New York state is closing schools and houses of worship for two weeks in part of a New York City suburb, and sending the National Guard there to help respond to what appears to be the nation's biggest cluster of cases of coronavirus. Governor Andrew Cuomo Tuesday announced the plan for what he called a "containment area" covering a 1-mile-radius area of New Rochelle in Westchester County. Cuomo say this is "not a lockdown." He says people who aren't personally on quarantine will be able to leave their homes and enter and leave the area.
U-S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she's pushing Congress to enact a bill that would provide up to 14 paid sick days for any worker during the course of a year. The New York Democrat has announced she is co-sponsoring the "Paid Sick Leave and Public Health Emergency and Personal Family Care Act." Gillibrand says more than 32-million workers in the U-S do not have paid sick leave, making it the only industrial nation not to have it.
Right now... Gillibrand says "COVID-19 isn’t just a public health crisis, it’s an economic crisis for millions of working Americans without paid sick leave. Not only might employees need to stay home for their own health, but school closures will require parents or family members to stay home with children." However, Gillibrand says both this and paid family leave, are on President Trump's radar and, she's hopeful of some kind of action will happen soon. She says "no one should have to choose between a paycheck and caring for themselves or a sick child or loved one, especially during public health emergencies."
A city woman has been charged with child endangerment after her 4-year-old was found wandering on West Eighth Street for the second time this year. Jamestown police responded to 508 West 8th about 5:30 PM Monday on a report of a young child wandering the area. A civilian reportedly told officers this was the second time this year she found the child wandering alone and, further investigation found the toddler was left unattended for at least three hours. Police later tracked down the mother, 37 year-old Corinna McCreary, sleeping inside the home. McCreary was arrested, and held pending arraignment.
Three people recently arrested in Jamestown on drug-related charges have now been indicted by a federal grand jury in Buffalo for allegedly trafficking cocaine. U-S Attorney James Kennedy, Junior has announced that indictments were returned against 22 year-old Kori Robinson, and 20 year-old Islandah Mitchell, both of Jamestown and, 25 year-old Bruce Page of Buffalo. All three are charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine. Prosecutors say agents received information that Robinson and Mitchell were traveling to Jamestown, Monday, March 2nd, with crack and powder cocaine in their vehicle. City police stopped the car, and, smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and, their search uncovered two separate clear baggies containing suspected crack and powder cocaine. All three face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $1-million fine for each suspect.
The city of Jamestown remains one of the leading communities in New York state with numbers of children having lead poisoning, but some progress is being made in lowering those numbers. Lead Program Coordinator Natalie Whiteman with the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services and others updated the City Council Monday night on the matter. Whiteman says the main issue is with lead paint dust and, they're seeing about one new case a week.
In 2008, Whiteman says the New York State Department of Health found that Jamestown had the fifth-highest number of lead poisonings among children. The Health Department's Lisa Schmidtfrerick-Miller says they are pushing for new funding to boost testing and, to educate both families, and landlords. She says they're trying to get additional funding from the U-S Department of Housing and Urban Development for that. Whiteman says the opening and closing of doors tend to be an area least attended to when it comes to eliminating lead paint dust in homes. Most homes in Jamestown were built before the used of lead-based paint was restricted in 1978.
The Blair LLC in Warren, Pennsylvania, along with it's parent company, and numerous other subsidiaries, have officially filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Post-Journal reports Tuesday was the second day of a hearing for Bluestem Brands, Blair, three other Bluestem entities, and 13 other affiliated companies in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. Chapter 11 bankruptcy generally provides for reorganization, usually involving a corporation or partnership. "A chapter 11 debtor usually proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time.”
