Connecticut teacher takes in newborn while family struggles with COVID-19
STAMFORD, CT (WFSB) – A teacher in Stamford is being hailed as a hero for taking in a newborn from a family that was struggling with coronavirus.
Luciana Lira, 32, is a teacher for the Hart Magnet Elementary School.
CBS This Morning reported that the family of one of Lira’s students reached out to her after the entire family tested positive for COVID-19.
Lira said she received a desperate call from the student’s mother, who was in labor.
The mother asked Lira to get in touch with her husband before she underwent an emergency c-section. She reportedly had no one else in the country who could help.
Lira told CBS This Morning that was the moment she volunteered to be baby Neysel’s temporary guardian.
“I’m just proud that she counted on me, that she felt safe that she could talk to me, she could call me and yell and cry for help. And she did,” Lira said. “And I heard her. And I’m glad I did. That’s what I want all teachers, that’s what I want everyone to know.”
Lira called all teachers are essential workers.
“We are here for our students and we’re here for our families,” she said. “We’ve always been.”
The mother has made a full recovery, according to CBS This Morning.
Lira said she will care for Neysel until the rest of the family is healthy.
Photo Credit: abc7ny
Staten Island pastor welcomes homeless people into church amid coronavirus
Rev. Terry Troia refuses to be cowed by the coronavirus.
The Episcopal pastor and her 15 volunteers are helping more than 250 homeless people per day, using a loyal network of faith-based emergency shelters on Staten Island that she has cultivated for nearly 40 years.
It’s a relationship that has remained resilient during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic as most churches and houses of worship in the rest of the city shut down their emergency homeless programs in March when the contagion started to spread.
“For years there was no place for homeless to go to on Staten Island,” said Troia, 62, who heads up the non-profit, interfaith Project Hospitality. “But necessity really is the mother of invention because since 1984, we have forged a strong relationship with these churches.”
Troia’s organization runs the city’s “drop-in” center for homeless in the borough. It provides meals and showers, and drives homeless clients — most of them disabled — to congregational shelter beds every night. For homeless clients who have coronavirus symptoms, they find medical services and often spend the night at the shelter facilities in case of medical or other emergencies.
“It defies logic that the other four boroughs cannot function the way Staten Island does,” said Peter Gudaitis, executive director of New York Disaster Interfaith Services, a non-profit that oversees 34 shelters in houses of worship throughout the city, including five on Staten Island.
Gudaitis told The Post that all of the churches he works with in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx shut down their emergency beds for the homeless after city-run referral agencies — known as drop-in centers — in those boroughs stopped sending homeless clients their way over the last month.
“Most of our congregational shelters closed because the drop-in centers are not feeding clients to the shelters,” he said.
“We are trying to get a read on whether we can get these congregational shelters in other boroughs to open up again because we are seeing a lot more homeless on the streets,” Gudaitis said.
Typically, drop-in centers are run by non-profits who contract with the city to help the homeless with emergency services. The centers work with a host of other non-profits, including congregations, that provide temporary shelter.
“All of our Drop-In Centers remain open 24/7 citywide, in all five boroughs, and able to refer folks who don’t have a place to stay to shelter,” said city Department of Homeless Services spokesman Isaac McGinn.
But an activist who works with the homeless told The Post that outside Staten Island, the non-profit contractors who run drop-in centers have broken down.
“There are constantly mix-ups, they can’t fill shelter beds, there are mixups with bed linen,” said the activist, who did not want to be identified. The city reimburses the church shelters for bed linens and utilities.
On Staten Island, Troia admitted that at first volunteers were nervous about working with the homeless because her group lacked personal protective gear.
“Volunteers are really nervous about sleeping with people they don’t know in a room,” she said, adding that her group recently received a large donation of masks, gloves and other PPE from Art Science Research Laboratory, a Manhattan non-profit.
“It’s a blessing; our volunteers risk their lives. I slept in a shelter for the first two weeks of March.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/nyc-pastor-welcomes-homeless-into-church-amid-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: J.C.Rice
5-month-old boy found dead in the Bronx after coming down with fever
A 5-month-old boy in the Bronx was found dead in his crib, hours after his mother said he came down with a fever, according to police.
The mother told authorities she gave the baby Tylenol earlier in the evening to reduce the fever; when she checked on him around midnight, he wasn’t moving, and she called 911, police said. The home is in NYCHA’s Castle Hill Houses.
Paramedics found the boy unresponsive in bed and took him to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The baby did not have any immediate signs of trauma, and no foul play is suspected, police said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/5-month-old-found-dead-in-the-bronx-after-fever-nypd/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
More than 2,500 demonstrators gather in Huntington Beach after city vows legal action against state’s order to close beaches
More than 2,500 protestors gathered in Huntington Beach Friday, after the city announced it would pursue legal action against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to close Orange County beaches.
The Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 Thursday night to direct the city attorney to pursue “any and all legal actions necessary to challenge the State’s beach closure directive.” On Friday, a judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order, meaning the governor’s order to shut down beaches remains in place.
During a press briefing Friday, Newsom said, “As it related to the lawsuit, all I can say is, doesn’t surprise me.”
In the meantime, the city agreed to close beaches Friday, in accordance to the governor’s order. Activities including sunbathing, walking, running, and watersports were also prohibited.
“We’re very concerned about if we happen to be the only Orange County beach open at that point. That would be very difficult on our marine safety officers,” said Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta, who called the governor’s order “unconstitutional overreach.”
Friday’s protest was organized by We Have Rights — prior to the state’s order to close O.C. beaches — in opposition to the state’s stay-at-home order. The group, which has demonstrations planned throughout California Friday, demanded that Gov. Newsom reopen businesses and churches.
“Our group is dedicated to the restoration and protection of the rights and freedoms provided under The Constitution for all Americans,” the group’s website states.
Although the website urged people to maintain social distancing throughout the demonstration, Sky5 footage showed protestors gathered at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street, in clusters, defying the state’s guidelines. While some protestors wore face masks, most did not.
Between 2,500 to 3,000 people gathered, Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy said, and no arrests were made.
Many in the crowd were waving American flags, and some were dotting “Make America Great Again” hats and holding signs endorsing President Donald Trump.
Demonstrators could also be seen holding a myriad of signs, with some that read, “Make America Open Again,” “I have the right to work,” and “Reopen California Now.”
Around 12:40 p.m., at least 12 law enforcement officials on horseback could be seen herding the large crowds out of the street and back towards the beachfront sidewalk.
Aerial footage also showed several people in the now-closed beach, swimming and surfing — defying the state’s order that went into effect Friday.
Signs about countywide beach closures started to go up around the time of the protest, Chief Handy said in a briefing following the demonstration. By Friday night, all signs and barricades would be up, he said.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to be continuing with our posture of seeking voluntary compliance wherever we can. We’ll start with education,” Handy said, adding that police would talk to people about the purpose of the closures and ask them to leave the beach.
“Ultimately if we don’t get that voluntary compliance, enforcement will take place and that can come in several different ways and its really whoever is necessary depending on the situation,” he said.
The protest is not the first to take place in Huntington Beach during the coronavirus pandemic. Demonstrators gathered on April 17 to protest the state’s stay-at-home order after the city announced it was closing all metered parking along the Pacific Coast Highway to limit beach visitations.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
High school teacher used stimulus check to pay utility bills for 3 of his students’ families
(CNN) — Teacher Kent Chambers says he’s fortunate to still be able to work during the coronavirus pandemic, so when he and his wife received their stimulus payment, they decided to help people who haven’t been as lucky.
Chambers has taught math at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama, since 1986 and said he knows some of his students are struggling.
“I’m actually in better shape because I’m not having to pay for gas to drive to work and I’m still getting paid exact same amount,” he said. “There’s no need for me to take the money and splurge and do something reckless with the money. Let’s help somebody that really needs it.”
Chambers and his wife Pat received $2,400 because they’re married.
More than 88 million people received stimulus payments last week as part of the historic $2 trillion stimulus package, according to the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, and more money is on the way.
Chambers said he used $600 to pay the utility bills for three of his students. He made the payments anonymously, so the families will just see they have zero balance. The money should cover their bills for a little more than two months.
He’s also donating $600 to the burn care center at Shriners Hospital for Children — Cincinnati because the hospital has taken good care of his niece since she was hurt in a house fire.
Chambers said his wife is also doing what she can to support local businesses and has kept paying her gym membership even though the gym is closed because of coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for many American workers and a record number of people have filed for unemployment benefits.
Small businesses that have had to shut down because of the pandemic are also struggling to survive.
‘People want to make a difference right now’
The medical aid organization Direct Relief has seen an increase in donations despite the economic turmoil. The charity has been able to deliver 1.1 million surgical and N95 masks, 1.5 million gloves and other protective equipment to heath care workers since January.
“We’ve seen all sorts of creative and inspiring ways that people have stepped up to help others,” Direct Relief spokesman Tony Morain told CNN. “I think a lot of people want to make a difference right now.”
He said he didn’t know whether those donations were coming from people’s stimulus payments.
“The truth is a lot of people need this money to get through the day, to get through the month, so we wouldn’t expect to see a lot of this coming to Direct Relief but obviously we’re deeply grateful for those who are able to give,” he said.
Software engineer Kevin Chieppo said he donated $900 from his payment to Direct Relief and gave the rest to a grassroots Massachusetts fund that supports groups that help the homeless, undocumented workers, low-income renters and other at-risk communities.The market is always moving. How will you keep up?Staying the course and keeping your goals front and center can help.Ad By Merrill Edge See More
“I’m working and there’s a lot of people that are filing for unemployment now and I sympathize with that. You know, I’ve been unemployed before and it’s not easy. it’s not an easy time for anybody,” he said. “I just didn’t feel right and getting extra money and just not doing anything with it when a lot of people are struggling.”
He said he did some research and asked his Facebook friends to suggest groups he could help.
“I wanted to get rid of the money as fast as possible to where it was needed,” he said.
Stimulus is ‘an opportunity to give back’
Cleveland attorney Rebecca Maurer wanted to use her $1,200 stimulus payment to help people in her community.
She said she has a steady job and her bills are paid, but she knows many of her neighbors have been laid off.
“Just hearing people’s stories, it was very apparent to me that I was in a very lucky position and that I shouldn’t be treating the check as a windfall, but really as an opportunity to give back to my community,” Maurer said.
She gave money to the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and University Settlement, which provides food and other help to seniors and families in her area.
She also bought a pair of earrings to support a local jewelry maker.
Maurer created the Cleveland Stimulus Pledge website to encourage other people to give the city a much needed boost.
She said about 100 people have taken the pledge and promised to give about $60,000 since she launched the website April 8.
Maurer is not collecting or distributing any money, she said, and the donors are giving directly to the organizations.
“What we really wanted to show was the effect of collective donation. So if one person does it that, that’s great, but you can have even more impact if you see other people doing the same thing,” she said. “So Cleveland Stimulus Pledge was just a way to show what we could all do as a community together rather than as individuals.”
Donors could also suggest organizations and small businesses through the site for other people who aren’t sure how they can help.
Maurer made $20 donations to about 20 charities on the list earlier this month to celebrate getting $20,000 in pledges.
CNN’s Impact Your World has also compiled a list of donation opportunities and tips to help those affected by the crisis.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Kent Chambers
2 men hospitalized after drinking cleaning products to fight virus, officials say
ATLANTA (AP) — Two Georgia men have been hospitalized after drinking cleaning products to prevent a coronavirus infection.
Georgia Poison Control Director Gaylord Lopez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the men in Atlanta had mental health issues and are expected to recover after drinking the products over the weekend.
Lopez said he does not know if the men ingested the cleaning solutions because of President Donald Trump’s musings on whether injecting disinfectants could treat the virus during a White House briefing on Thursday. The statements provoked an intense outcry from health officials and prompted RB, the company behind Lysol, to release a statement urging people to avoid ingesting their products.
“We must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection, ingestion or any other route,” the company said.
The first man in Atlanta drank about 16 ounces of bleach on Saturday. He was treated in a hospital and has since been discharged from a psychiatric ward, Lopez said. Authorities did not reveal his identity but noted the man was in his 50s.
A second man in his 30s was discharged after he guzzled a mixture of Pine-Sol, mouthwash, beer and pain medications on Sunday, Lopez said. At least two other people in Georgia have consumed household chemicals since the virus outbreak began and before President Trump made his comments, the news outlet reported.
The state’s poison center was made aware of the two men’s cleaning product consumption when hospitals treating them called seeking advice.
“We don’t ask the question of, was it because they watched a TV show?” Lopez said. The center’s mission is to provide advice so they “make sure these patients make it,” he added.
Lopez said poison control also has seen a spike in other calls this year, involving people who have inhaled different household supplies while cleaning surfaces, and children poisoned when parents left them unattended while working from home. According to the CDC, calls to poison centers about disinfectants has increased 20% in the first three months of this year.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Georgia temporarily allowing teens to get driver’s license without taking a road test
(CNN) — New Georgia drivers will not be required to take a road test in order to get their license.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced in his most recent executive order that — provided they meet all other requirements — those holding instructional permits can qualify for their licenses without the “comprehensive on-the-road driving test.”
That means teens can get their license when they turn 16 without getting in a car with a test administrator.
Under the temporary rules, teens must have completed 40 hours of driving with the supervision of a licensed a driver. Those under 18 are also required to have permission from a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult to have their learner’s permit upgraded to a provisional license.
The change is in effect until the expiration of the state’s Public Health State of Emergency, which Kemp has extended to May 13.
The executive order also outlined social distancing measures for the state, which Kemp has begun to loosen starting April 24.
Georgia’s gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, hair and nail salons, estheticians and massage therapists were the first to open, with restrictions, followed by theaters and restaurants three days later.
The governor’s decision is at odds with statements from the mayors of cities including Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, as well as a data model cited often by the White House.
Georgia should not even begin to reopen until June 22, according to the model by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, which assumes states will implement aggressive testing, contact tracing, isolation and crowd-size limits to prevent more infections.
“I’ve done the best that I can using my voice as mayor to just say to people to use your common sense,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN Friday.
CNN’s Dakin Andone, Lindsay Benson and Amir Vera contributed to this report.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Texas high school principal drove 800 miles to visit all 612 graduating seniors at their homes
For one principal in Texas, he wanted to see his students just as much as they wanted to see him.
That’s why Virdie Montgomery, principal of Wylie High School, spent 80 hours driving 800 miles over 12 days to 612 of his senior students. Wylie is about 28 miles outside of Dallas.
With the help of his wife, Montgomery told CNN, he was motivated to do these senior visits after looking at the calendar and realizing all the senior events that had to be canceled because of Texas’ stay-at-home orders over the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re a pretty tradition-laden school,” he said. “These kids have seen everything that seniors before them got to do and man, they were just on the floor.”
Wanting to make his students’ senior year as memorable as possible, Montgomery endured long days filled with Google Maps and hours on the road.
Montgomery said he’d post the streets he planned to visit the day before so students had some sort of idea of where he was and when. The adventures usually started at 10 a.m. and wrapped up around 5 or 6 p.m., he said.
“Even now that I’ve done this, you still have that ‘what else can I do’ feeling, because I know how they feel, I know they feel like they’re missing out,” the principal said.
Lauren Gurley, a graduating senior, told CNN having her principal visit her at home was so special — especially because she said the transition out of school to an online format has been a difficult one for her.
“It kind of shows people that somebody does care for you out there,” she said. “Most principals wouldn’t do that.”
Before the stay-at-home orders, Gurley said, she knew Montgomery loved building strong relationships with his students, but these visits “kinda put it over the top.”
The social media savvy principal said he’s always been an active poster, so it was only natural for him to document his efforts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
“The most valuable gift any of us can give anyone that isn’t replaceable is time,” Montgomery tweeted. “Where one spends one’s time says a lot about what they value. My wife spent 80 hours driving me 800 miles over the last 12 days to visit seniors all the while navigating. I love her so much.”
On Wednesday Montgomery posted a roundup of some of his senior visits now that he’s finished seeing over 600 of his students.
In an effort to maintain some sense of routine, Montgomery posts what he calls “Corona Chronicles,” which was formerly known as the school’s morning announcements on his YouTube page.
“It’s a sense of normalcy, something we do every day,” he said. “And that’s really what my students were seeking.”
Michigan pilot gives a literal ‘F U’ to governor over coronavirus lockdown
This frustrated Michigan pilot gives a literal flying you-know-what about his governor’s lock-down order.
Ed Frederick, 45, spent about an hour charting a path over Grand Rapids that spelled out this message for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: “F U,” with an arrow pointing directly over the governor’s mansion.
Frederick said he was inspired to hop in a propeller plane Friday morning after Whitmer announced an extension of the state’s emergency lockdown order through May 28.
“It’s a power trip,” Frederick told The Post.
“The government, no matter Democrats or Republicans, always seem like they’re trying to do something just to prove they’re doing something, without weighing the ramifications.”
Frederick, who lives just outside Grand Rapids, said he owns a small business with his sister, and explained that he believed a lockdown was unnecessary for the entire state, considering the largest concentration of cases were in the southeast region around Detroit.
“That’s been an issue for a lot of people in the rural counties,” he added. “There are 82 counties, but really only four need to be locked down.”
Frederick believes Whitmer, a Democrat, has settled with a “draconian” statewide lockdown because a limited lockdown around the major city wouldn’t sit well with her base.
“[Whitmer] says this is for the safety of Michigan, but I think it’s for the safety of her keeping her votes, because the southeast is highly democratic,” he said.
Frederick said he was still getting by, yet sympathized with “the people walking that precipice, living paycheck-to-paycheck.”
But Whitmer and health experts have argued that state lockdowns help contain the spread of the coronavirus. She noted Thursday that counties of northern and western Michigan have begun seeing cases double within a week’s time.
“We must all continue to be diligent, observe social distancing and limit in-person interactions and services to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Whitmer said in a statement urging residents to “work together.”
“Michigan now has more than 40,000 cases of COVID-19. The virus has killed more Michiganders than we lost during the Vietnam war. Extending this order is vital to the health and safety of every Michigander.”
Frederick’s flight came a day after armed protestors stormed the Michigan statehouse. A licensed gun owner himself, Fredrick said he supported the message but felt protestors should have left their weapons at home because it’s “not painting them in a good light.”
“We have an open carry, but just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean you should do it — it’s sort of like [the virus],” he added.
“I don’t need the government to wipe my tushie every two minutes,” he said. “Let me know what the problems are going to be and let me know what the ramifications are; I’m responsible for myself.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/flight-path-curses-michigan-governor-over-coronavirus-lockdown/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Indiana Postal Worker Shot Dead After Refusing to Deliver Mail to Man With Aggressive Dog
An Indiana man charged with murdering a U.S. postal worker this week admitted he confronted her because his mail delivery had been suspended due to his “aggressive dog,” prosecutors said.
Tony Cushingberry-Mays, 21, was charged with second-degree murder, assaulting a federal employee, and discharging a firearm during a crime for the death of Angela Summers, a 45-year-old postal worker who was gunned down Monday afternoon during her mail delivery route in east Indianapolis, according to the United States District Court of Southern Indiana.
The mother-of-one, who had joined the U.S. Postal Service in 2018, died in the hospital.
According to federal law, killing an on-duty federal employee can be punishable by death or a life sentence. To date, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says four postal workers have been killed during workplace homicides in the last seven years.
“Angela was such a joy to be around, she was such a breath of fresh air. This is the worst thing that’s happened in my career,” Paul Toms, president of the National Association of Letters Carriers’ Indianapolis branch, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. “This is a federal crime, but more importantly this is a senseless crime that should have never happened. It breaks my heart.”
Summers, a city carrier assistant at the USPS Linwood Indianapolis Post Office, was delivering mail at about 4 p.m. Monday when she bypassed Cushingberry-Mays’ home in compliance with a suspension that had been put in place until he contained his dogs, according to court documents obtained by The Daily Beast.
An angry Cushingberry-Mays approached Summers on his neighbor’s front porch, standing about 6 feet away, and repeatedly asked her for the mail.
Both Toms and a witness who spoke to WTHR said Cushingberry-Mays was allegedly upset about not getting his COVID-19 stimulus check when he confronted Summers.
Summers, however, could not deliver his mail “because she was having a problem with the dog at his residence,” the complaint said, adding that Summers had reported “several issues” with the dog, which had resulted in mail being held.
Prosecutors said the USPS Linwood Indianapolis Post Office last sent a letter to the Cushingberry-Mays residence on April 13 indicating they would have to pick up mail from the post office.
Toms said that, in compliance with USPS guidelines, Summers had reported an issue with dogs at the home. After three warning letters were sent, mail had been blocked from the home for about two weeks and “wasn’t even given to Angela that day of the incident.”
“She was just following protocol, and the Postal Service curtailed the mail. It was not her fault that she didn’t have the mail that day,” Toms said. “My understanding is that she tried to explain that the mail could be picked up at another location and an argument ensued. I heard she was called horrible, horrible names.”
The postal worker’s response triggered an argument, escalating to the point that Summers had to use pepper spray on the 21-year-old.
“Cushingberry-Mays then pulled his handgun from the right side of his waistband (no holster), pointed his handgun at the letter carrier, and fired one shot at the letter carrier,” the criminal complaint states. “He acknowledged the mace was not deadly but led to discomfort from his asthma.”
According to the complaint, Cushingberry-Mays admitted in a Tuesday interview with police that he ran away after shooting Summers, first going to his aunt’s house before hiding the gun in the garage at his mother’s. He told authorities “he did not mean to kill the letter carrier but wanted to scare her,” according to court documents.
Immediately after the shooting, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service launched an investigation and offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. It’s not clear if Wednesday’s arrest was made due to information obtained through the reward.
“U.S. Postal Inspectors are charged with ensuring the safety and security of USPS employees, and that is a charge that we do not take lightly,” Felicia George, USPI Detroit Division Acting Inspector in Charge, said in a statement. “Anyone who threatens, assaults, or otherwise harms a postal employee fulfilling her critical mission will be apprehended and held fully accountable.”
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/indiana-postal-worker-shot-dead-183600968.html
Photo Credit: currently.att.yahoo.com