NY Politicians Calling for Consequences After State Releases New Nursing Home Death Numbers

By Emily Drooby

New Yorkers are demanding answers and action after the state’s Attorney General report shows nursing home deaths were much higher than originally detailed by the state.

“Someone has to be held responsible and we have got to get to the bottom of this,” said New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich, who has been vocal in sounding the alarm from the early days of the pandemic.

After losing several friends in nursing homes and hearing from his constituents, he realized the numbers weren’t adding up. Now his suspicions have seemingly been confirmed.

“Numerous mistakes made, and bad policy decisions made that directly resulted in the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers who didn’t have to die,” he told Currents News. “And then the governor tried to cover that up, and that’s why every single tax paying New Yorker should be outraged at the Cuomo administration.”

This past summer, there was speculation that the number of nursing home deaths attributed to COVID-19 could be much higher than the state was reporting. Nursing home residents who died in hospitals were not being counted in that number of those lost to the virus.

Governor Andrew Cuomo dodged the criticism for months. However, last week state Attorney General Letitia James (D), released a scathing report after a long investigation that began with the multiple complaints of COVID-related neglect.

This forced health department officials to release their closely held data, contributing thousands of new deaths to the nursing home total, about 45% higher than the original number. Many were angry over a lack of transparency.

The report also brings up a highly criticized early pandemic decision by Governor Cuomo, which forced nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients.

The Governor’s response fueled the fire. During a press conference he said, “Whether a person died in a hospital, or died in a nursing home, people died.”

State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker reminded people the number of deaths hasn’t changed — just where they happened.

“When they said there was undercounting, that’s just factually inaccurate,” he said. “Reporting the number of deaths is always the hardest number to put out there, and we wanted to make sure those numbers were accurate.”

Support for the findings came from both sides of the aisle. Now, attention has been turned towards next steps.

“The fact that the governor engaged in this coverup, people should be outraged,” said Councilman Ulrich. “There needs to be a full-fledged investigation, and someone needs to be held responsible for this.”

The White House said they’ll decide if a Department of Justice investigation on the matter will take place.

There have also been calls for Zucker to resign, while Attorney General James continues to investigate at least 20 nursing homes of particular concern.

In general, nursing home cases in New York have steadily fallen since the vaccine became available. Still, for so many families, it’s too little too late.

‘This Isn’t Just About Abortion’ Pro-Life Advocates Say at March for Life 2021

Currents News Staff

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City followed up with tough words criticizing the Biden administration in his homily Thursday night, Jan. 28, during the National Prayer Vigil For Life in Washington.

The National Correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg joined Currents News after attending the vigil in Washington and the virtual March for Life rally.

Both Currents News and The Tablet will continue to have full coverage of the March for Life. Be sure to check out currentsny.tv and thetablet.org for the latest reports out of the nation’s Capitol.

Currents News full broadcast for Fri, 1/29/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

A virtual march in a changed Capitol – some pro-life advocates take to the streets in the shadow of a White House that supports abortion rights.

A top bishop decries an executive order that promotes abortions overseas.

And Governor Andrew Cuomo finally answers to fallout after his administration likely undercounted nursing home deaths by fifty percent.

March for Life 2021 in D.C. Goes Virtual But Impact and Message Remains Strong

By Emily Drooby

A limited number of pro-life advocates marched on Friday, Jan.29, in Washington D.C. because of the pandemic and security restrictions. However, hundreds of thousands across the country tuned into the 48^th annual March for Life virtually.

“Although separated by physical distance, we are united by you,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann Chairman, speaking about God while leading the kick-off prayer. He’s the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities (USCCB).

Attendees heard stories like Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack. Her mother chose life after doctors urged her to abort, fearing the pregnancy could harm her health.

“She chose life, her bravery and courage in the face of this difficult decision led to my passion of standing up for the rights of the innocent and the unborn,” said Cammack. “Life is sacred.”

Christian Rada, the director of marriage, family formation, and respect life education at the Diocese of Brooklyn was one of those who joined virtually. To him, seeing the large amount of people tuned in virtually was powerful.

“I was there in a sense spiritually, with all of these people hearing this message of, that we are all pro-life,” he explained.

It’s a message that’s especially important in New York which is often called the abortion capital of America. The state sees more than 80,000 abortions with over 50,000 occuring in New York City alone. That’s according to the Susan B. Anthony List, a nonprofit that seeks to end abortion.

Pro-life advocates say that spreading the pro-life message nationally is crucial right now as the country has seen a recent change in power.

“We can still send a very powerful message to the White House as they begin the earliest days of their administration,” said Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life Education & Defense Fund. “Let’s tell them that every life matters, from the moment of conception.”

During the march, lawmaker, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey spoke directly to President Joe Biden.

“Your words, that the dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer, are to have any true meaning, the lives of unborn children must be included and their precious lives must be protected,” said Smith.

The message from Rep. Smith and other speakers was clear: no matter who is in the White House, the fight for life must remain strong, loud and passionate.

Financial Aid Proves Crucial for College Students During Pandemic

By Jessica Easthope

The ongoing pandemic has thrown college students navigating their way into adulthood off-track without warning.

“It was right in the middle of the semester,” said Alliyah Speight, a sophomore at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights. “I was trying to get my grades together, get my classes together.”

The St. Francis College sophomore had a devastating year. Her problems were bigger than money.

“Back in April, I lost my father due to COVID and that was my only parent, because I lost my mother at 11 years old, so things have been pretty hard for me,” Alliyah said. “It was a week before my 19th birthday that I lost him.”

Losing her father changed everything including how she would pay tuition. Alliyah did what many students are afraid to do: she asked her school for help. She’s now one of nearly 300 recipients of aid from The Terrier For Terrier Relief Fund.

“We know that Alliyah was affected very hard during the pandemic,” said Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management, Robert Oliva. “When she applied for The Terrier For Terrier Relief Fund, we wanted to assist her in a very special way.”

St. Francis College helped Alliyah continue her Catholic education and also provided financial aid from The Cares Act to more than 1,300 students.

“As a mission driven institution, the St. Francis College community rallies around those who need it most,” said Robert.

St. Francis has its own way of helping out but in April 2020 “Swiftstudent” came onto the scene. Swiftstudent is a free online tool that helps students ask their colleges for additional financial aid.

“It’s really changing students’ lives and enabling them to get the financial aid they need in many cases to complete college or at least stay in college,” said Abigail Seldin, a producer from Swiftstudent.

The need is great. A survey by Oneclass shows 56% of college freshmen and sophomores say they can no longer afford tuition because of COVID-19.

“Students are tremendously affected by the job losses that are happening,” Abigail said. “We’re seeing many more students are reporting that they are food and housing insecure than they’ve ever been before.”

For students like Alliyah, financial aid is more than just money.

“I don’t have my dad, but I have other people I can look to and look up to help me out when things get rough,” Alliyah said. “I’m not completely alone. I have people that want to see me succeed.”

It’s a lifeline after so much loss.

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 1/28/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Education overload – cash-strapped families trying to pay for college as the pandemic crushes their finances.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is under fire after a damning report finds nursing home deaths were severely underreported in the state of New York.

A domestic terror threat – could houses of worship be targeted?

Plus, kids and coding – one Catholic school in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is making sure their students have a leg up on the technology.

St Brigid-St Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy Creates Tech Savvy Kids With Game Coding Project

By Emily Drooby

Most kids play games, but Eli Perez builds them.

“I’m proud of it, I like to see people enjoy the game,” she told Currents News.

From a game where players rescue gifts from the Grinch, to a maze where players have to escape before the clock runs out, Eli has thought up, designed, drawn out and coded four games into existence.

“I feel like through my coding, I can express myself, my creativity, and it just helps me relax,” she said of her newfound hobby.

She learned how to do it at St. Brigid-St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and she’s not the only one.

The program idea came from math and technology teacher José Martinez. He wanted to bring coding to the school, but knew he needed to find a way to make it interesting to his young students.

“I know they play games,” he explained. “I thought that making games is something that could really get them excited.”

For years, educators have pushed to teach coding in schools — it’s said to improve problem solving and logical thinking.

It has become an important skill in the job market, and it pays. A study by job market analytics firm Burning Glass found jobs that use coding skills paid an average of $22,000 more a year.

The nonprofit code.org says that while 90% of parents wanted their kids to study computer science, only 47% of high schools actually teach it.

That puts St. Brigid, a nursery through 8th grade school, ahead of the curve.

“As a teacher I feel excited. I’m thinking about their future,” José said. “I want them to get the most out of this school that they can get.”

Through this program students not only build the games, but publish them for anyone to play.

The code is even made public, helping other students learn.

Eli will continue coding — now a beloved hobby — and José says he plans to grow the program next year.

NYS Catholic Conference Director Shares How Pro-Life Advocates Can Protect the Sanctity of Life

Currents News Staff

One woman who’s leading the fight for the unborn in New York says we are facing some additional challenges, due to changes in the White House and Congress.

Kathleen Gallagher, the director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference joined Currents News to share what progress pro-life advocates can make legislatively and from home.

WYD Organizers Release Official Theme Song for Lisbon 2023 Gathering

By Currents News Staff and Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — World Youth Day organizers released the winning theme song for the international gathering in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2023.

The official song is titled “Ha Pressa no Ar” (There Is Urgency in the Air). The lyrics were written by a 51-year-old priest, Father Joao Paulo Vaz, and the music was composed by 41-year-old Pedro Ferreira, both of the Diocese of Coimbra, Portugal. The musical arrangement was by Carlos Garcia.

The winning song was officially presented online Jan. 27 on the websites of the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life (www.laityfamilylife.va) and the local organizing committee at www.lisboa2023.org.

People from all over Portugal submitted more than 100 potential theme songs, and they were evaluated by a jury made up of musical and artistic professionals, according to a press release from the organizers.

The song’s lyrics reflect the theme chosen for WYD Lisbon by Pope Francis, “Mary arose and went with haste” — a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke about Mary going to see her cousin Elizabeth after Mary had been visited by an angel who told her she would bear the son of God.

The theme song is meant to inspire and invite young people “to identify themselves with Mary” and be eager to serve in a missionary spirit and to transform the world, the press release said.

A logo, which had been released in October, depicts the cross, a path, the rosary and Mary as a young woman. The rosary is meant to symbolize the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, and it is placed on the path to recall the experience of pilgrimage.

The World Youth Day cross was handed to young people from Lisbon by young people from Panama, the host country of World Youth Day 2019, after a Mass with Pope Francis on the feast of Christ the King, Nov. 22, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The handoff originally was scheduled for April 5, 2020, Palm Sunday, but was postponed because of the lockdowns and travel bans in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Because of the global pandemic, Pope Francis also agreed with a recommendation by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life to postpone World Youth Day until August 2023 rather than as originally scheduled in 2022.

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 1/27/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Sending the word of God to hundreds of people at home and across the world – but in a click, big tech took it away. How one Brooklyn parish is standing up to Facebook.

More vaccine doses are heading to New York as the Empire State slowly starts to reopen – but when will the Big Apple loosen restrictions?

The Department of Homeland Security warning of potential homegrown violence since President Biden took office.

Pope Francis with a message of hope as he remembers the victims of the Holocaust.