Texas mayor broke her own stay-at-home order to go to nail salon
A Texas mayor has been forced to apologize after getting caught breaking her own stay-at-home order by getting a nail salon to open just for her.
Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames was photographed last Tuesday wearing a face mask as she visited The Nail Bar, which should have been shuttered due to the mayor’s own lockdown order, according to 12NewsNow.
It sparked a flood of complaints, leading to investigations by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and even Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.
Ames offered a “heartfelt apology” for what she dismissed as a “lapse in judgment.”
“I promise there was no malice intended,” she wrote in a statement.
“I should never have entered the salon last Tuesday. I did not intend to take personal privilege while asking others to sacrifice and for that I am truly remorseful.”
She admitted that “as an elected official I am held to a higher standard.”
“I regret my action that day. I am honestly sorry and I pray that you will forgive me,” she said.
The mayor says she was in and out in 10 minutes, and the owner was the only person in the salon. She insisted that she just needed acetone to remove an old manicure and did not get her nails re-done, according to 12NewsNow.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/26/texas-mayor-broke-her-own-stay-at-home-order-to-go-to-nail-salon/
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Man busted in Spain for taking goldfish for a walk during lockdown
A man was busted for breaking Spain’s strict coronavirus lockdown by taking his goldfish out for a walk, police said Friday.
The unidentified pet owner was spotted sitting on a bench, with his finned friend inside a bowl, in Logroño, northern Spain.
He appeared to be trying to take advantage of a rule allowing people to take their pets out to relieve themselves.
He’s not the first person to pull a stunt amid Spain’s strict coronavirus state of emergency.
Last month, police in Murcia caught a man in a T-rex costume roaming the streets.
Spain was the country with the most COVID-19 cases after the US, with 226,629 reported as of Sunday. At least 23,000 people there have died from the virus.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/26/man-busted-in-spain-for-taking-goldfish-for-a-walk-during-lockdown/
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UK ‘miracle baby’ who survived heart surgery defeats coronavirus
A “miracle baby” who contracted the coronavirus in a UK hospital after surviving open-heart surgery has now also survived the deadly bug, according to a report.
Erin Bates, who weighed only 5 pounds, 4 ounces after her birth in October, underwent surgery in December for a heart defect before being infected with COVID-19.
Harrowing photos showed her tiny body hooked up to a machine supplying oxygen to her at the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool as she spent two weeks in isolation.
“Today, Erin beat Covid-19 and received a guard of honour by the treating team on our HDU as she was moved out of isolation,” a hospital spokesman said, the Sun reported.
The plucky toddler’s mom, Emma, and dad, Wayne, said: “Thank you so much to each and every one of them, we couldn’t have got through it without them.
“They are all truly amazing and we will be forever grateful,” they added.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/miracle-baby-who-survived-heart-surgery-defeats-coronavirus/
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Caretaker steals $13,000 engagement ring from elderly woman dying of coronavirus
A heartless eldercare worker swiped an 86-year-old Denver woman’s engagement ring and credit cards in the days before she died of the coronavirus, local prosecutors said.
Elizabeth Daniels, 29, allegedly pocketed Barbara Gust’s $13,000 diamond ring and brought it to a pawn shop as the octogenarian suffered from the illness at The Carillon at Belleview Station retirement community, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office and KMGH-TV.
Daniels is also accused of making purchases with Gust’s card on April 15, the day the elderly woman died, prosecutors said.
“We were unable to have any access to her for four weeks, and then we found out she had the virus, which is just heartbreaking,” Gust’s daughter-in-law told KDVR. “[Daniels] should not have had access to vulnerable people at a time of crisis like this, where her own family couldn’t reach her, but a thief could.”
It wasn’t until the family started making arrangements with the funeral home that they realized what had happened — and reported it to the Denver Police Department, according to prosecutors.
Detectives secured an arrest affidavit for Daniels that same day.
Police recovered Gust’s engagement ring from a pawn shop, according to the report.
Daniels, of Aurora, was charged April 22 with theft from an at-risk person, identity theft, providing a false statement to a pawnbroker and criminal possession of a financial transaction device, prosecutors said.
Daniels was hired as a temporary worker at The Carillon through a temp agency because of the growing number of coronavirus cases at the facility, according to KMGH.
She will reappear in court on June 22, the station reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/caretaker-steals-ring-from-elderly-woman-dying-of-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office
Shocking video shows massive Chicago house party during coronavirus lockdown
In a shocking display of contempt for social-distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic, dozens of young adults packed a house party in Chicago — where one person was heard saying, “You can’t even move in this b—-!”
The throng captured in a Facebook video posted by Windy City resident Tink Purcell is seen openly flouting guidelines that call for people to remain at least 6 feet apart to keep the virus from spreading, WTTW reported.
The more than 23-minute clip captured some of the rogue revelers wearing Chicago sports paraphernalia.
Some are also seen wearing masks in the tight quarters as the person recording the footage boasts that 800 people are watching it on Facebook Live.
At one point, a woman is seen shaking her butt for the camera.
On Sunday, Purcell posted on Facebook: “I had my mask and sanitizer I was good.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot slammed the Saturday night bash in a tweet as “reckless and utterly unacceptable.”
“I have seen the video which shows what appears to be a house party taking place inside a Chicago residence,” she wrote.
“While most Chicagoans are doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reckless actions like these threaten our public health and risk erasing the progress we have made. We will hold those responsible accountable,” Lightfoot continued.
“The fewer people who comply with the ‘Stay At Home’ Order, the sicker our residents will get and the harder it will be for us to recover,” she added.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Sunday that all of the party-goers had violated not only the trust of his executive order to remain at home, but also “the trust of their friends and family,” according to WTTW.
Police said they were aware of the footage circulating on social media.
“While we cannot authenticate the nature or location of the gathering, we want to remind everyone of the social distancing requirements in place,” police spokesman Luis Agostini wrote on Twitter.
“CPD will disperse crowds in violation of social distancing requirements, and if necessary, issue citations or as a last resort, enforce via arrest,” he added.
On Sunday afternoon, Pritzker said he had not seen the lengthy clip, but that he was aware of it.
“You’re literally putting everyone around you in danger. You are. They are putting you in danger. And, very importantly, all of those people are putting their families and their friends who are not there with them in danger,” he said.
Police have the authority to enforce Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, but he said he hopes to rely mostly on self-enforcement.
“If they refuse and if they repeatedly refuse, there is the ability by the police officers to charge them with reckless conduct and take them into custody,” he said.
“Though again we have discouraged police from doing that because we believe that people will in general follow the rules.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/video-shows-massive-chicago-house-party-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
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Rap pioneer Scarface reveals he has kidney failure following coronavirus diagnosis
Scarface is experiencing serious health issues resulting from his COVID-19 diagnosis last month.
The 49-year-old Houston rap legend, born Brad Terrence Jordan, has revealed he’s currently on dialysis due to kidney failure which he attributes to his recent coronavirus battle.
During a Zoom chat with his former Geto Boys cohort, Scarface gave a health update, saying he’s “glad to be alive” after getting out of the hospital April 20 — showing his dialysis report.
“I fought the COVID double bilateral pneumonia in both lungs and kidney failure in my house,” the hip-hop trailblazer detailed in the beginning of the video, which was uploaded two days later.
“I gotta change my entire diet,” Scarface shared. “I gotta do dialysis four times a week, three hours a day. That’s taking all of my blood out, cleaning it, and putting it back in my body. Before the COVID, I never had kidney problems before.”
The “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” lyricist also described some of the symptoms while fighting the virus, which was diagnosed March 26: “I couldn’t keep food down, I couldn’t get comfortable, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t stay woke, I could not breathe. It was the worst time of my life.”
“Hanging on that string of death makes you really appreciate life. I was inches away from death,” the former Def Jam South artist said, explaining that he didn’t want to be on a ventilator at a “quarantined hospital” alone, as opposed to being at home.
Scarface, who ran for Houston City Council last fall, optimistically closed the video by playing his guitar and mentioning future endeavors, such as a Geto Boys podcast and a grand finale tour.
He also talked about the virus’ impact on black communities, warning states like Georgia and Texas about reopening too early.
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New York City ER doctor, 48, commits suicide after telling her family about the trauma of witnessing her patients dying from coronavirus
A top emergency room doctor battling on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak in New York City died by suicide over the weekend, her family members have revealed.
Dr. Lorna M. Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died in Charlottesville, Virginia on Sunday.
In the days leading up to her death, the 48-year-old reportedly recounted to family members a series of traumatic scenes she’d witnessed working in the Manhattan hospital, including an onslaught of patients dying in front of her before they could even be removed from ambulances.
Breen had recently contracted COVID-19 but had returned to work at Allen after a week-and-a-half of rest. After the hospital sent her home, she re-located to Charlottesville to recuperate under the instructions of her father, Dr. Philip C. Breen.
On Sunday, however, officers from the Charlottesville Police Department responded to a call seeking medical assistance after Breen made an attempt on her own life.
Just days before, Breen’s father recounted how she appeared troubled by the devastating scenes she had witnessed while working with coronavirus patients at Allen.
‘She tried to do her job, and it killed her,’ Phillip Breen told the Times. ‘She was truly in the trenches of the front line.’
The grieving 71-year-old father said Breen had no history of mental illness, but during their final conversation together he noticed his daughter seemed detached and began to suspect something might be wrong.
‘Make sure she’s praised as a hero, because she was,’ he urged. ‘She’s a casualty just as much as anyone else who has died.’
NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital has not yet returned request from DailyMail.com for comment.
According to the Times, Dr. Angela Mills, the head of emergency medical services for several NewYork-Presbyterian campuses, including Allen, informed staffers of Breen’s tragic death in an email on Sunday night.
‘A death presents us with many questions that we may not be able to answer,’ a segment of the email read, which made no mention as to the cause of Breen’s death.
Located in northern Manhattan, the 200-bed Allen Hospital has been regularly been overwhelmed since the outbreak began, housing as many as 170 COVID-19 patients at times.
Emergency medicine physician, Dr. Dara Kass, who worked with Breen at the facility said even when she was at home recovering from the virus, Breen still made sure to regularly contact her colleagues to check-in on how they were and if they had the medical equipment they needed.
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African American students at University of South Carolina ‘Zoom-bombed’ by racist images, language
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WVLT/WBTV/WIS) — An online social gathering meant for African American students at the University of South Carolina was seemingly hacked by people spewing racial slurs and using blackface and neo-Nazi symbols.
The Association of African American Students (AAAS) was hosting its annual spring cookout using the virutal meeting platform Zoom when the incident happened Friday night, students say.
This morning, UofSC President Bob Caslen called what happened “absolutely unacceptable and disgusting.”
“I can’t apologize enough to the UofSC students who witnessed such ignorance while gathering to fellowship with one another during this unprecedented time,” Caslen said on Twitter.
Caslen said university officials are investigating.
According to WIS, representatives of AAAS also tweeted about what happened saying, “during the cookout, unknown persons entered the Zoom chat and proceeded to post a plethora of images, videos and messages containing racist slurs and derogatory terms.”
USC’s student government also responded condemning what happened and said “those responsible for this hateful act will be held accountable.”
Zoom replied to the USC student who posted the video of what happened, asking for more details and saying they would “escalate to our trust and safety team.”
Photo Credit: wvlt
Hasbro toy factory now making coronavirus face shields
MASSACHUSETTS — A Massachusetts factory that normally makes some of the nation’s most beloved board games, including Monopoly, Risk and Candyland, has pivoted to making personal protective equipment for heath care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker said Saturday.
The Cartamundi-owned Hasbro factory is making 50,000 face shields per week for hospitals in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Republican said after a tour of the East Longmeadow facility.
Making games and making personal protective equipment have the same goal, President and COO John Frascotti said.
“It is our job to make the world a better place for children and their families,” he said.
Baker also said an investigation into the high number of COVID-19-related deaths at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is progressing, but there is no timetable for completion.
Former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein has “free reign” to conduct his investigation, Baker said.
State health officials on Saturday announced an additional 174 coronavirus deaths, pushing the state’s total to more than 2,700.
The state also also reported nearly 2,400 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total number of reported cases to more than 53,000.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/26/hasbro-toy-factory-now-making-coronavirus-face-shields/
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New York clinical trial testing heartburn medication as coronavirus treatment
A clinical trial is underway at major New York hospitals to test the efficacy of heartburn medication, in combination with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, on coronavirus patients, The Post has learned.
More than 150 people so far are taking part in the study, which began earlier this month and is being conducted by the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of Northwell Health, according to a spokesman for the hospital system.
Researchers are trying to find out whether famotidine — the active compound in the over-the-counter heartburn drug Pepcid — acts as an inhibitor of COVID-19, similar to the way certain drugs block the replication of HIV/AIDS.
Patients in the study are being given the heartburn drug intravenously along with hydroxychloroquine at Northwell’s North Shore University Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Lenox Hill Hospital, said David Battinelli, vice president and chief medical officer of Northwell.
The researchers initially wanted to test famotidine on its own, but with so many patients now being treated with hydroxychloroquine, they wouldn’t have had enough test subjects, they told Science Magazine, which first reported the study.
Those taking the combination will be compared with a group taking only the anti-malarial and a control group.
Hydroxychloroquine has been touted as a promising treatment by President Trump and some doctors and patients, though the preliminary results of some local studies found no benefit.
Anecdotally, the heartburn drug shows promise, said Battinelli, adding that he hopes to recruit up to 1,250 patients for the trial.
This is the first known coronavirus-related study using the drug, the hospital spokesman said.
Five other clinical trials testing potential COVID-19 treatments are also underway at Northwell.
It’s unclear when the results will be made available.
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