The Supreme Court refused Monday to halt a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers in New York that does not offer an exemption for religious reasons. The court acted on emergency appeals filed by doctors, nurses and other medical workers who say they are being forced to choose between their jobs and religious beliefs. As is typical in such appeals, the court did not explain its order, although it has similarly refused to get in the way of vaccine mandates elsewhere. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. “Now, thousands of New York healthcare workers face the loss of their jobs and eligibility for unemployment benefits,” Gorsuch wrote in a 14-page opinion that Alito joined.

Town of Fallsburg Police Chief Simmie Williams announced the arrest and arraignment today on a Sealed Indictment of James Greco, 52, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Greco is accused by the Indictment of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, for allegedly having operated a pickup truck on Route 42 in the Town of Fallsburg on May 21, 2021, while impaired by the drugs fentanyl, alprazolam and/or oxycodone, crashing into and causing the death of the operator of another vehicle. Fallsburg police investigated the crash in conjunction with the New York State Police, and the case was subsequently presented to a Sullivan County Grand Jury, which returned the indictment, upon which an arrest warrant for Greco was issued.

A serial pickpocket thief who has been busted more than 30 times was caught again while targeting tourists at the Rockefeller Center, only to be released within hours. Gary Teasley, 65, has been arrested by the NYPD so many times that they are literally on a first-name basis. Having pickpocketed so many people, Teasley kept a storage locker with stolen wallets and a detailed record of his robberies. In the latest instance, Teasley was charged with trying to rob an elderly tourist after cops spotted him unzipping a woman’s purse and reaching inside. “We caught him red-handed,” a police source told the NY Post. “We called him by his first name.

Amtrak and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will announce a deal to move forward on two key rail projects in the New York region, according to Sen. Chuck Schumer. Schumer said transit officials have reached an agreement on using part of a $30 billion federal rail account that was included in the recently passed infrastructure bill. Part of the money will help Amtrak and the MTA rehabilitate East River tunnels that are used by Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road. The tunnels suffered damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The other project would establish a line to Penn Station for Metro-North trains from Connecticut and Westchester County that currently go to Grand Central Terminal. (AP)

The mother injured in the horrific accident in Woodmere on motzei shabbos remains in grave condition, with an outpouring of tefillos and zchusim needed for her refuah sheleima. A second accident victim remains in the ICU at Long Island Jewish Medical Center but is baruch hashem rapidly improving and is expected to make a full recovery, though the process will be long and arduous. The two other girls in the accident suffered more moderate injuries and one has already been discharged from the hospital. As previously reported on YWN, 15-year-old Liel Namdar A”H from Great Neck, one of the girls riding in the vehicle struck by a drunk driver was tragically killed in the accident, with her kevurah taking place in Eretz Yisroel on Monday.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the strangulation and assault as hate crimes for the unprovoked attack against a Jewish man, whom he cursed and strangled as the victim was walking home from Shul. District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This was a frightening and unprovoked attack that left an innocent man terrorized. We will not tolerate bias-motivated crimes in Brooklyn, where we pride ourselves on the diversity of our neighbors. I hope that this sentence sends the message that my Office will pursue and bring to justice those who target our community members with hate-fueled violence.” The District Attorney identified the defendant as James Vincent, 44.

The attorney fees are going to be astronomical. A Slingerlands, NY man is facing a rap sheet 75 tickets long after leading police on a car chase. According to police, at approximately 1:44 a.m. on Sunday, State Troopers from the Coxsackie barracks observed a 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander traveling west on West Main Street in the town of Catskill in violation of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. Troopers stopped the vehicle on West Main Street near the intersection of State Route 9W. As troopers approached the vehicle, the operator, later identified as Timothy B. Hall Jr, 41 from Slingerlands, put the vehicle in reverse and attempted to strike a police vehicle as he fled the scene. Troopers pursued the vehicle for approximately 20 miles with speeds reaching 90 miles per hour.

Republican Katherine Rappaport has knocked off incumbent Fallsburg Supervisor Steven Vegliante after a judge ruled that several hundred challenged ballots could be counted. An attorney by trade, Vegliante led the town of Fallsburg for 12 years and was seeking reelection to another 2-year term as town supervisor. Rappaport, a school board member, created a third-party ballot line to run for the office. Immediately after election day, Vegliante led Rappaport by 406 votes, but that lead evaporated after election officials began counting the some 990 absentee ballots cast in the election.

A mask mandate for shops and other indoor spaces in New York state took effect Monday as officials confront a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday that masks would be required in all indoor public places unless the businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. The rule will last at least until Jan. 15. Under the mandate, businesses can either require proof of vaccination for entry or ensure all patrons two years and older wear a mask. Violators could face civil and criminal penalties, including a maximum fine of $1,000. Though past polls have shown many New Yorkers support mask mandates, some Republican elected officials have said educating the public would be a better use of resources than enforcing a mask mandate.

The New York City rental market is making a comeback, evidenced by figures which show that the net effective median rent for Manhattan jumped 16.7% in November as compared to last year, and the net effective median rent for the entire New York City increased by 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. In addition to rents soaring, the market share of concessions continued its steep decline, falling at a historic rate for the fourth consecutive month, demonstrating that landlords are finding it less necessary to offer bonuses like free months to entice prospective tenants. “I think if you peel back the onion, you’re noticing the rental market is so strong because we have a severe inventory shortage,” Scott Durkin, CEO of Douglas Elliman said on Thursday.