Good morning, FRIDAY has arrived AND it is the first day of spring – a much needed double dose of good news.
The vernal equinox – the exact moment when the Sun is positioned directly over the Earth’s equator, creating an equal amount of day and night (about 12 hours each) – will occur at 10:46 a.m. today. The word “equinox” is a combination of two Latin words, aequus (equal) and nox (night), who aptly describes the aforementioned phenomenon.
Now we can officially start looking forward to the summer solstice, which will take place on June 21.
A few holidays of note for today: It’s Eid al-Fitr (AKA the Festival of Breaking the Fast) when Ramadan comes to an official end. Eid al-Fitr is colloquially known as “small Eid,” whereas Eid al-Adha, the “big Eid” or the “Festival of Sacrifice,” occurs around two months after Eid al-Fitr during the Hajj pilgrimage season. Eid al-Adha this year is expected to fall at the end of May.
Ed al-Fitr begins with special morning prayers, and then it’s traditional to observe this holiday by visiting friends and family members, eating special foods (many of them sweet), and giving to charity.
It’s also the International Day of Nowruz, also known as Persian and/or Iranian New Year. This traditionally falls on the first day of spring and celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, as well as rebirth and renewal. Observances start today and will last through tomorrow.
People traditionally gather for Nowruz, but given the ongoing war in Iran and heightened tensions in the Middle East, this year’s celebrations are likely to look a lot different. Other Nowruz traditions include giving your house a deep clean and setting up a Haft-Sin of Haft-Seen table, featuring seven symbolic items that all start with the letter “S” – the 15th letter of the Persian alphabet.
The weather over the next several days is going to be fairly wet, which is a pretty standard hallmark of upstate spring. We’ll see clouds with occasional rain developing in the afternoon today; highs will be in the mid-40s.
Tomorrow, Saturday, will bring a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures again peaking somewhere in the mid-40s. Sunday we’ll see more of the same in the high temperature department with on and off showers developing in the afternoon with the possibility of some snow mixing in as the day progresses.
If you’re heading out, don’t forget that umbrella!
In the headlines…
The price of oil was retreating a day after gyrating sharply, but it remained elevated as investors feared that the wide-ranging attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf would have long-term economic consequences.
The war cast a pall over celebrations for Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the end of the Ramadan fasting month, and Nowruz, the Persian New Year. A somber mood prevailed over family gatherings as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran neared its fourth week.
A top intelligence official who quit his post in protest told right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson that Israel successfully pressured President Trump into launching the war against Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully rejected claims that he misled President Trump into a potential conflict with Iran, calling the notion “fake news” and insisting the president made his own decisions based on American interests.
One year after President Trump signed an executive order calling for the shuttering of the Education Department, the agency has taken its biggest step yet toward self-elimination.
The Senate is planning to debate and vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act through this weekend as conservatives warn failure to make progress on Trump’s No. 1 legislative priority could result in GOP voters sitting out the election in November.
The state budget will be due a little earlier than the traditional midnight March 31 deadline. Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office told Gov. Kathy Hochul in a letter that a provision must be in place by midday to ensure the so-called institutional payroll is funded.
Hochul’s office dredged up an embarrassing Dave Portnoy scandal involving his cheating ex-girlfriend after he blasted the governor as a “hypocrite” for calling on high-earners to return to New York.
Nassau County Executive and GOP governor candidate Bruce Blakeman called Hochul’s pleading with the rich to come home to New York the “most honest moment of her administration” while he hit her with a brutal reality check.
Blakeman is at risk of losing access to the state’s public campaign financing program, a key lifeline in his attempt to unseat Hochul. Democrats allege he and his running mate filed incorrect paperwork to qualify.
Hochul said Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station will keep its name, despite Trump requesting it be renamed after him. “It will be over my dead body,” she said when asked if the late senator’s name should remain on the Midtown transit hub.
Hochul said that she rejected a push from Trump to allow fracking for natural gas while discussing with him the challenges to New York’s climate efforts.
Responding to concerns over job loss due to rapidly developing artificial intelligence, Hochul made a pitch to civic leaders on Thursday to help state government minimize the impact of artificial intelligence on the state’s economy.
State leaders in New York are looking to gain insight into how artificial intelligence is used in the workplace as the technology becomes more commonplace.
Hochul admitted that she uses artificial intelligence “lightly” at the office — including to figure out how high New York’s gas prices are. She described her use of AI as “like a Google,” during the Q&A session at an Association for a Better New York event.
Hochul rallied at MVP Arena in Albany yesterday in support of the 1199 SEIU healthcare union, which represents thousands of healthcare workers across New York State.
New Yorkers injured in traffic crashes slammed Hochul’s controversial push to erode victims’ rights to sue for damages, warning that the governor’s car-first campaign could be “financially crippling.”
New York is funneling $20 million to help medication abortion providers stay afloat amid federal cuts to reproductive health services and lagging state aid.
Less than a week after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s global tariffs, Hochul listened as one of the plaintiffs in the case recounted the financial toll of the levies on his wine importing business.
Hochul’s plan for lowering car insurance rates in New York has drawn split reviews from trade groups over how effective it will be in curbing premiums for drivers.
There’s a push in Albany to pass legislation that advocates say would increase transparency when it comes to government secrecy and abuse of power.
Hochul says the state is intervening in the financial crisis at North Star Health Alliance, which runs the hospitals in Ogdensburg and Carthage.
Planet Albany continued to wait yesterday for a formal proposal from Hochul detailing what she would like changed in New York’s landmark 2019 climate law as part of this year’s state budget.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the Trump administration over its revocation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 endangerment finding, the foundation of the country’s climate change policies.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot enforce a policy aimed at limiting hospitals from providing gender-affirming care to children and teens. James, along with other attorneys general, had filed a lawsuit challenging the policy.
The MTA announced plans to replace thousands of New York City’s decades-old subway cars with new models. Hochul said it will be the largest subway car order in history, funded by $68 billion allocated in the Capital Plan from the state budget.
Transit officials will commit billions of dollars over the next few years to replace Reagan-era subway cars that have aged beyond their useful life.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a new Office of Community Safety – a step towards fulfilling his campaign pledge to change how the city responds to mental health crises. But it’s more a reshuffling of existing resources than a fundamentally new approach.
Mamdani rolled out a lite version of his much-touted “Department of Community Safety” with just two staffers and a budget of $260 million to reshape how the city handles 911 calls.
City Hall has quietly hired a senior adviser for technology and innovation working under Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson who will liaise between her and the Office of Technology and Innovation, as well as the Mayor’s Office of Operations.
As a candidate, Mamdani treated education policy mostly as an afterthought. As mayor, he’s getting a crash course on the challenges of managing New York City’s $40 billion school system.
Tensions over an off-duty NYPD officer allegedly opening fire on a group of suspected car thieves in the Bronx earlier this week mounted yesterday, with community advocates calling on the mayor to address the situation.
Mamdani said he was “incredibly troubled” by the actions of an off-duty cop assigned to Gracie Mansion who shot and critically wounded a suspected car thief in the Bronx — a 12-year NYPD veteran who has not been charged three days after the incident.
Mamdani is continuing a part of his predecessor’s budgeting legacy: using New Yorkers’ water bills as a piggy bank for the city budget.
Susan Abulhawa, a prominent Palestinian-American author, calls Jewish Americans “monsters” after a controversy surrounding Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji.
A historic social media account attributed to Duwaji appears to have been deactivated amid scrutiny over resurfaced posts.
While her X account – under username @_RamaDee – was deleted as of yesterday, Duwaji’s public Instagram page, which has 2 million followers, remains active.
Supporters and opponents of a proposed $30-minimum wage for New York City are preparing for a battle a week after the measure was introduced in the City Council.
An immigration judge denied New York City Council staffer Rafael Rubio’s asylum case and ordered his removal from the U.S. because of a missing signature on his asylum paperwork, Council Speaker Julie Menin said.
Dylan Lopez-Contreras, the first known New York City student targeted by federal immigration authorities after Trump returned to office, spoke yesterday for the first time since his release – calling for others still in detention to be freed.
Nearly 1,500 college students and advocates said they are in full support of a faculty strike should NYU professors not reach a fair contract with the school’s administration by Monday.
Charter schools make up more than half of the top 100 performing public schools in New York City based on results of state math and English exams, a new analysis found.
A state court permanently dismissed a bid to redraw the 11th Congressional District – the only GOP-held congressional district in New York City – in time for this year’s midterm elections.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Axios she is keeping the door open to endorsing challengers to her House Democratic colleagues “if someone crosses some huge line.”
During a press conference unrelated to Buffalo’s fiscal situation, Mayor Sean Ryan confirmed that he’ll be proposing a 25% tax increase in his 2026-2027 budget.
Hudson Valley Democratic Rep. Josh Riley is suing New York’s utility regulator, alleging Central Hudson Gas & Electric was allowed to charge higher rates while raking in steady profits for its foreign-owned parent company.
A drone dropped a package of knives, a cellphone, bandanas and other illegal contraband onto the grounds of the Marcy Correctional Facility, but staff spotted the unmanned aircraft and grabbed the parcel after it fell inside the fence line.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he was outcoached and outprepared by Siena’s Gerry McNamara yesterday, as his top-seeded Blue Devils needed a late rally to overcome a double-digit deficit and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Duke became the first No. 1 seed to trail by double digits (11 points) to a 16-seed at the half, according to ESPN Insights, but the Blue Devils came out with a renewed focus after the break and wore down the outmanned Saints 71-65.
Local colleges and universities are joining together to form the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance, which will try to sell the idea of college to an increasingly reluctant generation of young people.
At the direction of Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, city agencies have implemented a hiring freeze to stabilize spending, close a budget gap, and preserve essential services. Non-emergency overtime, travel and other non-essential expenses are also impacted.
The Albany Industrial Development Agency voted to pull $14 million in tax breaks for the stalled apartment building project at 1211 Western Ave. The future of the project, known as Air Albany, remains unclear.
The nation’s oldest incorporated village is getting its first new leader in nearly three decades. Craig Falcone, a wastewater treatment plant chief operator, defeated Michelle Cleary in the race to replace retiring 28-year Waterford Mayor Bert Mahoney.
For the first time since taking office two years ago, the Republican mayor of Troy, Carmella Mantello, used her veto power in a hopeless bid to stop good cause eviction legislation that the City Council is sure to override.
A judge issued an order recognizing Jeffrey Belschwinder as the president of the Schuyler Heights Fire Company a day after the fire commissioners, who oversee the fire district, failed to muster enough votes to continue Belschwinder’s suspension.
The New Jersey-based gas station and convenience store chain QuickCheck intends to debut nine locations in the Albany area and one near Hudson. Three of the stores have already been approved for development.
Police arrested a Salmon River special education teacher on charges of child endangerment this week, after at least one parent reported the educator had placed her nonverbal child in a dark closet alone and poked her forehead with toothpicks.
The Saratoga Center for the Family will mark its 50th anniversary with a special event, Gathering for Gratitude, on April 16 at Universal Preservation Hall.
Advocates for 15 Capital Region social justice and religious organizations urged city leaders to repeal Saratoga Springs’ controversial camping ban, saying that it is being used to harass unhoused citizens.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
