The Countdown: Paterson superintendent talks school year preparations

In this edition of 'The Countdown,' we continue our back-to-school coverage with New Jersey's third largest city.

Unlike Newark students, masks will be optional for students in the Paterson School District when they head back to class.

Paterson School Superintendent Eileen Shafer joins our show to talk about that and more preparations ahead of the school year.

Here are the other headlines from Tuesday's show:

Hochul visits Penn Station to tout LIRR concourse upgrades

New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited Penn Station Tuesday to tout major improvements amid the billion-dollar redevelopment project. Some of the improvements include dramatic new high ceilings that are three times the old height inside the Long Island Rail Road concourse.

California facing chance of blackouts amid brutal heat wave

California is facing its highest chance of blackouts this year as a brutal heat wave continues to blanket the state with triple-digit temperatures. State energy officials said the electrical load Tuesday afternoon could top 51,000 megawatts, the highest demand the state has ever seen.