The Justice Department has decided not to open a civil rights investigation into government-run nursing homes in New York over their COVID-19 response, according to a letter sent Friday to several Republican members of Congress. Under former President Donald Trump’s administration, the department’s civil rights division requested data last August from four states — New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan — about the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in public nursing homes. The request came amid still-unanswered questions about whether some states, especially New York, inadvertently worsened the pandemic death toll by requiring nursing homes to accept residents previously hospitalized for COVID-19.

Police are currently investigating a drowning in Fallsburg. Sources tell YWN that emergency officials were called to Fallsburg on Shabbos afternoon, after a man was swept away in the currents at the Neversink River located at the “Four Corners”. Numerous agencies responded to assist in the rescue effort. Unfortunately, the mans body was located a short while later on the river bank. His identity was not released by authorities as of Sundays morning. Misaskim was not needed in this tragic incident. YWN reminds our readers that due to the extremely rainy summer, the water level in all rivers and streams in the Catskills are very high, and many rivers which are usually calm water, now have rapids. Please use extreme caution when entering the water, and of course always wear a life vest.

Police shot and wounded a man who, officers said, swung a metal pipe at them after behaving erratically and bolting from an ambulance. The man was undergoing surgery early Saturday and was in stable condition, Deputy Chief Charles McEvoy told reporters. Police haven’t released the names of the man or the officers, who were taken to a hospital for evaluation. No body camera or other video of the encounter has been made public so far. Police were called to the man’s Staten Island apartment around 10:30 p.m. Friday to respond to an emotionally disturbed person, McEvoy said. He said they found him behaving erratically, talked to him for several minutes and brought him to an ambulance.

Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon announced Thursday that the conviction of a man who served 23 years for a 1996 murder will be vacated. The conviction of Grant Williams was vacated following a review that uncovered numerous credible witnesses who testified to his innocence, WABC-TV reported. In addition, McMahon said the review determined that the identification process used by authorities did not meet modern standards or current best practices. The reinvestigation found that throughout the original investigation, best practices for ensuring fair and impartial justice were not followed at several points nor the duration of the prosecution.

A New York City police sergeant was charged Thursday with beating two handcuffed men after they lashed out at police — one spitting at officers, the other using racial slurs — in separate incidents in the last two years. Sgt. Phillip Wong, a supervisor in the bureau that patrols the city’s transit system, was caught on body-worn and security cameras punching a 48-year-old man in the face in a Harlem holding cell in October 2019 after the man kicked the cell door and spat at officers, prosecutors said. The man required stitches for a cut above his right eye, prosecutors said.

RCCS held their annual Flatbush fundraiser this week, and awards were given to five members of the Flatbush community. One of those honored was Richie Taylor, who is an NYPD Deputy Inspector, and Commanding Officer of Community Affairs. Taylor works directly for NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, who made it his business to attend the RCCS event, where he publicly praised D.I. Taylor. “Richie works with me in Community Affairs,” Maddrey said. “I send Richie all over this city, and no matter what community I send him in, he always makes an impact.” “People always call me and say Inspector Taylor, Inspector Taylor…. they love him.” Taylor was also greeted by Eric Adams who is poised to be the next Mayor of NYC. Adams congratulated Taylor on being honored with the RCCS Medal of Valor.

New York state has sent out just $117,000 in coronavirus pandemic rent relief money to help bail out struggling landlords and tenants as of Thursday, and lawmakers say that is far too little as the expiration of the state’s eviction moratorium nears. The Legislature plans to hold a hearing soon on the sluggish roll-out of the state’s $2 billion rent relief program, which has been plagued by a string of website glitches and poorly trained hotline workers. Sen. Brian Kavanagh, the Democrat who chairs the Senate housing committee, said the state needs to act now to address complaints. “They really have got to meet the enormous human need out there to ensure that people can have reasonable faith this program is going to work.

A man in a wheelchair was struck and killed by a vehicle in Lakewood, early Friday morning. It happened just before 12:30AM (Friday morning) on Route 9 near John Street, just opposite the 7-11. Sources tell YWN that the man drove his wheelchair directly into traffic, attempting to cross Route 9. He was struck by a vehicle, and thrown quite a distance. Lakewood Hatzolah was on the scene in seconds, and reported that the man was in traumatic arrest. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Paramedics a few minutes later. Chevra Kaddisha services were not needed in this tragic incident. Lakewood Police are on the scene investigating – expect Route 9 to be closed for hours. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The New York City police department says just 43% of its workforce has been vaccinated against COVID-19. The New York Post reported Wednesday that about 23,000 of the NYPD’s 54,000 employees have been vaccinated. That trails the fire department, where about 55% of employees have been vaccinated. Thousands of police department employees were sickened with COVID-19 and 56 of them died, including seven detectives and three officers. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that the city was looking into mandating vaccines for its workers and that unvaccinated employees of the city’s health system must be tested weekly. The NYPD, the nation’s largest police force, has shied away from mandating the vaccine, citing possible legal challenges.

The NY State Police have arrested a Town of Monroe man after he allegedly exposed himself and inappropriately touched women in the Village of Kiryas Joel. Christopher Lyons, 21, was arrested at around 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 18 following an investigation. Troopers spoke with a husband and wife who told them that a man, later identified as Lyons, grabbed the woman as he walked by and then exposed himself. There were several reports that he exposed himself and performed a lewd act in the village. He was charged with forcible touching and public lewdness, both misdemeanors, and held in the Orange County Jail pending arraignment. Anyone who feels they were a victim of Lyons is asked to call the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 845-782-8311.