Indoor dining on the chopping block while NYC kids return to classrooms

The Staten Island pub saga continued this week, and now it has a body count. No one died (at least as far as we know), but a deputy sheriff wound up in the hospital with broken legs after Daniel Presti rammed him with his Jeep. Presti, the manager and co-owner of a Staten Island bar flouting public health rules, fled from law enforcement after illegally opening the bar again before driving into his pursuers. Presti was arrested, yet managed to get released without bail despite the felony assault charge he faces for putting a cop on crutches. Stay tuned – this story’s sure to twist and turn at least 11 more times.

A return to school in NYC

Several weeks after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio closed schools – a decision made when the city hit a 3% positivity rate threshold – some schools have reopened for the second time this year. This time, schools that can accommodate it can have students return for full-time in-person instruction, rather than a hybrid model with part-time remote learning. Students who chose to remain fully remote can remain so. Students in 3-K, pre-K, kindergarten and elementary school were the first to head back, with special education students attending District 75 schools returning next. The city has promised more aggressive testing in schools to ensure they remain safe. As of yet, the city has not released a plan about middle and high schools, which remain entirely remote after they shut down last month. Of course, there is no guarantee that schools won’t close again under potential state restrictions, and the uncertainty concerns many parents. Already, the reopening of schools threatens to widen the racial disparities already made worse during the pandemic, as 12,000 more white students returned to classrooms than Black students, and remote learning remains a struggle for many. De Blasio announced a plan to address achievement gaps caused by the pandemic beginning next year.

Indoor dining on the way out

On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that beginning on Monday, indoor dining will be forced to shut down in New York City, as COVID-19 cases continue to spike throughout the state. Throughout the rest of the state, indoor dining capacity will decrease from 50% to 25%.Earlier in the week, the governor said that if hospitalization rates didn’t stabilize soon, he would need to hit the brakes on indoor dining. He cited new federal guidance about the high-risk nature of indoor dining, especially in winter. Cuomo announced that moving forward, hospitalization rates will determine the fate of indoor dining, as well as other broad shutdowns. Previously, parts of the state would shut down as part of Cuomo’s microcluster strategy, based mostly on infection rate. Now, regional shutdowns are on the table if a region hits 90% capacity in hospitals. 

Race for the 22nd Congressional District drags on

As electors prepare to cast their votes to officially elect President elect-Joe Biden, the race for the 22nd Congressional District upstate remains undecided. In the latest development, a judge ordered a partial recount of over 2,000 disputed absentee and affidavit ballots. The ruling represented a victory for Rep. Anthony Brindisi, who hopes to pick up more votes to overcome the 12-vote margin between himself and Republican Claudia Tenney, who wanted the results certified as is. The recount will include recently discovered ballots that had never been counted, like the 55 found in Chenango County. The fate of a stained ballot, which drew debate over whether the mark was chocolate or blood, was also decided: Herkimer County election officials will count the vote.

Ranked-choice voting under attack

Just weeks before the first scheduled ranked-choice voting election in New York City is meant to take place, some city lawmakers questioned the city’s preparedness to implement the new system and expressed outrage about the plan. At a City Council hearing, several lawmakers said the city should try to postpone ranked-choice voting, asserting that city officials have failed in their responsibility to educate voters, especially in Black and Latino communities, with a special election weeks away and the pandemic causing other complications. Soon after that, some of the lawmakers who made the criticism filed a lawsuit that could postpone implementation for an undetermined amount of time. In addition to seeking a stay for the upcoming February special elections, the complaint is also seeking a permanent injunction until a judge determines the city has met its charter requirements for implementation. Ranked-choice voting was adopted by voters for city municipal special and primary elections to begin on Jan. 1.

The list of NYC mayoral candidates grows

Democratic Rep. Max Rose, who recently lost his reelection campaign to Republican Nicole Malliotakis, appears to be entering the growing pool of candidates running for New York City mayor in 2021. Rose filed with the Campaign Finance Board, declaring that he has formed a mayoral campaign committee. However, Rose isn’t the only politician presumed to be in the running for mayor; there have also been whispers about former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang entering the packed race. Recent reports have suggested that Yang will officially announce his candidacy next month.