Lately I’ve been chewing over creating new state land maps 🌲

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Lately I’ve been chewing over creating new state land maps 🌲

I’ve been exploring alternative designs and even a more automated process, but I am also realizing that the need for updates is less once the maps are uploaded as state land assets rarely change, and the DEC is now posting many much more high-quality maps compared to what was the case a decade ago.

Creating the same state land map over and over again is just boring, and not all that useful if the stylistic changes are small. Sometimes I get a new layer I can plot on a map, but often the new information isn’t particularly useful or relevant, and just makes the map cluttered. Plus, my interests have changed — I’ve mapped out most of state, and found the places that interest me the most, so it seems silly to do little obscure parcels of little interest to myself.

Hochul wants to spend $41 million to repair eastern approach steps of Capitol

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Hochul wants to spend $41 million to repair eastern approach steps of Capitol

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a $41 million expenditure to repair the hallowed grand staircase on the front of the state Capitol.

The East-facing steps to the Capitol, which provide views looking toward the Hudson River, are set to undergo a rehabilitation that could re-open the towering but disintegrating staircase that has been closed for years due to safety concerns.

It's part of a broader proposal by Hochul to spend $242 million on infrastructure projects related to state government. State officials have budgeted on the assumption that the federal government's "Build Back Better Act" will not pass in Congress.

“A hammer is a useful tool

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“A hammer is a useful tool. But you shouldn’t use it for every purpose, as there are sometimes a better tools for a job.”

New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds – The New York Times

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New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds – The New York Times

White-tailed deer on Staten Island have been found carrying the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, marking the first time the variant has been reported in wild animals.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that white-tailed deer are easily infected by the virus. The results are likely to intensify concerns that deer, which are widely distributed across the United States and live near humans, could become a reservoir for the virus and a potential source of new variants.