Good morning, it’s Wednesday, and a brand-new month is upon us.
In case you’ve ever wondered, as I did briefly while casting about for a topic for today’s post, where the name “October” came from….it has its roots in the Latin word “octo,” which means “eight.” Well, that doesn’t make sense, you’re thinking, because October is actually the tenth month out of 12.
True!
However, it WAS the eighth month on the original Roman calendar, which had only 10 months and started not in January, but in March. When we switched from Roman to the Julian (12 month) and then to the Gregorian (established by Pope Gregory XII) calendar in 1582, things got moved around to the format we still use today, but October nevertheless kept its numerical name.
Confusing? Yes. If you want to go deep on that, click here.
Also, since we’re on the topic of explaining things you might have wondered about but never bothered to look up, why is it that people say “rabbit, rabbit” or (less frequently, in my experience) “bunny bunny” or even “white rabbit” for good luck on the first of the month?
The origin of this superstitious practice isn’t completely clear, but at least one historian believes it started in the UK, and might have something to do with Lewis Carroll’s fantastical classic Alice in Wonderland, in which a young girl (Alice) is guided through a series of adventures through the looking glass by a well-dressed white rabbit sporting an oversized pocket watch.
Among practitioners of “rabbit rabbit” was none other than FDR, who also reportedly carried around a rabbit’s foot, believing it would bring him good luck. Rabbits have long been symbols of luck, renewal and (for obvious reasons) fertility.
This first of the month has a more somber tone than usual as it marks the start of the holiest day of the Jewish year – Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the culmination of the Days of Awe, which begins at sundown tonight with a hauntingly beautiful prayer known as the Kol Nidrei.
The Kol Nidrei, which translates into “all vows”. annuls all broken promises to God that an individual made, thereby clearing the decks – so to speak – for spiritual renewal. It is a highly public plea for compassion from God during the time when Jews believe that the gates of Heaven are opened and decisions are made in the Book of Life for how things will go for them in the coming year.
The seriousness of the day is underscored by the fact that all adults (past the age of bar or bat mitzvah) who are neither pregnant, ailing, or aged, are expected to abstain during the holiday – for 25 hours – from both food and liquids. You are also not supposed to wear leather, use makeup or wear perfume, bathe, or have sex.
All this is pretty heavy stuff. But it also offers a chance to disconnect from the world for a brief period and engage in some serious self-reflection of the sort that I always mean to do but never quite get around to. I find it very emotionally draining, personally, but not necessarily in a bad way. In recent years, I’ve taken to tearing up in synagogue, which is a phenomenon I can’t quite explain.
Attending synagogue during the High Holy Days at this moment seems almost like an act of, if not protest, then defiance. In spite of the rising tide of antisemitism and hate and targeting of Jews, we will gather anyway and engage in the same prayers and rituals as our ancestors did hundreds of years ago.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about the element of danger present in this act, or that I’m not unnerved by the card tucked into every pew that instructs the congregation about how to escape in the event of an emergency. I do and I am. And yet, I will go anyway, because even though I’m not terribly observant, this is one thing I am not willing to give up.
As a reminder, there will be no “Rise and Shine” tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming bright and early on Friday morning.
It will be on the cooler side again today, with temperatures reaching onto into the low 60s. Skies will be bright and sunny.
In the headlines…
The government shut down this morning at 12:01 a.m., amid a bitter spending deadlock between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress that will disrupt federal services and leave many federal workers furloughed.
It was the first federal shutdown since 2019, when parts of the government were shuttered for 35 days in a standoff between congressional Democrats and Trump over the president’s demand to fund a wall at the southern border.
Democrats refused to support a Republican plan to extend funding for federal departments unless they won a series of concessions centered on healthcare. The GOP, which controls the Senate and the House, repudiated their demands.
Government “shutdown” is something of a misnomer because when funding lapses, much of the government does not shut down. There will be hiccups in life for Americans and real headaches for the federal workers who are furloughed or work without pay.
The government shutdown suspended the work of hundreds of thousands of employees, disrupting a wide range of federal programs. Many more employees are required to report to work without pay until funding is restored.
Three Senate Democrats broke with their leader, Chuck Schumer, to vote for a House GOP-drafted bill to fund government through Nov. 21, revealing divisions among Democrats about how aggressively to confront the Trump administration.
With Trump and congressional leaders not actively negotiating, there’s no sign the shutdown will be over before the end of the day. And with Congress dormant for tomorrow’s Yom Kippur holiday, that all but ensures it will go until at least Friday if not far beyond.
House and Senate Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer may be at very different stages in their leadership careers. But both New York Democrats have a lot to prove — and a lot to lose — in the high-stakes government shutdown battle.
Trump posted another deepfake AI-generated video of Jeffries yesterday, hours before the federal government is expected to shut down, further signaling the significant divide between the two parties.
A New York Times/Siena survey, released yesterday, found 65% of registered voters agreed with the statement, “Democrats should not shut down the government, even if their demands are not met.”
The White House yesterday withdrew Brian Quintenz’s nomination to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees a broad swath of financial markets including those tied to the cryptocurrency industry.
The White House has withdrawn the nomination of E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist, to serve as the leader of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency whose previous director was fired by President Trump after issuing an unfavorable jobs report.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is refusing to come to the rescue and provide state funding to keep the Statue of Liberty open if it closes due to the partial government shutdown.
The Trump administration’s shocking cuts in funding for antiterrorism programs in New York will gut crucial NYPD programs that have thwarted planned terror attacks, the department said.
The approximately $187 million in planned cuts implemented by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem include a $100 million cut to the NYPD, $15 million slashed from the FDNY, and a projected $13 million cut to Joint Task Force Empire Shield, Hochul said.
Hochul asked that the funding be restored, accusing the Trump administration of “walking away from the fight against terrorism.”
New York joined a coalition of 11 other states suing to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from cutting counterterrorism funding from the state that could result in well over $100 million lost grant money.
New York Rep. Michael Lawler is accusing Hochul of dragging her feet by failing to force insurance companies to pay claims to thousands of alleged sexual assault victims who’ve filed lawsuits under the Child Victims Act.
The HALT Solitary Campaign is turning to the United Nations over what it calls international human rights violations happening in New York state prisons.
Only two states — Oregon and Colorado — allow psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, to be used for medicinal purposes. But New York lawmakers are considering making this state the third.
The state Assembly’s health committee, which is considering whether New York should become the fourth state to legalize access to psychedelic mushrooms for medicinal purposes, held a hearing on the question yesterday.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said a man caught up in a raid that ensnared 125 illegal immigrants in his state had a New York commercial driver’s license with “No Name Given” in the place of his first and middle monikers.
If you’re one of roughly 800,000 people across New York State, a check for as much as $400 may have landed in your mailbox in the last few days. Or one may arrive in a day or so.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright railed against New York’s green energy efforts and steep electricity rates during a visit to a Long Island power station — claiming that amping up natural gas infrastructure would be the state’s path to a more affordable future.
There’s probably never been a more bleak moment for New York environmentalists than the one the state is currently in. But Climate Week, which included more than 1,000 events and drew more than 100,000 attendees, was not a funereal affair.
A former state tax auditor has been indicted for his alleged participation in a tax fraud and bribery scheme involving executives of a major strip club company.
More than a year after AGl Letitia James reached an $86 million settlement with drugmaker Indivior over its alleged role in fueling the state’s opioid crisis, she reached another agreement with the company over its promotion of a drug used to reverse overdoses.
In the latest sign that progressive advocacy groups are likely to back Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas’ primary challenge against state Sen. Jessica Ramos, Make the Road Action formally endorsed González-Rojas’ state Senate campaign yesterday.
Adams’ office confirmed that he about a decade ago dated Jasmine Ray, a woman he would later appoint to the newly created role of “sports czar” at City Hall and who is poised to release a book about the “hidden relationship” she alleges she had with the mayor.
Adams is reportedly so set against Zohran Mamdani taking his job that he’s warming up to the idea of supporting his one-time bitter electoral rival Andrew Cuomo.
New Yorkers are about to be bombarded with political ads — as mayoral candidates shell out more than half a million dollars to fill the airwaves in the final stretch of the campaign.
Cryptocurrency billionaire Brock Pierce, a longtime Adams supporter and friend, is declining an offer to be returned a $1.1 million donation he made to a pro-Adams super PAC — because he wants the mayor to reverse his decision to drop out of the election.
The federal government will deny the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tens of millions of dollars in requested security grant funding, withholding every dollar the agency asked for because New York City and New York state are “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
A group of New York City Council members, individuals and neighborhood groups filed a lawsuit against the Charter Revision Commission and the city in an attempt to block housing reform proposals from appearing on the ballot.
The FDNY has transferred nine firefighters and suspended 11 more plus three captains over videos of probationary firefighters being hazed.
New York Road Runners races that used to take months to sell out are now filling up in days. Some races have been in such high demand that the sign-up queues crashed the website.
Metropolitan Park, the $8 billion pitch from Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock to transform the area around Citi Field into a gaming and resort complex, unanimously passed a key committee vote and moves to final round of a state casino license contest.
A photojournalist on assignment at 26 Federal Plaza was hospitalized yesterday following a chaotic incident with federal immigration enforcement agents, according to video footage and witnesses.
The price of a NYC subway or bus ride will increase to three dollars in 2026, after the MTA board voted to approve a fare hike. LIRR and Metro North commuter rail prices are also rising. The fare increase, approved 11-0, will go into effect in early January.
“It’s always painful to do fare increases, but it’s responsive to what we’ve heard from riders and preserves affordability,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said.
The executive director of the Pride Center of the Capital Region filed a complaint with the state Division of Human Rights against the center last week, claiming discrimination, before the center announced he would no longer be working there.
Nathaniel Gray announced Friday in a video on his Instagram he had filed the complaint “regarding my need for workplace accommodations and my rights under the ADA.”
Sandwiched between two stretches of warm, summer-like conditions, frost has returned to the forecast for several parts of the greater Capital Region.
Albany Med Health began construction this week on a $25 million renovation of Greene Medical Arts that will transform the clinic into an outpatient surgery center.
Progress is being made as crews continue to prepare the site for a new Costco on Western Avenue.
More than three dozen dead cats – most of them kittens – were removed from a woman’s Rensselaer home during an eviction yesterday.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
