Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in New York City and surrounding areas on Wednesday and ordered a probe of utility companies a day after Tropical Storm Isaias downed trees, halted commuter trains and knocked out power to more than 700,000 people. With many still in the dark after Tuesday’s storm, Cuomo blasted utility companies as having shown “reckless disregard” for storm planning and directed a state regulator to investigate their preparation and response. City utility Con Edison said some parts of Staten Island wouldn’t see power restored until Sunday night. More than 83,000 homes and businesses in New York City were still without power as of 7 p.m.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State Police and local law enforcement will be increasing patrols over the next week to crack down on speeding across the state. Unsafe speed was a contributing factor in 34 percent of all fatal crashes from January to May this year, compared to 30 percent of fatal crashes during the same period in 2019. Starting Thursday, the state will increase patrols on its roads and run public service announcements on TV as part of a week-long “enforcement campaign” aimed at cracking down on speeding, he said. “Speed limits are not a suggestion, they are the law and they save lives,” said Governor Cuomo.

New York’s teachers’ unions said a single COVID-19 case in a school should trigger its immediate closure for 14 days as they listed demands Wednesday for reopening this fall. New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers called for the state policy just as New York is poised to announce initial decisions on reopening plans submitted by roughly 700 school districts. The unions said in a release that districts moving ahead with re-openings “must err on the side of caution at all times.” Districts submitted reopening proposals last week amid worries that resumption of in-person classes could put students, teachers and their families at risk. Gov.

Eli Rozenberg, who has proffered an offer to purchase El Al on behalf of his father, New York businessman and Hatzolah Paramedic Kenny Rozenberg, received a permit to buy a controlling stake in the beleaguered company from Israel’s Government Companies Authority, Globes reported on Tuesday. The permit comes as news reports earlier this week said that El Al has refused to meet with Rozenberg’s representatives before he answers several questions in writing. Rozenberg has offered $75 million for a 44.9% controlling share in El Al. A previous Globes report said that El Al may be holding off on considering Rozenberg’s offer due to reports that other parties may be presenting offers.

New York City Council member Ritchie Torres has defeated 11 other candidates to win a Democratic primary for Congress in the Bronx in a race that was certified six weeks after voting ended on June 23. If he wins in the general election in November, Torres, who is Black and Latino, is likely to join Mondaire Jones, a lawyer who won the Democratic primary for a congressional seat in the suburbs north of New York City, as the first openly gay Black or Latino men in Congress. Torres 32, defeated his closest rival for the nomination by more than 8,000 votes, but vote tabulation in the race took weeks because of a record number of people who voted by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Two Bochrim were airlifted after a hiking accident in Colorado on Wednesday. Sources tell YWN that the two Bochrim were part of a small learning camp that went on an outing to “Saint Mary’s Glacier”, which is a semi-permanent snowfield located in Arapaho National Forest in Colorado. Two of the boys reportedly slipped on snow, causing serious injuries. A medevac was called, and the boys were airlifted to a trauma center. One reportedly suffered a femur fracture, and a second boy suffered a broken pelvis. They are reportedly in stable condition. There are currently hundreds of Yeshiva Bochrim in Colorado on Bain Hazmanim trips. One flight from Newark Airport this past Sunday morning had nearly 100 Bochrim on it.

The United States Secret Service “Advance Team” was in Deal NJ on Wednesday, making preparations for this Sundays fundraiser for President Trump. As YWN reportedly exclusively this past Sunday, the high-end event will be held at the home of the late Mr Stanley Chera Z”L, a close friend of Trump, and one of the most prominent members of the Sephardic Syrian communities in Brooklyn and Deal NJ. Mr. Chera passed away in April from COVID-19. The President would frequently mention Mr Chera in his speeches. Sources tell YWN that the Secret Service was seen all over the place today, as Agents prepare for the event. Multiple choppers were taking off and landing all morning, as pilots get used to the area.

Mayor DeBlasio said NYC would start implementing checkpoints across the five boroughs to help enforce Gov. Cuomo’s quarantine order for travelers from viral hotspots, citing the ongoing national COVID threat. The measure announced Wednesday is the first significant effort by NYC specifically to help enforce the 14-day quarantine for travelers from 34 states and Puerto Rico. In revealing it, de Blasio said the state was “absolutely right” to impose the travel restriction in the first place. Cuomo announced it in late June. 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. (AP)

Facebook has agreed to lease the former main United States Postal Service in New York City. The company rented all of the office space in the James A. Farley Building in Midtown Manhattan which is 107-year-old and has 730,000 square feet, The New York Times reported Monday. Facebook now has 2.2 million square feet of office space in the city, all of which is located on Manhattan’s West Side between Pennsylvania Ave and the Hudson River. Apple, Amazon and Google all lease space in the same area. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement that this investment “ fortifies New York as an international center of innovation.” Facebook’s office space at Farley and Hudson Yards could allow the company to move another 8,500 workers to the city.

The coronavirus pandemic’s far-reaching effects on New Jersey’s finances have begun taking a toll on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which oversees both roadways, posted the latest financial data for the first half of the year recently, painting a bleak picture: Traffic on the Turnpike was down 30% through June, with revenues down 27%; for the Parkway, toll transactions fell 26%, and revenue was down about 27%. “Traffic and toll revenue decreased entirely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the authority’s financial statement said. Despite the downturn, the authority and transportation experts sounded an optimistic note about the remainder of the year.