Schumer: Executive Orders Omit Funding for New York School Reopening, Testing & Tracing

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, Aug. 10, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer highlighted what he called some of the glaring deficiencies in President Donald Trump’s announced ‘Executive Orders’ that he said are cause for serious concern amid the public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. Schumer said President Trump’s actions yesterday “totally” leave out money for state and local governments—from New York City, to Long Island and beyond. He also said the orders totally exclude money for schools to reopen safely, a New York priority. Finally, Schumer warned the orders leave out testing, tracing and treatment of the coronavirus itself. Schumer

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Emergency Management Department and the Health Department advised New Yorkers on Monday, Aug. 10 to take precautions to beat the heat. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory in effect for New York City from 12 p.m. Monday through 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12. High heat and humidity are in the forecast each day, with heat index values in the mid to upper 90s. Cooling centers will open beginning Monday Aug. 10. Attendees must wear face coverings inside all cooling centers and adhere to social distancing guidelines. To find your nearest cooling center

By DAVID GREENE

Con Edison is slowly restoring power to the 21,655 customers in the Bronx who were left without it after Tropical Storm Isaias passed through the area on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The National Weather Service reported sustained winds in the area of 30 to 40 miles per hour, which brought down large trees on top of parked vehicles, houses and power lines. Power outages were reported in Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Bay Plaza, Kingsbridge, Williamsbridge and Riverdale. One resident of Williamsbridge reported that the lights went out Tuesday, briefly came back on Thursday night August 6, went off again

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Health Department detected mosquitoes with West Nile virus in New York City in mid-July. The infected Culex mosquitoes were collected in the Bronx and on Staten Island. No human cases have been reported to date. Mosquito season in New York City typically spans from April through September. The Health Department is increasing mosquito surveillance in the surrounding area by installing additional mosquito monitoring traps. There are currently over 53 surveillance sites citywide. The Department uses an integrated management approach to control mosquitos which can transmit West Nile virus and will spray pesticide to target mosquitoes

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), 13-member Climate Justice Working Group will hold its initial meeting on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 3 p.m. Established under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (2019), the Group is tasked with establishing criteria for identifying disadvantaged communities to reduce co-pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, compile regulatory impact statements, and manage the allocation of investments pursuant to the Act. The Act is among the most ambitious climate laws in the world and requires New York to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030, and no less than

By Síle Moloney

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the moratorium on evictions in New York State has been extended to Sept. 4. The moratorium was first put in place in March to protect residential and commercial tenants facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. “As long as we are in the middle of the pandemic, there will be no evictions,” he wrote on Aug. 7. On May 7, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the governor announced that the state’s moratorium on COVID-related residential or commercial evictions would be extended for an additional 60 days until Aug. 20. He also announced, at that

By Síle Moloney

Additional damage from Storm Isaias was evident in the Morris Park section of the Bronx as these photos dated Aug. 5 show. Our full story, published yesterday, on Storm Isaias can be read here. Check out our Facebook page for additional videos posted today of both the damage and the clean-up efforts in Williamsbridge Oval Park. As of Aug. 6 at 5.14 p.m., there were 14,494 households still without power in the Bronx. The estimated time for restoration of service, according to Con Ed, is Sunday, Aug. 9 by 11 p.m. Morris Park residents of the Bronx

By Síle Moloney

According to a report by JAMA Dermatology, as COVID-19 infection spreads globally, dermatologists are recognizing a variety of skin manifestations in patients with the coronavirus. JAMA Network Open is a monthly, open-access, medical journal published by the American Medical Association covering all aspects of the biomedical sciences. JAMA wrote that a recent Spanish report categorized skin findings in 375 patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19, including livedoid, a blood vessel disorder that causes painful ulcers and scarring on the feet and lower legs, and necrotic eruptions, which were noted in patients with more severe disease. Necrosis is a form of cell

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

Tropical Storm Isaias ripped through an already bruised New York City on Tuesday, Aug. 4, causing approximately 300,000 homes to lose power, including about 20,000 in the Bronx according to Con Edison. The National Weather Service reported sustained winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour during its passage, with a wind gust of 78 miles per hour reported in Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. In the Bronx, the storm uprooted trees and downed power lines along Bedford Park Boulevard, Jerome Park, and Morris Park, damaging several vehicles in the process. Several fallen trees were also seen in