Car thieves flocking to Staten Island during pandemic, many of them repeat offenders – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Car thieves from Brooklyn and the Bronx consider Staten Island an easy target, and theyre traveling by any means necessary to get here.

Every time we catch someone, another two show up, a Staten Island law enforcement source said. This is what were dealing with every night.

A surge in grand larceny auto incidents over the past few weeks on Staten Island has mirrored crime statistics across the city, while most other crimes have fallen drastically amid a citywide shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Police responded to 20 incidents on Staten Island over a four-week period from March 29 to April 26 after responding to about 40 incidents over the first three months of the year. Last April, police investigated about a dozen incidents.

The NYPD has seen a 31% percent uptick in the five boroughs so far this year compared to the same period in 2019, as well as a recent surge of incidents.

According to a written statement from the NYPD, about half of the vehicles reported stolen so far this year have been recovered by police.

JOY RIDES, 7-ELEVEN SHOPPING SPREES

Sources say larceny suspects who reside outside Staten Island travel by train, bus and ferry in search of unlocked vehicles and potentially valuable possessions inside of them.

Typically, the suspects are teenagers and young adults traveling in groups, looking to jump in an unlocked vehicle and take it for a spin across New York City, police sources said.

In some cases, the license plate is flagged the next night crossing over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge back into Staten Island, where suspects use stolen vehicles to target other cars on the East and South shores.

Other times, the vehicle is tracked to a neighborhood in Brooklyn, where it has been dumped.

Items stolen from vehicles in recent months have included cash, cell phones, laptops and credit cards.

Theyll use a credit card to spend like $20 at 7-Eleven for a few sodas," one source said.

Some law enforcement experts have speculated the recent surge in stolen cars could be due in part to the citywide shutdown, leaving some suspects with less to do and more vehicles parked in driveways for extended periods of time.

There have been instances where individuals have targeted areas where cars appear to not be used," an NYPD spokeswoman said Thursday.

IT FEELS LIKE WERE GETTING LAUGHED AT

Earlier this month, three NYPD officers were congratulated by top brass for arrests involving a report of a stolen vehicle on the South Shore and several car break-ins.

But despite several vehicle recoveries and arrests, often the same defendants are spotted by police carrying out another vehicle-related theft days or, in some cases, hours later.

In January, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, man was arrested and released three times in three weeks for allegedly stealing items from parked vehicles on Staten Island.

Evgeny Belov, 21, faces charges including petit larceny and unauthorized use of a vehicle; he is due in Richmond County Criminal Court on July 29, records show.

Leadership within the NYPD has pinned repeat offenders in part on bail reform laws, which now prohibit pretrial detention for most misdemeanors and some nonviolent felonies.

Last year, we were locking them up and putting them away," an officer on Staten Island recently told the Advance/SILive.com. This year, it feels like were getting laughed at."

Defense attorneys with the Legal Aid Society advocated for bail reform, and have stood in opposition to Cuomos recent push to roll it back.

A HOT BED

Suspects charged in connection with car thefts and other auto-related larcenies have told arresting officers that Staten Island has become a hot spot for thieves from neighborhoods outside the borough, including East New York and the Bronx, due to the abundance of unlocked cars parked on the street or in driveways.

But there also are Staten Islanders on the North Shore whom police have come to know as repeat offenders, a police source said.

Making things even harder for investigators is the current requirement to wear a face covering in public due to coronavirus, making it nearly impossible for officials to identify suspects captured on surveillance using stolen credit cards at gas stations or restaurants.

GLA TURNED HOMICIDE?

Police are investigating whether one or multiple suspects were inside a stolen SUV involved in a fatal crash Saturday night in Annadale.

The 2018 Lexus allegedly was traveling in the wrong direction when it slammed into a 2012 Ford SUV, killing a 32-year-old female and injuring a 35-year-old male.

Everything happened so fast, and [officers] were just focused on the girl," said a source familiar with investigation. The poor girl was ejected from the car.

The crash and a massive police search that followed sent what typically is a quiet neighborhood into a panic, as multiple neighbors reported seeing a suspect hopping fences to flee the scene.

As of Thursday, that investigation remained ongoing.

Read more from the original source:

Car thieves flocking to Staten Island during pandemic, many of them repeat offenders - SILive.com

VIRTUAL TOUR Island Farm: Going back in time to coastal farm life in the 1800s | The Coastland Times – The Coastland Times

Just north of Manteo on Roanoke Island lies a coastal farm replica, known as Island Farm. This unique farm was designed with its roots in mind.

In the late 1700s, the land where Island Farm rests now was deeded to members of the Etheridge family. Jesse, Tart and Adam III Etheridge began what would, at one point, cover over 400 acres of farmland.

The Etheridge family became well known on Roanoke Island for their agricultural dominance and wide swept, abundant fields of crops and livestock.

The site today showcases what the farm produced back in the mid-1800s. The Etheridge farm grew corn, peas and potatoes. It housed horses, sheep, oxen, pigs and chickens and would supply fish for the community.

The son of Adam Etheridge III, Adam Etheridge IV, married Francis Fanny Baum and built a large farmhouse on the property around 1845. The timber frame of the structure was built mainly from heart pine; the area on Roanoke Island where the homestead lies was commonly called Logtown during that time period.

Along with the growing of crops, the Etheridge farm would produce butter, milk, tea and more. A large windmill overlooks the farm from across the street today. At one point, a windmill on the farm was used to make cornmeal.

The Etheridge family had hired help for daily chores around the homestead, such as cooking, cleaning and working in the field. One cook, Crissy Bowser, lived on the farm until she was believed to be 100 years old.

Bowser worked as a cook from 1900 to 1910 and she continued to live on the farm until her death. She is buried at the foot of a large oak tree on the property.

A gravesite dedicated to the Etheridge family borders the farm and holds those that began the now historic site. Decedents are the only ones that can be buried alongside their ancestors there.

Island Farm features a blacksmith shop, which would not have been found on the farm, but would have been likely close by back in the 1800s. Looms are contained within the walls of the structures at Island Farm as well to demonstrate the intricate weavings that took place back then.

The farm now resides on 14 acres of land and still focuses heavily on agriculture and preserving the history of the Etheridge family. It was donated to Outer Banks Conservationists in 1997 by descendants.

In 2001, restoration to the Etheridge farmhouse began and it is now one of the only original structures on the property. In 2010, the farm was opened to the public.

To learn more, visit the Island Farm website at http://www.obcinc.org/vist-our-sites/island-farm.

READ ABOUT COMMUNITY NEWS HERE.

ALSO OF INTEREST:

VIRTUAL TOUR: The Elizabethan Gardens

PHOTO GALLERY: Life on the Farm

Link:

VIRTUAL TOUR Island Farm: Going back in time to coastal farm life in the 1800s | The Coastland Times - The Coastland Times

Analysis: Staten Island has the highest rate of people tested in NYC for COVID-19 – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- About two months after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit Staten Island, the borough holds the highest rate of people tested in New York City.

A total of 6,170 per 100,000 residents have been tested in the borough, according to an analysis the Advance/SILIve.com conducted using the latest data available from the New York City Department of Health.

The Bronx is currently has the second highest rate of people tested in New York City with 5,289 people for every 100,000 residents, the analysis found.

Manhattan is the borough with the lowest rate of tests with 2,996 people tested per 100,000 residents, according to the analysis.

The data includes people tested at any facility currently offering a nasal swab for COVID-19, not only those who got tested at locations ran by New York State or the City.

In the month of April, Staten Island saw a huge jump in testing.

As of April 4, 6,230 Staten Islanders received a test for the coronavirus, while as of April 30, 29,382 people were tested overall representing a 372% increase.

Of all the people tested, 11,763 resulted positive so far, data from the citys health department shows.

10

Photos of the pandemic in NYC: Our lives changed forever

ZIP CODE BREAKDOWN

Zip code 10314, which includes Bulls Head, Castleton Corners, Graniteville, Meiers Corners, New Springville, Travis, Westerleigh and Willowbrook, has both the highest number of people tested with 5,753 and the largest population of positive cases with 2,328 in total.

Other heavily impacted areas are Annadale, Arden Heights, Eltingville, Greenridge and Huguenot, which comprise the 10312 zip code, with 1,346 total cases and 3,488 tests, second overall.

The map below uses colors to illustrate the number of cases in each zip code. Darker colors symbolize higher numbers.

Number of cases on Staten Island by zip codes as of Friday, April 30. (Staten Island Advance/Irene Spezzamonte)

Zip Code 10307 has the lowest number of cases and tests so far with 345 positives for the virus and 928 people receiving a test.

The map below uses colors to illustrate the number of tests in each zip code. Darker colors symbolize higher numbers.

Number of tests on Staten Island by zip codes as of Friday, April 30. (Staten Island Advance/Irene Spezzamonte)

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Below are totals for the remaining zip codes:

Go here to see the original:

Analysis: Staten Island has the highest rate of people tested in NYC for COVID-19 - SILive.com

John Grisham Returns to Camino Island, This Time in Hurricane Season – The New York Times

Three years ago, John Grisham came up with a new formula for success. He ditched the lawyers to write an actual beach book, sand and all. This wouldnt be much of a departure for some authors, but coming from Grisham it was a delightful surprise all the more so because the sand was on the fictitious Camino Island, a Florida resort featuring one of the worlds great bookstores, stolen F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts, a colony of gossipy writers and a lot of languid vacation time. It also starred a woman, Mercer Mann, who put the book squarely in Reese Witherspoon country.

Anyone who enjoyed Camino Island came away hoping it was the start of a series. So readers may be glad to know that a sequel has arrived, although its tone isnt nearly as light. If Camino Winds is breezy, thats mostly because its plot involves a ferocious hurricane. This is a Camino book with elements of a more traditional Grisham thriller thrown in.

Mercer, who was a fledgling author in Camino Island, is now a literary and commercial success. The novel opens with a dinner party celebrating the end of her 34-stop book tour, which naturally brings her to Bruce Cables renowned Bay Books. With the authority of someone whos been doing whatever he likes for decades, Grisham has planted an extraordinary bookshop on Camino, with Bruce as the bon vivant who runs it.

Bruce is so passionate about his work that he often has flings with female writers who stop by. This is the kind of thing that could get Grisham into trouble if he had a pricklier following, but in Camino Winds it just adds to the gossipy atmosphere that hovers over the dinner party. We get full Southern hospitality in this early scene, from Bruces magazine quality table settings and candelabras to the menu to the chatter.

The biggest earner, who writes books about young vampires, is a bore about her movie. The ex-con is teased about his subject matter: Please, Bob, someone says. No more prison stories. After your last book I felt Id been gang-raped. (In this crowd, thats a compliment.) The brooding poet who never sells books is advised to write something raunchier under another name. The thriller writer who used to work as a high-powered lawyer tells fishing stories. And Mercers new two-book deal is envied but celebrated.

Then, with the literary chatter behind him, Grisham brings on the hurricane and the real story. Camino Island is hit hard and Nelson Kerr, the lawyer-turned-thriller writer, shows up dead.

Nelson had an unfinished book. Was he killed because of something that was in it? Want to guess?

Suddenly we find ourselves amid downed trees and heaps of wreckage, as Camino goes from island paradise to disaster area. In the midst of all this, Bruce, the prison writer Bob and Nick Sutton, a college kid who works summers in the bookstore, start their detective work. Nick is an entertaining character because he inhales crime novels and is thrilled to be able to start acting like a character in one. He starts saying things like Just what I suspected almost immediately.

Mercer fades into the background. And now were left with these three amigos, as Grisham calls them at one point, hunting down the bad guys (a phrase this book uses a lot). While Camino Island offered a sexy plot hook in the form of those Fitzgerald manuscripts, Camino Winds turns out to have a more serious, issue-oriented one. It has nothing to do with Camino or the bookstore and is more like the for-profit law school scam found in Grishams last legal thriller, The Rooster Bar.

Grisham knows how to tell stories like that. And to his credit, he doesnt entirely jettison the vacation mentality here, even if Camino itself is sidelined by disaster. Theres only so much time he can devote to having Bruce and his friends clear debris, after all, so over the course of the yearlong narrative he finds reasons to send them to hotels and meals elsewhere. But the island, the bookstore and the heroine were the first books main attractions, if only for their novelty in the Grishamverse. They are missed.

Camino Winds was intended as escapist entertainment, but its timing unavoidably gives it a different resonance. Camino Island will recover, but during most of the book its a shadow of its carefree old self. Tourists are gone and businesses are struggling. The story eventually involves many patients on life support. And Grisham, who is drawn to big issues but generally keeps politics out of his writing, uses the phrase pull a Trump to describe dodging liability by filing for bankruptcy. Come to think of it, Camino Winds is right for this moment after all.

More:

John Grisham Returns to Camino Island, This Time in Hurricane Season - The New York Times

Grand Island’s mayor wants to know how the feds will help, says city ‘has paid a price’ – Omaha World-Herald

If meatpacking plants are critical infrastructure that must remain open in a pandemic, then the federal government must supply more coronavirus testing for those essential workers, the mayor of hard-hit Grand Island said.

The federal government needs to provide the resources to assure the safety of the workers and, of course, thats testing, Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele said Thursday.

Meatpacking workers and plants have been deemed critical by President Donald Trump to keep Americas food supply well stocked, even as coronavirus outbreaks threaten workers health and plant operations. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday night invoking the Defense Production Act to keep meat and food production facilities open.

Roger Steele

So Steele wants to know: Whos going to test those workers and keep those plants up and running?

Steele, writing in a letter and speaking at his biweekly press conference Thursday, asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to visit Grand Island, home to a sprawling JBS USA beef plant, where more than 200 workers have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The president, by his stay-open order to JBS, is now responsible to make sure the workers at JBS are tested so we know that they are not infected by the virus when they enter the plant, said Steele, a registered Republican elected in 2018.

He said hed appreciate more answers and assistance from Perdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

I want Secretary Perdue to come to Grand Island so I can explain to him the problems we have faced with government orders that have failed to protect the people of Grand Island, Steele said.

With 1,042 cases, Hall County, where Grand Island is, has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Nebraska higher than the urban counties surrounding Lincoln and Omaha.

Over the past two days, the health department overseeing the three counties in the Grand Island area has reported 12 new coronavirus deaths, most of them residents of long-term care facilities. Thirty-seven people in that area have died in total.

I think Grand Island, during this ordeal, has paid a price, Steele said. Really, all weve received so far are just directions that our essential, critical infrastructure employers are to stay in business.

While the state has sent the Nebraska National Guard there several times to swab peoples noses for testing a testing site was up and running this week at the Fonner Park field house testing supplies and availability have been limited and sporadic, Steele said.

Indeed, the Central District Health Department reported Thursday afternoon that Fridays testing availability was already booked and that testing on Saturday wouldnt be possible after all.

The mayor has not called for the closure of the JBS plant, which, with 3,600 workers, is Grand Islands largest employer. He has toured the plant and thinks the managers there are doing their best to contain the outbreak.

The problem is not confined to JBS, either the virus has been spreading throughout the community and at other employers, Steele said. Last week, more than 125 residents and workers at long-term care facilities in the three-county area tested positive, the local health director said Wednesday, and that number has since risen.

I think JBS is doing everything it can to offer a safe facility, Steele said. But it requires 3,600 employees showing up during different shifts throughout the day, and theres really no in-place testing of those people, and they may be bringing the virus into the plant environment.

The community is working hard to fend off the virus, follow social distancing and hygiene guidelines and increase outreach to its multilingual residents, Steele said. Grand Island residents know the contagious virus is circulating, but many work jobs in meatpacking or manufacturing where working from home isnt possible.

I get feedback, Maybe you folks in Grand Island didnt get the memo, Steele said. No, we got the memo. Weve been working hard to educate the people of Grand Island. Were not sticking our heads in the sand.

As restrictions in other parts of the state begin to ease up, doctors from 16 different clinics and practices in Grand Island said they do not recommend attending religious services until Grand Islands infection rate begins to slow.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said worship services can resume May 4, with some social distancing requirements still in place.

In a letter, the Grand Island doctors said that they know people miss the opportunity to worship together in person but that now is not the time to relax any restrictions.

Physicians of the Grand Island medical community do not recommend resumption of religious gatherings May 4, they wrote. We do not believe congregants can be truly protected, even sitting six feet from other families, while Grand Islands community spread is still rising. Our families are too important.

Masks made by Ann Kane and her family.

Ann Kane and her family are producing masks. Everyone has a job.

Ann Kane and her family have made around 200 masks.

UNMC med student Nate Mattison works on his laptop at his apartment near downtown Omaha.

A bottle of Purell sits on a kitchen countertop as UNMC med student Nate Mattison works on his laptop. Mattison is one of a handful of UNMC students who have stepped up fill various nonprofit needs. Mattison has signed up to be a Big Brother and is currently waiting to be paired up.

Mattison is one of a handful of UNMC students who have stepped up to fill the needs of various nonprofits.

Matt Van Zante prints parts for face shields in his basement.

A 3D printer prints parts for face shields.

Matt Van Zante is among a group making face shields for personal protective equipment for medical personnel.

Matt Van Zante shows off one of the finished face shields he helped make.

Matt Van Zante shows off a finished face shield.

A 3D printer prints parts for face shields in Matt Van Zante's basement.

View original post here:

Grand Island's mayor wants to know how the feds will help, says city 'has paid a price' - Omaha World-Herald

New confirmed case brings Island total to 18 – Martha’s Vineyard Times

Updated 4:30 pm

The number of confirmed cases on the Marthas Vineyard rose to 18 Wednesday, according to the Marthas Vineyard Hospital.

The hospital reported it has tested a total of 394 patients with 372 negative tests and four pending results. The hospital also reported zero hospitalizations on Wednesday.

According to a report from the Islands boards of health, of the 18 confirmed cases, ten are female and eight are male. Seven of the cases are aged 50-59 years old, six cases are 60-69 years old, two are 30-39 years old, two are 20-29 years old, and one is 20 years old or younger.

Communications director Katrina Delgadillo confirmed that one of the confirmed COVID-19 patients transferred to Boston due to health complications has died due to medical complications not proven to be related to COVID-19.

That patient is one of three who have been transferred off-Island. Two COVID-19 patients were transported to Boston by helicopter and a third maternity patient was taken off-Island by ferry in a private vehicle. The two other COVID-19 transfers have been discharged, according to Delgadillo.

The hospital reported on Friday that it had one patient who was hospitalized. Hospital communications director Katrina Delgadillo told The Times the patient had been discharged on Saturday in stable condition.

On the state level Wednesday, the Department of Public Health reported that 265,618 COVID-19 tests had been conducted, with 60,265 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide.

DPH reported the highest number of deaths in a day with 252 new deaths for a total of 3,405. The bulk of the states deaths, nearly two thirds, have been patients 80 or older and the average age of a hospitalized COVID-19 patient is 69. According to the state data, 6 percent of the confirmed cases are hospitalized.

The Centers for Disease Control expanded its list of symptoms for the virus including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and a new loss of taste or smell.

Continue reading here:

New confirmed case brings Island total to 18 - Martha's Vineyard Times

Naples, Marco Island beaches to reopen Thursday – Wink News

COLLIER COUNTY

Marco Island and Naples will open beaches on Thursday. Marco will also open its parks on Friday, just in time for the weekend.

In Naples, the city council voted Wednesday to reopen the beaches and city parks Thursday morning.

The pier will remain closed, as will some concessions.Parking lots will open with meters enforced.

Naples city parks will open under tier one of reopening, including restrooms as long as staff is able to accommodate cleaning.

Tennis and pickleball courts, as well as sports fields associated with parks, will also reopen.

Naples police and beach patrol will be out to enforce social distancing.

As long as COVID-19 cases continue to decline, the city is expected to ease into lifting restrictions, starting with the opening of beaches.

More than 50 people wrote into the city council ahead of Wednesdays meeting. Some are concerned that loosening restrictions will spread the virus, and others say businesses are barely hanging on, so the city should open up as soon as possible.

CITY OF NAPLES PRESS RELEASE:

The City of Naples City Council acted today by reopening the City beaches and parks beginning at dawn tomorrow, April 30, 2020. The details of the openings include:

The City of Naples beaches will be reopened to the public at dawn on April 30, 2020. Naples beaches and beach access points will reopen to the public with the following restrictions:

City parks will open pathways for walking with the following restrictions:

Every resident and visitor need to be responsible to continue practicing social distancing, limit your groups to 10 or less, wash your hands frequently, and stay at home as much as possible. The City will take action to restrict these public facilities again if the CDC guidelines are not followed.

Link:

Naples, Marco Island beaches to reopen Thursday - Wink News

ITV considers filming Love Island in Cornwall or cancelling series – The Guardian

ITV considered hosting this summers edition of Love Island in Cornwall rather than Mallorca, although it looks increasingly likely the series will be cancelled altogether.

The reality show, which has been vital to ITVs financial performance in recent years, has already been delayed from its traditional June start date owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

ITVs director of television, Kevin Lygo, said the production team had looked at filming Love Island in Cornwall later in the summer but had concerns that making it in the UK would not be the same show.

He told a virtual session of the Edinburgh television festival that a final decision on whether to cancel the programme, which employs around 200 staff, would be made in the coming weeks.

Lygo also suggested Love Island may not fit the national mood. What signal might it be sending out if were doing a show where everyone is crammed together, slavering over each other, while the rest of world has been told not to go near anyone in the park?

Were approaching the moment of is it feasible?, will Mallorca open its doors to hundreds of production people?, will there have to be quarantine?. We have to factor all that in. Well make a decision soon.

Lygo also said soap operas, which have already been broadcasting on a reduced schedule, would soon fall off air unless filming could resume. Emmerdale will run out of episodes at the end of May and Coronation Street in June.

He said Emmerdale had prepared a number of episodes that were just two people talking, which could theoretically be filmed in line with physical distancing rules if required.

He said the channel was learning from its forthcoming Isolation Stories strand of 15-minute dramas, in which actors and their families have been filmed in their houses with directors sat outside.

Lygo said a major issue was that insurers were refusing to cover the cost of production being halted if a cast or crew member catches coronavirus. This summer, trust me, theres going to be a lot of repeats on, he said.

Hit shows such as Britains Got Talent may also be axed owing to physical distancing rules, although the surprise hit The Masked Singer will film in the autumn even if an audience cannot be present.

Lygo said he was concerned that although TV audiences had shot up, the increase was mainly for daytime shows and news programmes rather than peak-time programming. You can see peoples habits are changing because they are discovering Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and storing things up.

Lygo was asked what audiences would be seeing on TV in early 2021, given television production has ground to a halt in recent months. He replied: They will be watching a repeat of Midsomer Murders, I can tell you that now in great confidence.

Originally posted here:

ITV considers filming Love Island in Cornwall or cancelling series - The Guardian

Pete Davidson & Judd Apatow Movie King of Staten Island Skips Theatrical, Hits VOD This Summer – Deadline

Judd Apatow said Monday during an Instagram/Twitter conversation with Saturday Night Lives Pete Davidson that their summer comedy The King of Staten Island, originally slated to hit theaters on June 19, will now go on VOD on June 12.

The comedy based on Davidsons life, directed by Apatow and co-written by Davidson, Apatow and former SNL scribe David Sirus, was expected to make its world premiere at SXSW with further play at the Tribeca Film Festival. Both events were canceled because of the coronavirus lockdown.

In the below video, Davidson is asking Apatow about the status of the movie. Dude, what is going on with our movie? he asks. Am I still going to get an Oscar?

Apatow says he hasnt heard anything from Universal. I dont think youre going to get an Oscar if it doesnt come out.

Related Story'Big Time Adolescence' Review: 'SNL's Pete Davidson Slacks Off In Hulu's Fun And Truthful Teen Comedy

Can we make a DVD and sell it in Times Square, like old school? asks Apatow, who then suggests What if we put it on demand? Cause I just ran out of stuff and I just watched all the Look Whos Talkingmovies and ran out of stuff to watch. At which they digress into a hysterical chat on the Travolta movies and how Danny DeVito voice a dog in the movie.

Apatow then phones Universal and tells Davidson Theyre into itso dont tell anyone, its a secret, theyre going to do some fancy announcement.

We had been hearing whispers in the distribution community that King of Staten Islandwould potentially be moved, but no one was expecting this as another budget comedy bites the dust at least from a theatrical release standpoint in heading to homes. King of Staten Island followssuch movies asMy Spy(which is going to Amazon),American Pickle(which is headed to HBO Max), Lovebirds(to Netflix) in skipping theatrical and heading to streaming. Warner Bros announced last week that theyre releasing Scoob!directly to PVOD.

While theaters have talked about ramping up their openings in late June for a full July debut heading to Warner Bros Christopher Nolan movie Teneton July 17, Lionsgates thriller Fataleand UnisKing of Staten Islandwere left dangling on the calendar June 19, the hope on paper being proper mid-sized, non global day-and-date fare that could get exhibition started with moviegoers expected to crawl back to the theaters. Thats clearly not the case now, and exhibitors are going to need good, solid fresh product before they open. King of Staten Islandwould have been great start.

Universal recently experimented with having DreamWorks Animations Trolls World Tourrelegated to PVOD over Easter weekend with the the closing of theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic; the movie reportedly made $40M-$50M in its first weekend.

In King of Staten Island, Davidson plays Scott, who has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was 7. Hes now reached his mid-20s having achieved little, chasing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist that seems far out of reach. As his ambitious younger sister (Maude Apatow) heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother (Marisa Tomei) and spends his days smoking weed, hanging with the guysOscar (Ricky Velez), Igor (Moises Arias) and Richie (Lou Wilson)and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey (Bel Powley). But when his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter named Ray (Bill Burr), it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps toward moving forward in life.

Pic also stars Steve Buscemi as Papa, a veteran firefighter who takes Scott under his wing, and Pamela Adlon as Rays ex-wife, Gina.

Excerpt from:

Pete Davidson & Judd Apatow Movie King of Staten Island Skips Theatrical, Hits VOD This Summer - Deadline

Elderly fisherman rescued from Niagara River near Grand Island – Niagara Gazette

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Buffalo Sector responded to a call for assistance where an individual fell into the Niagara River on Grand Island on Friday.

At approximately 11:15 a.m., several by-standers witnessed an 88-year old elderly male fall into the Niagara River. They immediately flagged down a Border Patrol agent from the Buffalo Station who was patrolling in the area. The agent responded to the Blue Water Marina on East River Road and alongside the owner of the marina they located the person. Together, they successfully retrieved him from the water and the agent provided first aid until emergency medical service (EMS) arrived on scene. EMS then treated the person and transported him to an area hospital for further evaluation. It was revealed that the male had been fishing, lost footing and subsequently fell into the river.

This is a great example of the community and law enforcement working together to save lives," said patrol agent-in-charge Jeffery T. Wilson. The Niagara River can be treacherous and deadly this time of the year with frigid-temperatures that are hovering around 44 degrees.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling 1-800-331-0353 toll free.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

Originally posted here:

Elderly fisherman rescued from Niagara River near Grand Island - Niagara Gazette

Bali is worlds most Instagrammed island – The Jakarta Post – Jakarta Post

At a time when paradisiacal beaches have never seemed so inaccessible, in all likelihood Bali is still figuring large in many peoples daydreams.

The Indonesian destination has the distinction of being the island with the largest number of hashtags on Instagram, according to a ranking established by the travel agent Tourlane and published this week.

In this time of lockdown, do you sometimes find yourself dreaming of islands? Theres nothing like the innocent pleasure of imagining a beach of white sand on the shores of a turquoise lagoon.

But which island comes to mind before all the others? For many of you the answer is probably Bali, at least it should be given its popularity on social networks.

The island has no less than 60,473,066 mentions on Instagram.

Read also: Bali named eighth 'most Instagrammable place' in world

Tour operator Tourlane has gone to the trouble of creating a ranking of the island destinations that are most popular on the social network.

Only islands that are not sovereign nations were considered eligible for inclusion in the ranking, while those with fewer than 100,000 hashtags were automatically excluded.

The good news for Europeans is that once the lockdown is over, many of them will be able to embark on a trip to their island destination of choice without having to board a long-haul flight.

In fact, 26 of the 50 most-Instagrammed islands are located in Europe, with seven featuring in the top ten: Ibiza (Spain) ranked 2nd, Sicily (Italy) 3rd, Mallorca (Spain) 4th, Tenerife (Spain) 6th, Sardinia (Italy) 7th, Santorini (Greece) 9th and Corsica (France) 10th.

Your premium period will expire in 0 day(s)

Subscribe to get unlimited access Get 50% off now

Read more from the original source:

Bali is worlds most Instagrammed island - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta Post

Staten Island coronavirus hospitalizations hold steady; death toll increases by 23 – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hospitalizations for the coronavirus (COVID-19) remained mostly steady on Staten Island on Sunday; however, the boroughs overall death total rose by 23, according to the latest figures from the city Health Department.

The New York City Department of Health data, which accounts for cases and deaths as of 6 p.m. on Saturday, showed 556 Staten Islanders are confirmed to have died from the coronavirus and that 127 are listed as probable to have died from the virus bringing the boroughs total to 683.

The latest data showed an increase of 30 confirmed deaths, but a decrease of 7 probable deaths from Friday nights total. It is unclear if previously probable deaths were added to the confirmed death total.

A death is classified as probable if the decedent was a city resident who had no known positive laboratory test for the coronavirus, but the death certificate lists COVID-19 or an equivalent as a cause of death.

Citywide, 11,460 New York City residents are confirmed to have died from the virus. An additional 5,213 are listed as probable deaths for a total 16,673 deaths.

The citys death total rose by 403 between Friday and Saturday night.

The citys Health Department said 8,213 of the 8,278 deaths investigated by the department have occurred in patients with underlying medical conditions.

Underlying conditions include diabetes, lung disease, cancer, immunodeficiency, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, kidney disease and gastro-intestinal/liver disease, said the Health Department.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

The number of coronavirus hospitalizations remained mostly steady Sunday morning decreasing by only one patient across the boroughs two medical systems since Saturday.

Staten Island University Hospitals (SIUH) Ocean Breeze campus is treating 174 positive coronavirus patients 12 less than a day before, and the Princes Bay site is treating 33 patients an increase of one person since 24 hours ago, according to Jillian OHara, a spokeswoman for SIUH.

At Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) in West Brighton, 127 coronavirus patients are being treated, according to Alex Lutz, a spokesman for RUMC, which is an increase of 10 patients since Saturday morning. Of those patients, 44 are in the ICU which is the same amount of patients as 24 hours before.

In total, 1,351 patients have been treated and released across SIUHs two campuses, which rose from yesterdays total by 36.

RUMC has released a total of 308 coronavirus patients an increase of four patients over the past day.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

RATE OF INFECTION

Staten Island maintained the second highest rate of infection in New York City.

Through Saturday night, 2,368 of every 100,000 is testing positive for the virus, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Departments data.

The latest data shows Staten Island has 11,275 confirmed cases, which represents 7% of the citys total.

Citywide, there are 153,204 total coronavirus cases based on Saturday nights figures, which is an increase of 2,628 since the day prior. The growth of confirmed cases was slashed considerably compared to the rise in cases seen between Thursday and Friday.

Officials, however, stress the examinations do not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus.

The Bronx retained the highest rate of infection in New York City, with 2,424 of every 100,000 residents testing positive for the virus. The borough has a total of 34,711 confirmed cases.

After Staten Island, Queens has the third-highest rate of coronavirus infections at 2,085 confirmed cases for every 100,000 residents. Queens has the highest number of confirmed cases 47,511 and accounts for 31% of the citys total.

Brooklyn, the heaviest populated borough, has the next-nighest rate of infection, with 1,572 positive coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents. Brooklyn has 40,493 total cases.

Manhattan has the lowest rate of infection in the city. Data shows 1,169 per 100,000 residents have tested positive for the virus in the borough.

Link:

Staten Island coronavirus hospitalizations hold steady; death toll increases by 23 - SILive.com

Small Island crews return to work – Martha’s Vineyard Times

Updated 6:30 pm

Island contractors are slowly being cleared by building inspectors to return to their job sites in crews of one and two as long as they adhere to extensive health protocols.

At the end of March, towns began to consider the possible health and safety issues involved with large crews of construction workers, landscapers, and other contracted laborers in close quarters.

A construction ban was issued by all Island towns that essentially stopped any regular business associated with new or existing construction sites and forced many local companies into uncertain territory.

On April 16 and 17, Island towns approved having crews go back to work and set protocols for that to happen. Last week, the Marthas Vineyard Builders Association held a town hall meeting to go over protocols, which included requiring inspections of job sites.

Reached on his way out to a site visit, West Tisbury building inspector Joe Tierney said he will have conducted over 20 site inspections on Monday alone.

I did 10 this morning and I am going to do 11 this afternoon, Tierney said. Tierney said he is going to each site in West Tisbury and running down a checklist to make sure everyone is adhering to all the necessary safety criteria.

Some are passing, and some are needing a little bit of help, he said.

West Tisbury health agent Omar Johnson said he will conduct a total of five site visits on Monday, and had already failed one site for lack of proper hand washing equipment.

Johnson said so far, site supervisors have been cooperative and amenable to all the health guidelines, and although workers recognize the reasoning behind the restrictions, they all say the same thing we need to work to feed our families.

When asked whether workers appear to be concerned about getting sick while on job sites, Johnson said, People seem to be very concerned about their work, that is definitely what they are focusing on. From what I can see, they are not as focused on the virus.

As the summer season approaches, Doug Best, owner of D. Best Construction, says he and his crew are trying to get back to work in a way that is quick, efficient, and safe.

We are following all the rules, and are going to do things the right way, Best said.

Best has been involved with a working group of business owners collaborating with building inspectors and health agents.

The group has been working to prepare all contractors for the return to work, and Best said his company has been preparing to hit the ground running over the past month.

I have been very much in the know about what needs to be done. We havent been allowed to go out into the field at all, Best said. About a month ago, when the virus hit, we started ordering all our personal protective equipment (PPE) and doing whatever we could to get plenty of masks in the hands of all our employees.

He also said D. Best has been gathering disinfectant sprays, solvents, bleaches, and posters to put up at all job sites that list the proper health guidelines, of which there are many.

There are about five different sheets in both English and Portuguese with everything from the hospitals instructions on how to properly put on and take off a mask, to how to wash your hands the right way, Best said.

All sites will be fitted with porta potties with handwashing stations and work teams need to have plenty of disinfectant, wipes, and bleach. Metal trash cans are even being placed at sites instead of plastic ones to dispose of alcohol based wipes and other flammable or corrosive cleaners.

We will be sending in the checklist of all our protective equipment and sanitary materials this morning to each of the inspectors. We usually have anywhere from 20 to 24 sites going at any given time, but right now we are waiting for the go ahead, Best said. This is just adding one more element of juggling to our daily challenge. We recognize we are going to have to maximize productivity.

But Best said he and his workers arent just following the proper protocols to adhere to the law, they want to protect themselves and the Island community as a whole.

My workers have lots of mixed emotions, they are rather tentative. The last thing they want to do is put their coworkers, friends, and family at risk, Best said.

He said his workers are dedicated to fully understanding the processes of signing in and out whenever they come and go on a site, and disinfecting regularly.

We have to clean the site on the way in, and clean the site on the way out. Maybe the last person didnt do it and the next person might not do it, so its just making sure everyone is doing what they can to be safe, Best said.

Best thanked Island health agents for working together to bring about a common methodology amongst all the towns, and said he greatly appreciates all that the Marthas Vineyard Builders Association has done.

Everyone is really stepping up to create a greater awareness, and establish more adherence to keep this virus to a minimum on the Island, Best said.

As far as the future of construction work and life in general is concerned, Best said this virus has changed things forever. Until there is a vaccine and some comprehensive planning, we are going to be dealing with these requirements for some time to come, Best said.

And construction workers arent the only ones who are scrambling to make up for lost time landscapers are looking to get back to work as well.

Bill Davies of Davies Landscape and Tree Services said his crew is following all the proper protocols, although it is frustrating when the vehicle occupancy restrictions (one person per truck) and other regulations make it difficult for his business to run at maximum efficiency.

Its a huge challenge for us to have one person per vehicle. We have 12 workers and eight trucks, so what are we going to do? Davies said.

Davies said he hopes things change in the phase two rollout of health and safety regulations for workers.

Maybe you could have people wearing respirators in the trucks. Its frustrating because my crew starts their day together at the shop anyway. We send out two- or three-men mow crews. What am I going to do, have one guy drive the truck and another follow behind him? Davies asked.

With such a close-knit group of employees that are used to doing lots of hands-on work with each other, Davies said it has been a huge adjustment.

We are all practicing our six-foot distancing, and I am all for doing what we need to do to keep my employees and my customers safe and comfortable, Davies said

For the most part, Davies said his clients have been understanding and compassionate about the plight that landscapers face, and the limitations they must work under.

We maintain about 50 or 60 clients during the season, and we have had most of them for a very long time. So most people are very understanding of what we are dealing with here, Davies said.

Despite advisories from the Marthas Vineyard Hospital and town health officials, and rather vehement opposition from some Islanders, Davies said his clients are still planning on showing up to their summer homes, if they arent here already.

I anticipate people are still going to come. A lot of them are already moved in, Davies said. I would say at least 30 percent of my clients are here already, and It doesnt seem like the virus is slowing people down.

In the future, Davies said he hopes things can return to some degree of normalcy, although he said he will comply with any advisories or guidance provided by the towns and the federal and state government.

Im 55 years old, I dont want to get sick, I dont want to get anybody sick. I am praying that things return to normal eventually and we find a vaccine, Davies said. Until then, we will be doing what we have to to keep everyone safe.

Landscope Landscaping owner Fred Fournier said for the reentry phase, his crew will focus on being vigilant, healthy, and safe. Employees must answer a lengthy questionnaire to determine if they could have possibly been exposed to the virus. For the foreseeable future, Fournier said he is going to be taking workers temperatures as they come to work.

You need to come to us healthy. If you do that, we will keep you healthy, Fournier said. We have spent thousands of dollars on protective equipment to make sure everyone is in good shape.

Fournier said Landscope has about 20 trucks and work vehicles that have all been cleaned and sanitized, along with dozens of pieces of equipment such as mowers, trimmers, and blowers.

And according to Fournier, his employees are eager to start working again and are taking all the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families.

My employees have kids, they have wives. They are very cognizant of the fact that they need to be incredibly careful, Fournier said.

Updated to include comments from Fournier. -ed

Read this article:

Small Island crews return to work - Martha's Vineyard Times

Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame will once again honor 4 at annual golf outing – SILive.com

Staten Island Advance

Fore!

By CHARLIE De BIASE JR.

The Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame's 10th annual Golf Outing and Reunion is still on, but will be pushed back a few months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

And, once again, the event will honor four Islanders in the process as two will receive the"Steve Zuntag Good Guy Award" while two others are 2020 recipients of the Bobby Thomson Ambassador Award.

This year's outing will now take place on Sept. 2. It was originally scheduled for June 3.

The annual golf outing and reunion will begin at South Shore Golf Course in Huguenot. Registration is 11 a.m. and lunch is at 11:30.

The shotgun format begins at 1 p.m. while the dinner, which will take place at the Grand Oaks Country Club, commences at 6 p.m.

Level of support includes: Foursome/Dinner/plus Celebrity ($1,200); Foursome/Dinner/Tee Box Sign ($800); Foursome with Dinner ($700); Beverage Cart sponsor ($500); Golf/Dinner/Tea Box Sign ($275); Golf and Dinner ($175); Tee Box Sign ($100) and Dinner Only ($75).

Those wishing to obtain a registration form may do so by contacting John Woodman via phone (H-718-816-7249; C-347-612-1379) or email (jwoodman1@si.rr.com).

The deadline for registration is May 20.

For a look at this year's award winners, please scroll down.

(Past participants of the Staten Island Hall of Fame Golf Outing have included, left to right, former New York Rangers forward and Island native Nick Fotiu; Former pro golfer and Island native Bill Britton and former heavyweight boxer Gerry Clooney)

Staten Island Advance

Mike Gutierrez

Mike Gutierrez, the General Manager of the South Shore Golf Course, is one of the two recipients of the "Steve Zuntag Good Guy Award."

Gutierrez always makes sure everyone is welcomed to the Huguenot course.

Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel

Ken Mitchell

Ken Mitchell (at the podium), who is the Executive Director of the Staten Island Zoo, is also a recipient of the"Steve Zuntag Good Guy Award."

Mitchell has donated a family membership as an item for the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame Golf Outing raffle packages the previous nine years.

Staten Island Advance/Charlie De Biase Jr.

Nick Kvasic

Nick Kvasic, who was the first soccer captain at Port Richmond High School and a three-year starting midfielder at Wagner College, is a recipient of the 2020 Bobby Thomson Ambassador Award.

But his greatest contributions were as a coach, referee, and ambassador for the game.

Kvasic won six PSAL city championships and two Metro Bowl titles in 34 seasons as the girls soccer coach at New Dorp High School. During his tenure, his teams compiled win streaks of 49 and 35 games.

In addition, he started or revived programs at three Island high schools and the College of Staten Island.

Kvasic is a member of the SISHOF Class of 2015.

Staten Island Advance

Tom Roche

Tom Roche, standing second from left, is also a recipient of the 2020 Bobby Thomson Ambassador Award.

He was a standout tailback at Monsignor Farrell HS, where teams he played on only lost three times in his three-year varsity career.

Roche led Staten Island in rushing and scoring his junior year, but moved to the other side of the ball before enjoying a solid career at Ohio St.

He played in two Rose Bowls, the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl with the Buckeyes as a defensive back. He also led the Big Ten Conference in interceptions and helped the OSU win or share the conference championship four years in a row.

Roche is a member of the SISHOF Class of 2001.

See the rest here:

Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame will once again honor 4 at annual golf outing - SILive.com

South Padre Island reopens but some locals think its too soon – KXAN.com

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS (Border Report) The breezes from the Gulf of Mexico cooled South Texas beach goers down on Monday as they eagerly flocked to South Padre Island after a month-long closure.

The popular island was reopened to swimming, surfing, boating and kayaking after weeks of being shuttered due to COVID-19. And that enticed many people out, even on a Monday.

But some locals, like Tiki Tommy Saenz, said he worries the decision to reopen businesses came too soon.

I think they should have waited another couple of weeks according to the charts to the CDC on the peak, said Saenz, who does a local daily surf report. Im not an expert or anything but from what Ive read it has indicated we should have waited a little bit but Im not the one calling the shots.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr., has been calling the shots since he ordered a state of emergency over a month ago, shuttering beaches, restaurants and retail stores and ordering residents to shelter in place. But last Friday, Trevino announced that beaches and public water parks and boat ramps would reopen with some restrictions. The facilities will have limited hours, face masks must be worn in public (except when in the water), and beach-goers must practice social distancing. Boats can only have a couple riders, including charter vessels, and fishermen may not gut their catch in public.

A few other states, like Georgia, have started to loosen their restrictions and are allowing public facilities to reopen. And on Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that Texas businesses, retail stores, restaurants and movie theaters will be able to reopen on Friday, May 1.

Watch Abbotts press conference.

On Monday, hundreds of families strolled on the beaches, played in the tide, and walked dogs on the sand. And most wore face masks and practiced social distancing, as Trevino ordered.

Nayelly Montalvo, 21, from Rio Grande City raced to the beach, which she says she has missed during the closure.

I come every chance I get. Its just so beautiful, she said as she sat with her Chihuahua dog Bambi beside her beach chair.

When asked if she thought the beaches reopened too soon, she admitted she has some concerns.

A part of me says yes and a part of me says no. Of course were social distancing so theres nobody around me, Montalvo said. Im happy and just being at the beach.

Ali Chafin, 19, of nearby Brownsville, Texas, was at the beach with her friend Sunshine Alcala and two others. They wore colored masks to match their bikinis. Both believed the beaches were opened too soon, they said in unison.

Im staying only with them and practicing social distancing. I dont think you should be with new people because that defeats the whole purpose. We should be allowed to be out here to enjoy it but also practice social distancing, Chafin said.

Thomas Gomez of McAllen, and his wife call themselves beach bums and were sunning themselves on lounge chairs. They said in all the years theyve been coming theyve never worn a mask.

Were still trying to be safe. Everybody seems to be having a good time and keeping space and I think thats going to help us a lot, not to overwhelm the beach, Gomez said.

But Saenz said he feels like visitors are already overwhelming these shores.

Saenz and his retiree friend, Bill Best, 65, live on South Padre Island year-round and he said they worry that so many people coming onto the island could bring COVID-19.

Saenz said that during the closure residents or those with essential business on the island had to show ID proof to an officer to get onto the island.

Then they released all that this weekend and let anybody come in to play on the beach. Before it was kind of locked down and we felt safer. Now they have opened it up to the public. Now weve had thousands of people come in and so I dont know how thats going to affect us, Saenz said.

Particularly troubling to them, they said, is that two nursing homes in the town of Harlingen, about 30 miles away, have had 13 deaths and at least 144 cases of COVID-19. Cameron County has 366 cases, including 12 new cases announced on Sunday.

VisitBorderReport.comfor the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the United States-Mexico border.

Here is the original post:

South Padre Island reopens but some locals think its too soon - KXAN.com

Grand Island-area residents urged to avoid church services; Health Department worker tests positive – Omaha World-Herald

At a Grand Island press conference Monday morning, Central District Health Department Director Teresa Anderson was conspicuously absent.

Anderson has led the response to the hard-hitting coronavirus outbreak in the three-county region surrounding Grand Island.

But even her department isnt immune to the contagious virus.

A Health Department worker not Anderson has tested positive for the coronavirus, the department discovered Sunday, and had worked while experiencing symptoms.

Now the public health workers on the front lines of the effort to track and contain the virus in a central Nebraska hot spot are self-isolating as much as possible, or working in small numbers at the departments office while wearing masks.

I think this proves that we all are at risk for COVID-19, Anderson said in a statement read at the event by Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele.

The health director said employees have been wearing masks for weeks, so they have a lower risk of catching the virus. Still, more will work from home and isolate as much as possible while still coordinating testing and tracking of local coronavirus cases.

By Monday, the department, which covers Hall, Hamilton and Merrick Counties, counted 954 confirmed cases and 25 deaths. Hall County, where Grand Island is located, accounts for 899 cases, the most in Nebraska and almost double the 489 known infections in Douglas County, the most populous county in the state.

Please remember we are at a critical time here in the Central District, Anderson said in her prepared remarks. The number of cases continues to rise at an alarming rate.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that he would relax some restrictions in certain parts of the state that have been less affected by the virus. Religious services can be held again statewide starting May 4 with some limitations, including more distance between worshippers.

Still, Anderson asked Grand Island-area residents to avoid group gatherings, including church and other religious services, until the number of positive cases there begins to drop.

We dont know how bad this will get before we start to see numbers fall, but we are not anywhere close to being able to relax, she said.

Grand Island Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt said this weekend that he was seeking advice from his council of priests on tailoring an approach to fit the varying levels of infection in the dioceses large expanse of Nebraska, stretching from the Platte River north to the state line and west to Wyoming.

That includes some counties that have had no cases, some that have had no new cases for a couple of weeks and some places such as Grand Island and Lexington that have still-growing outbreaks.

Edward Hannon, president of St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island, noted glimmers of hope amid the grim and growing daily count of coronavirus cases.

Were testing more people, so we should expect that that number will go up, he said.

Hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients at St. Francis arent declining yet, he said, but they do seem to be stabilizing.

The 124-bed hospital now has 20 ventilators but hasnt had to use more than 15 at the same time. About 15 patients are typically in the intensive care unit there, and the rest of the hospital is about half-empty. Twenty-four patients have been transferred to other hospitals, including in Omaha.

And most people who are getting sick are able to recover at home, he said.

Since the start of the outbreak in March, St. Francis has admitted roughly 100 COVID-19 patients, or a little more than 10% of total infections in the Central District Health Department.

The great work were doing in the community together washing hands, staying home, keeping 6 feet apart is working, he said. Were making some progress, were flattening the curve, which we set out to do.

Shelly Schwedhelm, executive director of emergency management and biopreparedness at Nebraska Medicine, and Dr. James Lawler, a director at the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, toured the JBS USA beef plant in Grand Island last week.

More than 200 coronavirus cases are tied to the plant, Anderson has said, although workers have tested positive at a number of businesses and workplaces. That includes 125 health care workers and residents at nursing and long-term care facilities who have become ill.

Steele read an email Schwedhelm wrote summing up their visit.

She said JBS had instituted a number of best practices, including providing masks for workers, putting up posters about the coronavirus in four different languages and allowing workers who were pregnant or older than 70 to stay at home with pay.

The plant could work on some other measures, she said, including setting up more hand-washing or hand sanitizer stations and talking more with workers about the importance of social distancing and other prevention strategies outside of work.

We offered some suggestions on airflow and HVAC items and Zach (Ireland, the plant manager) quickly jumped on that and engaged the engineers to see how to take action, she wrote. He reported back success with this.

The plant also distributed flyers in English, Somali and Arabic about safely celebrating Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and prayer that began last week. The plants workers include immigrants and refugees from the Middle East and several sub-Saharan African countries.

Use religious and cultural greetings that avoid physical contact, one of the flyers says. Please avoid hand shaking, hugging and touching while greeting each other.

Masks made by Ann Kane and her family.

Ann Kane and her family are producing masks. Everyone has a job.

Ann Kane and her family have made around 200 masks.

UNMC med student Nate Mattison works on his laptop at his apartment near downtown Omaha.

A bottle of Purell sits on a kitchen countertop as UNMC med student Nate Mattison works on his laptop. Mattison is one of a handful of UNMC students who have stepped up fill various nonprofit needs. Mattison has signed up to be a Big Brother and is currently waiting to be paired up.

Mattison is one of a handful of UNMC students who have stepped up to fill the needs of various nonprofits.

Matt Van Zante prints parts for face shields in his basement.

A 3D printer prints parts for face shields.

Matt Van Zante is among a group making face shields for personal protective equipment for medical personnel.

Matt Van Zante shows off one of the finished face shields he helped make.

Matt Van Zante shows off a finished face shield.

A 3D printer prints parts for face shields in Matt Van Zante's basement.

Read more here:

Grand Island-area residents urged to avoid church services; Health Department worker tests positive - Omaha World-Herald

New York City’s Hart Island: An overlooked final resting place – CBS News

On a deeply cold Saturday morning in January, correspondent Erin Moriarty took a nearly-empty ferry to a speck of land in Long Island Sound. For most souls who go there, it's a one-way trip.

Hart Island is where the city of New York buries the unknown, the unclaimed, or those too poor to afford a burial. At 101 acres, it's the largest Potter's field in the country. [No cameras or cell phones are allowed.]

Moriarty went with Elaine Joseph, whose infant daughter, Tomika, is among the one million people buried there. "We're going today because it is her birthday, and I'm commemorating her 42nd birthday," Joseph said.

"There are no markers; there's a mass grave. You just know there's bodies buried there 'cause they told us so."

"But you go?"

"I go. Because it's all I have. It's all I have left."

In January 1978, Joseph was a 23-year-old nurse, pregnant and living with her boyfriend, when she unexpectedly went into labor and gave birth a month early. "It was my first child. And I was happy to be having her," she said.

Days later, she said, her daughter needed emergency surgery for a heart deformity. New York City was in the middle of a crippling snow storm: "I couldn't get to the hospital. There were no trains, there were no buses. There was no public transportation."

She was home when she got the news: "They said she had another cardiac arrest and she died."

"You had to hear that on the phone?" Moriarty asked.

"Yes, I couldn't be there. That's one of my main regrets, is that I was not there at the hospital with her." Getting tearful, Joseph said, "Excuse me, it's 41 years, but it never goes away."

When she did get to the hospital to claim the body of her baby girl, "They said, 'She was already buried.' I'm like, 'Buried how?' They said that I signed to have her buried in the city cemetery."

"Did anyone mention Hart Island to you at that point?"

"I had never heard of the term 'Hart Island' ever in my life," said Joseph.

Until recently, most people had never heard of Hart Island, although it's been a part of New York since 1868, when officials paid $75,000 (or more than a million dollars in today's money) to make it a city cemetery.

Hart Island might have remained out of view, if not for COVID-19, and the shocking aerial photos showing the devastation of a pandemic on those without resources.

In the last month, New York went from burying 25 bodies a week at Hart Island to five times as many.

"It's always existed on the margins of the city," said New York City Councilman Mark Levine. "And it's been the place where we have buried those who were marginalized in life for generations."

What makes Hart Island so unusual, said Levine, is that for much of its history, it's been run by the Department of Correction, using inmate labor: "It's almost out of a Dickens novel that it's inmates from Riker's Island who are responsible for burials there."

Victims of various pandemics tuberculosis, the Spanish Flu, and AIDS have been buried in secrecy, and sometimes in shame.

Until his release from jail in February, Vincent Mingalone placed pine boxes in mass graves on Hart Island. "I would take a wax crayon, write the name of the deceased, their last name in big letters on the side of the box," he said.

"And what do you know about these people, other than their names and the day they died?" asked Moriarty.

"That's pretty much all we know," Mingalone replied. "But you always wondered: these are fellow New Yorkers. Is this somebody who served us coffee? Was this somebody who tailored our clothes, did our laundry?"

The city refused to release the names of those buried there, until Melinda Hunt, a visual artist, sued to obtain them.

"So, all of the sudden in 2008, I had 50,000 burial records," Hunt said.

She created the Hart Island Project, an online memorial. "The whole point of a cemetery is storytelling," she said. "The city had no reason to deny families this information . And there were so many families."

And that's how, in 2009, Elaine Joseph finally discovered where her infant daughter was buried, 31 years after she'd died.

"It's not only my daughter that's buried there; it's all these others," Joseph said. "Everybody belonged to somebody. Everybody had a mom, had a dad, had somebody. And many of them, families don't even know they are there."

Visitation to Hart Island is very limited. Joseph had to schedule this birthday celebration months in advance. She left a toy for her daughter, while a Corrections officer took Polaroids to mark the occasion.

Joseph said, "I could accept that she died. That I can accept. What I couldn't accept is that I lost track of where her body went, and how she was treated after death."

Councilman Levine said, "That final resting place has never been as dignified as it should have been. It's never gotten the respect it needed. And that certainly needs to change."

Last December, the New York City Council transferred control of Hart Island to the Parks Department. Earlier this month, inmates were replaced by paid landscape workers.

Many are hopeful that next year, Hart Island will be open as a memorial park, honoring those buried there.

Elaine Joseph said, "Everybody's human. We're all human. Maybe we don't all have money, but we all deserve dignity."

For more info:

Story produced by Mary Raffalli. Editor: Joe Frandino.

Originally posted here:

New York City's Hart Island: An overlooked final resting place - CBS News

COVID-19 testing rolls out on island – Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Earlier this spring, islander Jim Bristow grew frustrated with the lack of coronavirus testing options for his wife, who was sick with a bad cough, and he set about addressing the scarcity of testing on the island. Now, thanks to his efforts and several other people in Vashons Medical Reserve Corps, COVID-19 testing for symptomatic island residents and workers is available weekday afternoons at Mukai Farm & Garden.

The Vashon COVID-19 Testing Project launched on April 7 and tested approximately 30 people in its first two weeks. So far there have been no positive tests, and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among island residents was still at four as of Monday. Testing at the Mukai site is expected to continue at least throughout the summer, as the state loosens its restrictions and additional people contract the illness. Plans are in the works not only to continue testing, but also to conduct contact tracing when called for, and provide practical support to people who test positive as well as those in their households.

So far, patients have been appreciative of this local effort, with many sending thank you notes after their tests.

They are glad to have us here, and we are glad to be here, and we are here for the long haul, Bristow said.

Medical Reserve Corps member Dr. Zach Miller, who had a long career as an infectious disease specialist with Group Health Cooperative, has also been involved with the local testing effort. He cautioned islanders not to read too much into Vashons low number of confirmed cases, as the extent of illness is not fully known.

I think it is very, very hard to make any assumptions about coronavirus from our testing in terms of how widespread it might really be. It has been hard to know that in any community at any given time, Miller said.

He pointed to hospitalizations and deaths as better markers than testing for the amount of illness circulating, but those figures are not available for the island. He also noted that it is possible for any community to have many people with mild to moderate respiratory symptoms who would not have access to testing or have not sought to be tested, so the disease could easily be present but undetected.

I would not tell anybody that they should be thinking there is not COVID on Vashon Island and that they should feel fine about not taking precautions, he said. You still have to be concerned that it is out there and hope that it will diminish along with its decrease in the greater Seattle area because of the measures people are taking.

Self-administered testing is slightly less reliable than the nasopharyngeal swab, with data showing the self-tests are about 5% less likely to detect the virus, Miller noted. He cautioned that no test is perfect and stressed that no matter the test, those who are given a negative result could still have the illness in a small percentage of instances.

Last week, Bristow retired from his career as a pediatric cardiologist at the University of California San Francisco and as the deputy director at the Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recounted how this homegrown testing project came to be.

At the same time Bristows wife was sick and he looked in vain for a test for her, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress that public health testing efforts were failing. Initially, Bristow, a staunch believer in public health, was angry, but then changed course.

I realized that it was time for me to stop complaining and start working, he said. I started calling around to figure out how to make something happen.

Those calls eventually led him to Rick Wallace, who has long been instrumental in the islands emergency and disaster planning/response efforts through VashonBePrepared. Wallace connected him with the leaders of the islands Medical Reserve Corps, part of the VashonBePrepared coalition. That connection was essential in identifying and overcoming obstacles and creating the path forward.

Their participation was crucial in helping turn my enthusiasm into something that could be done here, Bristow said.

Miller identified obstacles early on: Bristows original plan called for volunteers to conduct tests by administering the nasopharyngeal swabbing themselves. This method, which collects secretions from the back of the nose and throat, was the only one approved at the time. Using it meant they would need abundant personal protective equipment, which was not available. It also would have put the local volunteers at risk of contracting the illness a particular concern because many of them are over 60. With those issues in mind, Miller suggested self-testing as the best option. That method was not FDA-approved at the time, a complication that made for additional obstacles, including that Public Health- Seattle & King County would not agree to its use.

Soon after the project appeared that it might not move forward, the FDA approved self-collected swabs for COVID-19 testing, based on data from Washington state and that made all the difference.

All of a sudden, the pieces fell into place, and we were ready to go, Bristow said.

After that, the rest of the details were about logistics. Public Health-Seattle & King County and the University of Washington did not have enough tests to supply the effort. Ultimately, LabCorps, a national clinical laboratory network that routinely serves the island, provided the tests.

The testing steering committee, which also includes island physicians Ina Opplinger and Bonny and Clayton Olney along with operational and logistical support from Allen de Steiguer and Shawn Boeser, determined just how the Mukai site would work, with patients remaining in their cars throughout the testing process. The plan for traffic flow came about in true Vashon style, Bristow noted. In a discussion about how to proceed, Opplinger had shared that the fruit club had recently distributed mason bees to its members, and it had worked perfectly.

So pretty much our model is based on the fruit club mason bee distribution model, Bristow said with a laugh, noting the group made some adjustments after a dry run. Its spectacular.

Now each day, between 3 and 4 p.m. one person at a time visits the site by appointment, assisted by volunteers from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), also part of the VashonBePrepared network. CERT Manager Jan Milligan says it is a good partnership and one that will likely extend into the future, with CERT providing support for other Medical Reserve Corps actions. Currently, 15 of CERTs 40 active volunteers have participated in the testing effort. That group, too, is prepared to be involved for the duration.

There are lots of really great people in CERT. This could go on and on, Milligan said.

For his part, Bristow believes this model for testing could work well for many other rural and tribal communities. In fact, Bristow said he and the Medical Reserve Corps have been working with two tribes already and hope to expand the model well beyond that. He noted that many rural communities share much in common with Vashon: Acute care capabilities are limited; it may take a long time to get to an acute care facility; personal protective equipment is difficult to come by, and medical volunteers may be limited as well. But none of that gets in the way of testing the way it is being done at the Mukai site.

We realized what we have been able to do was really a very fortunate byproduct of the incredibly talented group of people on the island, Bristow said, acknowledging the many people who worked to make his initial plan a reality in three short weeks. I mean no disrespect for rural America. We just have a remarkable collection of people here.

Island residents and workers are eligible for tests if they have symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath and fever. A doctors referral is required. For people without a primary care physician, MRC members can provide the needed testing referral, but they do not provide follow-up care. The cost of the test is $50 and will be billed to insurance. For those without insurance or if their claim is denied, VashonBePrepared will cover the cost. For more information, call the testing project at 844-469-4554, or see testing.vashonbeprepared.org.

Neighborcare clinic offers coronavirus testing

In addition to the volunteer-run clinic at Mukai Farm & Garden, coronavirus testing has been underway for two weeks at the Neighborcare clinic at the Sunrise Ridge facility.

Medical Director Dr. Jessica Wesch said the clinic has its COVID-19 testing and respiratory evaluation tents up and running. When patients call with respiratory concerns or COVID-19 symptoms, Neighborcare providers refer them to the tent for care and testing if needed. The clinic has seen and evaluated two to eight patients a day and has conducted 32 COVID-19 tests on the island. Providers there have seen established patients as well as some who are new and want care on the island, Wesch said. The tents are available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Wesch urged caution regarding the virus on the island.

While the positive test numbers and the patients with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 are fairly low, we know COVID-19 is in our community, she said in a recent email. She added that as the pandemic precautions are lifted, the clinic may see the demand for testing and respiratory care quickly change and will be monitoring that need closely. Neighborcare providers are providing phone visits and some limited office visits for conditions that cannot be assessed or treated by phone.

We have been surprised by how much we can do over the phone, Wesch said. We encourage patients to call for care if they need it even issues not related to potential COVID-19.

Susan Riemer is a volunteer with VashonBePrepareds Emergency Operations Center and a former editor of The Beachcomber.

See more here:

COVID-19 testing rolls out on island - Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Increased halal, kosher options offered at Staten Island meal sites – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The city Department of Education (DOE) will increase the supply and distribution of halal meals at 32 meal hubs with large Muslim populations -- including three on Staten Island -- during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.

New York Citys more than 400 meal hub sites continue to offer grab-and-go meals that are free to adults and children across the five boroughs while public schools are closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

A halal meal is one prepared in accordance with Islamic law -- as defined in the Quran, Islams holy book. Ramadan began on Thursday and will end on the evening of May 23 with the traditional Eid al-Fitr festivity.

The three Staten island schools that will increase the supply and distribution of halal meals are:

-- Curtis High School in St. George - 105 Hamilton Ave.

-- PS 22 in Graniteville - 1860 Forest Ave.

-- CSI High School in New Springville - 100 Essex Drive

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

KOSHER NOW OFFERED

Beginning Monday, PS 54 in Willowbrook will exclusively offer kosher-certified meals, which are prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary regulations. The school is located at 1060 Willowbrook Rd.

Kosher meals follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) meal nutrition guidelines and are produced in partnership with a certified kosher distributor. The kosher meal sites are housed in DOE school buildings and staffed by DOE food service staff.

The meals are free and available to any New Yorker that requests them.

37

Life on lockdown: Coronavirus in NYC

GRAB-AND-GO

While school buildings are closed due to COVID-19, New York City has set up the meal hubs across the five boroughs to ensure New Yorkers dont go hungry.

The DOE offers three free meals on weekdays for any New Yorker, and all three can be picked up at one time from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Children and families pick up meals from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Adults pick up free meals from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

No one will be turned away from receiving a meal, according to the DOEs website. No registration, identification, or documentation is required. Vegetarian options will be available at all sites. No dining space is available, so meals must be eaten off-premises.

Families can search Free Meals on schools.nyc.gov or call 311 to find a site near them. Families can also text FOOD or COMIDA to 877-877 to find a meal near them.

Here is a complete list of meal hubs on Staten Island.

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.

See original here:

Increased halal, kosher options offered at Staten Island meal sites - SILive.com

Greg Hardy ready to live on Fight Island, knockout all 15 heavyweights en route to UFC title – MMA Mania

Power-punching UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy is going to be stepping inside the Octagon to throw hands anyway, so why not do it on a lush tropical island where he can also live and train every day for the next year or so?

Thats why the Prince of War is petitioning promotion president Dana White for a spot on Fight Island, the remote (and still secret) location that will allow quarantined fighters to bypass stateside travel restrictions.

Dana, man, listen, if youve got quarters, I will stay on that island, bro, you know Im not ashamed to move in, Hardy told TMZ Sports. We can fight every couple of weeks, dude. With all seriousness, lets run it. Ill live on it and break my own record that I tied last year 100 percent.

Before Hardy (5-2, 1 NC) can worry about his island adventures, the Prince of War must first get past Yorgan De Castro at the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) event on May 9, taking place inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

After that? Hardy, 31, plans to eliminate the rest of the Top 15.

I think we start with (No.) 15 and go down the line, Hardy continued. Fifteen fights later, I knock out the guy whos holding the belt whoever that is. You get the best show like that. Go down the whole line so everybody can just shush, calm down, wait their turn, and get knocked the crap out. Nobody can talk trash because Id be fighting all the best everybody with a number. We do it the G. Hardy way easily just eliminate everybody one by one on the island.

That would require him to avenge his UFC Moscow loss to this guy.

View original post here:

Greg Hardy ready to live on Fight Island, knockout all 15 heavyweights en route to UFC title - MMA Mania