The U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to keep their shared borders closed to non-essential traffic until at least late August because of COVID-19. Acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said Thursday in announcing the extension that restrictions on cross-border traffic that have been in place since March have helped slow the spread of the coronavirus. Officials had said in recent days that another 30-day extension was likely before the expiration of the previous 30-day extension. The partial closure restricts crossing to commercial traffic, people returning to their home country and other travel deemed essential. It prohibits people from traveling between the countries for tourism or shopping, which is economically important to border communities.

In response to New York City’s Black Lives Matter murals – done as nods to the growing nationwide anti-racism movement – two police advocacy groups are asking Mayor Bill de Blasio for their chance to make a statement of their own. The groups want to paint the words “Blue Lives Matter” on the street next to 1 Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan, a refrain used by those in the law enforcement community calling attention to the dangers police officers face each day on the job. They also suggested using the area at Broadway and West 45th Street in midtown as an alternative location.

Bug spray, swollen welts, citronella. It’s mosquito season. And in a normal year, the health department serving Ohio’s Delaware County would be setting out more than 90 mosquito traps a week — black tubs of stagnant water with nets designed to ensnare the little buggers. But this year, because of COVID-19, the mosquitoes will fly free. The coronavirus has pulled the staffers away, so they haven’t set a single trap yet this year, according to Dustin Kent, the program manager of the residential services unit. Even if they had the time, the state lab that normally would test the insects for viruses that infect humans isn’t able to take the samples because it also is too busy with COVID-19.

New York City won’t open malls and museums Monday even if the city is allowed to move into the next phase of reopening, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo promises more crackdowns on bars and restaurants. Cuomo said New York City is on track to move to the fourth phase of his gradual reopening plan, but said his administration will review the latest infection data and decide by 4 p.m. Friday. The rest of the state is in Phase 4, which typically permits opening malls and certain arts and entertainment centers and restarting professional sports games without fans. But Cuomo said no “additional indoor activity” will open in New York in the fourth phase because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus indoors.

Two serious incidents occurred in Manhattan just blocks away from each other on Thursday. At around 4:30PM emergency personnel responded to 136 East 26th Street near Lexington Avenue for a scaffolding collapse. According to FDNY officials, one worker was killed and two others were injured. It did not appear that any pedestrians were hurt. The Fire Department said the injured people were taken to the hospital. It was unclear what led to the scaffolding collapse. The apartment building dates to the 1920s, city records show. Building manager Halstead Real Estate said it was saddened by the collapse, and that it was under investigation.

Three maintenance workers at a summer getaway overdosed in Kiamisha on Thursday afternoon. It happened just after 4:00PM at the Munkatcher Camp on Route 42, when the three men suffered a drug overdose. Catskills Hatzolah Paramedics was on the scene in minutes and began administering Narcan to all three victims. Two of the victims were in cardiac arrest. MobileMedics were requested to respond to assist Hatzolah with transporting the victims to the hospital. The Sullivan County Sheriff Department was on the scene investigating. The Chevra Kaddisha was not needed in this tragic incident. The camp is a bungalow colony with a day camp on premises. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group.

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways said Thursday they will sell seats on some of each other’s flights in the Northeast to strengthen both airlines in New York and Boston, where they compete against Delta and United. American said the deal will generate enough new passenger traffic to let it launch new international flights from New York’s Kennedy Airport, including service to Tel Aviv and Athens, and revive winter flights to Rio de Janeiro. For JetBlue, the alliance would help it grow at LaGuardia and Newark airports in its home New York market and bolster its position at Boston’s Logan Airport, where Delta Air Lines announced several new routes before the coronavirus pandemic threw the airline industry into a nosedive. Regulators could block further mergers of major U.S.

According to the National Weather Service, hot and humid weather will arrive in the NYC area on Shabbos and stick around until Tuesday. The heat index is expected to climb close to 100 Sunday and Monday, and could even reach 105. The NWS has issued a hazardous weather outlook from Friday through Wednesday. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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The NYPD is looking for four people suspected of arson by allegedly setting an unoccupied police van on fire in Greenwich Village. It happened on East 12th Street around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators said the four suspects were caught on camera. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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A New York motorist recorded water leaking into the Lincoln Tunnel on Tuesday evening, July 14, as he drove toward New Jersey. Anthony Consiglio shared this video on his Instagram story as he drove through the tunnel, which runs under the Hudson River to connect Manhattan with Weehawken, New Jersey. “Well, that’s concerning,” he says in the video. The Port Authority, which operates the underwater tunnel said that a water main rupture was reported in a facility room in the Center Tube on Tuesday evening. It was fixed and the water was pumped out as designed. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)