New York recorded its lowest one-day coronavirus death toll and hospitalization total since the early days of the crisis in March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday. The western part of the state and the Capital region are poised to enter the third phase of reopening next week, he said. The state tallied 32 virus-related deaths on Friday, a slight decrease from the previous day after some recent fluctuations in the daily toll. The daily death tally peaked at 799 on April 8. On Friday, there were 1,734 people being treated for the disease in hospitals across the state, the fewest since March 20. The state has gone from having the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country to one of the lowest, Cuomo said. “We’ve done it. We have tamed the beast.

New York on Saturday launched early voting for the first time ever in a primary in the state. Early voting runs through June 21, before taking a day off ahead of the June 23 primary. New Yorkers can cast ballots at select polling locations under a law that passed last year, when the state joined 38 others with some form of early voting. Voters are deciding which candidates will face off in November in races for the state legislature, municipal governments, state judges and congressional districts. Voters will also cast ballots in the Democratic presidential primary, which a court reinstated last month. The state first rolled out early voting in November, and has since worked to smooth out issues including the location of polling booths in schools.

Statement from New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker on Overnight Summer Camps: Throughout this entire public health response, there isn’t a single decision we have not made based on data and science, rather than emotion. Using the best currently available science and data, I have reached a decision to prohibit overnight children’s camps from operating this season in New York State. Unlike day camps, which are approved to open June 29, overnight camps are a difficult setting to manage social distancing and face covering and infection control practices. Overnight camps have congregate settings and sleeping arrangements in close quarters that present too many risks.

A homeless man is facing federal charges in connection to the burning of a police officer’s vehicle as it was parked on a New York City street, officials said Thursday. Authorities said Michael Rodriguez, 32, had approached the vehicle, which was parked on a Brooklyn street and had a placard of the New York Police Department, in the early morning hours of June 2. The car had been assigned to an NYPD captain. In the federal complaint, authorities said video footage showed Rodriguez pouring liquid on the unoccupied vehicle, putting cardboard on it and setting the cardboard on fire. Rodriguez was arrested Thursday and ordered detained pending trial by a federal judge. An email was sent to an attorney in the federal defender’s office for comment.

Four New York City ambulance workers who gave media interviews about their work on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic sued the city on Thursday, saying they were punished for speaking out. The plaintiffs include paramedic Elizabeth Bonilla, who said she was barred from patient care, overtime work and even wearing her uniform after the Associated Press followed her through the first half of a grueling 16-hour double shift in April. Two other paramedics said they were placed on restricted duty after talking to the media. Another plaintiff, emergency medical technician John Rugen, said the fire department suspended him without pay for a month for giving a television interview on a day off in April.

The New York State Police says it will crack down on reckless driving for one week beginning June 11. The traffic-enforcement initiative is called “Speed Week” and ends on June 17. During this time, state police say troopers actively patrol highway work zones and target driver’s violating the “Move Over” law. New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said, “Speeding is a significant safety hazard on our highways, which often results in tragic consequences. We urge all motorists to obey posted speed limits and eliminate distractions while behind the wheel.

In a city famous for its lack of patience, some businesses have jumped ahead on what’s supposed to be a slow and methodical emergence from coronavirus lockdown. Stores in parts of the New York City have already started to allow customers inside to shop, even though the phased reopening that began Monday only allows retailers to sell merchandise via curbside pickup for now. At least a dozen customers perused racks of women’s clothing Wednesday inside Mini-Max in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. Shoppers mostly self-policed for social distancing, which wasn’t difficult given the store’s size, but the only restriction applied by owner, Albert Abeal, was that customers must wear masks. “We just opened.

A fire destroyed a home on 41st Street and 14th Avenue in Boro Park on Thursday morning. The fire, which broke out at around 5:00AM, reportedly started on an electrical panel in the basement. One women was transported by Hatzolah to Maimonides Hospital with minor injuries. Meanwhile, one of the two families living in the home is a Rebbi who has dedicated his entire life to teaching children in a well-known Brooklyn Yeshiva. Everything they own was destroyed in the blaze. The Rebbi, who lives a simple lifestyle, was left penniless, with no means to purchase basic necessities to furnish another apartment and buy basic clothing for his family.

Federal immigration authorities can’t make civil arrests at New York state courthouses or arrest anyone going there for a proceeding because a policy change was made in an arbitrary and capricious manner, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling by Judge Jed S. Rakoff came after New York state and the Brooklyn district attorney sued over the policy switch codified in January 2018. Several immigrant advocates’ groups have sued over the same issue in a case proceeding before another Manhattan judge. Rakoff struck down a federal directive issued in 2017 and codified in January 2018 that plaintiffs said caused the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to greatly increase civil immigration arrests in and around New York State courthouses.

Veteran Hamodia reporter Reuvain Borchardt has once again received a shocking response from the failing Socialist cop-hating NYC Mayor Bill Deblasio. Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor, You’ve been discussing equality a lot, and I’d like to ask you about another apparent inequality in the city. During the past week, on multiple occasions, NYPD officers have expelled mothers and children from playgrounds in Brooklyn, while just a few blocks away on the same day, there were protests with hundreds of people. How does it promote equality, Mr.