Governor Cuomo Announces New Record High Number of COVID-19 Tests Reported

 

145,811 COVID-19 Test Results Reported to New York State Yesterday

20 ZIP Codes in Areas with Hot Spots - Brooklyn, Queens and Orange and Rockland Counties - Have 5.8 Percent Positivity Rate 

Statewide Positivity Excluding Hot Spot ZIP Codes is 1.01 Percent; 1.26 Percent with Hot Spot ZIP Codes Included

10 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

SLA and State Police Task Force Visits 637 Establishments; Observes 7 Establishments Not in Compliance

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that 145,811 COVID-19 diagnostic test results were reported to New York State yesterday—a new record high. In the top 20 ZIP codes in areas that have seen recent outbreaks - Brooklyn, Queens, and Rockland and Orange Counties - 7,349 tests were conducted, yielding 426 positives or a 5.8 percent positivity rate. In the remainder of the state, 138,462 tests were conducted yielding 1,410 positives or a 1.01 percent positivity rate.

"Yesterday we did 145,000 tests, which is a new record for the State of New York. That's more tests than anyone's doing in the United States, a new high for us. The tests, and the reason we're increasing tests, is we're testing two universes--the normal statewide testing, which is what we've been doing, and then testing just in the hot spot ZIP codes," Governor Cuomo said. "Some have reported that the state's infection rate is going up. That is not a fact and that is incorrect. The clusters are what we are watching. The clusters are 6 percent of the state population. I don't think there's any other state that does enough testing to even know what 6 percent of the population is doing. So don't confuse 6 percent of the population and say it's representative of the state."

New York State continues to track clusters with a particular focus on areas where there are hot spot, cluster situations. Within the top 20 ZIP codes in counties with recent outbreaks - Brooklyn, Queens, and Rockland and Orange Counties - the average rate of positive tests is 5.8 percent. The rate of positive tests for the remainder of New York State, not counting these 20 ZIP codes, is 1.01 percent. These 20 ZIP codes contained 23.2 percent of all positive cases in New York State yesterday, but represent only 6.2 percent of the state's population.

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 637 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 7 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday's observed violations is below:

• Suffolk - 7

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization - 754 (+6)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 106
• Hospital Counties - 37
• Number ICU - 172 (-4)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 67 (-5)
• Total Discharges - 77,351 (+84)
• Deaths - 10
• Total Deaths - 25,555

Wave Hill Events: Virtual and Onsite!

 

This October is all about autumn and art at Wave Hill, in the gardens, at the Family Art Project—back onsite outdoors—fall exhibitions and virtual talks with our current artists!

Plan your visit to the gardens--you can reserve your ticket here--advance registration is required.

Fall Exhibitions (ONSITE)

The first of our Fall 2020 exhibitions have been installed and we are thrilled to be reopening Glyndor Gallery to the public. Visit wavehill.org for most up-to-date hours and visitor policies so you can see these works in person.

In Conversation—Tiffany Jaeyeon Shin & Dr. Vanessa Agard-Jones (VIRTUAL) 

Thursday, October 8, 2-3PM

New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellow Tiffany Jaeyeon Shin will be in conversation with Dr. Vanessa Agard-Jones, moderated by Curator of Visual Arts Eileen Jeng Lynch. Topics include queer ecologies, fugitivity, toxicity, and decoloniality. The conversation will be pre-recorded and screened with a live Q &A on Facebook and can be viewed on this page.

This program is in conjunction with Tiffany Jaeyeon Shin’s Sunroom Project Space exhibition M for Membrane, which explores the membrane, mystery, and magic of microbial forms, fungi, and indigenous mold. In this indoor and outdoor multimedia installation, the fermenter—the artist—facilitates a community of indigenous leaf mold created from decomposed leaves, embodying the role of the witch, the scientist, and the alchemist, and from it, looks for possibilities of animacy and deep time. 

Family Art Project: Nurtured Nature Homes (ONSITE)

Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 10AM-1PM

What structures of support does a plant need to grow? How do animals survive and thrive in the homes they build? Learn from insects, animals, and even plants, about how nature is nurtured by the habitat it lives in. Use natural materials to build structures of support, creating small shelters that nurture a sense of home.

See our new guidelines and join us on the Conifer Slope!

Meet the Artist: Gracelee Lawrence in Conversation with Eileen Jeng Lynch (VIRTUAL)

Thursday, October 22, 2-3PM

Sunroom Project Space artist Gracelee Lawrence will be in conversation with Curator of Visual Arts Eileen Jeng Lynch about Lawrence’s exhibition The Other Escapes, the Ones You Can Open in Yourself on the lawn behind Glyndor Gallery. Lawrence’s sculptural fountain explores the relationship between the body, propagated plants and technology—connections between humans and the natural world—as well as the sociopolitical histories of gardens.

On top of a pedestal is a yellow-green biocyborg comprising a human-like body lying over its knees, a single dangling arm, its head a flowering angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia) drooping toward a basin of water, and a tail that resembles the plant’s stem.

This program will be streamed live on Facebook and on this page.

Family Art Project: Dear Decay (ONSITE)

Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, 10AM-1PM

When trees, leaves and other parts of nature decay, they transform into material that is returned to the earth to become a food source for decomposers. Learn the process of decomposing using microscopes and deep observation, then catalogue these observations, and how they make you feel, in your own hand-bound book made of envelopes. Fill these envelopes with pressed decaying leaves and flowers along with letters you write and allow to decay.

See our new guidelines and join us on the Conifer Slope!

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS: Special restricted hours as New York City recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic: 10AM–5:30PM, Wednesdays–Sunday.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

Cummings for Congress - UNION MAN JOHN CUMMINGS RECEIVES UNION ENDORSEMENTS

 

UNION MAN JOHN CUMMINGS RECEIVES PLASTERERS AND CEMENT MASONS ENDORSEMENTS

Today, Local 780 Cement Masons as well as Local 262 and Local 40 Plasterers Unions, endorsed John Cummings over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the race for Congress in New York's 14th District. Cummings, a former NYPD officer and high school civics teacher has been a longtime member of the AFL-CIO Gino Castignoli, Business Manager / Financial Secretary of the Northeast District Council (NEDC) of the Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association (OPCMIA) said, "This endorsement was a no-brainer for us. John knows firsthand that union membership is a ticket to the middle class and that everything AOC does and stands for is to eliminate the middle class altogether. We have fought long and hard for the health, safety and benefits for our union membership and we know that John will be right there with us in this fight in Congress. He fights for us because he is one of us." Dale Alleyne, Local 262 Business manager and President of NEDC said, "Our members are with John Cummings, because they know he's with us. Our current Congresswoman has no idea what our members go through on a daily basis and therefore does not represent our interests. We trust John to be our voice in Congress." Michael Holzknecht, Assistant Business Manager for 780 and NEDC said, "I know John personally and I know that he will stand up for our union values in Congress. Now more than ever, we need someone fighting for our way of life in our nation's capital. Without John in Congress, everything we've been fighting for is in jeopardy." John Cummings said, "I am humbled by the support our campaign has received from the good working people of the Bronx and Queens. I've been a longtime union member and I know the struggle that working families are going through in New York City right now.I have lived and/or worked in this district my whole life. I sit in the same traffic on the Cross Bronx and eat in the same restaurants as the working people of this district and they know that I will fight for them in Congress because I am one of them. We've fought way too hard for way too long to let Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's brand of socialism destroy our way of life."

ABOUT JOHN Born and raised in Parkchester, John Cummings followed in his father's footsteps and was sworn in as a New York City Police Officer in 1983. Initially assigned to NSU (Neighborhood Stabilization Unit) 7, in the South Bronx, which covered the 40, 42, 44, and 48 precincts, he was then assigned to the 46th precinct, where he remained for 2 years. He was later assigned to the NYPD Harbor Unit, where he served first as an operations coordinator in the Bronx, and then as a member of the Harbor George unit in College Point, Queens. John suffered a serious knee injury in the line of duty, and was forced to retire in July 1991, and did so with multiple commendations for bravery and excellence in the line of duty. Returning to his alma mater, Saint Raymond High School for Boys, John has been teaching History and Government for over 20 years. He has also been the Alumni Coordinator, Director of Development, the History Department Chairperson, and the Recruiting Coordinator, a role he now handles in addition to his teaching duties. John also serves as the cantor at school Masses, held on Catholic Holy Days of obligation. For more information please visit https://cummings2020.com

AOC Organizing Team - Check your voter registration status before this critical deadline

                                                                                                                                                                          

Our democracy is on the ballot this November, and the result depends on what we do between now and Election Day.

With so many important issues, like climate change, health care, and immigration on the ballot, it is critical that we ensure an unprecedented voter turnout. That’s where you come in, Robert.

Will you check your voter registration status today? The deadline to register to vote is tomorrow, October 9th. You can register to vote online with a NY driver’s license or NYS identification card, or by mail.

Your vote is an act of solidarity. We need to stand up for the most vulnerable people in our society. We need to show up for our brothers and sisters who don’t make a living wage. We need to show up for immigrants. We need to show up for our trans and gender non-conforming brothers, sisters, and siblings who face violence daily.

It’s true, there’s no single politician who has the answers to all of these challenges facing our society. You are the answer. Mass movements are the answer. Millions of people are the answer. And it begins with you voting this November.

Check your voter registration

Thank you for doing your part today.

In solidarity,

AOC Organizing Team

Paid for by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress

MAYOR DE BLASIO DECLARES SPECIAL ELECTION DATE FOR THE 12TH COUNCIL DISTRICT IN THE BRONX

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio today made the following statement on the special election in the New York City Council’s 12^th District, left open by the expulsion of former Council Member Andy King:

 

“I am declaring Tuesday, December 22, 2020 as the date for the 12^th City Council District special election to elect a Council Member to serve until December 31, 2021. This date, within the window allowed by the City Charter, will facilitate maximum voter participation. I encourage all eligible Bronx residents to vote early, in person, or by absentee ballot in the upcoming special election and get the representation they deserve.” 

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress during COVID-19 Pandemic - OCTOBER 7, 2020

 

20 ZIP Codes in Areas with Hot Spots - Brooklyn, Queens and Rockland and Orange Counties - Have 5.1 Percent Positivity Rate

Statewide Positivity Excluding Hot Spot ZIP Codes is 1.05 Percent; 1.25 Percent with Hot Spot ZIP Codes Included

Recent Uptick in Hospitalizations Driven By Same ZIPs Seeing High Infection Rate 

8 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

SLA and State Police Task Force Visits 596 Establishments; Observes 6 Establishments Not in Compliance

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the top 20 ZIP codes in areas that have seen recent outbreaks - Brooklyn and Queens and Rockland and Orange Counties - 5,311 tests were conducted, yielding 271 positives or a 5.1 percent positivity rate. In the remainder of the state, 102,935 tests were conducted yielding 1,089 positives or a 1.05 percent positivity rate.

The Governor noted that the recent uptick in hospitalizations over the past several weeks is driven primarily from the same hotspot ZIP codes in counties where we are seeing increases in cases. For the top 20 ZIPs in the four counties we are primarily seeing the most serious cluster outbreaks - Brooklyn, Queens, Orange and Rockland Counties - these ZIPs represent just 6.7 percent of the state's population - yet 20 percent of all new hospital admissions over past two weeks are from these ZIPs.

"We've seen time and time again throughout this pandemic—mass gatherings become a cluster, which can spread and become an outbreak if we don't stop the cluster early," Governor Cuomo said. "Our numbers remain good news, but the infection rate in these hot spots is 5 times what the rate is statewide. These restrictions are better than going back to shutdown, which is what we've seen in states across the nation as the infection rate goes up. As we go through this fall season and tackle these clusters, it's going to take the work of all New Yorkers to maintain our progress and the work of local governments to enforce the rules. We will get through this the way we have so far, by continuing to wash our hands, wearing our masks, remaining socially distant and by being New York Tough."

New York State continues to track clusters with a particular focus on areas where there are hot spot, cluster situations. Within the top 20 ZIP codes in counties with recent outbreaks - Brooklyn, Queens, Rockland and Orange Counties - the average rate of positive tests reported to New York State yesterday is 5.1 percent. The rate of positive tests for the remainder of New York State, not counting these 20 ZIP codes, is 1.05 percent. These 20 ZIP codes contained 20 percent of all positive cases in New York State yesterday, but represent only 6.7 percent of the state's population.

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 596 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 6 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday's observed violations is below:

·         Manhattan - 1

·         Nassau - 5

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

·         Patient Hospitalization - 748 (+43)

·         Patients Newly Admitted - 129

·         Hospital Counties - 36

·         Number ICU - 176 (+18)

·         Number ICU with Intubation - 72 (+0)

·         Total Discharges - 77,267 (+75)

·         Deaths - 8

·         Total Deaths - 25,545

Manhattan Resident Charged In Tribeca Shooting

 

 Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea, announced that JEMFFORD PEREZ, a Manhattan resident, was arrested this morning and charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with a shooting that occurred in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan on September 27, 2020. PEREZ was presented before United States Magistrate Gabriel W. Gorenstein in Manhattan federal court today.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “On a typically tranquil Sunday of last month, the streets of Tribeca were disrupted with the alarming sound of gunfire, as Jemfford Perez is alleged to have recklessly fired four shots in broad daylight at an individual who was thankfully not struck.  Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the N.Y.P.D, Perez now faces serious prison time for his alleged potentially deadly conduct which put innocent lives at risk.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “We applaud our NYPD detectives and partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District for answering this unacceptable crime with swift and strong consequences.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint[1]:

On September 27, 2020, around 4:56 p.m., PEREZ was outside near 155 Franklin Street in Tribeca, when an individual arrived at the same location and parked his vehicle on the street. PEREZ armed himself, approached the individual, and opened fire four times at close range while an individual stood next to his vehicle, though the individual was not struck by the gunfire. PEREZ then fled the scene.

PEREZ, 24, of Manhattan, New York is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD.

The charge contained in the complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj Joins the 49th Precinct and INCA Relief for Book Bag and Food Giveaway

It was an overcast windy day at the 49th Precinct where the Precinct Book Bag and food giveaway with Councilman Mark Gjonaj took place in the late afternoon. The giveaway was held in the Muster Room where police officers are given their daily and special orders for the day. 

Councilman Gjonaj looked a little like Santa Claus with his bag of giveaways in special face masks for everyone. Those on hand included the Community Affairs officers, 80th A.D. Female District Leader Irene Estrada, Pastor J. Gooding, Rabbi Thompson, and Elder Iriebi of the 49th Precinct Clergy Council. Also on hand was Shabbir Gul and members of the INCA relief fund.

Above - All who participated in the Book Bag Food Giveaway hold a book bag that was given away. 

Below - Councilman Gjonaj had a special face mask for this young boy.

Councilman Gjonaj with the Female District Leader from the 80th Assembly District, Irene Estrada.