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Good morning on this chilly Wednesday.
The only debate in the general race for governor took place yesterday between Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent, Marcus J. Molinaro.
The heated back-and-forth touched on the subway, corruption, health care, medical marijuana, homelessness and President Trump.
[Read more about the Cuomo-Molinaro debate.]
The candidates spent a lot of time talking over each other, and things got so tense at one point that the CBS moderator told the men, “Don’t make me punch you out.”
But that was hardly the most notable quote of the event. Here are some from the candidates.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a nipper.”
That was Mr. Cuomo’s response to a question about excessive staffing at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The system employs “nippers,” who watch materials being moved around; “hog house tenders,” who man break rooms; and “oilers,” a leftover position from when cranes needed frequent lubrication.
The exorbitant staffing is just one reason New York’s transit network has paid the highest construction costs in the world.
“You, sir, had him at your bachelor party. I didn’t.”
The “him,” here, was Mr. Trump. The bachelor party was Mr. Cuomo’s.
Mr. Molinaro made this claim as the governor was trying to paint him as a “mini-me of Donald Trump.”
(Fact-check: Mr. Trump did not attend Mr. Cuomo’s bachelor party, but he did send a video clip that was played at the bar where it was held. “Whatever you do, Andrew,” Mr. Trump said in the video, “don’t ever, ever fool around.”)
“You have led the most corrupted state government in America.”
That charge was leveled by Mr. Molinaro, who attacked the governor and his ties to politicians and aides who have been convicted of corruption-related charges. Mr. Molinaro singled out Joseph Percoco, the Cuomo aide who was convicted of accepting bribes, among other charges, in March.
“They’re anti-women. They’re anti-L.G.B.T.Q. They would even put women in shackles.”
That was Mr. Cuomo, who throughout the debate tried to tie Mr. Molinaro to far-right conservatives.
(Fact-check: While in the state Legislature, Mr. Molinaro voted against a bill that would have prohibited the shackling of female prisoners during childbirth.)
[Read our full fact check here.]
The debate ended with an uncomfortable lightning round in which the candidates agreed that Italian sausages are the best. They were also asked to name the song that defined their campaign, and to sing a few bars.
Mr. Cuomo responded with “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Mr. Molinaro said “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.
Both candidates declined to sing.
Here’s what else is happening:
Weather
You’re going to want a scarf for your morning commute.
Expect chilly temperatures and a stiff breeze on your way to work. With the wind, it could feel as cold as 39.
Tonight looks raw as well.
In the News
• His body was behind the wheel of a car in Manhattan for about a week before it was discovered. This is the story of his life and death. [New York Times]
• Jumaane Williams, the Brooklyn councilman who lost a bid for lieutenant governor by a narrow margin, now has his sights set on public advocate. [New York Times]
• The city’s subway system has always been a thorn in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s side. Here are seven reasons. [New York Times]
• The neighbor wanted for questioning in the killing of a 70-year-old woman who was found with a slashed neck on the Upper West Side is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, according to a law enforcement official. [New York Times]
• Federal authorities believe that an explosive device was hand-delivered to the mailbox of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist. [New York Times]
• Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, the man who was placed in a fatal chokehold on Staten Island in 2014, presents her book “This Stops Today” at the Stapleton Library in Staten Island. 6:30 p.m. [Free]
• The New York L.G.B.T. Film Festival kicks off with a screening of “1985” followed by an opening night party with at the SVA Theater in Midtown Manhattan. 7 p.m. Films screen through Oct. 30. [$60]
• Alternate-side parking remains in effect until Nov. 1. • For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.Metropolitan Diary
Cold War Kid
Dear Diary:
In October 1962, my parents’ mood was grim. There was a lot of whispering between them.
The newspaper headlines were bold and twice their normal size, like World Series headlines. The Cuban Missile Crisis was commanding the full attention of the television and the radio.
“The Russians are coming,” was all I heard from just about everybody. It raised the hair on the back of my neck. I tried to shut it out of my mind.
I was 8 and in the third grade at St. Stephen of Hungary School on East 82nd Street. At the start of music period, our teacher, Mrs. Francis, would put the needle on the record.
“Class,” she would say, “sing along.”
And we did: “Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think/Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink.”
I was oblivious to the meaning of the lyrics we were singing. I liked the tune. Thinking back, it was not a prudent selection for young children to sing in fall 1962.
— Thomas Pryor
And Finally …
New York City has millions and millions of previous inhabitants, so it’s no surprise that some people claim that many ghosts lurk in its buildings and roam its streets.
As Halloween approaches, we took a moment to learn about some of the city’s most famous spirits.
• The Fire Patrol House on West Third Street in Greenwich Village is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Patrolman Schwartz, who is said to have hanged himself in the building after discovering that his wife had cheated on him. Some who have worked in the building have said the ghost of a man dressed in old-timey fireman’s clothing moves objects, and appears and disappears throughout the building.
• The spirit of Eliza Jumel is said to haunt the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights. A group of schoolchildren once said her ghost yelled at them to be quiet from a balcony. Another visitor said he saw a dead soldier on a set of stairs (the house was George Washington’s headquarters for a few weeks). People have tried to exorcise the ghost (without permission), including voodoo devotees who killed chickens on the lawn and a would-be arsonist who tried to burn down the house.
• Mark Twain is said to haunt 14 West 10th Street in Greenwich Village, where he lived for a year beginning in 1900. A mother and daughter who lived there in the 1930s claimed they saw a man with white hair in the living room. The mother asked him who he was, and the spirit supposedly said, “My name is Clemens, and I has a problem here I gotta settle.”
• If you think you see two women in Victorian garb skating on the pond in the southeastern corner of Central Park, they may be the Vandevroot sisters, Janet and Rosetta. The wealthy girls were under the thumb of their domineering father and only allowed to go without a chaperone to Delmonico’s restaurant and the Central Park skating pond. They were said to have never married because their father scared off every man.
Have you heard stories about the ghosts who are said to haunt New York City? Tell us about them in the comments.
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