking, though a nice respite from the scorching heat we’ve seen. of late. The bad: it’s going to rain all day, starting with showers in the morning and progressing to a steadier rain in the afternoon.
At least the grass will be happy.
In the headlines…
The United States yesterday made good on its threats to apply 50 percent tariffs on Brazil two days ahead of schedule and slapped sanctions on the Supreme Court justice overseeing the criminal case against former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The tariffs against Brazil are the highest of any levy President Donald Trump has imposed this year, though they exclude many of Brazil’s key exports to the United States, like commercial aircrafts, energy products and orange juice.
Earlier this month, Trump claimed the US runs a trade deficit with Brazil. In fact, it runs a multimillion-dollar surplus, meaning the United States sells more to Brazil than it buys.
Meanwhile, Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea, putting 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods, much higher than they were just a few months ago but lower than the president had threatened.
Under the terms, South Korea will make $350 billion in investments in the US and purchase $100 billion of liquefied natural gas. Trump said in a social media post that South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, would visit Washington for further announcements.
Trump said early this morning that it would be “very hard” to make a trade deal with Canada after its prime minister said he planned to recognize Palestine as a state. It was his latest threat against an ally on the eve of a deadline to impose tariffs.
A key Senate committee approved legislation that would bar members of Congress, the president and the vice president from trading stocks, after a change to ensure that a divestment requirement included in the measure would not apply to Trump.
The Senate narrowly confirmed Joe Kent, Trump’s contentious choice to be the nation’s top counterterrorism official, installing a pick who has embraced conspiracy theories and had links to extremist groups.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for governor of California next year, she announced, forgoing another campaign after her defeat in last year’s presidential election and ending months of speculation about whether she would enter the race.
“I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans,” Harris said.
Forgoing the governor’s race means that Harris could potentially run for president in 2028, which would be her third such attempt after withdrawing from the 2020 contest and later losing to Trump last year, though the Democratic field will be competitive.
Sen. Ted Cruz has come to the defense of Sydney Sweeney and her new American Eagle ad campaign, which has divided the internet in recent days, with some likening it to Nazi propaganda.
The Republican senator wagged his finger at the woke community, chastising their outrage in a social media post that also included an image of a topless Sweeney in the American Eagle jeans at the center of the controversial ad.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, 78, the dean of New York’s congressional delegation, is getting a primary challenge from Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old who started an organization during the pandemic that delivered food and medicine.
State lawmakers and regulators are scrambling to protect more than 150 cannabis retail shops whose operators were informed recently that their stores were allowed to open too close to schools and could be forced to relocate unless the law is changed.
The New York Power Authority this week released an updated draft strategic plan that includes building more renewable energy sources, including 17 solar arrays and three wind turbine projects across the state.
In the aftermath of the Midtown shooting, Gov. Kathy Hochul called for other states to adopt stronger gun laws in an interview on NY1’s “Inside City Hall”, saying they should be modeled after New York’s laws, which she called “the toughest” in the nation.
While the prospect of flipping House seats may appeal to national Democrats, especially in a narrowly divided Congress, Hochul’s suggestion of undertaking mid-decade redistricting runs headlong into serious constitutional and political obstacles.
Hochul is sounding the alarm on a new federal policy that she claims could disrupt healthcare coverage for hundreds of thousands of children across New York.
The Democratic governor bashed Trump’s administration in a statement, calling the rollback of programs that provide continuous Medicaid coverage a “misguided policy” that “threatens the progress we’ve made in keeping young children connected to care.”
In a New York Times op-ed, LG Antonia Delgado wrote: “This is the moment Democrats have been talking about for years: a chance to prove we’re more than a party of outrage and opposition.” He also criticized Hochul, whom he’s challenging in a primary.
Licensed cannabis store operators are fuming this week after the Hochul administration’s latest regulatory screw up, which may require dozens of legal shops to move or ultimately close shop entirely.
State lawmakers and regulators are scrambling to protect more than 150 cannabis retail shops whose operators were informed recently that their stores were allowed to open too close to schools and could be forced to relocate unless the law is changed.
The New York Power Authority this week released an updated draft strategic plan that includes building more renewable energy sources, including 17 solar arrays and three wind turbine projects across the state.
Shane Tamura, the gunman who killed an NYPD cop and three civilians before taking his own life inside a Midtown Manhattan Park Ave. skyscraper, left a second suicide note to his parents behind in his Las Vegas home, police sources said.
Tamura had bottles of antipsychotic medication in his Las Vegas studio apartment, as well as numerous rounds of ammunition and a tripod for the rifle used in the shooting, police said after executing a search warrant.
The shooter bought his AR-15-style rifle for $1,400 from the man who supervised him at his job at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, New York police officials said.
Funeral services for one of Tamura’s victims, Officer Didarul Islam, will be held this morning at a mosque in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, where he lived.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch was friends with Midtown Manhattan Park Ave. mass shooting victim Wesley LePatner, a Blackstone executive killed by Tamura. The two became close through their connections to the UJA-Federation of New York.
Hundreds of mourners packed a Manhattan synagogue to pay their last respects to Cornell grad Julia Hyman, one of the four victims of the Midtown mass shooting — remembering her as a “special” person who went above and beyond for her community.
Facing growing criticism for his absence overseas, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, returned yesterday from a planned vacation to Uganda and threw himself into the response to the city’s deadliest mass shooting in 25 years.
After meeting with the relatives of Officer Islam, Mamdani distanced himself yesterday from anti-police messages he posted on social media years ago, calling them “out of step” with his current vision.
Mamdani doubled down on axing the elite New York City Police Department unit that responded to the Midtown mass shooting, but backed off his past “defund the police” stance.
With the stroke of a pen, Mayor Eric Adams yesterday breathed new life into gaming giant Bally’s bid to build a casino in the Bronx, vetoing the City Council’s decision to deny a rezoning necessary for the project to move forward.
His move may help President Trump: If the company, Bally’s, were to win approval, it would pay $115 million to the Trump Organization, the former operator of the site.
Adams, however, cited a different objective, saying in a statement that by vetoing the Council’s rejection of Bally’s land-use application, he was creating an even playing field for all the contenders seeking casino licenses in the New York City area.
New York is taking steps to put itself on the path to become the first major American city to offer universal child care to new parents, as child care costs continue to rise nationwide. But the initial investment is just a fraction of what it will ultimately cost.
New York City commuters may pay an additional 10 cents to ride MTA subways and buses next year if the agency’s $3-a-ride fare hike goes into effect as planned, according to a financial plan revealed to the MTA board on Wednesday.
The 3% increase means subway and bus rides would go up from $2.90 to $3.00 a ride, with fares in the OMNY system capped to $36 total for a seven-day period.
With a full transition to OMNY, the MTA announced it would also eliminate the 30-day unlimited fare option, making the seven-day fare cap the only way to get unlimited rides.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has lifted a ban on alcohol ads — dropping its public health activism in a desperate bid for more revenue.
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority meeting’s virtual feed was interrupted by a raunchy image pleasuring himself — in an X-rated moment the agency’s head honcho awkwardly blamed on “penetration” by hackers.
Long Island Rail Road electronic tickets will expire within hours instead of months as part of a proposed MTA fare adjustment plan that will also drive up the cost of using trains, buses or New York City bridges and tunnels.
The federal investigation into former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and his twin brother’s work as a consultant in New York City’s nightlife industry has been “deprioritized,” a government official familiar with the case said.
Ice cream trucks illegally parked in or along busy bike lanes on Central Park West and Central Park South are endangering customers and cyclists alike, Councilmember Gale Brewer says.
Two Brooklyn men have been arraigned in Queens for allegedly staging car crashes on New York City highways and filing false insurance claims, authorities said.
The Robin Hood Foundation, one of New York City’s biggest charities, is navigating tensions between its wealthy donors and the nonprofits it funds.
The Canadian man charged with murdering his 9-year-old daughter in upstate New York and then falsely reporting her as kidnapped pleaded not guilty. Luciano Frattolin, 45, was denied bail at his detention hearing in Essex County.
One man is dead after a single-engine plane owned by an Albany County-based flying club crashed not far from the runway at an airport on Block Island in Rhode Island.
Three people were on board, according to Albany International Airport spokesman Matt Hunter. All three were transported to a health center on the island after the crash, but a 77-year-old man died en route.
The University at Albany’s nanotechnology research center has been awarded a $10 million state grant over the next decade to advance its work as a hub for semiconductor and microelectronics research and development.
After more than two decades in the news industry, including 12 years as the news director at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Ian Pickus, one of the station’s most recognizable voices has said goodbye.
A man sustained serious injuries after several doors fell on him while unloading a truck at a home installation business in East Greenbush.
A 3-year-old filly who finished in fifth place in the Lake George Stakes this past Saturday at Saratoga Race Course was euthanized Monday due to an injury she suffered.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
