New York City public school students won’t have any snow days this winter amid hybrid learning, according to state Department of Education guidelines. Under the guidelines, if in-person classes have to be canceled because of snowstorms or other weather, students will switch to remote learning instead of having classes canceled all together. The city is required to have 180 days of instruction under state guidelines, so officials are trying to fit in as many days of education as possible. Now that every Yeshiva knows how to do remote learning (phone lines, Zoom etc), will they follow NYC, and children will no longer have snow days? (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York will begin allowing visitors to see loved ones at nursing homes that have been coronavirus-free for 14 days, up from 28 days under previous rules, the health commissioner said Tuesday. The policy goes into effect Thursday, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said. State health officials will monitor to ensure more visits don’t increase COVID-19 cases, he said. “We understand how trying it has been for New Yorkers to not see their loved ones and the challenges they’ve had to endure during this unprecedented pandemic,” Zucker said. The state halted most visits at care homes March 13, though visits that were medically necessary or for end-of life services were allowed.

A Macy’s Thanksgiving parade reimagined for the coronavirus pandemic will feature floats, performers and giant balloons along a one-block stretch of 34th Street in front of the retailer’s flagship Manhattan store, Macy’s officials announced Monday. The spectacle will be broadcast as usual from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern time on NBC and will include both live and recorded elements, Macy’s officials said. “Under the unique challenges of these unparalleled times, we felt it was important to continue this cherished holiday tradition that has been the opening act to the holiday season for generations of families,” Susan Tercero, executive producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, said in a prepared statement.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has agreed to buy the New York Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families. The team announced the agreement on Monday. The deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball owners. Sportico reported Cohen will own 95% of the team, with the rest staying with the Wilpon and Katz families. The deal reportedly values the franchise at about $2.4 billion. Former major league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez also attempted to buy the team, but they dropped out of the bidding last month. “I am excited to have reached an agreement with the Wilpon and Katz families to purchase the New York Mets,” Cohen said in a statement. Cohen also entered negotiations to buy the Mets last year, but the deal fell apart in February.

Dear Parents, As many of you have already heard, there is a concern that the Yeshiva may have to close because of a proposal from the City of New York. Let me assure you that we have been in daily and open communication with the Department of Health. We have made them aware of any cases within the Yeshiva – both confirmed and possible – and the precautions we are taking. These include sending home entire classes if there was a single case in the class and quarantining Beis Medrash bachurim in their on-campus residences. This is in addition to the months of preparation that we invested in opening school safely.

Officers responding to a domestic violence complaint were fired at from inside a home in Queens, police said Monday. No officers were injured in the confrontation Sunday, and the suspect later came out of the house and surrendered, a police spokesperson said. Uniformed officers arrived at the house in the College Point section at around 4:30 p.m. after a woman called police and said her son had assaulted her, the spokesperson said. Several shots were fired at the officers from the second floor of the house. After the officers retreated and called for backup, additional shots were fired from the first floor, police said. No officer was struck by gunfire, and none of the officers fired their own weapons. A 25-year-old man came out of the house and surrendered, police said.

An important email from the Medical Director of Lakewood Hatzolah (who is the Medical Director of NYC Hatzolah as well) was provided to YWN, and it is published below. Our decision to publish this, is to inform the public about the importance of seeking the proper medical care if infected with COVID-19 – and not being scared to go to a hospital, which are pretty empty at this point. There are many new treatments (see below) which hospitals are utilizing, and if given early, are seeing a tremendous positive outcome. To the members, As you are all aware, there has been quite an uptick in positive COVID cases in Lakewood and surrounding areas. While the majority of cases are mild, we have seen some patients requiring oxygen, hospitalization, and even ICU admissions.

The presidential election and the coronavirus outbreak have largely overshadowed New Jersey’s highest-profile ballot question this year, but the state could be the latest to legalize recreational marijuana if voters say yes to a constitutional amendment. Ballots are about to go out to all registered voters in New Jersey’s first-ever mostly vote-by-mail election. In addition to voting for president, U.S. Senate and House, New Jerseyans will also decide whether to amend the state constitution to permit those 21 and older to use marijuana. The amendment also allows for the state to set up a regulated market for the drug. New Jersey would become the 12th state, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize recreational marijuana, if the question succeeds.

Gas prices have dipped in New Jersey and across the nation, and analysts say they expect the decline to continue. AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey on Friday was $2.22, down two cents from the week before. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.20, also down two cents from the previous week. Analysts say the approach of fall generally means decreased demand and therefore savings at the pump, but this year gas prices could drop even lower than prices seen so far this year. (AP)

For the first time in many years, new members of have been added to the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisroel of America. Their names have been released for the first time in a Kol Korei on Sunday afternoon. A statement released to YWN by the Agudah stated the following: “At the time of Agudas Yisroel’s founding in Katowitz in 1912, it established a body known as the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, consisting of gedolim from across Europe to stand at the helm of the movement. It has always been the hallmark of the Agudah, whether in pre-war Europe or post-war America, that its policies have been guided by the words of the Moetzes.