Tag Archives: NYC

The New York Daily News reports: Santa Claus is not coming to town this year. Macy’s announced Thursday that jolly o’ Saint Nick wouldn’t be making the trip to its flagship location in Manhattan this holiday season, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it would be impossible to have visitors socially distance, given that over a quarter million …

The New York Times reports: Amy Cooper, the white woman who called the police on a Black bird-watcher in Central Park, made a second, previously unreported call to 911 in which she falsely claimed that the man “tried to assault her,” a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Ms. Cooper, who appeared in court remotely to answer misdemeanor charges that she had …

Gothamist reports: A prominent Hasidic rabbi who tested positive for COVID-19 last week continued leading large indoor prayer services in Borough Park this weekend — even after the New York City Sheriff’s Office issued the synagogue a fine for violating the governor’s hot spot restrictions. The Bobov-45 shul was one of five religious congregations in Borough Park that received a …

The New York Post reports: Dozens of noisy protesters gathered outside the Brooklyn home of an Orthodox journalist on Sunday night in reaction to the arrest of activist Heshy Tischler for allegedly inciting an unruly mob to attack him. “No Heshy, no peace,” the protesters chanted at Jacob Kornbluh, a reporter for Jewish Insider who was assaulted last Wednesday during …

The New York Daily News reports: City officials gave out 62 fines totaling $150,000 for violations of COVID-19 rules in hot spots in Brooklyn and Queens over the weekend, the city government said Sunday. Five unnamed religious institutions were among those hit with fines. The crackdown came amid an alarming spike in COVID cases from Borough Park, Brooklyn, to Kew …

Gothamist reports: A federal judge on Friday denied a request by Jewish organizations to temporarily block Governor Andrew Cuomo’s order to restrict attendance at houses of worship as part of a renewed shutdown in regions of the state experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases. “[The governor] has lawfully exercised his power without religious animus to make sure we don’t find …

Forbes reports: Orthodox Jewish groups in New York City filed a federal lawsuit Thursday in an attempt to block New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent restrictions on the number of people allowed in a house of worship amid a sharp spike in coronavirus infections – the suit comes after two nights of chaotic demonstrations against the crackdown. Cuomo announced heavy …

NBC New York reports: Members of the ultra-Orthodox community in New York City gathered on the streets late Tuesday to protest the new restrictions imposed on neighborhoods with alarming numbers of new COVID-19 cases. Some protesters attempted to block the camera when NBC New York’s crew arrived at the scene in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, but video shows …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Cuomo unveiled a plan to combat coronavirus “clusters” Tuesday that includes closing businesses and limiting religious gatherings in areas seeing a surge in cases. The governor called the measure a “last resort” and blamed the uptick in infections in the city on Mayor de Blasio failing to enforce social distancing and mask-wearing mandates. …

CNBC reports: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday ordered schools in certain New York City neighborhoods closed within a day in an attempt to halt flare-ups of the coronavirus. The governor took the action a day after the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, asked the state for permission to reinstate restrictions schools and businesses in nine ZIP codes in …

Gothamist reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced that he would seek to close non-essential businesses and all schools, both public and private, in nine ZIP codes in South Brooklyn and Central Queens where coronavirus cases have surged for weeks, as health officials scramble to avert a broader outbreak. “In Brooklyn and Queens we are having an extraordinary problem, …

The New York Post reports: The outer-borough COVID spike is growing. City Hall revealed late Wednesday that the major southern Brooklyn coronavirus outbreak cluster now spans from Brighton Beach all the way to eastern Crown Heights. Central Queens and Far Rockaway also recorded coronavirus- infection rates of between 3 percent and almost 7 percent based on a two week rolling …

NBC New York reports: Alarmed by soaring infection rates in nearly a dozen New York ZIP codes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo felt compelled to hold a second conference call in two hours Monday to discuss the clusters and warned drastic measures may come next. Of 1,769 ZIP codes in the state, Cuomo said 10 are averaging an infection rate of about …

The New York Daily News reports: A Bronx man is accused of hacking to death with a machete a man he met on a dating hook up app — and his roommate walked in on the bloody aftermath, police sources said Monday. Juan Alonso, 50, was charged Monday with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. Cops are still …

The Guardian reports: From its chandelier-lit temples of fine dining to greasy spoons open 24/7, New York is a city with more than 25,000 restaurants. Every year they draw millions of locals and tourists from around the world – and nobody has been allowed to eat inside of one for six months. That all changes on Wednesday, when restaurants can …

The New York Times reports: Facing a worrying spike in coronavirus cases in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, New York City health officials began carrying out emergency inspections at private religious schools on Friday and threatened to impose an extraordinary lockdown in those communities that would be the first major retreat by the city on reopening since the pandemic began. Mayor Bill …

Gothamist reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that outdoor dining, which has become a major lifeline for the restaurant industry during the pandemic, will become “permanent and year-round.” “I want us to go for the gold here, and take this model and make it a part of the life of New York City for years and generations to come,” …

The New York Times reports: Corey Johnson, the New York City Council speaker and a presumed front-runner in the 2021 contest to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio, withdrew from the race on Thursday. Mr. Johnson, who was expected to announce his decision on Thursday afternoon, had been grappling for weeks about whether to continue his candidacy. “I have made the …

Gothamist reports: Event organizers today announced that this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be “a virtually enhanced celebration.” Organizers say there will be “an extremely limited group of in-person honorees, socially distanced, who will reflect the themes, challenges and inspirations of 2020.” Otherwise, their announcement makes it sound like Times Square will be mostly human-free for …

The New York Times reports: The Metropolitan Opera announced Wednesday that the still-untamed coronavirus pandemic has forced it to cancel its entire 2020-21 season, prolonging one of the gravest crises it has faced in its 137-year history and keeping it dark until next September. The decision is likely to send ripples of concern through New York and the rest of …