Good morning, we made it to Friday.
I think I have established that I am not a sports person. I do not follow any teams with any regularity, though I am marginally aware of the big games when they take place, and I do pay attention when sports and politics intersect.
For example, in 2002, when Tom Golisano purchased the then-bankrupt Buffalo Sabres, which he has since sold to Terry Pegula, I became very interested in ice hockey, since Golisano was also running for governor as an independent for the third – and what turned out to be final – time.
So, I know a little bit about hockey, and also a little bit about baseball because both my husband and my father are big Yankees fans, and somewhat less about soccer and football. One sport I admittedly know pretty much zero about, however, is racing.
When I say “racing” in certain circles this requires clarification. What I mean is car racing.
I DO actually know a little something about horse racing, since one can’t live in such close proximity to Saratoga Springs and ignore the prominent role that the track plays in that community. Plus, since NYRA has a franchise agreement with the state to run three tracks – Saratoga, Belmont, and Aqueduct – there’s also a political element that a reporter covering the state Capitol needed to understand – at least in passing.
The last time I even passingly paid attention to car racing – specifically NASCAR – was 2007 when then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer proclaimed himself a big fan of the sport and made a point of attending a race at Watkins Glen, which, if you haven’t been there is really worth a visit – if not for the track then for the many waterfalls.
I was also briefly interested Danica Patrick, who is arguably the most prominent – and definitely the richest – female NASCAR driver even though she never won a NASCAR (she did win an IndyCar Series race in Japan in 2008) race before retiring in in 2018 after the Indianapolis 500. Apparently, she’s now very into tennis.
It turns out that I should be using the term “motorsports” and not “car racing”, and, to make things even more complicated, there are quite a few other kinds of racing in this space other than NASCAR, which involves stock cars.
However, NASCAR is the nation’s most-watched motorsport – both by TV viewership and in-person attendance – though it has seen declines and growing competition from Formula 1, which is very popular overseas, considered the “pinnacle” of motorsports and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)) in popularity.
Though NFL continues to be America’s most-watched sport, NASCAR is holding its own, attracting millions of eyeballs – both in person and on TV – even though its numbers aren’t anywhere close to what they were back in the early 2000s.
Whatever you might think of NASCAR fans – and the sport has most certainly contended with some significant challenges, including allegations of racism, and sorely lacks in diversity, with only one Black driver, Bubba Wallace, competing full time – they are definitely a loyal bunch.
They can also be generous, as they show up in droves on NASCAR DAY (the third Friday in May, which happens to be today) to show their appreciation for the sport and raise money for charity.
After a period of unseasonably cool weather we’re headed in the opposite direction this weekend. Upstate spring is truly in full swing.
For comparison’s sake, highs in mid-to-late May in the Albany area are usually in the low to mid-70s range. This weekend, we’re going to see highs soaring into the high 70s (on Saturday) and even the low 80s (on Sunday). It will be sunnier on Saturday than on Sunday, but no rain is in the forecast.
Today, we’re going to see rain showers in the morning, with overcast skies in the afternoon. Highs will be in the mid-60s.
In the headlines…
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that a widely used abortion medication could continue to be prescribed by telehealth and sent to patients by mail pending the outcome of an appeal challenging that method of distributing the medication.
The Supreme Court did not reveal how many justices on the nine-member court voted in favor of continuing a stay of an appeals court order that blocked mail orders of mifepristone. Nor did the majority issue an explanation of its decision.
The focus will now return to the New Orleans-based appeals court, which will decide the merits of Louisiana’s challenge. The court did not explain its reasoning. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the decision.
Mail-order abortion pills prescribed online — which the Supreme Court said could continue for now — have become a major way that women in the United States get abortions, including in states where abortion is banned.
President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, emphasized stability today as they concluded a high-stakes summit in Beijing, albeit without announcing any clear resolutions on trade, Taiwan, the war in Iran or other major points of contention.
Trump sounded conciliatory as he met yesterday with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, for the start of a two-day summit in Beijing. He talked up his relationship with Xi, calling him a “great leader” and said “we’re going to have a fantastic future together.”
After their meeting, Trump and Xi toured the Temple of Heaven, a sacred compound that had been used by emperors since the 12th century. Trump seemed impressed. “Incredible,” the president said. “China’s beautiful.”
U.S. health officials are monitoring 16 additional people across the country for symptoms of hantavirus whom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not previously mentioned, the agency said.
The new people the C.D.C. reported were not on the cruise ship but were passengers on an April 25 flight to Johannesburg and exposed to someone known to have been infected, said Dr. David Fitter, who is leading the C.D.C.’s response to the outbreak.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are no hantavirus cases in the country as of yesterday, as it monitors 41 people across the U.S. for the virus.
“You have to be in close contact with someone who has a lot of symptoms” to contract hantavirus, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview.
A controversial new tax on second homes in New York City was quietly lowered from $5 million to a “market value” of $1 million — increasing the number of homeowners who will get squeezed as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s never-ending budget negotiations.
Hochul said that she expects an estimated 3,000 fewer homes – 10,0000 down from 13,000 – would be subjected to this pied-à-terre tax than her previous estimate, based on new data.
It’s been a week since Hochul announced a budget deal but there is no agreement in sight, no actual legislation on the table. Now some lawmakers say the stalemate could roll past Memorial Day, which would be the latest budget of the governor’s tenure.
Nearly half a million New Yorkers are set to lose health insurance under the state’s heavily subsidized Essential Plan. While state leaders agree that’s a huge problem, the likelihood they’ll address it in the late state budget seem increasingly slim.
Mamdani wants to delay certain payments to the city’s pension funds to help close a multibillion dollar deficit, but he needs municipal labor unions’ approval to change their retirement accounts, and some are mum about the plan while others oppose it.
Mamdani reportedly has made recent efforts to reach out to Citadel CEO Ken Griffin. But the CEO appears in no mood to speak to the mayor and may be holding out for a public apology.
Mamdani is expected to win a two-year extension of mayoral control from state lawmakers as well as a delay in implementing the class size mandate as part of Albany’s final budget.
Honda of the Bronx, a used auto shop at 2541 East Tremont Ave., was fined by the city and ordered to end what the city called “widespread deceptive business practices,” Mamdani announced.
At the Perigon Miami Beach, developers say they logged more than $70 million in sales from New York buyers in the 30 days after the building reached its full structural height in early March.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and council members are preparing for a possible override vote on a “buffer zone” bill vetoed by Mamdani, though the vote is not yet scheduled, according to her office.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine crowned Mamdani “Realtor of the Year” as his administration launches an ad blitz to woo businesses fleeing the city, saying the campaign will target job creators who view the Big Apple as a hostile place to do business.
The city comptroller has launched an investigation into City Hall’s handing of outdoor dining permits, raising concerns about procedural holdups that could be preventing hundreds of restaurants from opening up en plein air seating this spring.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is opening up for the first time about the recent health crisis that sent him to a Florida hospital, including a “very significant spiritual experience” he said he had while he was in a coma.
The father of Manhattan Assemblyman Alex Bores, a leading candidate in the Democratic race to represent the NY-12th congressional district, lauded the deaths of Israelis during the Iran war on social media while equating Zionism with Nazism.
A 5-year-old Bronx girl grazed behind the ear by a stray bullet fired during a broad daylight gun battle can’t wait to get out of the hospital and back to kindergarten, her emotional mother said.
A swastika flag was hoisted above a New York University building named in honor of a billionaire philanthropist who has donated to Jewish causes.
The flag appeared on a university building in the heart of Greenwich Village during a graduation week event, and resembled the purple N.Y.U. banners flying on campus. It was removed about 15 minutes after it was first spotted at 5 p.m.
Train disruptions persisted into the evening rush yesterday after a morning fire in an East River tunnel upended service in and out of Penn Station.
In a rare convergence of cultural forces, the Neue Galerie New York and its significant collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2028, both institutions announced.
New York City officials want to deploy a fleet of fully electric refrigerated barges on the waterways to replace diesel-spewing trucks that haul food in and out of Hunts Point in the Bronx.
A Long Island Rail Road strike could strand nearly 300,000 commuters starting this weekend as five labor unions and MTA leaders are at odds over wage increases for the union workers.
The LIRR has reportedly informed unions that probationary employees will be fired if they go on strike, which the union leaders say could be illegal.
A compensation policy resolution from 20 years ago and city code. Tens of thousands of dollars shuffled. Those elements are at the heart of a controversy in Rensselaer city government between longtime political foes.
A state appeals court has invalidated a 2022 City of Albany law creating a public safety commissioner to rule on police discipline.
For the fourth time, an appeals court has thrown out a Saratoga County conviction because a judge allowed jurors to be anonymous at the trial.
The Riverview Road bridge in Halfmoon is expected to be closed for over a year for replacement after it was struck by a public works vehicle in 2024.
ChatGPT decided that the renovation of a Dutch colonial house in Albany was an example of a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, and proposed canceling the grant, according to findings in a federal lawsuit.
Deputies arrested a 24-year-old Oneonta man this week for allegedly firing gunshots near hikers at a KOA campground in Gilboa.
New plans to replace an abandoned Price Chopper and Burger King with 200 mixed-income, riverfront units and more than 10,000 square feet of commercial space are part of a broader “gateway” project in Lansingburgh, Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello said.
Ulster County officials this week celebrated the opening of the Center for Well-Being, a four-story facility intended to expand access to mental health, substance use and crisis support services across the county.
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