Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that a deal has been reached with the unions representing educators in New York City and that in-person, blended learning at public schools will resume on Sept. 21. This move is part of a deal to avert a teachers’ strike and calm principals and parents anxious about the start of in-person classes. Students will begin with virtual instruction Sept 16 and school buildings will reopen for in-person learning Sept 22. Schools had originally been set to reopen on Sept. 10. 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. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A New York congressman is seeking to double the amount of funding for a Justice Department community policing grant program used to hire officers across the U.S. U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi told The Associated Press he is adding an amendment to a government spending bill that would increase the funding for the COPS Hiring Program to about $800 million. The grant program, administered by the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, distributed more than $350 million to police agencies across the U.S. in 2020.

Multiple children were rescued from a house fire in Boro Park on Monday afternoon. Hatzolah and the FDNY received numerous calls reporting a house fire at 928 51st Street, just off of 9th Ave at around 6:30PM. Arriving emergency personnel found a group of six children trapped on the back porch, and fast-acting Hatzolah volunteers (Units B-270 and B-59) immediately grabbed a ladder and began taking the children down – before the FDNY arrived. The fire was on the first floor of a 3 story private home. The cause of the fire was unknown. JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS 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.

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)