Expanded outdoor dining for New York City restaurants will be extended year-round and made permanent, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday. The program allowing restaurants to seat customers on sidewalks and parking spaces has been seen as a lifeline for cash-strapped businesses trying to survive through the pandemic. More than 10,000 restaurants are taking part in the program. “I want us to really take this model and make it part of the life of New York City for years and generations to come,” de Blasio said on WNYC public radio. With cooler weather coming, the city will allow electrical heaters on sidewalks and streets as well as propane and natural gas heaters on sidewalks. Restaurants also will be able to use partially or fully enclosed tents.

New York’s attorney general on Friday recommended the New York Police Department get out of the business of routine traffic enforcement, a radical change she said would prevent encounters like one last year in the Bronx that escalated quickly and ended with an officer fatally shooting a motorist.

More than 1,000 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in a single day, marking the first time since June 5 the state has seen a daily number that high. The number of positive tests reported daily in the state has been steadily inching up in recent weeks, a trend possibly related to increasing numbers of businesses reopening, college campuses reopening and children returning to school. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday there were 1,005 positive cases tallied on the previous day, Friday, out of 99,953 tests, for a 1% positive rate. From late July through the start of September the state was seeing an average of around 660 people test positive per day. In the seven-day period that ended Friday, the state had averaged 817 positive tests per day.

The rural upstate New York hamlet of Swastika is keeping its name, despite a complaint that it symbolizes the hate and intolerance of the Nazi regime. The unincorporated crossroads in the Adirondack Mountain town of Black Brook, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the U.S.-Canada border, has been known as Swastika for more than a century. But town council members considered a name change after a visitor from New York City said it was offensive, and disrespectful to the memory of the World War II veterans buried in graves in the nearby countryside. Michael Alcamo said he was bicycling through the area this summer when he came upon Swastika.

(By Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, infectious disease expert, and Assistant Rabbi at Young Israel of Woodmere) We are again at a crossroads. Both in the Jewish calendar, entering into Yom Kippur, where life and death decisions will be made, and in the world of COVID-19, with a disconcerting continuing rise in cases in our area, where life and death decisions will be made. “Mi Bamageifa” (and who will die by plague…): In just the past 24 hours, I have been inundated with numerous pressing shailos from communities all over regarding COVID-19 exposures. Here are but a few of the quarantine questions that Rabbonim and shul presidents have asked me. “Our Rosh Hashana chazzan said wearing a mask was too difficult. He davened for the amud without one.

Firefighters in Brooklyn found wads of cash when they cut through a ceiling while battling flames at a house on East 57 Street in Mill Basin, Brooklyn early Thursday morning, The New York Post reports. FDNY members found the flames had made its way into the ceiling of the home. and began to cut through the overhead sheetrock when suddenly, the cash began to fall on their heads. According to the report, bundles of new hundred-dollar bills were wrapped in plastic bags and tinfoil and could total to as much as $1 million dollars, the report added. READ MORE: 1010WINS

Three railroad workers have been suspended for turning a storage room under New York’s Grand Central Terminal into an unauthorized “man cave” with a television, a refrigerator, a microwave and a futon couch, officials said Thursday. A Metropolitan Transportation Authority investigation found that managers at Metro-North Railroad were unaware of the hideaway beneath Track 114. “Many a New Yorker has fantasized about kicking back with a cold beer in a prime piece of Manhattan real estate — especially one this close to good transportation,” MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny said in a news release.

The following urgent message was sent to YWN by Chevra Hatzolah regarding the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases throughout the Jewish communities in NYC: September 24, 2020 Dear Community Member, Over the last few weeks, we have seen a steady and dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in our community, with a recent alarming increase in severity and hospitalizations – including ICU admissions. WE MUST ALL DO OUR PART TODAY TO HELP CONTROL THE SPREAD OF THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY VIRUS! WEAR A MASK PROPERLY (covering mouth and nose) in cases where strict social distancing cannot be practiced. Follow recommended social distancing precautions and guidelines from the CDC, State and Local Governments, and other healthcare professionals. Large gatherings of any kind must be avoided.

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson says he is no longer considering a run for mayor. “Just as I was open about the fact that I was considering a run for mayor, I now want to be open about the fact that I have made the difficult decision not to run,” Johnson said in a statement Thursday. “This challenging time has led me to rethink how I can best be of service to this city, and I have come to the conclusion that this is not the right path for me.” In the statement, Johnson cited personal challenges and opened up about his depression. “Too often mental health issues are shrouded in secrecy and stigmas, which causes people struggling with these issues to feel alone,” he said. “I encourage anyone who is experiencing a mental health condition to seek help.

Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway was forced to close due to COVID-19 on Wednesday night. The school sent the parent body the following email: Dear TAG Parents, At 9:30 this evening, we received a phone call from the NYC Department of Health ordering that the school be closed effective immediately. We have not been provided with any specific details as relates to the reasons, causes or duration of the closure. We anticipate a meeting with the DOH tomorrow morning at which we hope to receive additional information which we will share with you. We apologize for this late notification; however, we were given no warning that this closure was pending. Indeed, as you all know, TAG COVID policies met and exceeded all published State and CDC Guidelines.