A fast-moving blaze destroyed a Shul and home on the Far Rockaway / Lawrence border early Thursday morning. The fire broke out at 2-06 Seagirt Ave, on the Queens border in Lawrence, just after 12:30AM Thursday. The building houses the “Beach Shul” inside it. Bichasdei Hashem, the Sifrei Torah were saved and all occupants made it out of the house without injury. Firefighters battled frozen hydrants and cold conditions. The fire was extinguished in about an hour. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Yankee Stadium will open as a COVID-19 vaccination site on Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. The vaccination mega-site will be run jointly by the city and state and will serve only Bronx residents, the two Democrats said. “Yankee Stadium has always been known for its World Series banners, but now it’ll be recognized as a place where the people of the surrounding community in the Bronx can receive the vaccine doses that they need and deserve,” de Blasio, an ardent Boston Red Sox fan, said in a statement. Plans to provide COVID-19 inoculations at Yankee Stadium and also Citi Field, the New York Mets’ home, were delayed by a lack of sufficient vaccine supply. No opening day for vaccinations at Citi Field has been announced.

New York sales tax collections dropped by $1.8 billion or 10% in 2020 compared to 2019, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said in a report released Tuesday. That’s more than in the 2009 recession, when collections dropped 6%. Sales tax revenue dropped most sharply in the second quarter as Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed nonessential businesses statewide. Collections plummeted 27.1% from April to June compared to the previous year. Drops in sales tax collection in New York City, which represents over 40% of sales tax collections statewide, fueled much of the state’s losses. The city saw a 35% drop from April to June, then a roughly 20% dip for the rest of the year. The pandemic bolstered consumer spending on alcohol and online shopping, as people avoided crowed places.

New York City’s health commissioner, the face of the city’s campaign to halt the spread of the coronavirus, announced Wednesday that he has been infected with the virus himself. Dr. Dave Chokshi said in a statement that he recently tested positive. “I now have mild symptoms, but they are manageable,” Chokshi said, adding that he has been in touch with city contact tracers. Chokshi became the city’s health commissioner in August 2020 after Mayor Bill de Blasio clashed with the previous commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot. Chokshi previously served in the Louisiana Department of Health during Hurricane Katrina. Chokshi has appeared in public service announcements urging New Yorkers to follow mask-wearing and social distancing rules.

Dr Vladimir Zev Zelenko, a NY State certified physician, was denied hydroxychloroquine by a pharmacist at a Walgreens in Monsey, Tuesday. The use of hydroxychloroquine became a political flashpoint last year when President Donald Trump and some others proclaimed it to be a miracle cure despite a lack of studies at the time to back up their claims. Regardless of your opinion on the use of the drug, or your opinion on Dr Zelenko, it is simply outrageous that a pharmacist refused to dispense a non-controled-substance to a doctor. Watch the video below: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

For those using the Palisades Parkway between Orange County and Rockland Counties, the cell phone “dead zones” have not only been an inconvenience, but dangerous. Many people have needed to reach Hatzolah, Police or other emergency assistance. and have been unable to make the calls. But that is era thankfully over. NY Senator James Skoufis announced the good news on his Facebook page on Tuesday morning. “No more dead-zone while driving past Bear Mountain on most of the Palisades Parkway! I’m delighted to announce that construction has been completed for two cell phone towers in the notorious dead-zone on the PIP between Orange and Rockland counties”, Skoufis wrote. “My thanks to Verizon for doing the right thing for our residents and EMS by expediting this project.

While the monstrous Nor’easter may have New Yorkers focusing on a massive snowfall, residents of Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Fresh Meadows, Pomonok, Jamaica Estates and Briarwood are facing an even more daunting reality – a special City Council election in District 24 TODAY whose candidates include a socialist former Bernie Sander staffer who has promoted anti-Semitic materials. Moumita Ahmed is an avowed socialist and follower of Linda Sarsour who is running on being proudly anti-Israel. Her radical views have scored her a last-minute endorsement from Bernie Sanders who seems to hope that the older voters in this district don’t turn out for TODAY’S special election due to the snow.

(By: Sandy Eller) A crippling Nor’easter that blanketed the greater New York City area in snow and had states of emergency declared in both New York and New Jersey was no match for the chesed of Klal Yisroel, as Misaskim and Hatzolah Air worked together to deal with some rather unusual circumstances as the mammoth winter storm raged on. The events began Sunday night in tragedy, when 70 year old Shulem Friedman of Boro Park passed away unexpectedly while vacationing in South Florida with his wife and grandchildren. With a punishing two day storm just beginning to wreak havoc in New York and New Jersey, and the majority of flights coming in and out of JFK, Newark and LaGuardia cancelled, arranging kevurah in Kiryas Joel was far from simple.

Central Park has seen more than 18 inches accumulate by 7 p.m. (including 8 inches in just six hours), making this nor’easter one of the top 10 snowstorms in New York City history. But WCBS Chief Meteorologist Craig Allen says even though it looks like the storm is over, more snow is actually on the way. Allen says the heaviest pounding of snow is winding down, but it will continue through Tuesday. Several areas will still get a couple of more inches. Strong 40-50MPH winds are expected through the night, and power outages can be expected in various locations. Snow drifts of 2-4′ can be expected. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 snowplows were out in full force Monday, trying to keep New York City roads clear.

A furious nor’easter descended on the tri-state area overnight, dumping up to 7 inches in spots before dawn — a precursor to rapid snowfall rates later Monday that could ultimately bury New Jersey under 2 feet of snow, while New York City could see up to a foot and a half. The worst weather likely starts late morning. Winter storm warnings are in effect for the vast majority of the tri-state area, including all five boroughs of New York City, through early Tuesday, while coastal flood warnings are in effect for about a dozen tri-state countries. The anticipated treacherous weather prompted the suspension of some public transit services and forced COVID vaccination appointments scheduled for Monday to be postponed throughout New York City.