Good morning, it’s Wednesday, and once you get through today, it’s all downhill to the weekend. Hang in there.
I have lived in New York State for most of my life, absent a few years spent abroad – both with my parents when I was very young and then later as a college student – and a short stint in Newport, RI, which I deeply loved and where I would likely have have stayed had I been able to find a job in my chosen first career of journalism.
During my time in New York, I have been a downstater and an upstater, though I identify more closely as the latter. I am also the daughter of a man who dedicated his entire professional life to studying New York history, politics, and government and I spent two-plus decades of my own career chronicling the happenings in local and state government and politics.
Given all that, you might think that I have a fairly broad knowledge about the Empire State. I like to think that’s the case. But every now and again, I come across something that reminds me of how much I still have to learn.
I am embarrassed to admit that I had no idea until this morning that Melville Louis Kossuth “Melvil” Dewey, who is known for creating the Dewey Decimal system of library classification – a system that is still employed in libraries around the world – was a born and bred New Yorker.
Dewey was born on this day in 1851 in Adams Center, which is a small hamlet in Jefferson County. He briefly attended Alfred University in Western New York before transferring to Amherst College in Massachusetts, from which he received both a BA and a MA.
Dewy was a very influential and pioneering figure in the library world. While he was still a student, he founded a business in Boston called the Library Bureau, which provided supplies and fittings like index cards and filing cabinets. He held top jobs at the Columbia College Libraries, the New York State Library, and SUNY during his professional career, and was one of the founders of the American Library Association, the world’s most respected membership organization for the library industry (or so says its website).
But Dewey is best known for the namesake system that he created to organize nonfiction books by subject using numbers, dividing them into 10 main categories – 000 to 900 – and then further dividing those into specific topics, or subcategories. Once you learn the system, which I’ve always found completely confusing, it’s apparently very easy to find what you’re looking for.
Each book is assigned a “call number” which is usually applied to its spine so you can see it when it’s shelved. The categories are as follows:
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy & psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences & mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts
800 Literature & rhetoric
900 Geography & history
Despite Dewey’s genius when it came to libraries, he was a very difficult and controversial person.
He had a long-standing sexual harassment problem, even as he championed greater employment for women in libraries. He was a big winter sports enthusiast, who had a hand in landing Lake Placid the 1932 Olympics, but was also a known racist and antisemite, having established a resort called the Lake Placid Club that was known for its discriminatory policies.
The public exposure of those policies caused a big scandal, and Dewey was forced to resign from his position as State Librarian in 1905. (Remember, this was a time when views that we would consider anathema today were perfectly acceptable, so his anti-Jewish sentiments had to have been particularly pronounced to spark this kind of backlash).
In a disavowal of Dewey’s history of bad behavior, the American Library Association officially changed the name of its top honor in 2019 from the “Melvil Dewey Medal” to the “Medal of Excellence.” There’s also a push to move away from the DDS, as it’s known, due not only to its problematic creator, but also to its Eurocentric worldview and lack of accessibility to general browsers.
Consider yourself edified, I certainly have learned something today.
It will be cloudy today, with high temperatures in the mid-30s. Expect snow showers throughout the day, with the possibility of heavier snow in the higher elevations.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump hit the road to make the case that his policies have helped Americans financially and boosted the economy as polling and recent election results have spelled out warning signs for Republicans.
Trump gave the first of a series of speeches intended to alleviate concerns about the cost of living, but spent most of the time mocking the term “affordability” and insisting that Americans were doing better than they had ever done before.
In a speech billed as an address on the economy, amid a backlash driven in part by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, he veered between assurances that life was better than ever under his administration and blaming immigrants for the country’s economic woes.
Trump went on a tirade against Somalian migrants and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) during a rally that was billed as focused on lowering costs for Americans.
Trump accused a reporter of being “dramatic” when pressed on concerns Americans have amid the holiday season as prices continue to climb and increased health care costs could loom for many.
During a 45-minute interview with Politico, Trump was asked if holiday shoppers should take into account the possibility of health care premiums becoming more expensive if Congress doesn’t extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire on Dec. 31.
The House Rules Committee last night advanced a sweeping bipartisan defense policy bill following months of work by the House and Senate Armed Services committees, clearing a key procedural hurdle and sending it to the floor for consideration.
The panel advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by a recorded vote of 9-3. The bill would increase pay for service members, provide some military aid to Ukraine, restrict U.S. investment in China and fully repeal sanctions on Syria.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has pressed pause on policy changes that would drastically cut housing funding aimed at combating homelessness.
The surprise move, revealed in a one-paragraph note by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, did not give a reason for withdrawing the plan or a timeline for reissuing it, saying only it would do so in time to govern awards for the current fiscal year.
Trump is planning to start his final round of interviews in the coming days with candidates to be the next Federal Reserve chair.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said he would rely on his own judgment and not bow to political pressure to decide whether to cut interest rates if he becomes the next chair of the Federal Reserve.
The Federal Reserve is poised to deliver its third straight interest rate cut today, while simultaneously firing a warning shot about what’s ahead.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) said he would hold a vote later this week on a Republican measure aimed at controlling healthcare costs, amid party division over how best to head off big price increases next year for millions of households.
One student is dead and another remains in critical condition after a shooting at Kentucky State University in Frankfort yesterday just days before going on winter break, officials said.
The 48-year-old suspect, who is from Indiana and is not a student, has been booked into Franklin County Regional Jail on charges of murder and assault, first degree, police and university officials said.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and local authorities said that the shooting was an isolated incident, not a mass shooting or a random attack.
Kathryn Garcia, a top aide to New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, has been named the next executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency that operates the three major airports that serve New York City.
Jackie Bray, the commissioner of the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and a former top aide of Mayor Bill de Blasio, will replace Garcia as the director of state operations for New York.
“I am thankful (Garcia) will continue serving the people of New York as Executive Director of the Port Authority, where she will help us continue to advance a regional economy that keeps us the global leader in job creation and growth,” Hochul said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, meanwhile, is sticking with Chairman Kevin O’Toole, who he renominated on Nov. 20 and is awaiting a vote by the state Senate.
Hochul called up another 155 bills Monday night, starting the 10-day clock (excluding Sundays) for her to make a decision on each of them. That deadline lands on next Friday, Dec. 19.
Hochul yesterday expressed openness to signing a package of prison reform bills passed in honor of Robert Brooks, calling the package to her desk one year after he was killed while incarcerated at Mary Correctional Facility.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman formally launched his campaign for New York governor, spurring a competitive Republican primary in next year’s election that party leaders had hoped to avoid.
In a social media post, Blakeman said he is “ready to take on [Gov.] Kathy Hochul and fight for our families.” “Our state is struggling with high taxes, rising utility bills, and rising crime,” he tweeted. “New Yorkers deserve a proven leader who will Put New York First.”
The president’s refusal to use his influence to halt Blakeman sent shock waves through Republican circles, where many party loyalists had already committed to supporting Rep. Elise Stefanik, another Trump loyalist, and wish to avoid a primary.
The governor is moving to position herself as a champion of public safety as the race to topple her reign in Albany heats up. And she’s relishing the fact that statewide crime numbers look very different than in 2022.
Hochul again vetoed a bill that nonprofit operators say could have helped hundreds of nonprofits operate smoothly within their tight margins.
Hochul showed two of the state’s top cannabis regulators the door this week, suggesting the state’s adult-use program has continued to fall short of its potential due to poor leadership.
New York’s beleaguered cannabis market is grappling with the sudden collapse of a court case that had signaled an effort by state regulators to step up enforcement in the sector.
Dozens of New Yorkers braved below freezing temperatures to call on Hochul to sign the Freedom to Read Act, which would add crucial safeguards against book censorship to state law.
Linda Sun, a former top governor’s aide who allegedly helped her husband’s seafood business make millions of dollars by trading favors to the Chinese government, brazenly toted around a red phone case that said, “Get rich, good luck,” the feds say.
More than 14,500 lab-confirmed cases of the virus were reported in the last week of November, up 80% from the previous week, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani may have “violated the Constitution” by informing migrants of their rights if approached by immigration officers.
Mamdani met yesterday with nearly two dozen real estate executives, as the democratic socialist considers how to get his ambitious housing agenda off the ground in the first few weeks of his term.
The mayor-elect said they discussed how to remove roadblocks that make building new units difficult and secure more federal aid for development.
“I spoke not only about my continued commitment to freeze the rent for more than two million rent-stabilized tenants, but also my commitment to asking and understanding the roadblocks they have faced in building more housing across the city,” said Mamdani.
The widow of a Big Apple cabbie who was mugged by one of Mamdani’s newly named advisers and his crew nearly three decades ago was appalled by the lefty mayor-elect’s decision.
Mamdani hit back at criticism over his plan to stop clearing homeless camps — but still came up short on concrete alternatives and failed to address quality of life concerns.
Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, will announce today that he will challenge Rep. Daniel Goldman with Mamdani’s support, setting up a contentious Democratic primary that will be a potent test of the progressive movement’s momentum.
Lander’s campaign sent an email to supporters, highlighting his fights with the Trump administration and how he put “his body on the line” for illegal immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza, including getting arrested for allegedly blocking ICE operations in September.
Presumptive Council Speaker Julie Menin says she wants to work with Mamdani on his affordability agenda — but her record suggests she won’t be a complete partner on livable streets.
Mayor Adams announced the last-minute appointment of a police-union-backed candidate to head the agency responsible for providing independent oversight of the NYPD.
The decision to name former NY Post editor Pat Smith as the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s interim chair drew outrage from anti-police-violence advocates, who said the pro-cop board member’s promotion signals “a green light for unchecked NYPD abuse.”
Adams is dropping a new twist into the heated debate over the city’s horse carriage industry by ordering that some of the steeds in Central Park undergo medical exams from an outside veterinarian who has spoken at events hosted by an anti-carriage group.
The New York City Council’s Ethics Committee yesterday blasted Councilwoman Inna Vernikov for bringing a gun to a peaceful protest in 2023 — but voted not to formally take the matter further.
New York City’s pilot program to legalize illegal basement apartments is facing strong criticism from housing advocates, who warn that the proposed rules are too burdensome and risky.
There are 118 intersections in the five boroughs where at least five people have been killed or seriously injured in the past three years, according to a report released Tuesday — but there may be a fix that could save lives.
The FDNY rolled out its plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, including a ceremony at a Staten Island stadium with the resilient Big Apple skyline in the backdrop.
As the new owner of Jack’s Oyster House, NeoVista Hospitality, prepares to reopen next week, the company continues to expand its portfolio, announcing plans for the latest of eight food concepts that it will develop and debut downtown within the next year.
The Albany County Legislature passed their 2026 budget Monday, alongside a bill limiting the sale and use of flare guns in response to a rash of incidents this year.
One person was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries after crashing a vehicle into a Hoosick business on Monday evening.
Unofficial results after Election Day a month ago showed that Stephentown Memorial Library’s budget proposal was shot down by 89% of voters, or 528-60. As it turns out, that count was wildly inaccurate.
Schenectady City Councilwoman Carmel Patrick remains hospitalized, but is recovering, after suffering a stress-related hemorrhagic stroke last week, according to her husband, William Patrick.
The Albany Jewish Community Center will expand its child care programs, build an addition and rearrange its entire center, thanks to a state grant.
Former Bishop Edward Scharfenberger was the last witness to take the stand in the weekslong trial to determine if the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese bears responsibility for the collapse of the pension fund that served the employees of St. Clare’s Hospital.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
