Frustrated by the flow of coronavirus vaccine from the federal government, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday floated the idea of buying shots for New Yorkers directly from one of the vaccine makers, Pfizer. The idea seemed far from a sure bet, with the pharmaceutical giant saying it would need federal approval to sell to state governments. If that were to happen, the cost and amount have yet to be be discussed. Regardless, Cuomo said he felt compelled to broach the idea as his state, like many others, faces tough vaccine math. At the current pace of federal vaccine shipments to New York, it could take six months or more to get shots to the 7 million residents already eligible under federal guidelines, let alone the roughly 12 million other New Yorkers.

The NY Times is reporting that former NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is among those under consideration for a pardon or a commutation by President Trump. Silver was convicted twice on corruption charges and sentenced to prison last summer. Another person under consideration for clemency is Sholam Weiss, the recipient of what is believed to be the longest-ever white-collar prison sentence, according to one person who discussed the matter with a family member and another person briefed on conversations in the White House. Mr. Weiss was sentenced to more than 800 years in prison in 2000 for racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering related to an immense fraud scheme that siphoned $450 million from an insurance company, leading to its collapse.

Tragedy struck the Kiryas Joel community on Monday, when a young child was R”L struck and killed by a vehicle. The incident happened just before 4:00PM on Da Weider Blvd, when the three-year-old boy was struck by a delivery van from a local butcher. Kiryal Joel Hatzolah Paramedics attempted to save the child’s life, but sadly, their efforts were unsuccessful. The NY State Police are on the scene investigating the incident. Further information will be published when it becomes available to us. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two hundred NYPD Officers boarded buses to Washington D.C. on Monday, as they travel to the Nations Capitol to assist in security for the Biden inauguration. The NYPD tweeted the following: “This morning, 200 of your officers begin their journey down to the U.S. Capitol, to represent the NYPD and assist with security for Wednesday’s Presidential Inauguration.” The NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan tweeted that the officers had “volunteered” for the job: “Two-hundred of NY’s Finest are on their way to Washington D.C.

Starbucks closed some New York City stores on Sunday “out of an abundance of caution” as cities across the U.S. braced for protests and potential unrest ahead of President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Starbucks spokesperson Jessica Conradson said the Manhattan stores were expected to reopen Monday. The Seattle-based company said it went ahead with the temporary closures because many people working in the stores live outside of Manhattan and might’ve gotten stuck from getting home if protests were to break out and disrupt transit service. Some darkened stores had signs noting their temporary closure. There were no major protests in New York City on Sunday. Public officials have said there are no specific, credible threats to the city stemming from the election or the violence Jan.

NYPD commanding officers have reportedly been ordered to crack down on “offensive” and “inappropriate” stickers on the personal vehicles of officers. The commanding officers are supposed to have their Integrity Control Officers review the private cars of cops, according to a memo obtained by the New York Post. They’ve also been ordered to look for covered license plates used to trick toll and speed cameras. “The ICO should look for the following: vehicles with license plate covers and offensive or inappropriate stickers/decals/signage,” the memo says. The order was put out Friday and the commanding officers have until Monday to report back to Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes, according to the report. It’s unclear what may have led to the crackdown on personal vehicles. (AP)

A Long Island man ran a stop sign before crashing a sport utility vehicle into a police car and a house that caught fire in North Babylon, police said. Suffolk County police arrested the driver, DaSean Player, and a passenger, Steven Glover, who authorities said kicked and spit at a police officer while stating he had COVID the coronavirus. The crash happened before 2 p.m. Friday. Player ran a stop sign in a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder and crashed into a police vehicle, police said. The vehicle veered into a house on Elkton Lane that caught fire, police said. No one in the house was injured. Glover, 32, of Wyandanch, fled the scene, authorities said, but was taken into custody a short time later. He faces charges of drug possession and attempted assault.

Federal and local authorities have arrested a man they say was a major drug supplier for Connecticut and New York after finding more than 12,000 fentanyl doses and 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of cocaine in his home. Christopher Alamo was charged with federal drug and gun crimes after a law enforcement task force executed a search warrant at his Hartford, Connecticut, residence, federal authorities said Thursday. Wednesday’s raid also turned up nearly a pound (390 grams) of loose fentanyl, more than a half-pound (300 grams) of marijuana, materials to package drugs for street sales, a handgun, large-capacity ammunition magazines and a bulletproof vest, U.S. Attorney John Durham and Special Agent in Charge Brian Boyle of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in a statement.

The driver of a New York City bus that plunged off a bridge has been suspended after refusing to submit to a drug and alcohol test, a regional transit agency said Saturday. The 55-year-old driver has been “withheld from service without pay” following the dramatic crash, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Saturday. His name has not been made public. Seven passengers suffered minor injuries after one part of the articulated bus fell 50 feet (15.2 meters) onto a highway ramp. The other half remained on the bridge. No other vehicles were involved. The MTA said speed appeared to be a factor in the crash.

A woman was arrested Friday after stealing a mail truck in Brooklyn and crashing it into several parked vehicles, police said. It happened about 6:00 p.m. Friday in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section. Police said Martha Thaxton, 21, took off in the unoccupied truck down Fulton Street, crashing into several vehicles. Officers said she attempted to flee the vehicle but was arrested on several charges, including grand larceny and reckless endangerment. It was not clear whether she had a defense attorney who could comment on the charges. (AP)