Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - JUNE 30, 2022

 

15 Statewide Deaths Reported Yesterday

 NOTE: Beginning June 24, 2022, the Vaccine data will be updated weekly on Fridays to align with CDC's updated data refresh schedule. For additional information on COVID-19 Vaccination Data provided by CDC, see https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total.

NOTE: Updates to the CDC's cumulative death data files are being delayed, as the CDC upgrades its system. Any questions about this should be directed to the CDC. During this time, total deaths and new daily deaths reported through HERDS will continue as normal.

Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.

"As we continue to monitor the current numbers, I encourage all New Yorkers to keep using the tools we know that work to protect against COVID-19," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on your vaccine and booster doses. Parents and guardians, now is a great time to consult with your child's pediatrician about getting them vaccinated. Test if you have symptoms, and if you're positive stay home and talk to you doctor about treatment."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 34.47
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 27.76
• Test Results Reported - 74,439
• Total Positive - 6,737
• Percent Positive - 8.88%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 5.91%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,990 (-57)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 334
• Patients in ICU - 192 (+6)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 77 (+4)
• Total Discharges - 315,794 (+365)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 15
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 56,560

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 72,079

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:

Borough	Monday, June 27, 2022	Tuesday, June 28, 2022	Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Bronx	5.29%	5.44%	6.20%
Kings	2.41%	3.00%	3.90%
New York	6.63%	6.80%	7.07%
Queens	7.36%	7.45%	8.04%
Richmond	5.73%	6.19%	7.13%

Bronx Gang Member Who Shot 12-Year Old Child In Playground Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NICHOLAS JOSEPH, a/k/a “Gotti,” a/k/a “Finesse,” was sentenced today to 22 years in prison in connection with his participation in the Castle Hill Crew, a violent street gang based in the Castle Hill Houses in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx, including for his role in the shooting of a 12-year old child on April 28, 2017, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, fraud, and other acts of violence.  On September 22, 2021, a jury found JOSEPH guilty of racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, and firearms offenses after a seven-day trial.  U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel imposed today’s sentence.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “For years, Nicholas Joseph actively participated in the Castle Hill Crew, a violent gang that infected the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx with guns, drug dealing, fraud, and violence.  These crimes included a shooting in a crowded playground next to an elementary school, which seriously injured a 12-year-old child.  Today’s lengthy sentence sends an important message to gang members who commit crimes that they will be apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

As alleged in the Indictment and based on the evidence at trial and statements made in open court:

Between in or about 2014 and in or about December 2020, JOSEPH was a member and associate of the Castle Hill Crew, a racketeering enterprise that operated principally in the Castle Hill Houses in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx.  In order to enrich the enterprise, preserve and protect the power of the enterprise, and enhance its criminal operations, Castle Hill Crew members and associates committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence, including murder; distributed and possessed with intent to distribute narcotics; engaged in fraud; and obtained, possessed, and used firearms.

On or about November 19, 2015, JOSEPH and others stabbed a rival gang member in the head and back.

On or about April 28, 2017, JOSEPH shot at rival gang members in the vicinity of the Story Playground in the Bronx, New York, during which a 12-year-old child was injured.

In addition, on or about July 10, 2020, and in or around November 2020 and December 2020, JOSEPH illegally possessed firearms and ammunition. 

In addition to his prison term, JOSEPH, 23, of the Bronx, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York City Department of Investigation.

VCJC News & Notes 7/1/22

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders Shabbos Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar. Here are the times you need:   Shabbos Candles Friday 7/1/22 @ 8:13 pm Shabbos morning services at 8:45 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely.  Shabbos Ends Saturday 7/2/22 @ 9:16 pm   Blood Drive!  VCJC is hosting a blood drive on Sunday, July 31, from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm.  We need both people to donate blood and volunteers to help run the drive.   To donate:  https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/296446  To volunteer: Call the office or email Stu Harris.    Happy Independence Day! In observance of Independence Day, the office will be closed on Monday, July 4 Van Cortlandt Jewish Center 3880 Sedgwick Ave Bronx, NY 10463

MAYOR ADAMS TO TURN ON NEW YORK CITY’S SPEED CAMERAS 24/7 ON AUGUST 1, FOLLOWING MONTH-LONG PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

 

Multi-Agency, Multimedia Outreach Campaign in 11 Languages Will Remind Drivers About Coming Change

 

Speed Cameras Are Proven Preventive Tools That Save Lives, Reduce Speeding by 72 Percent

  New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced that New York City’s speed cameras will begin operating 24/7 on August 1, 2022, following a month-long public awareness campaign starting tomorrow to prepare drivers and all New Yorkers for the change. The city’s 2,000 automated speed cameras were previously authorized by the state to operate only on weekdays, between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, missing the 59 percent of traffic fatalities that occurred when the cameras were previously required to be turned off. A state law signed last week by New York Governor Kathy Hochul now allows the cameras to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Speed cameras and automated traffic enforcement are proven, effective safety tools shown to reduce speeding by 72 percent.

 

“New Yorkers deserve to be safe on our streets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and keeping our cameras on is a critical step in that direction,” said Mayor Adams. “Speed cameras work: They save lives, reduce speeding, and help protect New Yorkers all across the city. And we are expanding this proven program to ensure that New Yorkers have that protection at any time of any day.”

 

“Sadly, we know reckless drivers are on our streets 24/7 — so our cameras must be on 24/7 too,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Thanks to the hard work of many people, our cameras will now be on at all hours, helping to keep our streets safer.”

 

“Overnight and weekend crashes have become far too prevalent in recent years, and we are so grateful that state legislators heard our call for 24/7 speed-camera coverage,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “We thank the mayor for his support as we put together an aggressive plan to get this critical law up and running. As we make the nation’s largest automated enforcement network even more effective, we will get out the word about this new law, which will allow us to start saving lives on our streets as soon as possible.”

The city’s automated enforcement program has been highly effective at both reducing speeding and changing driver behavior when cameras are active. Since the start of the speed camera program in 2014, speeding violations are down 72 percent on average at camera locations in the 750 school zones citywide during the hours they operate. Most vehicles caught speeding have only received one or two tickets since the start of the program. Still, traffic violence and rampant speeding have skyrocketed nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in New York City — and 31 percent of on-street traffic fatalities now occur in camera zones during hours when the city’s speed cameras could not previously operate, inhibiting the city’s ability to identify drivers and take appropriate action.

 

Starting tomorrow, July 1, DOT will launch a month-long messaging and outreach campaign to inform New Yorkers of the program’s expansion ahead of the August 1^st implementation date. Digital and print materials will be available in 11 languages.

 

The campaign will include:

 

• Paid Media: The city will leverage paid and pro-bono media to amplify speed camera expansion communications, with a total investment of $500,000 and a special focus on community and ethnic media.

 

• Digital Communications: The city will deploy a 30-day “countdown” social media campaign to provide details of the speed camera expansion and explain the program’s benefits.

 

• Physical Outreach: DOT has produced postcards that will be distributed by DOT Street Teams. Ahead of the August 1^st change, Vision Zero agency partners will partner on a Day of Awareness — a large-scale, five-borough, on-street event. Finally, DOT will produce a notice that will be included in all speed camera violations.

 

• Education Programs: DOT will modify its summer and fall programs in schools, senior centers, and community centers to specifically address the change in the law and the safety benefits of the program.

 

The new effort follows Mayor Adams’ historic investment of more than $900 million in street safety announced in his Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget. Earlier this year, Mayor Adams also announced a plan to redesign 1,000 intersections across New York City to protect pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

 

“Speed cameras are an essential tool to keep all New Yorkers, from pedestrians and cyclists to TLC-licensed drivers and passengers, safe from traffic violence — but they can’t be effective when they’re turned off,” said New York City Taxi and Limousine Commissioner (TLC) and Chair David Do. “We are grateful to Mayor Adams, Commissioner Rodriguez, Governor Hochul, and the state Legislature for expanding the city’s speed camera program and ensuring that road users are protected from reckless drivers regardless of the time of day.”

 

“Turning speed cameras on 24/7, 365 days a year is a critical step towards improving safety and protecting all New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “As a Vision Zero Task Force member agency, we believe that decreasing speed can lead to an increase in traffic safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists. Expanding camera hours is one of many tools we can lean on to improve our city and promote safe driving. At DCAS, we expect all of our fleet operators to remain focused and abide by traffic laws, and we encourage all motorists to do the same.”

Partnerships for Parks - Free Webinars in July

 

WORKING WITH NYC PARKS: HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS Community groups who support neighborhood parks and green spaces are most effective when they understand how NYC Parks operates and develop relationships with staff. NYC Parks may be a challenging system to navigate, but this webinar will help lay the groundwork for a mutually beneficial relationship, so you can best advocate for—and lead—projects in your community. Join us to learn more about: How NYC Parks is structured, both centrally and in each borough. Examples of successful community group relationships with NYC Parks staff. Tips on how to build working relationships and lead park projects. Relevant COVID-19 updates to NYC Parks policies. Featured speakers: Ted Enoch, Director of Catalyst at Partnerships for Parks Ismael Guzman, Outreach Coordinator at Partnerships for Parks Registration for this session is required and will close the day before the event. You will receive information on how to join the webinar once you register. Traducción en Español disponible. Wednesday, July 13, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm REGISTER NOW SOIL HEALTH BASICS WITH NYC PARKS GREENTHUMB Interested in gardening in a local park or green space? Partnerships for Parks (PfP) and sister program NYC Parks GreenThumb bring you a webinar around soil vitality and its impact on plants. Plant health is directly linked to the health of the soil it is growing in. If we take care of the soil, the soil will take care of our plants and crops. Join us to learn: The basics of soil science and soil health. Different ways to assess, prepare, and amend the soil in order to improve its vitality. Featured speaker:  Mara Gittleman, Workshops and Education Coordinator at NYC Parks GreenThumb. Registration for this session is required and will close the day before the event. You will receive information on how to join the webinar once you register. Traducción en Español disponible. Wednesday, July 27, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm REGISTER NOW Volunteers from Different Directions at Ramon Aponte Park on IMP-act Day. SPRING IMP-ACT DAY On Saturday, May 21st, despite the near-record breaking temperatures, Partnerships for Parks (PfP) supported 38 grassroots community groups who held beautification projects in parks across the city for Spring IMP-act Day (It’s My Park Action Day), one of the largest annual citywide volunteer days for parks in NYC.  Throughout the weekend, over 1,000 volunteers came out to remove weeds, spread mulch, trim trees, plant flowers, paint benches, clean trash, and replace fences; beautifying parks, gardens, street trees, beaches, and blocks across New York City ahead of what is sure to be another busy, hot summer with communities needing access to thriving green space more than ever.  Get involved with It's My Park year-round.  FIND A PROJECT Partnerships for Parks is a joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks that supports and champions a growing network of leaders caring and advocating for neighborhood parks and green spaces. We equip people and organizations with the skills and tools needed to transform these spaces into dynamic community assets.