Good morning, it’s Monday.
I traveled down the Thursday to the Hudson Valley twice last week. The trips were just a few days apart but only on the second one did I notice a few trees with leaves starting to change along the Thruway. I’m sure they were probably there the first time, too, but I was too distracted to see them.
According to the I Love NY Fall Foliage Map, the leaves are on the brink of turning in the Adirondacks and the Catskills, with a few spots of noticeable color emerging in the Saratoga area of the Capital Region, too. (You can go deep on county-by-county predictions here; the map is updated weekly).
It’s hard to predict when, exactly, the peak of the foliage season will be. And the dry weather we’ve been having of late – a statewide drought watch was recently extended to include 50 of New York’s 62 counties – can stress the trees, leading to earlier, shorter, and less colorful leaf displays during the fall season.
Some tree might skip the colorful part altogether, let their leaves turn brown and drop them. Upon reading this, I thought back to some time I spent in the woods in late August and wondering why there were already leaves on the ground, which now makes sense.
Another key to a vibrant fall foliage season is warm days followed by cool nights, and since the temperatures have been trending steadily upwards, this also impacts the leaf color question.
It is the length of daylight combined with the temperature of the air that spurs trees to stop producing chlorophyll, which is the pigment that makes leaves look green and masks the other colors that are present – but not visible – all year round.
Chlorophyll is present in the food-production cells of a leaf, absorbing energy from the sun and using it to change water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (sugar and starch, mostly) to nourish the tree. The leaves get the signal when the days grow shorter and the temperature drops to stop the food-making process, which reduces the presents of chlorophyll and lets the other pigments shine through.
A shortened fall foliage season is bad news for New York’s tourism industry, which sees a significant amount of its business generated during this very short window. The Adirondacks alone generated an estimated $570 million in autumn visitor spending in 2021, according to a report produced by the Oxford Economics Company for the state Economic Development Corp.
That is a lot for the region, for which tourism is the primary source of jobs and revenue, but a mere sliver of overall direct economic impact to the state from tourism. Last August, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an historic 306.3 million people had visited New York in 2023, generating $88 billion in direct spending and $137 billion in total impact on the economy.
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that we’re not going to be surpassing that record-setting number again any time soon, if for nothing else than the fact that the number of Canadian tourists to the U.S. – and this state, specifically – has dropped like a stone, thanks to the Trump administration’s tariffs and political rhetoric.
This is particularly bad for border communities in the Western and Northern parts of the state that are close to the border. But also is being felt as far south as New York City.
Sadly for the trees, there’s no significant precipitation in the forecast, though truth be told, I’m not especially sad about this. More of the fantastic weather that we’ve been enjoying of late is in the offing, with temperatures flirting with the low 80s and sun, sun, and more sun, in the sky.
In the headlines…
The Trump administration has asked Congress to approve $58 million in emergency funding to bolster security for the Supreme Court, citing a surge in threats against public officials after the killing of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Tyler Robinson, the “squeaky clean,” “considerate” kid who grew up in a family that celebrated his academic wins and time together in their suburban Utah community, is now accused of murdering Kirk.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that investigators are not ready to discuss the motive behind Kirk’s assassination. But he said the suspect had left-leaning political beliefs, disliked the conservative influencer and is being uncooperative in custody.
Robinson was living with a transgender partner who was in the process of transitioning from male to female and is cooperating with authorities, a law enforcement source confirmed.
Law enforcement sources said that investigators are examining leftist groups both in Utah and online to figure out if they helped Robinson with the shooting — or at least heard it was going to happen.
The authorities in Britain said they were preparing the biggest protective security operation since the 2023 coronation of King Charles III for Trump’s state visit, deploying drones, snipers, mounted police and boat teams in the River Thames.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s killing, Gov. Kathy Hochul began a routine law enforcement funding announcement Friday morning by calling for a dialing down of political rhetoric and stressing the need for unity in the days ahead.
Hochul penned an op-ed for the Empire Report that decried “a disturbing and increasingly common pattern of political violence”, adding: “(U)nless we take action, it won’t stop here.”
Long Island’s Newsday was forced to apologize for publishing a cartoon in its Saturday paper that depicted an empty chair with a blood stain sitting at a tent labeled “Charlie Kirk” and “Prove me Wrong.”
FBI Director Kash Patel was reportedly dining out at one of New York City’s most exclusive restaurants – Rao’s – on Wednesday night as the hunt for Kirk’s assassin unfolded.
Kirk’s non-profit organization, Turning Point USA, announced Saturday that a memorial for its founder is set to take place the morning of Sunday, Sept. 21, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Jerusalem today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for sensitive talks on the war in Gaza and growing international support for a Palestinian state.
Trump announced that the prized new White House ballroom he is adding will actually be more spacious than initially planned, with a capacity of up to about 900 people, marking a 40% increase.
The Trump administration sought to convince a court that Trump possesses vast powers and “discretion” to fire federal officials, as it raced to block Lisa Cook, a governor on the Federal Reserve, from participating in this week’s meeting of the central bank.
Despite some early media chatter about the pope helping broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, the Vatican is unlikely to act as a mediator in the search for a peace deal, Pope Leo XIV said in excerpts from an interview published yesterday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her endorsement of Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral bid in a New York Times op-ed, citing his focus on making the city more affordable and his opposition to Trump.
In a post on X linking to the column, Hochul wrote: “New York City deserves a mayor who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers. “That’s @ZohranKMamdani.”
Hochul’s decision increases the pressure on other high-profile Democrats withholding their backing of Mamdani, notably House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Brooklyn residents.
The governor, who has middling poll numbers, must contend with a restive left-leaning base as she prepares to run for re-election; her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, is challenging her for the Democratic nomination.
Mamdani said he looks forward to “fighting alongside (Hochul) to continue her track record of putting money back in New Yorkers’ pockets and building a safer and stronger New York City where no one is forced to leave just so they can afford to raise a family.”
Hochul wants New Yorkers to take a note from the people of Sackets Harbor when they protest immigration enforcement actions in their own communities.
City health officials warned of a potential measles exposure in Manhattan this weekend after two New Yorkers tested positive for the virus, but said the risk to the public remained extremely low.
Big Apple tenants have been saving money on dropped broker fees even though landlords try to bake them into higher rents — but the financial gain won’t last, real-estate experts warn.
The New York League of Women Voters is defying new guidance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that bars nongovernmental organizations from registering voters at naturalization ceremonies.
A judge ruled Friday that immigration officials can continue making federal courthouse arrests in New York City for now, siding with the Trump administration against immigrant rights groups that challenged the practice.
The federal government isn’t just encouraging New York to build a new pipeline already been ruled a threat — it’s also making you pay for it, and a new independent analysis claims the project will cost 17% more than estimates from the utility company.
Gas stoves will be virtually extinct in all new buildings in New York in January, marking another milestone in the state’s clean energy goals but also igniting a debate between home builders and those demanding swift action to meet fossil fuel reduction mandates.
A man who plotted a terror attack on the New York City subway system with his best friends before testifying against them is again incarcerated after sending them a few hundred dollars in prison, according to his lawyer.
After weeks of discussions among his advisers, allies and donors about how he could intervene in the race for New York City mayor, President Trump appears increasingly resigned to a potential victory by Mamdani, the Democratic nominee.
Mamdani said that if elected, he would order the New York Police Department to arrest the prime minister of Israel if he sets foot in the city, offering new details on how he plans to carry out a campaign pledge.
As the White House muses on sending the military into American cities, Mamdani is contemplating a serious shakeup in how New York City handles large-scale protests — a potential pretext for such deployments.
“We should learn from the models of cities around the country, around the world,” Mamdani said during a recent public safety discussion hosted by the policy journal Vital City.
Deep-pocketed, out-of-state donors account for 78% of the nearly $2.4 million raised by a super PAC backing Mamdani’s campaign.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, endorsed Mamdani for mayor on Saturday and called on his party’s leadership to do the same, criticizing them for a delay that he said had allowed Trump to exploit Democratic divisions.
Mamdani wants New York to follow the model of other cities that send mental health teams instead of the police to help people in crisis. But the plan would be expensive.
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are each competing for mayor against left-leaning opponents, setting up an odd symmetry in the races to lead cities on opposite banks of the Hudson River.
Cuomo, who has faced criticism for bypassing mosques as he seeks to become mayor, spoke of New York as a beacon of opportunity during an appearance at the Futa Islamic Center in the Bronx.
The man who admitted to killing, molesting and burning an elderly Queens couple was roaming the streets because of a little-known change to the state parole law championed by Mamdani.
Mayor Eric Adams barnstormed the Bronx on Friday, hitting five campaign stops in a few hours, presenting himself as a potent candidate for reelection even as his campaign has acknowledged he’s weighing the possibility of dropping out of the race.
Adams denied that he would decide whether to continue his reelection campaign after conducting a poll — just a day after his campaign spokesperson said that was his plan.
Two sources familiar with the mayor’s thinking say despite his public assurances, he knows his time as mayor will likely come to an end this year whether his campaign makes it to November or not.
Adams announced the signing of Executive Order 54, creating the Commission on Universal After-School.
Tony Herbert, a longtime community advocate employed in the Adams administration, was fired last week after he posted critical remarks about right-wing activist Charlie Kirk a day following Kirk’s fatal shooting in Utah.
In a statement, Herbert said he doesn’t condone the killing of anyone, adding: “I accept the consequences of my actions as there are policies in place in the office of the mayor that must be followed, which I violated.”
Micah Lasher, a first-term Democratic assembly member from Manhattan, announced that he is running to succeed his political mentor, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who plans to retire next year after three decades in Congress.
In a video announcing his candidacy, Lasher, who represents the Upper West Side, outlined policy proposals that included raising the federal minimum wage and passing “Medicare for All,” but said his top priority would be opposing Trump.
An unlicensed SUV driver accused of intentionally mowing down a 16-year-old girl on a Queens sidewalk after a quarrel over a lewd comment he made has been charged with murder, cops said.
The girl, identified as Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez, was intentionally struck by a 38-year-old driver, Edwin Cruz Gomez, after getting into an argument with him, a law enforcement official said. He has been charged with numerous crimes.
The recent shooting death of a Bronx father was the latest in a string of tragedies to plague his family across two continents and two generations — including the fatal shooting of his infant brother more than 20 years ago and his father just last year.
Two New York City police officers used excessive force and committed other acts of misconduct when they fatally shot a 19-year-old man, Win Rosario, who had called 911 seeking help, a police oversight panel found last week.
As rhetoric around transgender people grows more heated, so too does anxiety among parents of transgender children. One mother told the Times Union last week that her daughter is “being demonized.”
Blue Mountain Lake’s Adirondack museum pared its world-class boat collection recently by 16 vessels, prompting the former longtime curator to speak out against the sale.
The U.S. government may tap researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate if there are links between vaccines and the prevalence of autism — a relationship that vaccine skeptics have long championed without evidence.
A Troy man has been accused of intentionally striking an Albany police officer with his car while trying to flee from a traffic stop.
An attorney representing a Marine who was among 20 people killed in the 2018 Schoharie limo crash is trying to get a downstate law firm, which represents Mavis Discount Tire in the remaining civil lawsuits filed in the wake of the tragedy, removed from the case.
Police are investigating the death of a 41-year-old Cohoes woman as a homicide. Mayor Bill Keeler said in a social media post shared by police that the woman appeared to have been killed at some point within the past two days at her Earl Lynn Court home.
“The Studio” won best comedy series at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards last night, breaking an Emmys record, as “Adolescence” and “The Pitt” took the night’s other top prizes.
But the night’s most popular winner was likely Stephen Colbert. He received a prolonged and rousing standing ovation for his talk series win, which comes after CBS announced it is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ series “The Studio” set a record for the most wins by a comedy series in a single season, and finished the night by nabbing the top award. “I’m legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me,” Rogen said.
Several actors spread pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel messages at the annual Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and touted a boycott of the Israeli film industry on Sunday night amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
