Attorney General James Issues Warning to LabQ Diagnostics to Stop Misrepresenting Turnaround Times for COVID-19 Test Results

 

Consumers Complaining of Waiting More Than 96 Hours for COVID-19 Test Results Despite Lab’s Promise of 48-Hour Turnaround

  New York Attorney General Letitia James, late yesterday, issued a warning letter to LabQ Diagnostics, a Brooklyn-based laboratory with dozens of mobile locations across New York City, after learning that some consumers have been waiting over 96 hours for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test results, even though the company advertises that consumers can expect results within 48 hours. The letter notifies LabQ that New York law prohibits false advertising and instructs the company to immediately update its signage at testing sites and on the company’s website to accurately reflect how long individuals can expect to wait before receiving COVID-19 test results.

“With the Omicron wave hitting in the middle of the holiday season, New Yorkers need timely COVID-19 test results more than ever to make decisions about whether they can safely travel or gather with loved ones,” said Attorney General James. “LabQ’s own website states, ‘Turnaround Time Matters,’ but so does being honest with consumers. LabQ and all other labs should ensure that they are giving consumers accurate information about when to expect test results. Consumers need to have the proper information so they can decide whether to take a rapid or PCR test, as well as to make informed decisions when choosing a testing provider that can meet their needs.”

In addition to warning LabQ to update its website and signage and to instruct its employees to provide accurate information concerning turnaround times, the letter issued by Attorney General James requests that LabQ contact all of its customers who are currently awaiting COVID-19 test results to let them know when they can realistically expect to receive those results.

Attorney General James asks any consumer who believes a lab or other testing facility is making misleading statements about their turnaround time for COVID-19 test results to file a complaint online with the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau or call the office at 1-800-771-7755.

Governor Hochul Announces 200,000 Meals Will Be Delivered to Communities in Need Through the Restaurant Resiliency Program During the Holiday Season

 

$25 Million Program Builds on the Successful Nourish New York Initiative, Providing a Boost to Struggling Restaurants While Feeding Families in Need

Restaurants in the Program Represent Diversity of New York State Regions and Communities

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York State’s Restaurant Resiliency Program will be delivering 200,000 meals to New Yorkers in need through the end of the holiday season. Restaurants involved in the program are in all regions of New York State and represent the diversity of the state, with many participating restaurants preparing Kosher and Halal meals and representing minority and women owned businesses.

“During the holiday season, no family in the state of New York should go hungry,” Governor Hochul said. “The Restaurant Resiliency Program takes an innovative approach to help New Yorkers facing food insecurity and restaurants struggling during the pandemic. Programs like these showcase the spirit of generosity and collaboration that is crucial to New York’s success.”

Through the program, the Department of Agriculture and Markets has received several hundred applications from restaurants to date, more than one third of which have come from minority and woman owned businesses. Of those, 215 restaurants have been approved including 34 restaurants that are preparing Kosher and Halal meals. Additionally, restaurants have been approved in the regions of each of New York’s 10 food banks, illustrating the statewide reach of the program. View a list of approved restaurants here.

Examples of approved Restaurant Resiliency Program meal plans include:

• Barcha, New York, New York: 1,400 meals distributed through FACES NY, Inc. and the Food Bank for New York City.
  • Meals include beef meatballs in marinara sauce, herbed rice, and mesclun spring mix salad; crispy chicken, garlic butter mashed potatoes, and kale salad with honey mustard dressing; vegan jibarito with colossal tostones, avocado, ripe tomatoes, organic spinach, olives, and artichokes; Mediterranean grilled chicken, herb rice, and julienne vegetables; crispy fish, creamy mashed potatoes, and spring mix salad; and a hearty quinoa bowl, organic spinach, chickpeas, carrots, and avocado.
  • All of the meals use New York sourced ingredients.

• Fireside Holdings, Monsey, New York: 7,000 Kosher meals to be distributed through Tomche Shabbos of Rockland County and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
  • Meals include beef brisket with gravy, smashed Yukon potatoes, charred green beans, and fruit compote; and chicken breast, assorted mushrooms, brown rice with lentils and beans, and roasted pears.
  • New York sourced ingredients include onions, green beans, apples, mushrooms, pears, and chicken.

• Haskell’s Seafood Market and Café, Westhampton Beach, New York: over 500 meals to be distributed through New Direction Services, the Food Bank for New York City, and Long Island Cares.
  • Meals include porgy, beans, brown rice, and vegetables; tilefish curry with farro and vegetables; striped bass with quinoa, lentils, and vegetables; mango mahi-mahi with brown rice and vegetables; lemon pepper tuna with quinoa and vegetables; monkfish farro risotto with vegetables; seared sea scallops with quinoa and vegetables; and more.
  • New York sourced ingredients include tuna, monkfish, sea scallops, potatoes, parsley, kale, honey, porgy, tilefish, striped bass, thyme, spinach, and more.
• Serendipity, Ithaca, New York: 500 meals to be distributed through Enfield Food Pantry and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. 
  • Meals include: chicken with rice, bell pepper, onion, tomato, garlic, capers, rosemary, and thyme; chicken with rice, carrots, spinach, cream, sun-dried tomato, onion, garlic, and parmesan cheese; pulled pork with barbecue sauce, corn, and salt potatoes; and chicken sausage with couscous, onion, bell pepper, carrot, garbanzo bean, potato, squash, cauliflower, and tomato. 
  • New York sourced ingredients include onions, garlic, cream, and potatoes.   

The program is continuing to take applications from restaurants on a rolling basis and will continue to do so until all funds have been spent. Additional information and an application for the program can be found here.

PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON PREVENTING SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN NYC

 

 "Solitary confinement is torture, and punitive segregation as it has been defined by the city is solitary confinement by another name. The United Nations has called for the abolition of solitary confinement, yet just a few miles away on Rikers Island, the practice continued unabated for years. 

"This year, the city was finally set to implement the new Risk Management Assessment System, which was an insufficient but important step, before the administration paused it and prevented progress. As a new administration comes into office, the focus should be on creating the infrastructure needed to implement new systems and programs while ensuring that incarcerated people and corrections staff are safe, not on preserving the harmful practices of the past. Simultaneously, this means we need to continue efforts to decarcerate whenever possible as we advance the plan to expeditiously close Rikers. Passing legislation in the City Council to prohibit solitary, enshrining policy into law, is also essential and urgent. 

"This is a moment when we need to move forward; we cannot and will not go back. I intend to work with the incoming administration on achieving these goals."

12 Days and Counting

 The sky is falling Omicron is here, and it is going to hit the unvaccinated. Even if you are vaccinated you should get your booster shot to be safe, an if you get your Booster by December 31st or the last day I am Mayor the city will give you $100.00. Dr. Chokshi where are you, I want my Booster so I can put that one hundred dollar into my campaign for governor. I had one, can I have another?

What, That Ace Reporter Robert Press has a question for me, No, No No, I do not want to take a question from him. Robert Press will ask me for exact numbers of Omicron cases, and two days ago we only had 41 total cases in the city, an the state had only 129. I told Governor Hochul not to publish those figures again or we can not scare the public into getting vaccinated if those figures every got out. So the sky is falling and get your hundred dollars for getting your Booster shot, and we will come to you. Close schools, no, and New Years Eve, we don't know yet.

Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation Opens Investigation Into Civilian Death in Brooklyn

 

  The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has opened an investigation into the death of a civilian, who died on December 20, 2021, following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

In the early morning hours of December 20, 2021, NYPD officers responded to a 911 call about an individual who was allegedly armed. After the individual allegedly displayed a knife, the officers fired several times and the individual died. Following the incident, officers recovered a knife at the scene.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person, by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

These are preliminary facts and subject to change. 

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS AHEAD OF HOLIDAYS

 

"As I continue to isolate following my COVID-19 diagnosis, I am encouraged by some of the announced efforts to protect New Yorkers amid an Omicron wave and the holiday season, and deeply frustrated that they were not already in place. While expansion in testing and provision of at-home rapid tests are essential, the long lines across the city waiting for those tests show an abundant lack of preparation by the city. Barriers to testing also disproportionately harm lower income communities of more color, showing that we are still failing to learn from the mistakes of 2020.

"Given his apparent acknowledgement of the severity of risk, it is unclear to me why the Mayor has not yet shifted city workers to remote work wherever possible ahead of the holidays, with government offices leading by example. That shift should occur immediately. It also seems clear that despite calls since September, the Mayor and administration have not prepared the necessary infrastructure to make it possible to do the same for schools ahead of the holidays. They should begin preparations now in case a remote option should be necessary after the holidays, and follow the recommendation of incoming Comptroller Brad Lander to test students and educators ahead of a post-holiday return to classrooms.

"It’s not enough, as cases increase, to tout our vaccination rates in some areas. Vaccination and booster shots are the best and most essential tool we have to protect New Yorkers, but in this moment, they are not the only tool. We need to adapt – to mask up and get tested, and also to avoid large holiday gatherings and unsafe environments – to limit this wave, reduce the burden on our healthcare system, and prevent greater restrictions. New Yorkers know what works and what they can do to protect themselves and each other, and government needs to provide the infrastructure to make those precautions possible."

NYCHA Selects Development Partners For Major Rehabilitation Project Edenwald Houses In The Bronx

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has formally announced its development partners that will help complete a major rehabilitation project at Edenwald Houses, one of the oldest and largest public housing developments in the agency’s portfolio. The portfolio comprises 40 residential buildings spread across 48 acres in the Edenwald section of The Bronx.

NYCHA’s project partners include Camber Property Group, Henge Development, and SAA|EVI Development, which are expected to engage with current residents and community groups to refine all renovation plans. The partners were selected as a function of the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, which questioned prospective development teams on proposed building upgrades, management practices, potential sustainability and renewable energy retrofits, and enhancements to on-site social services.

When complete, the project will impact nearly 4,800 residents and more than 2,000 apartments.

 Current (left) and proposed rendering (right) of the new Edenwald Houses in The Bronx.

Current (left) and proposed rendering (right) of the new Edenwald Houses in The Bronx.

“The selection of this development team, and the process used for that selection, highlight the important changes NYCHA continues to make to improve the PACT program in partnership with its residents,” said Vicki Been, deputy mayor for housing and economic development. “The robust resident engagement and inclusion of both minority-led and minority women-led firms are further evidence of the benefits PACT can bring to NYCHA’s residents and the city at large.”

The Edenwald rehabilitation project includes improvements to building envelopes, mechanical systems, and individual units with particular focus on energy efficiency, the creation of quality housing, and reducing the portfolio’s overall carbon emissions. The project will also deliver a fully renovated senior center, new laundry facilities, improved waste management, and exterior site improvements including security, paved walkways, and outdoor green spaces.

“I’m looking forward to Edenwald’s partnership with Camber Property Group, Henge Development, and SAA|EVI Development,” said Edenwald Houses Tenant Association president Walter McNeill. “In addition to the major repairs that will be coming to our development through this partnership, we’re looking forward to the reopening of our senior center, which has been closed for several years. We’re also looking forward to the reopening of our laundry rooms, continuing with the resident watch program, and increasing the capacity of our compactor yard.”

The selected project team will use the Rental Assistance Demonstration program to transition operating subsidies to the Project-Based Section 8 program and finance the 20-year capital needs at the development. They will also be responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the development. NYCHA will continue to own the land and buildings, administer the Section 8 subsidy, set rents, manage the wait list for vacant apartments, and monitor conditions at the development.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023.

Yonkers Man Pleads Guilty To March 2011 Murder

 

 Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARCUS CHAMBERS, 30, a/k/a “Chino,” a/k/a “Chi D,” a/k/a “SP,” pled guilty today to participating in the murder of Jonathan Johnson, 21, on March 18, 2011, in White Plains, New York.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “In March 2011, Jonathan Johnson was shot dead, the victim of senseless drug-related violence.  Marcus Chambers has now admitted to participating in the murder while robbing Johnson of marijuana.  Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our law enforcement partners, Chambers now faces significant prison time for this terrible crime.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings[1]:

On or about March 18, 2011, CHAMBERS and his codefendant Darnell Kidd murdered Jonathan Johnson by shooting him during the course of an armed robbery for marijuana in White Plains, New York. CHAMBERS arranged by phone to purchase the marijuana from Johnson.  CHAMBERS and Kidd met with Johnson to rob him of marijuana, and during the robbery, Johnson was shot and killed.

CHAMBERS pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 and 18 U.S.C. § 2, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  In connection with his guilty plea, CHAMBERS admitted his role in the murder.  CHAMBERS also pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. 

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

CHAMBERS will be sentenced on March 22 or 23, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, to whom the case is assigned. 

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the White Plains Police Department and the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises agents and task force officers from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Probation Office, New York State Police, New York City Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Ramapo Police Department, Yonkers Police Department, Greenburgh Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Westchester County Police Department, and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.  Mr. Williams also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in this matter.

The Indictment against Darnell Kidd is merely an accusation, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described regarding Darnell Kidd should be treated as an allegation.