Month: July 2020

NEW YORK CITY — President Donald Trump has pardoned a former New York Police Department commissioner who spent years in federal prison on tax fraud and corruption charges.

Bernard Kerik — who pleaded guilty to tax fraud and corruption — was one of several surprise pardons and sentence commutations that the president issued Tuesday.

“Bernard Kerik courageously led the New York Police Department’s heroic response to the horrific attacks of September 11,” Trump said. “He embodied the strength, courage, compassion and spirit of the people of New York.”

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and talk show host Geraldo Rivera were among those who prompted Trump to issue the pardon, according to a press release.

Kerik responded to the pardon on Twitter by thanking the president and saying the day of the pardon was among the best in his life.

“Going to prison is like dying with your eyes open,” Kerik wrote. “The permanent loss of many of your civil and constitutional rights are personally devastating.”

Kerik, who served as police commissioner under Giuliani during 9/11, pleaded guilty to a tax fraud scheme for accepting a $250,000 gift — from a company tied to organized crime — to renovate his Bronx apartment, the New York Times reported.

He also admitted lying to White House officials during an interview to head the Department of Homeland Security, the Times reported.

He was imprisoned from 2010 to 2013.

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Robyn Macy and Andrew Berkovits planned to get married Saturday in front of 190 guests in Tarrytown, New York, to the soundtrack of a renowned 17-piece wedding band that has played for the likes of the Rockefellers and the Clintons.

Instead, the couple headed to their Astoria rooftop, exchanged their vows on a Post-it note and popped champagne before an audience of a lemon-hued sunset that grazed the tops of the Manhattan skyscrapers in the distance.

Bans on large gatherings, widespread closures and social distancing measures enacted to slow the spread of the new coronavirus are prompting New York couples to cancel or reschedule weddings — or, in the case of Mr. and Mrs. Berkovits, find creative ways to still say “I do.”

“It’s just like a little bit of an escape, a distraction, a little bit of love in this time of anxiety,” Macy said in a phone interview. “You shouldn’t feel like you have to put your happiness on hold just because the world’s on hold.”

Among the 250,000-plus city employees sent home last week are the workers who issue marriage licenses and hold civil marriage ceremonies at the city clerk’s office in downtown Manhattan.

The Marriage Bureau closure, which Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday, means nuptials won’t be recognized in the eyes of the law. But the Berkovits newlyweds say a marriage certificate is only a formality.

“It’s not pretend,” Macy said. “We really do feel this love and feel like we’re married.”

The couple isn’t the only one celebrating love in the time of the new coronavirus.

Reilly Jennings and Amanda Wheeler took to the streets of Washington Heights on Friday to get married, with a friend officiating the ceremony from his fourth-floor window.

“It was the most New York moment ever and was even more special to share with the entire neighborhood in such a scary and uncertain time,” Jennings told CNN.

On Staten Island on Sunday, one couple incurred the wrath of the Archdiocese of New York by getting married in front of nearly two dozen people at a local Catholic church, according to the New York Post.

“The wedding was not in keeping with archdiocesan guidelines and should not have been held,” Archdiocese of New York spokesperson Joseph Zwilling told the news outlet.

British luxury label Burberry has taken another step forward in its
digital push through the simultaneous launch of a new TB Summer Monogram
multidimensional campaign and its third game.

The campaign video is set in a dreamlike CGI geometric world inhabited
by four CGI characters, one of which is Kendall Jenner, who don a number of
womenswear and menswear staples from the new collection. The video is then
juxtaposed with a separate photo campaign, a series of self portraits shot
at home by Jenner.

The interlocking TB initials, originally designed by chief creative
officer Riccardo Tisci and graphic artist Peter Saville in 2018, are
enlarged in the new collection with a palette of dark beige, azure blue,
graphite and cobalt blue with orange accents.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — Dozens of San Diego-area residents and some local businesses received citations over the weekend for violating government social-distancing requirements designed to slow the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, authorities reported Monday.

In the city of San Diego, police handed out 16 tickets to individual scofflaws on Saturday and Sunday — five in Balboa Park and 11 in the Ocean Beach area, including Sunset Cliffs and Robb Field park, SDPD public-affairs Lt. Shawn Takeuchi said.

Officers also cited five smoke shops in the city for violating regulations mandating the temporary closure of all but essential businesses, such as pharmacies, food venders and gas stations.

Don’t miss the latest coronavirus updates in San Diego County. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, for its part, issued 25 tickets over the weekend to people violating the public-health orders by leaving their homes unnecessarily, congregating in large groups or failing to stay at least six feet away from others, according to Supervisor Greg Cox.

“The warnings are over,” Cox told reporters Sunday. “We’re now down to serious business.”

Conversely, the police department in Oceanside, where beaches closed to the public Friday night, began the coronavirus-related prohibition period by giving verbal warnings to offenders, all of whom were cooperative and dispersed when asked to do so, OPD Lt. Aaron Doyle said.

In Carlsbad, two people were given citations over the weekend after refusing to leave a public park, according to Greg Koran, a lieutenant with the coastal city’s police department.

The Chula Vista Police Department ticketed no social-distancing violators on Saturday or Sunday, CVPD Lt. Gino Grippo said.

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a news conference on Monday, made perhaps his most critical statements regarding the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak yet, saying that testing is “not remotely close” to where it should be as the state looks to reopen eventually. Murphy made the statement as he announced 3,528 new cases and 177 more deaths (you can watch it here, below).

The state’s total number of cases has risen to 88,806, and 4,377 people have died. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here’s What You Need To Know

Murphy said there “is no doubt” that there is a “lack of either a federal plan or real federal support for tests” and personal protective equipment that “has inhibited our testing efforts.”

“It’s still is not remotely close to what we need, particularly from the outset from the feds, to get universal testing,” he said.

Once New Jersey is able to steps to ramp up and expand testing, Murphy said, “we will be in a better place to capture and contain COVID-19.”

But, while Murphy credited FEMA and Vice President Mike Pence for being responsive, the governor said: “We haven’t gotten a fraction of what we’ve wanted.”

Murphy seemed to take issue with President Trump’s comments on Sunday that there is “tremendous capacity” for testing.

“We don’t see it that way as it relates to testing,” Murphy said. “There is not, as far as we can tell, plenty to go around. We’ve turned over every stone we can find. We need more capacity, more materials.”

Murphy said his administration has had to rely on data, such as hospitalization numbers that are on the decline, to “help inform our decisions as we look toward a reopening strategy as we look to prepare for a spike that will surely come when we do reopen.”

Murphy said New Jersey is also prepared for “a potential recurrence of this virus later this year.”

Reopening the economy right now, Murphy said, would “backfire” and there would “no customers at our stores because people would be fearful” of spreading the virus to their families and children.

New Jersey is showing signs of progress in “breaking the back” of the upward coronavirus curve. Read more: 5 Big Signs Of Progress In NJ Coronavirus Outbreak

During the news conference, Murphy also paid tribute to New Jersey residents who passed away:

Watch Murphy here:

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don’t miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Here’s what else you should know:

Murphy issued a stay-at-home order, closing all non-essential business at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 21. Read more: Gov. Murphy Announces NJ ‘Stay-At-Home’ Order Due To CoronavirusMurphy, speaking during a Thursday, April 16 press conference, said schools will remain closed through May 15. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Schools Shut Through May 15 In Coronavirus CrisisMurphy ordered stores across New Jersey on Wednesday, April 8 to require shoppers to wear face coverings or masks. Here’s how you can get yours, and how the new rule will be enforced. Read more: NJ Shoppers Must Wear Masks: Where To Get Them, How It’s EnforcedHere are 10 resources for you and your family to utilize as you navigate through the outbreak: Unemployment, Tests, Food: 10 NJ Resources In Coronavirus CrisisNew Jersey’s courts suspended all new jury trials until further notice, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said on Thursday, March 12. Read more: Coronavirus Throws Monkey Wrench Into New Jersey Court SystemMurphy said during a live press conference on Wednesday, March 25 that he’s ordering many day care centers to shut amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Shut Many Day Care Centers Amid Coronavirus CrisisThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory for New Jersey. Read more: CDC Travel Advisory For NJ: No Coronavirus Travel Ban From TrumpNew Jersey residents are expected to start receiving stimulus payments soon. Here’s what you need to do beforehand. Read more: Coronavirus Economic Stimulus Payments: What You Need To Do In NJOn Friday, March 27, Murphy allowed more types of New Jersey businesses – including gun sellers – to operate in the coronavirus outbreak. What’s open and closed now? Read more: What’s Open, Closed? More NJ Business To Operate Amid CoronavirusMurphy announced on Tuesday, April 7 that state and county parks will close. Read more: Gov. Murphy Closes Parks On NJ Coronavirus Crisis’s Deadliest DayHere are four urgent tasks New Jersey wants you to do during the coronavirus outbreak, including wearing a mask. And here’s why. Read more: Wear A Mask! 4 Things NJ Wants You To Do In Coronavirus Outbreak

How It Spreads

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person. Someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others. That is why CDC recommends that these patients be isolated either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

UPDATE: Gov. Phil Murphy announced that schools will close for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: New Jersey Schools Closed For Rest Of Academic Year: Gov. Murphy

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy said he’s ready to announce a decision on reopening schools amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Murphy said on Sunday that he plans to hold a news conference at 12 noon on Monday, and will likely address the issue. Patch will cover it live. “We will give you that guidance on Monday,” he said. Read more: WATCH LIVE: Gov. Murphy Issues Update On Coronavirus, NJ Schools

Murphy made the statement as he announced thousands of new coronavirus cases this weekend and hundreds of additional deaths. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here’s What You Need To Know

Murphy previously said he would make a decision by May 15, but he moved up the timetable.

“My hope is on Monday as to what we’re going to do about schools,” Murphy said. “We’re on remote learning until at least May 15 and we said we would let folks know at the latest on May 15 what the balance of this school year looks like.”

Murphy’s decision could be influenced by New York’s announcement on Friday that that state’s schools will remain closed for rest of the 2019-20 academic year. Read more: New York Schools Closed For Rest Of Academic Year

New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania also have formed a coalition of seven states hardest hit by the new coronavirus, forming a task force for a regional approach to reopen their states in the wake of the outbreak. Read more: NJ, PA Join Regional Coronavirus Reopening Council

Earlier in the week, a coalition of education organizations around New Jersey sent a letter to Murphy with one request: Don’t reopen the schools this year. Read more: Keep NJ Schools Closed, Education Groups Tell Gov. Murphy

Also earlier in the week, Murphy told CNBC that there’s “a chance” that schools could reopen by May 15, even though restrictions would certainly be in place.

Murphy made those remarks as he offered a broad reopening plan, providing a six-point outline to “restart New Jersey and put the state on the road to recovery.” Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues 6-Point NJ Reopen Plan In Coronavirus Crisis

Murphy had previously identified three ways for the schools and economy to reopen:

Social distancing everywhere, especially at schools: Murphy said New Jersey still needs to “break the back” of the upward curve, and he’s pleased that the state is showing some signs that its new cases are “plateauing.” But even if kids go back to school May 15, Murphy said during a Record question-and-answer session, classroom dynamics will have to be reconfigured — especially in the way children sit — and he “can’t envision large congregations.” And they’ll likely have to wear masks, he said.Testing, testing, testing: Murphy says no reopening can happen without a “robust” testing program. The governor said New Jersey is fourth in the nation in testing, but he told PIX11 during an interview that “we’re not nearly where we need to be, and it needs to be a rapid turnaround.” He expressed hope that New Jersey can reach that point now that Rutgers University has new technology that can test as many as tens of thousands of saliva samples in one day for coronavirus. Read more: Rutgers Launches Fast-Results Saliva Testing For CoronavirusContact tracing: If testing can be ramped up, Murphy told PIX11, New Jersey can work more quickly to identify “hot spots” and quarantine and treat people who test positive. He told the Record that New Jersey is interested in Massachusetts’ contact tracing program, which is “low-tech” and basically involves “hiring 1,000 people at $20 an hour and they’re going to work the phones.”

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

Health officials also have said they may discuss the discrepancies in nursing home reported cases and deaths by Friday. Read more: Mystery Remains As NJ Nursing Home Coronavirus Deaths Keep Rising

Watch Murphy here:

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don’t miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Here’s what else you should know:

Murphy offered a broad reopening plan on Monday, April 27, providing a six-point outline to “restart New Jersey and put the state on the road to recovery.” Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues 6-Point NJ Reopen Plan In Coronavirus CrisisMurphy issued a stay-at-home order on Saturday, March 21, closing all non-essential business. Read more: Gov. Murphy Announces NJ ‘Stay-At-Home’ Order Due To CoronavirusMurphy announced on Monday, May 4 that schools will close for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: New Jersey Schools Closed For Rest Of Academic Year: Gov. MurphyMurphy ordered stores across New Jersey on Wednesday, April 8 to require shoppers to wear face coverings or masks. Here’s how you can get yours, and how the new rule will be enforced. Read more: NJ Shoppers Must Wear Masks: Where To Get Them, How It’s EnforcedHere are 10 resources for you and your family to utilize as you navigate through the outbreak: Unemployment, Tests, Food: 10 NJ Resources In Coronavirus CrisisNew Jersey’s courts suspended all new jury trials until further notice, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said on Thursday, March 12. Read more: Coronavirus Throws Monkey Wrench Into New Jersey Court SystemMurphy said during a live press conference on Wednesday, March 25 that he’s ordering many day care centers to shut amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Shut Many Day Care Centers Amid Coronavirus CrisisThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory for New Jersey. Read more: CDC Travel Advisory For NJ: No Coronavirus Travel Ban From Trump

How It Spreads

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person. Someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others. That is why CDC recommends that these patients be isolated either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

LOS ANGELES, CA — The L.A. County Office of Education released a detailed plan for returning to school in the fall, and it’s like nothing American schools have ever seen before. Under the new guidelines, all students will be required to wear masks, and classrooms would be limited to 16 students with lunch being served in the classroom and recess a solitary affair. School days would be staggered, each student could be assigned one ball to play with and hallways will see one-way foot traffic — all in an effort to protect the county’s two million students and their families from the coronavirus outbreak.

The detailed 45-page plan released Wednesday imposes severe restrictions on both teachers and students. According to the Los Angeles Times, the framework was developed through the work of county staffers, outside advisors and representatives from the 23 county school systems, each of which must develop its own reopening plan. It remains to be seen if the county’s various school districts will have the means to impose many of the recommended restrictions.

“Our main priority is health and safety,” said Debra Duardo, the superintendent for the L.A. County Office of Education, which provides services and financial oversight for the county’s 80 school systems. “Unfortunately some of the things that children could enjoy in the past, they’re not going to be able to do that.”

Don’t miss local and statewide news about coronavirus developments and precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Click Here: Geelong Cats Guernsey

Teachers and administrators face a monumental task trying to balance the health of students with their emotional and developmental need for socialization. Getting through to kindergartners eager to play tag with one another will be a major challenge.

“That is a big challenge because our nature is to play together and the socialization is so important at that age,” Cerritos Principal Perla Chavez-Fritz told the Los Angeles Times. “Maybe hula hoops and things that the students can play together alone.”

Despite unprecedented efforts, schools and teachers have had mixed success garnering student engagement through remote learning. The need for a robust return to academics has never been higher than in the upcoming school year, yet schools face budget cuts of about 10% in the governor’s proposed budget.

Emily Shilson of Mounds View has committed to wrestling for the newly announced Augsburg Women’s Wrestling Program.

Shilson was a UWW Cadet World Championships gold medalist in 2018 and a silver medalist in 2017.

Shilson is a three-time Minnesota state tournament qualifier competing in folkstyle against boys.

The Guillotine Wrestler Files
Emily Shilson, Mounds View
2019 MN HS State Tournament 3A 12th 106 DNP 33-5
2018 USA Wrestling Nationals WFS Junior 100 1st
2018 UWW World Championships FS Cadet 95 1st
2018 UWW World Team Trials WFS Cadet 95 1st
2018 MN HS State Tournament 3A 11th 106 DNP 25-8
2017 UWW World Championships FS Cadet 94.8 2nd
2017 USA Wrestling Nationals WFS Junior 100 1st
2017 USA Wrestling Nationals WFS Cadet 94 1st
2017 MN/USA Wrestling State FS Junior 100 1st
2017 MN HS State Tournament 3A 10th 106 DNP 30-8
2016 USA Wrestling Nationals WFS Junior 97 1st
2016 USA Wrestling Nationals WFS Cadet 95 1st

Where are they going in 2019-20? Minnesota Recruits 2019-20

More College Recruiting News

Click Here: COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 2019