Morning Brief: July 17

The five-day Seeger Fest kicks off at Hudson River Park tonight in Manhattan.  The festival honors folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, who passed away earlier this year at age 94 and his long-time wife Toshi, who passed away in 2013.  The WFUV favorite will be honored by admirers as diverse as Harry Belafonte, DJ Kool Herc, and the punk band Anti-Flag.  More info here.

WEATHER

Not much to report here. Partly cloudy skies, high of 79.  No rain expected over the weekend [full forecast].

NEED TO KNOW

U.S. toughens sanctions on Russia over situation in Ukraine [NY Times].

A New York board has approved a controversial loan to help fund the new Tappan Zee bridge [Bloomberg].

Stephen Colbert grills De Blasio over laughs on last nights Colbert Report [Daily News].

SPORTS

The Red Bulls lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Union.

Yankees and Mets return from the All Star break tomorrow.

ON STAGE TONIGHT

- Opening night of “Seeger Fest” @ Hudson River Park

- James Taylor @ the PNC Bank Arts Center

- Lord Huron (with James Apollo) @ the Space at Westbury

- Queen + Adam Lambert @ Madison Square Garden

- Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons @ the Capitol Theatre

- Third World @ the BAM MetroTech Commons (at noon) AND the NJPAC Theater Square (at 5PM)

- WFUV PRESENTS: “Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival” (day two) featuring The Robert Cray Band, John Hiatt And The Combo and The James Carter Organ Trio @ Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place

TODAY IN HISTORY

On this day in 1996, Paris-bound TWA Flight 800 exploded off the coast of Long Island, 12 minutes after taking off from JFK.  All 230 on board died.

WFUV's Morning Brief is published each weekday morning at 5 a.m. Do you have an event or news item that should be included? Email JColtin@wfuvnews.org or leave a comment below.