Good evening, New York. We're wrapping up the day for you with some of the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

With not much in the way of cloud cover or breeze overnight, there's nothing stopping temperatures from plummeting even further. That'll lead into a cold, but dry start to the weekend. Even with a lot of sunshine through at least the first half of the day, high temperatures will stay below average. Lows tonight will be -2 to -16. Highs will hit 18 to 25 on Saturday.  

Tomorrow's Forecast

Capital Region Hourly Forecast | Hudson Valley Hourly Forecast

Today's Big Stories

1. New York to send more National Guard members to nursing homes

New York state will deploy 88 non-medically trained members of the National Guard to bolster staffing at nursing homes across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday. The National Guard members will supplement the 120 medically trained staff at the facilities that have experienced a staffing shortage amid the spread of the omicron variant in the last two months.

2. Local Hispanic communities seek COVID-19 information, resources

Some members of Hudson Valley’s Hispanic community are feeling left out from receiving information about COVID-19 vaccines and other health concerns regarding the virus. Marcela Barboza, a resident of Newburgh for 24 years, says over the course of the pandemic, the Hispanic community has been lacking information regarding vaccines.

3. New York unemployment still lags behind the nation

New York businesses last month added 45,400 jobs last month and the state's unemployment rate fell from 6.6% to 6.2% in December, the state Department of Labor on Friday announced.

4. Robotic pets provide comfort for isolated older adults

LifePath, a service that provides support for Albany seniors like Beverly Morey, recently received companionship pets for their homebound older adults.

5. White House launches phone hotline for free COVID-19 tests  

The Biden administration on Friday launched a telephone number for individuals to call and order free COVID-19 test kits. The phone line launch comes on the heels of the federal COVIDtests.gov website that went live on Tuesday.

6. Biden urges Congress to pass manufacturing bill as Intel unveils plans to build Ohio facility

President Biden on Friday applauded Intel’s announcement that it’s investing more than $20 billion to build a new computer chip facility in Ohio. Biden also called on Congress to pass legislation that would fund semiconductor production and development, and strengthen supply chains.

Your Notes for the Weekend

• Grafton Lakes Cabin Fever event is 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Grafton Lakes State Park. 
• Ice Castles Lake George in Charles Wood Park opens for the first time Sunday.  
• U.S. begins requiring all foreign travelers entering the country to be fully vaccinated.