Last week, Donald Trump claimed to have renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America. He didn’t. What he did do – in an effort to troll our biggest trading partner – was sign an executive order (14420) directing federal agencies and the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to use the new name: [Read more…] about Trump Changes Lake Ontario’s Federal Name; New Yorkers Are Not Amused
politics
An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
In its first year, OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment has recorded more than 150 oral histories from residents of 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Organizers believe it is the nation’s only digital short-form oral history project dedicated to preserving personal perspectives during the current period of rapid social, political and economic change. [Read more…] about An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
Stewart’s Shops Feuding With Saratoga Historic Preservationists
Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford is leading a controversial effort to loosen development rules in the city’s historic and architectural districts.
Meanwhile a Stewart’s Shops executive is using his influence and connections to help limit the historic city’s preservation policies, according to a story in the Times Union. [Read more…] about Stewart’s Shops Feuding With Saratoga Historic Preservationists
Balcony Solar Plug-in Power Awaits NY Governor Hochul’s Signature
Back on May 28, 2026 the New York State Legislature passed the Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) Act (A.9111C/S.8512C), which would remove red tape and legalize “balcony solar,” the small, plug-in solar panels that everyday families can use to lower their energy bills and generate renewable energy.
After two months, the bill is still awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul‘s signature. [Read more…] about Balcony Solar Plug-in Power Awaits NY Governor Hochul’s Signature
Trump Admin Moves to Gut Historic Preservation Rules
The Trump-led Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which is triggered when state or federal funding, actions, or approval are connected to a project which includes historic resources.
Among the new regulations, are those which would eliminate public review and commentary on a broad range of projects and what input members of the public and nonprofits can have, as well as the public’s ability to even be informed about these projects. [Read more…] about Trump Admin Moves to Gut Historic Preservation Rules
16 Socialists Poised for State Legislature, Most in New York State History
At least seven Democratic Socialist candidates have won primary elections for the New York Legislature in districts considered safe in November. The primary sweep included multiple victories over incumbent Democrats and in competitive open seats.
Not only will it more than double the socialist contingent in the state house to 16 across both chambers, it will mark the largest socialist contingent in the state legislature in New York history. [Read more…] about 16 Socialists Poised for State Legislature, Most in New York State History
America’s Student Debt System: Massive, Chaotic & Broken
Three years on from the pandemic-era pause on student loan payments, and the student debt system is even more broken than before, says Debt Collective, a membership-based union for debtors and allies.
“It’s clearer than ever that the federal government’s many administrative failures have caused real, immediate, and irreparable harm to millions of student debtors,” they recently told supporters while calling on the Trump administration to pause all federal student loan payments. [Read more…] about America’s Student Debt System: Massive, Chaotic & Broken
Canadian Travel to US Down for 15th Straight Month
Canadians continue to curb their enthusiasm for American booze and travel, with no end in sight.
Canadian travel to the U.S. is down for the 15th straight month, when President Donald Trump began his tariff war against Canada, and his rhetoric about the country becoming the 51st state. [Read more…] about Canadian Travel to US Down for 15th Straight Month
Clean Ferries Bill Would Transition NY Ferries from Diesel to Electric
The Clean Ferries Bill (A11303/S10381) sponsored by Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon and Senator Brian Kavanagh has been introduced in the New York State Legislature.
The bill calls for publicly funded ferry companies to purchase only zero-emission vessels starting in 2028, and for other public vessels in New York State waters to be zero-emission by 2032. [Read more…] about Clean Ferries Bill Would Transition NY Ferries from Diesel to Electric
Ed Sullivan Theater Closing Marks A Century of Performance
On May 21st, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will officially end after being canceled by CBS. With that, the doors to the Ed Sullivan Theater will be shuttered for the foreseeable future.
While the immediate implications of Colbert’s cancellation are dire (considering the blatant censorship of political opinion and corporate cow-towing of CBS’ parent company Skydance Media) there is also a dramatic loss for the arts that comes with the uncertainty of closing such a historic venue. [Read more…] about Ed Sullivan Theater Closing Marks A Century of Performance
David Gibson: The Price We Must All Pay for the Adirondack Park
Having returned from the 30th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks, hosted by the Adirondack Research Consortium, my notes reflect some of the appeals that the State do more.
That it do more in the climate change era to pay for the lived-in, state and globally significant Adirondack Park; that it do more to invest in community development; and do more to help rural Adirondack towns and villages with small year-round populations defray the high costs of maintaining and rebuilding necessary infrastructure supportive of an influx of seasonal residents and millions of visitors like me. [Read more…] about David Gibson: The Price We Must All Pay for the Adirondack Park
April 1989: Five Innocent Teens Charged for Central Park Rape
On April 19, 1989, a white woman was brutally raped and beaten in New York City’s Central Park. Police officers soon arrested a dozen young men and eventually charged five teenage boys ranging from 14-16 years of age.
Police subjected Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana Jr., Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, and Antron McCray to hours of intense interrogation and ultimately extracted confessions. [Read more…] about April 1989: Five Innocent Teens Charged for Central Park Rape
Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
American Oversight and the American Historical Association have filed suit challenging a sweeping memorandum from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel that declared the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional and that President Donald Trump “need not further comply” with its requirements, effectively encouraging the president to violate federal law.
The lawsuit argues that the memo relies on virtually no judicial authority and defies binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent outright, representing what they say is “a radical attempt to nullify a law that has governed presidential records for nearly half a century.” [Read more…] about Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
Automatic Draft Registration to Begin in December
National automatic voter registration appears to be off the table, but men 18 and 25 will be automatically registered for military conscription, better known as “the draft,” beginning in December.
This according to the Selective Service System (SSS) which maintains the national database of men who can be forced to serve in the military during wartime. The automatic registration system was mandated in December 2025 as part of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by the Republican led Congress and signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. [Read more…] about Automatic Draft Registration to Begin in December
Remington Arms Environmental Assessment Finds Contamination
The former historic Remington Arms factory in Ilion, Herkimer County, NY, closed in March 2024, ending over 200 years of operation and laying off 270 workers. In the 1990s the company had employed about 1,100 people.
Many Republicans, including US Representative Elise Stefanik and state Senator Mark Walczyk, who both represented Ilion, blamed New York’s “unconstitutional gun-grab policies,” as Stefanik said, for the closure, according to a report in the Albany Times Union. [Read more…] about Remington Arms Environmental Assessment Finds Contamination
Attorneys General Sue Trump Regime Over USDA Funding Conditions
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 20 other attorneys general today filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block sweeping new funding conditions imposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that they say jeopardize billions of dollars in funding for critical state programs.
The lawsuit challenges USDA’s new “2026 Conditions,” which force states to comply with vague and arguably unlawful policy requirements or risk losing essential funding for programs that feed families, support farmers, and protect communities. Attorney General James and the coalition are asking the court to block these conditions and protect states’ access to funding already approved by Congress. [Read more…] about Attorneys General Sue Trump Regime Over USDA Funding Conditions
Elise Stefanik’s Last Crusade: Dishonoring American History
Pax Americana came into being over the course of fifteen weeks in 1947.
Within that brief period of time, President Harry S. Truman and a remarkable group of homegrown statesmen – George Marshall, Dean Acheson and George Kennan, foremost among them – reoriented American foreign policy from the perspective of an insular fortress to that of a global hegemon. [Read more…] about Elise Stefanik’s Last Crusade: Dishonoring American History
North Country Proposals in the Proposed State Budgets
The New York Senate and Assembly have passed their “one-house” budget bills and Adirondack Park advocates are watching annual negotiations with the Governor to see how their budget priorities are reflected in Northern New York.
Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre called the proposals a “commitment to clean water funding, wilderness and visitor-use management, climate data collection, and crucial training programs for next-generation leaders.” [Read more…] about North Country Proposals in the Proposed State Budgets
Effort Underway to Restore Historic Homeowner Rehabilitation Tax Credit Cuts
As of January 1, 2025, the New York State Historic Homeowner Rehabilitation Tax Credit was significantly reduced. The maximum credit dropped from $50,000 to $25,000 per project, and the program’s rebate option — a lifeline for homeowners without sufficient state tax liability — was allowed to expire.
To address this setback, legislation has been introduced in Albany to restore the credit to its full pre‑2025 value, but has not yet passed. [Read more…] about Effort Underway to Restore Historic Homeowner Rehabilitation Tax Credit Cuts
Legislative Budgets Propose Increased Adirondack Environmental Funding
Adirondack Park advocates are applauding the New York State Senate and Assembly for proposing increased funding for the Adirondack Park in their FY2027 one-house budgets.
Both proposals increase the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and restore and/or enhance support for several Adirondack programs that were reduced or eliminated from Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget. [Read more…] about Legislative Budgets Propose Increased Adirondack Environmental Funding