Monday Headlines: Snowpocalypse Edition

New York fell victim to an intense snowstorm, and Gov. Hochul called a state of emergency. Residents were urged to stay indoors and off the roads amid the frosty deluge and suburban mass transit found itself on shaky ground.

But wait, it gets worse. When the empire state is transformed into a winter wonderland, a patchwork of local regulations decides who is responsible for shoveling sidewalks, and the result is often icy sidewalks that can lead to bumps or bruises for pedestrians, if not worse.

In the Capitol Region, the onus to shovel usually falls on property owners, with municipalities occasionally shifting the task to homeowners' associations or, if no one is available, their departments of public works.

Many upstate cities like Albany suffer from a plurality of abandoned buildings and properties in limbo between foreclosure and new owners. It's an issue that is often viewed through the lens of the housing crisis, as these properties represent affordable housing opportunities.

But in the winter, this presents as icy sidewalk stretches that leave pedestrians with the choice of tap dancing for several blocks or walking in the street and hoping cars take heed.

Hochul, hailing from the land of good neighbors, sees this as an opportunity for people to lend a hand, or a shovel, in their time of need, but doesn't appear to grasp the gravity of the situation despite spending much of her life around lake effect snow.

"My understanding is that many localities have requirements that property owners keep the sidewalks clear, and that's a matter for local enforcement, so we're happy to remind local law enforcement, that this is [an] important part of keeping people safe, whether it's a private owner [or not]," she told reporters Friday. "In Buffalo, in my hometown, people always went out and volunteered to do neighbors' homes. I was shoveling my next door neighbor's homes all the time, and they did the same for us. But businesses are required to do this under local ordinances."

Until Good Samaritans multiply, walking with your hands in your pockets in weather like this is risky (unless you aren't very attached to your front teeth).

In other news:

• Tiffany Howell, an off-duty NYPD sergeant, drove on the wrong side of the Taconic State Parkway on Thursday night and killed a man in Mount Pleasant — raising the question anew why New York City lets its police officers live outside the five boroughs. (Gothamist, NY Times)
• The Metro-North saw heavy delays with all the snowfall. (The Journal News)
• And the LIRR will run its Sunday schedule on Monday to cope with the wintry conditions. (Newsday)
• At least seven New York City residents died due to the cold weather over the weekend. (NY Times, Gothamist)
• Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens wants to create a transportation and mobility coordinator position to oversee infrastructure and make sure various projects keep pedestrians, cyclists and proponents of alternative forms of travel in mind. (Central Current)
• Red Hook's Annandale Bridge is set to be widened to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians. (Red Hook Daily Catch)
• Concerns that electric school buses might not be up to snuff in the winter are looking like hogwash. (Spectrum News Hudson Valley)
• Join Streetsblog in hoping against hope that state Sen. Liz Krueger didn't jinx an on-time budget. (State of Politics)
• An ICE agent told a legal observer that the agency is using license plates to keep a database of everyone who films them. “We have a nice little database and now you’re considered a domestic terrorist,” the agent reportedly said. (KenKlippenstein.com)
• NYC Eric Adams's one-time chief of staff Frank Carone is under federal investigation — and it involves car insurance fraud (which, now that you mention it, has become Gov. Hochul's recent obsession. Hmm...). (NY Times)