Good morning, it’s Thursday, which is 24 hours away from Friday, in case you’re deep in summer mode and have lost track of time.
One of the great things about moving to Troy – and there are, in my opinion, many – is better access to the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market. If you have never been, it is a SCENE – a wide variety of vendors proffering everything from fresh veggies and fruits to farm-raised meats, as well as cheeses, craft alcohol, condiments, baked goods, jewelry, bags, clothes, and much more.
There’s also live music and a wide array of delicious prepared foods and drink. The whole thing stretches for multiple city blocks, which admittedly makes parking more of a challenge than usual, so get there early. The people watching is first rate, and there are lots of doggies to pet, which I consider a very big bonus because mine can’t handle the crowds so I have to leave them at home.
In the late fall and winter, the market moves indoors to the Troy Atrium, which is a different – but equally good, in my opinion – setup. The benefits of being able to support local makers and growers all year round while also accessing high-quality produce and foodstuffs can’t be beat.
The Troy Farmers Market is my local. But there are dozens of other markets across the Capital District, and each has its own unique attributes. Some are very small, with only a few vendors focused on selling fresh veggies, while others, like Troy, are large and diverse.
The state Department of Ag and Markets website provides a handy search tool where you can look for local farmers markets by county and learn important facts – like whether they accept SNAP benefits or participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), which provides checks to WIC recipients and eligible seniors to facilitate the purchase of fresh vegetables, fruits, and other produce to bolster the usual roster of products available under these programs.
No matter their size, farmers markets serve an important purpose, connecting people to fresh, affordable, food, while also providing a direct connection for area growers and makers to potential consumers.
The USDA maintains a farmers market registry, which boasts more than 8,600 listings. That number has grown significantly from just under 2,000 in 1994, which to me highlights Americans’ increased interest – in this era of highly processed convenience food and regular recalls – in knowing where their food comes from and being able to taste, smell, and experience it in a way most supermarkets can’t meet.
We are now in the tail end of National Farmers Market Week, which runs Aug. 3-9 this year. Now in its 26th year, according to the National Farmers Market Coalition, the annual event “highlights the vital role farmers markets play in our nation’s food system.”
In 2010, the USDA, under then-Secretary Tom Vilsack, issued a proclamation (which, like so many things, can no longer be found on the official federal website), declaring National Farmers Market Week to “celebrate the growth and impact of farmers markets and their vital role in America’s food supply chain.” It was apparently the first of many, one of which I tracked down in the form of a pdf that can be found on a default usda website here.
If you happen to be in the D.C. area, you can perhaps pay a visit to the Great American Farmers Market, which is taking place on the National Mall through Friday and showcases the administration’s commitment to “Make Agriculture Great Again” and “Make America Healthy Again.” (otherwise known as MAHA).
This weeklong celebration apparently features a star-studded lineup that includes Cabinet members Brooke Rollins, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Linda McMahon, Kelly Loeffler, Scott Turner, and Lee Zeldin, according to the official website.
Don’t shoot the messenger, folks. I’m just here to impart information. For the record, the need to support farmers markets might be the one and only thing that RFK Jr. and I agree on. We certainly are not on the same page when it comes to vaccines.
It will be partly cloud today with the chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm. Temperatures will max out somewhere in the low 80s.
In the headlines…
The White House announced that it is imposing an additional 25% tariff on India, bringing the total levies against the major United States trading partner to 50%.
“I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” President Donald Trump said in an executive order.
Trump told European leaders he intends to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in person and later hold a trilateral with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — suggesting Trump still sees a possibility of ending the conflict through diplomacy.
Trump said that he plans to impose 100% tariffs on “all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States” — with a big carveout for companies that have committed to making them here.
“So, 100% tariff on all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States. But if you’ve made a commitment to build or if you’re in the process of building as many are, there is no tariff,” Trump said.
Proposed federal regulations to prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires appear to be a casualty — at least for the moment — of Trump’s decision to oust members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The iPhone maker Apple is investing an additional $100 billion in manufacturing in the U.S., bringing its total investment to $600 billion, in an effort to increase domestic production and avoid tariffs.
Vice President JD Vance denied reports that he was meeting with top administration officials for a strategy session as the administration considers whether to release the Justice Department’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell.
United Airlines flights were briefly grounded nationwide yesterday due to an unspecified “technology issue.” The airline said: “While we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations.”
The outage lasted for more than an hour, prompting ground stops at several major United hub airports including Newark, Denver, Houston, and Chicago, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
An Army sergeant is in custody after he allegedly used his personal handgun to shoot five fellow soldiers this morning at the Fort Stewart military base in Georgia, according to base officials.
Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, identified the suspected shooter as Quornelius Radford. “We’re still not certain about the motivation,” he said at a news conference.
U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik and Nick Langworthy co-authored a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. In it they describe the impact of the smoke on New Yorkers’ daily lives, including being forced to stay inside during the summer.
The World Trade Center Health Program continues to be hampered by staffing shortages and operational issues, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer said in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Trump fired five of the eight members of Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight Management Board, including state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa.
Changes to New York’s criminal evidence discovery rules go into effect this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced yesterday, while signaling she’s “willing to look at” controversial “Raise the Age” reforms next.
Hours before the changes to New York state’s discovery laws that she pushed relentlessly during negotiations over this year’s state budget were set to take effect yesterday, Hochul took one final victory lap.
Hochul’s administration released its long-awaited state energy plan last month, mapping out where New York stands on making its economy greener — admitting projections underlined in the 2019 climate law likely won’t be reality anytime soon.
Planned Parenthood is asking for $35 million in state funding, according to the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents New York’s bishops.
About 200 New York schools are several days late in submitting plans to implement a statewide school cellphone ban for students taking effect this fall.
Trump may have moved out of New York City, but he has privately discussed whether to intercede in its fractious race for mayor to try to stop Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, according to eight people briefed on the discussions.
Rich Azzopardi, spokesman for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, claimed that Cuomo and Trump “have not spoken in some time” and, to his knowledge, “have not discussed the race.”
Bo Dietl, an outspoken private security contractor, has formed a political action committee to combat Democratic mayoral nominee Mamdani, and is working with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to raise “millions” for the effort.
Cuomo met behind closed doors with the city’s business elite yesterday, acknowledging that he had not worked hard enough in the Democratic primary for mayor and pleading with them to back his campaign going forward.
The city Campaign Finance Board again denied Mayor Eric Adams more than $3 million in public matching funds for his reelection effort — and laid out two brand new reasons to justify the action.
Adams’ longshot reelection campaign may not have public matching funds, but it does have some well-heeled supporters. The pro-Adams independent expenditure committee Empower NYC has now raised just over $1 million.
Adams will provide $14.8 million in funds to provide free homeowner trash bins — a move in line with legislation enacted by the City Council in March — despite a report that he would refuse to do so because the bill passed was “fiscally irresponsible.”
After transit advocates and some city council members grew concerned that Adams and members of his administration were working behind the scenes to scuttle plans for a new busway on 34th Street, it appears to be back on track.
City district attorneys’ offices are getting a $17 million influx of cash to beef up staffing and investigations, including on cybercrime, Adams said.
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam’s family called for unity in their first remarks since his killing, distancing themselves from the mayoral politics swirling around the mass shooting that took his life.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned that the Big Apple would be a “train wreck” if Mamdani gets elected mayor.
Mamdani plans to declare war on charter schools if he’s elected mayor, according to a survey he answered — sparking outrage from advocates and parents who called the frontrunner candidate’s views “very misguided.”
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa’s crime prevention group, the Guardian Angels, is soliciting donations while portraying itself as a tax-exempt charity — even though it was stripped of that status years ago.
New York’s economic authority is again waiving millions of dollars in penalties against the developer behind Brooklyn’s stalled Atlantic Yards project after it failed to meet another deadline for delivering hundreds of affordably priced apartments at the site.
Three New York Members of Congress were denied entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn Wednesday morning, sparking outrage and renewed demands for federal oversight and transparency.
A whopping 965 new NYPD cops filed into Madison Square Garden yesterday for a confetti-filled police academy graduation in a hopeful sign the department is turning a corner on its persistent staffing crisis.
The Port Authority has broken ground on a project aimed at keeping trucks off residential streets near John F. Kennedy International Airport, after years of complaints from southeast Queens residents.
A Manhattan grand jury has indicted two men from the Dominican Republic in connection with the shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer in Harlem last month, authorities said.
A top doctor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center who embezzled more than $1.4 million to pay for a luxe doggy day care center for his pets and other personal expenses will spend the next one to three years in the pound.
The deadly legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem continues to spread, forcing residents to be hyper-vigilant and on the look-out for the flu-like symptoms associated with the illness.
A 28-year-old former state trooper who pleaded guilty to falsely claiming he was shot in the leg by a motorist has been flagged by law enforcement agencies as potentially dangerous after he attempted suicide and fought with officers at a Long Island hospital.
Albany Med and the state Nurses Association said they have reached a new contract that will include a significant pay boost for full-time nurses at the hospital, putting an end to a long-running contract dispute over hospital pay and staffing conditions.
An Albany jurist and former Troy corporation counsel are vying to fill state Supreme Court Justice John C. Egan’s shoes.
A land advocacy group and two Democrats running for Clifton Park Town Board are calling for the restoration of public comment at the town’s Planning Board meetings.
Federal prosecutors yesterday detailed new evidence that they said buttresses criminal charges accusing Edward A. Leon of Montgomery County of deliberately setting a 2013 fire in Schenectady that killed a 32-year-old father and three young children.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
