When the New York Police Department fired an officer last year for putting Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold, the officer’s union argued that there was little, if any, precedent within the department’s internal disciplinary system for such a penalty. Now, the nation’s largest police department is spelling out potential ramifications for officer misconduct, unveiling on Monday a draft of a discipline matrix that will guide punishment decisions similarly to how sentencing guidelines are used in criminal cases. It will be adopted after a 30-day public comment period.

No Lakewood Mosdos will be allowed to open for the school year until every girl has a high school to go to. The decision to delay all school openings was made by the Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbonim and the Lakewood Vaad. Schools were supposed to open this week – some on Wednesday. No opening date was given to the parents. A meeting of Askonim is scheduled for tonight as they work on placing every girl into a school. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Indoor dining in New Jersey will resume Friday with limited capacity, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. Restaurants will only be able to have 25% capacity under the new rules, which includes maintaining social distancing between tables. Masks must be worn except when eating or drinking. “Reopening responsibly will help us restore one of our state’s key industries while continuing to make progress against #COVID19,” Murphy wrote in a tweet Monday announcing the updated regulations. The announcement comes five months after the state shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The development comes as the state is in the second of three stages of reopening. Murphy delayed reopening indoor dining, citing health concerns about the spread of the virus inside.

Two men were killed in Brooklyn and at least a dozen other people have been wounded in a spate of shootings across the city this weekend. No arrests have been made in either of the killings, police said. At least a dozen other people were wounded in eight shootings across the city this weekend, according to police. As of Friday, the NYPD said they had responded to about 980 shootings in 2020, compared to 530 during the same time last year. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A fast-moving fire left a Jewish-owned home in Monsey totally destroyed on Sunday afternoon. The fire department was on the scene at the fire on Carlton Lane in the Viola neighborhood at around 12:30PM. The fire spread quickly through the home. Bichasdei Hashem, no residents were injured in the blaze. Rockland Hatzolah was on the scene standing by in case their services were needed. Rockland Chaveirim were on the scene bringing cold drinks to the firefighters. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City youth sports teams will soon be able to get back on the field after being sidelined for months by the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday. The city will start granting permits for baseball, softball, soccer, flag football, non-contact lacrosse and cricket leagues to play in city parks beginning in mid-September, de Blasio said. Teams must adhere to virus mitigation guidelines, such as having players wear masks when possible, maintaining distance when not playing and limiting spectators. Leagues that violate the rules will be subject to a “three strikes and you’re out” policy, de Blasio said, and sports activities could be suspended if the city sees a spike in COVID-19 cases.

A New York man has been charged with criminal possession of stolen property after sheriff’s deputies say he stole a school bus in Pennsylvania to drive home. Justin Preedom stole a school bus and drove back to Avon, New York, on Monday, according to a statement from Livingston County Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty. Preedom was arraigned and released on his own recognizance Thursday. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a suspicious condition complaint for a bus with Pennsylvania license plates. Authorities contacted the bus company in Sarver, Pennsylvania, to confirm if the bus was supposed to be in Avon; it was not. Authorities said there could be additional charges filed in Pennsylvania. (AP)

Nurses on the front lines of New York’s COVID-19 pandemic are calling for the state to enact minimum staffing standards ahead of another wave of infections. Health care industry leaders, though, warn that passing such a law would saddle facilities with billions of dollars in extra costs they can’t afford. Under legislation now before a legislative committee, the state would for the first time set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, including a standard of one nurse for every two patients in intensive care units. California now has such a law. Other states don’t. Supporters say the legislation would boost the quality of care, reduce staff burnout and let the state hold health care facilities accountable for inadequate staffing.

One of the State University of New York’s campuses will shut down for two weeks after more than 100 people in the college community tested positive for the coronavirus, officials announced Sunday. The positive cases at SUNY Oneonta represent about 3% of the students and faculty on campus this semester, said Jim Malatras, the chancellor of the state university system. Malatras, who joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo on a conference call, said five students have been suspended because of large parties that were held last week. He said three rapid-result testing sites will be set up in Oneonta starting Wednesday.

Nationally, in recent days and weeks, Agudath Israel of America has received concurrent reports of an uptick in COVID-19 cases in communities in Lakewood, Cleveland, Rockland County, Five Towns, Brooklyn, Passaic, and Baltimore. With yeshivos imminently reopening for the school year, it is critical to bring this trend under control. For months, COVID-19 rates in many areas have, boruch Hashem, been low. But our communities are tight-knit and closely linked. Therefore, trends within our communities must be closely and holistically monitored, and every community must remain vigilant to protect all our communities. Kol Yisroel areivim zeh ba’zeh. Many of the cases nationally have been traced to large simcha gatherings.