Five people, including a 6-year-old boy, were shot in an area where people had gathered for an overnight celebration known as J’Ouvert in New York early Monday, police said. News outlets reported the shooting happened at an intersection in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood as people were out in the area for the festivities. But it’s unclear whether the shooting had any relationship to J’Ouvert, which is meant as a celebration of freedom from slavery. The boy was shot in the leg, police said. A 47-year-old woman and three men, ranging in age from 34 to 45, also suffered gunshot wounds in their legs and feet. All five were taken to a hospital with injuries not considered to be life threatening.

The NYC Health Commissioner has written a letter to Orthodox Jewish media outlets on Sunday night, regarding an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Jewish communities. As YWN has previously been reporting, there is an uptick in cases in various Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods. While the overwhelming majority of the cases are seeing mild to no symptoms at all, there have been some cases of hospiizations and even some patients in the ICU and on respirators. The following is the full letter by NYC Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi: Dear Colleagues, I am writing to share concerning COVID-19 news that I hope you will convey to your readers in your ongoing coverage. In recent days, we have observed heightened rates of COVID-19 in many neighborhoods with large Orthodox Jewish populations.

New York’s attorney general on Saturday moved to form a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died earlier this year after Rochester police placed a hood over his head and held him down. “The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement about Prude’s death, which has sparked nightly protests and calls for reform.

The New York Police Department says it is trying to find a car that drove through a group of Black Lives Matter protesters blocking a street in Times Square. Video posted on social media shows the car jerking through the crowd Thursday night with its horn blaring as demonstrators scream and scramble out of the way. No one appeared to be seriously injured. The NYPD said on Twitter that the car wasn’t a police vehicle. STAY WITH YWN WHATSAPP FOR BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME!  YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be dded to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. #BREAKING: Unmarked NYPD car appears to plow through protesters in Times Square. NYPD says the car doesn’t belong to them: “There are currently no complainants.

(By: Sandy Eller) As the uncertainty regarding COVID-19 continues to swirl amid an uptick in confirmed cases in recent days and fear of a second wave of the virus and schools reopening, Rav Elya Brudny, Rosh Yeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva, delivered a strong directive as to the need to remain vigilant about masks and personal safety as the pandemic continues. Speaking at an August 30th event hosted by Relief Resources, the leading Orthodox mental health referral agency, Rabbi Brudny addressed the need to send a clear chinuch message to our children by observing the Torah commandment of shielding ourselves from danger, and complying with laws even when doing so may seem inconvenient, as we are a nation of rule followers. “Conceptually we’re mask wearers,” said Rabbi Brudny, adding.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he won’t let New York City reopen its restaurants for indoor dining until the city comes up with a plan to make sure they are following regulations to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The governor said that he thinks restaurants should open in New York City but that the state doesn’t have enough personnel to monitor the city’s 27,000-plus eateries. “These institutions are under dire economic circumstances,” Cuomo said in a phone call with reporters Thursday. “And we know that compliance has to happen.” Cuomo is facing pressure from the restaurant industry, which has seen business plummet amid the pandemic and hundreds of workers seeking unemployment assistance.

The head of a progressive political party in New York is urging voters to cast votes on the party’s line at a time when a new state law is jeopardizing the future of minor parties. Political parties must now receive 2% of the vote — or 130,000 votes — in the previous presidential or gubernatorial election to qualify as a party and get on the ballot. A political party’s status will now be reviewed every other year starting in November. The state’s new ballot qualification requirements are set to take effect under a federal judge’s Tuesday decision, meaning that minor parties could lose their spot on the ballot in future elections if they don’t get enough votes in November.

Gyms in New York City can start reopening Wednesday with a slew of virus-related restrictions, the latest step the city is taking in a phased reopening after being the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic earlier this year. Gym members will need to wear a mask at all times and stay 6 feet apart, and gyms can only operate at one-third capacity. Group fitness classes are still not permitted. Gyms in other parts of the state were allowed to open at restricted capacity starting Aug. 24, but New York City officials delayed the reopening until Sept. 2 so that the health department could conduct safety inspections by video. Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed gyms statewide in March as New York shut down nonessential businesses to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A person was shot at 9th Avenue and 42nd Street, Wednesday afternoon. The victim was driven by private vehicle to Maimonides Hospital in traumatic arrest, and was pronounced dead a short while later. An NYPD Level 1 Mobilization response was requested. Law enforcement sources tell YWN that the suspect may have fled in a grey Hyundai Sonata with “TLC” Plates. The suspect is a black male wearing a white tee shirt, red shirts with a beard. Boro Park Shomrim was on the scene as well. Meanwhile, a person was stabbed at 928 41st Street minutes after the shooting. FDNY EMS and the NYPD were on the scene. It was unknown if the incidents are connected.

President Donald Trump is taking steps to revoke federal funds from New York City and other cities he says are descending into ‘anarchy’, according to a new report. Trump on Wednesday signed a five-page memo ordering all federal agencies to send reports to the White House Office of Management and Budget on federal funds going to four cities that can be redirected, according to the New York Post. In addition to New York, the memo names Seattle, Washington DC and Portland, Oregon as potential targets for revocation of federal funds. ‘My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,’ Trump says in the memo, according to the Post. READ MORE: DAILY MAIL UK