It’s the day before Thanksgiving. In normal times, that would mean packed airports and a madhouse at Penn Station as New Yorkers flock to gatherings with faraway family members. This year has... well, some of that still, despite the increasingly desperate pleas from city and state officials asking people to stay home.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo may have hurt his cause this week when, after repeatedly urging against gatherings and travel, he let it slip that he was planning to have his 89-year-old mother and two daughters visit him in Albany. Cue the outrage and cries of hypocrisy, and just as quickly the plan was off: Cuomo said he would work through the holiday instead. But New Yorkers already grappling with mixed messages could be forgiven for coming away confused. (For the record, the CDC recommends against travel and against gathering with anyone outside your household, which includes your mom unless you live together.)

The state has imposed a 10-person limit on gatherings at private homes. But New York City, like some other jurisdictions around the state, will not come down on people when it comes to Thanksgiving celebrations. “There's certainly not going to be any enforcement in terms of families,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. The city will however be setting up road checkpoints in an attempt to enforce quarantine and testing requirements for travelers. Plenty of New Yorkers are planning to gather, with rationales ranging from open defiance to nervous bargaining that they’ll get tested (hence hourslong lines around the city this week) and cross their fingers.

The city will be running an ad campaign through January promoting the virtues of staying home. "It's not too late to cancel your travel plans," Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said Tuesday. And Cuomo debuted a turkey-themed mask, if you’re into that kind of thing. Happy Thanksgiving.

IT’S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: [email protected] and [email protected], or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE’S ANDREW? No schedule available by press time.

WHERE’S BILL? Holding a media availability.

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FRESH OFF MAINTAINING its ballot line on Election Day, the Working Families Party is looking to reshape the incoming City Council as two-thirds of the legislative body leaves office next year. The third party is rolling out eight Council endorsements on Wednesday, including two people challenging incumbent Democrats, as part of a larger push to expand its influence over the 51-member legislative body, its state leader told POLITICO. The party is backing community board chair Marjorie Velázquez, who is preparing for a rematch in the Bronx against Council member Mark Gjonaj. She narrowly lost to Gjonaj in a primary four years ago, before being handily defeated when she ran on the Working Families Party line in the general election. Legal Aid Society employee Juan Ardila, who will challenge the pro-police incumbent Robert Holden for a seat in Queens, is also getting the nod. “What’s clear is that with the city in a deepening crisis, we need a Council that has a bold vision that negotiates in the interest of working people,” Sochie Nnaemeka, state director of the party, said in an interview Tuesday...The Working Families Party also plans to support Althea Stevens, Adolfo Abreu and Mino Lora in the Bronx, Felicia Singh and Aleda Gagarin in Queens and Lincoln Restler in Brooklyn. POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO remembered former Mayor David Dinkins as a leader motivated by the “power of love” who deserves more credit than he has received for New York City’s transformation over the last 30 years. Dinkins, the city’s first and only Black mayor, died Monday night at the age of 93. “He simply put us on a better path. He did it with heart and warmth and love. He was animated by love for people — all people,” de Blasio said Tuesday at a press briefing from City Hall. “David Dinkins believed that we could be better, that we could overcome our divisions. He showed us what it was like to be a gentleman, to be a kind person no matter what was thrown at him. And a lot was thrown at him.” Dinkins served one turbulent term as mayor starting in 1990, and de Blasio worked for him as an aide in City Hall. It was there he met his future wife, Chirlane McCray, also a Dinkins staffer. “He would try and treat people with love, even when they were treating him with hate,” de Blasio said. POLITICO’s Erin Durkin

— NYT: 5 Ways That David Dinkins Shaped New York City

“HOMELESS FAMILIES and legal advocates sued New York City on Tuesday, claiming a gap in reliable Internet service to 27 homeless shelters where thousands of students were struggling with remote schooling during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan Federal Court a month after Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wi-Fi would be installed in all shelters with school-aged children. The lawsuit denounced his plan as vague and instead demanded a Jan. 4, 2021 deadline for online connectivity. That will be the first day of class for New York City Public Schools after the winter holiday break in the biggest U.S. school district, with roughly 1.1 million students.” Reuters’ Barbara Goldberg

“AS PUBLIC HEALTH officials eye a second major swell of COVID-19 infections and an increase in hospitalizations, New York's hospital systems have begun to brace for another flood of patients. The state has even opened a field hospital on Staten Island in response to rising numbers, a dismal reminder of the devastation of the spring. In the months since the height of the pandemic in the spring, New York's health care institutions have been making preparations to try to avoid the same chaos and loss of life, which has been partially attributed to a lack of coordination. But in many areas, like before, hospital administrators and staff are just trying to stay one step ahead of the virus, keep staff safe, and maximize patient survival...Experts are questioning whether hospitals will have enough staff and personal protective equipment (PPE) if hospitals see the crisis levels of March, April, and May again, and even ICU nurses onboarding others are expressing doubt about the adequacy of a heavily-truncated training regimen.” Gotham Gazette’s Ethan Geringer-Sameth

— The newly-reopened Staten Island field hospital accepted its first patient.

“FORMER CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER Christine Quinn is preparing another run to become mayor of New York City, sources said Tuesday. ‘Chris has talked to people about running for mayor. She’s talked to me about running for mayor,’ said a source who is friendly with Quinn and who requested anonymity. “I think she is going to run. I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes an announcement next week — after the Thanksgiving holiday,” the political insider said. Another source familiar with Quinn’s thinking said, ‘She did not lose interest in running City Hall after her rival Bill de Blasio was sworn in as mayor.’ Speculation has been rampant over the past year that Quinn was eying a run.” New York Post’s Carl Campanile

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has received his first backing from organized labor for his mayoral bid — the New York State Court Officers Association, Adams spokesman Evan Thies told POLITICO. The candidate, who worked as an NYPD officer for 22 years before running for state Senate in 2006, announced his candidacy for mayor last week. Thies said Adams and Court Officers Association President Dennis Quirk have a longstanding relationship. In a prepared statement, Quirk said cited Adams' "leadership, experience and ability to bring people of all races together to return New York City to the greatest city in the world." Adams has more than $2 million on hand to compete in the crowded Democratic primary next June and has been hosting fundraisers in recent days — generating negative headlines for participating in indoor affairs during the pandemic. — POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg

From POLITICO’s The Fifty series: How does Cuomo stack up? How 9 governors are handling the next coronavirus wave, from Rachel Roubein and Shia Kapos

“GOV. ANDREW CUOMO on Tuesday continued to blast county sheriffs who have said they will not enforce a 10-person limit on gatherings in homes. ‘This is not a political situation,’ Cuomo said on Long Island, pointing to the federal government's recommendation that people do not spend Thanksgiving with people outside of their immediate homes. Cuomo on Monday in an interview on WAMC radio in Albany said he was considering spending Thanksgiving with his mother and two daughters; his office quickly said he would spend the holiday working instead. Cuomo has urged New Yorkers to not travel this Thanksgiving amid an upswing in coronavirus cases in the country and in New York. But Cuomo in recent days has criticized sheriffs for announcing they would not enforce the 10-person limit on gatherings. On Tuesday, Cuomo called the pledges by sheriffs to be ‘a frightening precedent.’" Spectrum News’ Nick Reisman

“ANOTHER large-scale Hasidic wedding was held in New York Monday night — flouting a cease-and-desist order from the state banning gatherings of more than 50 people, The Post has confirmed. State police are now investigating the ceremony between two members of prominent Satmar families at Congregation Yetev Lev in Kiryas Joel, according to Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus. ‘It went on ’til late, law enforcement was there,’ Neuhaus told The Post. The nuptials were held despite a warning letter sent Sunday by state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, who wrote that he was aware ‘separate large wedding ceremonies’ were planned for Monday, with ‘hundreds if not thousands’ expected to attend.” New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan and Lia Eustachewich

“EMPLOYEES say they are being stretched thin in New York's group homes for the developmentally disabled as staffing shortages have apparently prompted the state agency that runs the facilities to tweak its COVID-19 policies to ensure that workers who have been exposed to the virus but are asymptomatic — or, in rare instances, have tested positive and not completed 10 days of isolation — must return to work The state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities said that as of Monday 484 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities had died due to COVID-19. The office also said that of the roughly 140,000 people supported by OPWDD, 4,261 have tested positive for coronavirus. In addition, nearly 5,500 staff members — from a workforce of 104,000 — have tested positive for COVID-19. The office declined to provide the number of staff fatalities, but a person briefed on that information said that as of last week there had been nine staff deaths attributed to COVID-19.” Times Union’s Brendan J. Lyons

“WORRY LESS about whether hospitals have enough room in Western New York to accommodate the rapid rise in Covid-19 patient admissions. Worry more about whether hospitals have the staff to care for all of those patients. Three hundred Western New Yorkers were hospitalized for Covid-19 as of Sunday, an all-time high for the region. Each of the past three days has set a new hospitalization record for the region since the public health crisis began here in March. When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo demanded that hospitals increase their bed capacity by 50% when the crisis was first unfolding, hospitals complied. But it's not the number of beds that has local health officials worried – even amid talk of putting beds in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. It's the staffing limitations. ‘It’s not just a matter of having enough staff, but keeping your staff healthy,’ said Catholic Health CEO Mark Sullivan. ‘That’s kind of been missed in all the press conferences I've heard, and it’s a huge variable.’” Buffalo News’ Sandra Tan

“THE GOAL is to make it possible for visitors to come to the mountain, ski, eat and even use the restroom without ever having to enter a building if they don't want to. As temperatures dip closer to consistently freezing and winter approaches, ski areas throughout New York are preparing for the upcoming season with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. The pandemic cut last year's season short when it forced much of the state into a shutdown in mid-March, and ski resorts have wasted no time in preparing for their eventual reopening. Places like Gore Mountain, Greek Peak and Holiday Valley are all gearing up for this year's ski season — and while they're looking forward to opening, they want visitors to know changes are coming...Drew Broderick, Greek Peak's vice president of sales and marketing, said it's been a lot of work preparing the resort for the upcoming ski season — for Greek Peak, but also for ski areas across the state. ‘I think that's one thing people don't realize — how much of an undertaking it is,’ Broderick said. ‘There's literally been no downtime since COVID hit.’” USA Today Network’s Georgie Silvarole

#UpstateAmerica: ‘A warning from West Seneca: Don't drive drunk with goats in your minivan’

“DEMOCRAT PETE HARCKHAM declared victory over Republican Rob Astorino in a hotly contested New York State Senate race on Tuesday, three weeks after Election Day. The one-term incumbent thanked voters for their ‘confidence and trust’ in a statement. ‘These are challenging times, though, and I look forward to being engaged in the hard work necessary to ensure a better future for all,’ Harckham said. Astorino called Harckham to congratulate him and offer his support Tuesday morning, Astorino spokesman William O'Reilly said. ‘This was a close, close race, but we respect the will of the voters and wish Senator Harckham the best in his new term,’ O'Reilly said. Harckham still trailed Astorino by around 500 votes, with 16,000 absentee ballots to be counted in Westchester as of Tuesday. But Harckham has been winning the absentees by a wide margin.” Journal News’ Mark Lungariello

“STATE SEN. Jen Metzger conceded to Republican challenger Mike Martucci on Tuesday, just as court wrangling was set to begin over disputed absentee and affidavit ballots in a race that stretched three weeks past Election Day. ‘Serving the people of the Hudson Valley and Catskills as State Senator these past two years has been the great honor of my life,’ the Rosendale Democrat said in a statement. ‘I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to bring about positive change that improves people's lives in this unique place we all love.’ Martucci later issued a statement saying he overcame a Democratic enrollment advantage and campaign spending on Metzger's behalf, and crediting his victory to the issues he raised, including his criticism of bail reforms Democrats enacted last year.” Times Herald Record’s Chris McKenna

“IF YOU VOTE BY MAIL, then die before Election Day, does your ballot still count? That was the case for three voters in Madison County who mailed in ballots before Nov. 3 in the election between Rep. Anthony Brindisi and Claudia Tenney but didn’t live until Election Day. According to state law, their votes don’t count. Madison County Election Commissioner Laura Costello said it’s not a matter of voter fraud.” Syracuse.com’s Mark Weiner

“TOWN OFFICIALS IN Bedminster, N.J., have the plans for a possible Trump family future, or at least the blueprints: a major addition to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s ‘cottage’ on the grounds of the Trump National Golf Club, four new pickleball courts, a relocated heliport, and a spa and yoga complex. As Manhattan awaits word of the Trump family’s return, the first daughter and her husband appear to be making preparations elsewhere: a Garden State refuge behind guarded gates, perhaps, or Florida, where President Trump is renovating his Mar-a-Lago estate. But New York now seems inhospitable and nowhere in their plans.” New York Times’ Elizabeth Williamson

— Two police officers responding to a domestic violence call were shot and wounded in Queens.

— Zagat and Michelin won’t be publishing their annual New York City restaurant guides with the industry battered by the pandemic.

— The tiny stowaway owl found in the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree should be back in the wild by now.

— The city has reversed or refunded all e-bike tickets given out since March, after the vehicles officially became legal this week.

— The first legal eviction since March took place on Nov. 20.

— A Buffalo school board member was caught flipping the bird to other participants in a virtual meeting.

— Nearly 30 people tested positive for Covid-19 at an Erie County correctional facility.

— Cuomo criticized the feds for signing off on the sale of the Indian Point nuclear plant.

— The city’s stray cat population has surged after spay and neuter surgeries stopped during the pandemic.

— Some New Yorkers are preparing to dine alone this Thanksgiving.

— Here are what some MTA budget and service cuts would look like if the agency doesn’t receive a $12 billion federal bailout.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Philippe Reines is 51 … Mark Bloomfield, president and CEO of the American Council for Capital Formation, is 71 … Keith Sonderling, vice chair and commissioner at the EEOC, is 38 … Melissa Weiss, managing editor at Jewish Insider (h/t Steve Miller) … Kendrick Lau … Leah Regan … Emilie Jackson … Reuters’ Sarah Lynch … (was Tuesday): Brooke Jamison … (was Monday): Alan Rosenberg, partner at the gov’t relations firm RG Group

MEDIAWATCH — Miriam Elder will be executive editor of Vanity Fair’s The Hive. She previously was world editor and politics reporter at BuzzFeed.

— Oren Liebermann will be a Pentagon correspondent for CNN. He previously was a correspondent in Jerusalem. Hadas Gold is moving to Jerusalem to become the new Israel correspondent. She was previously CNN Business media and tech correspondent in London, and a media reporter for POLITICO.

“THE TWO were already avid gardeners, but building a small house from the ground up involved unrelated skills. So they enlisted the help of Mr. Garnett’s stepfather, an electrician, for what Mr. Garnett described as 'the more technical stuff that was over my head.' But otherwise, they built the 8-by-12-foot structure using a wood frame and UV-protected plastic film, picking up supplies from Home Depot and using plans 'Frankensteined' from photos online. When they finished, the real work began. Faced with triple-digit heat over the summer, they opened vents and ran a fan to keep plants from scorching. They decided to keep most of their vegetables in the yard, using the greenhouse for their tropical plants, including an avocado tree, some bird-of-paradise trees, and one looming monstera plant that now stretches 10 feet across the greenhouse...

"Now, as winter approaches, they’re preparing to install a heater to keep things toasty. ‘By myself, I would probably be stressed,’ Ms. Lopez said. But the two are splitting responsibilities, with Mr. Garnett handling structural maintenance and Ms. Lopez managing pest control and watering. ‘I think we’re a good team,’ Mr. Garnett said. For those who couldn’t possibly construct a little house with their bare hands, Lem Tingley is here to help. Mr. Tingley, president and ‘chief growing officer’ of Growing Spaces, a greenhouse kit company based in Pagosa Springs, Colo., spent his summer selling prefabricated units to homeowners across the country.” New York Times’ Dorie Chevlen