Citi Field only has the doses to vaccinate 200 people a day.
Could the U.S. restrict domestic travel? That’s the big question tonight as a COVID variant surges in Florida.
The Trump trial – it’s the last day of arguments for the acting prosecutors – the defense begins on Friday.
By Jessica Easthope
Imagine waiting weeks to get an appointment for a vaccine, taking the train, bus or even walking through the snow to Citi Field in Queens, but then when you get there, you’re turned away. That was the reality for many Feb. 11.
Debbie Graham walks with a cane. She came to Citi Field Thursday morning for her first vaccine. She had given all her information over the phone and made an appointment.
“I thought I would have no problem today getting in to get my shot. They told me that they don’t have anything on record, they don’t have my appointment on record,” she said.
But Debbie got lucky.
“I’m very angry,” she said as a staff member walked over and asked her age. Debbie said she made an appointment and doesn’t know why there’s no record of it.
“Okay how about I take you upstairs, and we’ll figure it out,” he said as Debbie followed him into the stadium.
Not everyone had the same experience. For others, it went smoothly.
“Simple process, you just go in and get a shot,” said Eugenio Perdomo, a TLC driver.
This week, the mega site is only vaccinating 200 people-a-day, which leaves a lot of people out. But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city had a plan to get people the information they need.
“We’re going to have people out here to help sign people up. If people come here, there will be navigators to help them sign up for a future appointment,” he said.
People at Citi Field said that wasn’t the case.
After trying desperately to make an appointment by calling the city hotline and going online,Carlos Feliz — who is eligible because of his job as a security guard and maintenance worker — came to Citi Field looking for answers. But he didn’t get the one he hoped for.
“It’s so frustrating. I just came here and the guy told me I have to do the same thing, go online or call the same number I’ve called already,” Carlos said.
It was the same answer they gave several others.
In less than two weeks, Citi Field will be able to vaccine up to 5,000 people-a-day. Currents News reached out to the city about how it plans to control the crowds and handle situations like Thursday’s, but the request hasn’t been answered.
By Emily Drooby
There is new artwork hanging on the side of St. Saviour Catholic Academy in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Portraits of health care workers, a symbol of the school’s commitment to their community.
The idea is transforming an act of hate, done to art originally on display outside of New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
“There was a mural hanging up, it had been defaced by someone,” explained school principal Susan Walsh.
Cruel words were scribbled across what was supposed to be a beautiful symbol of thanks. A parent alerted Susan to the vandalism, suggesting maybe the students could fix it.
“We thought about it for a little bit, and we didn’t want to interfere with the integrity of the artist’s work, and so we thought we would maybe do our own take on the ‘thank you’ artwork,” said art teacher Avalyn Mathis, who was in charge of the project.
So, they did come up with their own take. The artist of the original pieces has since fixed some of his work. The giant ‘thanks’ that accompanies them remains tarnished and is being removed. These new pieces are a symbol of thanks and support.
“I am thankful for them, and I am glad they are working so hard for our country,” said student Madeleine.
The students also created and set-up an inspirational word garden.
Christina Bandini was part of that. “Here we have the children’s artwork as another way to bring kind of a positive spirit as people in our neighborhood are walking by,” she showed.
The school hopes that because of their close proximity to the hospital, the pieces will greet health care heroes on their way to work.
The gesture is part of a larger lesson, one important to Catholic education.
“As Catholics and Catholic children, we want to show people how much we care. And so we are showing them, through our words and our actions,” Susan explained.
Students are showcasing their Catholic values by bringing light and positivity to the neighborhood.
NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital sent a statement to Currents News about the students work, “We are grateful for the incredible support our community has shown our health care heroes during this unprecedented challenge, and we thank the students of St. Saviour for this wonderful expression of their appreciation and respect.”
Currents News Staff
Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn have been celebrating all week.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, it was Career Day at St. Mel’s Catholic Academy and on Wednesday, Feb. 10, we watched as students at St. Stanislaus Kostka tried to “Stump the Bishop” with their question and answer session.
Monsignor David Cassato, Vicar for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, joined Currents News to discuss the benefits of a Catholic education.
Currents News Staff
House impeachment managers finishing their arguments against former President Donald Trump.
“This was not a hidden crime,” said Rep. Diana Degette.
A day after showing chilling video of the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors on their final day explained why they believe Trump incited the insurrection.
We were invited by the President of the United States,” said Degette. “Their own statements before, during and after the attack made clear the attack was done for Donald Trump, at his instructions and to fulfill his wishes”
“He intended the events of January 6 to happen,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, “and when it did, he delighted in it.”
Lieu added, “President Trump’s lack of remorse and refusal to take accountability after the attack poses its own unique and continuing danger. I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years. I’m afraid he’s going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.”
Rep Jamie Raskin said, “President Trump declared his conduct totally appropriate.”
Despite the disturbing video evidence presented during the course of this trial, many Republicans remain unswayed and are expected to acquit the former president.
“The not guilty vote is growing,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Trump’s team will respond to the House’s case on Friday. His Defense Attorney, David Schoen had a response.
“The tragedy that happened here at the Capitol, lives lost, had nothing what-so-ever to do with President Trump,” Schoen said. “But they want you to believe that it did.”
By Jessica Easthope and The Tablet Staff
Readers of The Tablet website will soon be able to improve their user experience by signing up for a free log-in. Their new profile will unlock special features, articles, content, and a vast archive.
“We’re excited about bringing this to The Tablet’s readers,” said Vito Formica, executive director of news content and development at DeSales Media Group, the parent company of The Tablet.
“The Tablet has a 113-year-old legacy of being a trusted source of news from the Catholic perspective, and this update will allow its readers to get more of what they like to read about,” he added.
Logged-in users will be able to see all diocesan, New York, national and international news, review and rate articles, save articles to their profile for reading at a later date, keep track of their comments, and select their favorite categories, according to Dustin Etheridge, manager of digital content production.
“The more users read, like, rate and save articles, the more tailored their user experience becomes. It’s a great addition to what we can offer our readers,” Etheridge added.
Starting on Feb. 15, visitors to the site will be prompted to sign up with their email address. After a quick verification, they can begin to create their profile. Readers who choose not to sign up will still have access to certain content, but not full access.
DeSales Media Group, is always searching for new and innovative ways to improve communication with its audience. This is one of the important steps in making that happen, according to Len Camporeale, director of marketing and digital operations at DeSales.
“The Tablet produces so much content in a broad interest. What we’re trying to do is help the readers find the most valuable information, quickly,” he said.
While the digital operation is one of several platforms used to disseminate news, DeSales Media also produces the nightly TV news program Currents News, the Spanish-language newspaper Nuestra Voz, and the print version of The Tablet, which is supported by reader subscriptions.
The printed paper offers readers a unique experience, one that cannot be found online. Formica said people enjoy the layout, artwork, graphics, and all of the additional content that cannot be found on the website.
“We are proud to continue to offer print to our readers and advertisers. While the content online remains free, the paid subscriptions and support by all our readers are the key to allowing the team to continue this important work in Catholic journalism,” he said.
The impeachment trial continues as a divided Senate debates the case against former President Trump.
COVID cases are dropping as vaccination sites are opening up, but doses aren’t meeting the demand, especially in New York City.
Catholic Schools Week is in full swing and kids are trying to stump the Bishop – we’ll explain.
Currents News Staff
“Stop the steal” — the chant frequently heard in the impeachment trial against former president Donald Trump.
House impeachment managers are arguing that Trump engaged in a months-long campaign to falsely convince his supporters the election was stolen, incited the attack on the Capitol and violently disrupted the peaceful transfer of power.
The case against him now proceeds in the impeachment court of the Senate
“Donald Trump surrendered his role as commander in chief and became the inciter in chief of a dangerous insurrection,” said Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin, lead impeachment manager.
House managers, acting as prosecutors used then-president Trump’s own words both before the election and after, along with footage from the attack on the Capitol as evidence Trump committed an impeachable offense, inciting an insurrection
“He told them to fight like hell, and they brought us hell that day,” said Raskin.
“He alone, our commander in chief, had the power to stop it. And he didn’t,” said Democratic Representative Joe Neguse, impeachment manager.
Senators, serving as jurors, were forced to relive the siege when many hid in fear for their lives.
“The harm was real. The damage was real,” said Neguse.
Former president Trump’s defense team will make their case later this week.
But, it’s likely Trump will be acquitted, especially since only six Republicans voted to support the constitutionality of the case — far short of the 17 GOP senators Democrats need to convict the former president.
“I think that pretty well fixes in place what you might see as the eventual outcome,” said Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana.
By Emily Drooby and Erin DeGregorio
WINDSOR TERRACE — One of the most terrifying moments teacher Emily Espinal and her family ever experienced was a fire that spread from a next-door neighbor’s attic to their home last month.
A few days into 2021, the bedroom of Espinal’s 6-year-old daughter Mia — filled with newly opened Christmas presents on the second floor — was extensively damaged in the middle of the night. Espinal and her family made it out of their house, unharmed, on Jan. 3.
“When I got upstairs, I noticed the blinds on her windows were melting already,” Espinal recalled. “While I was grabbing Mia and her shoes, I guess the first responders had gotten there, and they started extinguishing next door. The pressure from the water, along with the fire, exploded her window.”
When Karla Rosero, the class parent for Espinal’s third-grade class at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy, heard from Espinal what had happened, she wanted to help.
“Once I got more details, I reached out to Mrs. Germann [SJTWCA principal] about creating a [school-wide] fundraiser,” Rosero said, noting Espinal had already made a public Amazon Wish List on Jan. 5. “It was like a part of our mission, as Christians, to help each other. I think it was just natural for the community to come together.”
Families purchased and replaced all the gifts Mia had lost and donated additional funds to Espinal’s personal Venmo account. Emma Graves, whose son is also in Espinal’s class, donated toys from her business, Brooklyn Herborium, for Mia and her 3-year-old brother Eli.
“We know how much she’s able to have a positive influence on our kids and our families,” Graves said of Espinal. “So, for us to be able to return that and give her that same kind affection and appreciation was really awesome.”
Upon returning to school later that week, Espinal was shocked to find multiple gifts waiting for her. “I remember coming in Thursday [Jan. 7], and I couldn’t even walk through the door of the office because there were bags and bags. And the parents didn’t just send things for my daughter. They sent for my son, also, because we weren’t able to go upstairs for a very long time.”
Since the fire, Espinal and her family have been living on their duplex apartment’s bottom floors. She said it took about three weeks to remove all the glass shards and dispose of Mia’s water-damaged mattress, smokey-smelling clothes, and other ruined material items. The damage, she estimates, cost at least $10,000. Espinal also noted that Mia has been seeing her school therapist once a week.
Because Mia was having a tough time sleeping afterward, Espinal reached out to two parents in her class, Megan and Joseph Heegan. Joseph, a lieutenant at Engine 284-Ladder 149 in Dyker Heights, invited Espinal and her children to visit his firehouse for a special tour on Jan. 9. He explained to the kids how the firehouse runs and how fast he and the other firefighters answer incoming emergency calls. He also reviewed with them how to dial 911 and other general fire safety rules.
“It’s a very traumatic event for any person — and, for a child, I think even more so — to figure out how to deal with it. I think a lot of the fear is that it may happen again, and it’s tough to get over that initial fear,” Heegan said. “Part of bringing them to the firehouse and letting them see how we respond … I think put them a little bit at ease in just knowing that we’re only a phone call away.”
Later that evening, Heegan received a message from Espinal that said it was one of the first times Mia slept through the night. “He explained to her why it’s never OK to go back in the house when there’s a fire,” Espinal added. “He told her, ‘All of that can be replaced, but you can’t.’ And I think that really stuck with her.”
Since this is her first year teaching at the Windsor Terrace school, Espinal said she feels indebted to the families who have shown their support.
“I sent out a notification to all parents, thanking them, and I told them, ‘During my daughter’s darkest times, this community held out a lantern for her,’” she said. “I can never repay them.”
Espinal added, “I’m just so grateful to be a part of this community. The way they took me in when I felt like I was at my lowest, it was just so beautiful.”
By Jessica Easthope
It’s a shameful and lasting legacy decades in the making: the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, one of the most prominent but certainly not the only example of unethical studies on people of color.
“Historically, they have been vulnerable and taken advantage of in research and science,” said Harlem Gunness, the Director of Public Health at St. John’s University.
In 1932, hundreds of black men with latent syphilis were lied to, lured into an ongoing government-led study with the promise of free health care. Instead they were used and abused by medical professionals, never told about their diagnosis or treated — even after medicines had been discovered.
So is it any wonder that today, in the midst of a global health crisis, there’s a lack of trust that’s proving deadly?
Black Americans are dying at nearly three times the rate as their white counterparts and getting infected at three times the rate – but only 38% of black adults are likely to want the vaccine compared to nearly half of all American adults.
For the last year, Harlem Gunness has been studying the effects of the pandemic on communities of color.
“Throughout history we’re also seeing similarities with the disparities of the infection, and we’re also seeing similarities with the disparities in its perception. So history is repeating itself all over again,” said Harlem.
That history has led to misconceptions and mistrust. It’s known as “the Tuskegee Effect.”
“The vaccine has a microchip where they can track you, the vaccine was made to get rid of our people — these are some of the misconceptions they have,” Harlem told Currents News.
This time around government officials are determined to not let that happen again.
“We just injected over 900,000 people. If you go to the city and state and say. ‘How many of them are Black and brown? How many of them are New Yorkers?’ We have it but it’s on a hard form, that’s unacceptable,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
One way to combat those notions is with facts and information, which is why Eric joined city leaders in demanding a digital database that shows the disparities in vaccine access and distribution be created.
“We should have been on the ground, using credible messengers, faith-based institutions, leaders in the communities and saying. ‘How should we be communicating to this constituency about their reluctance to take the vaccine,” he said.
At St. Martin de Porres parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, pastor Father Alonzo Cox is in a unique position of influence.
“I think if the vaccination is going to help slow the spread or even stop the spread of this virus, I think that would be the best interest for this parish community and for all of us as brothers and sisters are to be able to make sure that we are safe and that we’re healthy,” Father Cox said.
But the sins of the past still linger in the minds of many. At St. Matthew’s Parish in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, pastor Father Frank Black says his own skepticism is preventing him from telling his parishioners outright they need the vaccine.
“I can’t tell them to get it because I’m not sure if it’s safe. All I can say is I’m going to take the chance and get it when I can, and you know what? I invite everybody else to take that chance too,” Father Black said.
This Black History Month, the painful lessons of the past are shedding light on why communities of color are hesitant to accept the vaccine, proving that righting wrongs like the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment are still very much part of this community’s future.