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Family of COVID-19 Victim Demands Gov. Hochul Investigate Underreporting of Nursing Home Deaths

By Jessica Easthope

When Peter and Daniel Arbeeny want to see their dad, Norman they look at a wall of pictures. The Amity Street home where he spent 89 years is now a tribute to his life and legacy.

“He was a typical old-school Brooklyn boy who was about the community, sitting on the stoop and being part of something bigger than yourself,” said Daniel of his dad.

But it’s a wall on the other side of the apartment that represents Peter and Daniel’s fight for justice: The “We Care Memorial Wall” with hundreds of pictures of nursing home victims. Like all of them, Norman died of COVID-19. He contracted it while in a nursing facility but died at home – which means for more than a year, the state never counted his death.

When Gov. Kathy Hochul took office, she acknowledged the 12,000 COVID deaths former Gov. Cuomo’s administration never reported. But to the Arbeeny’s they’re still wondering where Norman fits in.

“There’s no way for nursing home families to look up to decide, or see, or search if their family member is in that 12,000. So my family’s not going to stop until my father counts in that 12,000 and also counts as part of the 15,500 nursing home fatalities,” said Peter.

The Arbeeny’s want an apology and for information and documents that show the circumstances surrounding Norman’s death. They’re also waiting for Gov. Hochul to conduct a full investigation.

“Getting an independent investigation, really digging into this and having the political will to care more about all of us than the fallout,” Daniel said.

A statement from Gov. Hochul’s office says, “Governor Hochul is deeply committed to transparency and restoring trust in government.

Upon advice from and consultation with the Department of Health, starting on day one of the Hochul Administration, we began including an additional data set from the CDC in the daily reports to be as open and transparent as possible.

This data set, which is death certificate numbers that have been reported to and compiled by the CDC, was not included before in the State’s daily reports. We will always prioritize open communication with New Yorkers as we work together to battle the pandemic.”

The Arbeeny’s lives have taken on a new purpose. They’re willing to fight tirelessly for justice and for answers.

Currents News Update for Thursday, 9/23/21

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says her predecessor under-counted COVID deaths by nearly 12,000 — she’s releasing new numbers as part of her plan for increased transparency.

The climate remains a big topic at the UN general assembly. In his annual address, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it’s time for humanity to grow up.

The U.S. special envoy to Haiti has resigned. Daniel Foote said he won’t be associated with the inhumane decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees.

The Biden administration got the go-ahead it was waiting for — the FDA has officially authorized booster shots of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine.

Pope Francis Meets Afghan Christian Families Who Fled The Taliban

Currents News Staff

A picture of the Kabul airport was taken in August. Just a month later, this scene played out at the Vatican. Between them is the nightmare this Afghan Christian family experienced to escape from the Taliban.

Worried that they would be targeted for their faith and because of the young age of the women in the family, they reached out to Pope Francis and this Italian member of parliament for help. The politician mobilized to get them to Italy.

Through tears, they recounted their story to the Holy Father about how they hid their faith for years. One woman gave him one of their family’s prized possessions. She says she brought this ring all the way from Afghanistan and she wants to give it to the pontiff.

One teenager had sent the pontiff his shirt days before. It’s the shirt the young man wore while fleeing from Afghanistan and that a journalist from Rome Reports gave to Pope Francis during the papal flight. Now the family had the opportunity to personally meet the Holy Father. It’s an experience to start their new life.

Catholic School Twin Brothers Spend Summer Fundraising for Cause Close to Their Family

By Emily Drooby and Erin DeGregorio

JACKSON HEIGHTS — When twins Connor and Joseph Kelly set out to raise funds to support the hospital that had done so much for their older sister, they knew just how they wanted to help: with an old-fashioned lemonade stand.

What the 11-year-old students at St. Joan of Arc School didn’t know was the end result of their entrepreneurship. Their lemonade sales brought in more than $1,200 in a little more than a month.

Connor and Joseph Kelly persistently asked their parents to permit the venture because they had decided their lemonade proceeds should go to the hospital where older sister Sophie was once a patient — St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside, Queens.

Sophie, who celebrated her 16th birthday in July, has received services from St. Mary’s Hospital since she was 3. She spent a year recovering there, after she underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2017.

“St. Mary’s Hospital for Children has been a real source of support for a very long time for us,” said the children’s mother, Renee. “And Connor and Joe have grown up with a level of compassion that’s unique to them because of their sister.”

Hugh —  the children’s father and director of major gifts at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children — echoed his wife’s sentiments, adding: “The experience of having a special needs sibling really helps children be more empathetic and more in touch with other people’s feelings.”

“Having Sophie as a member of our family is a real gift in that regard and in many other regards,” Hugh said.

The Kelly brothers sold more than 200 glasses of lemonade this summer, helping to quench the thirst of local residents as well as passing bicyclists, delivery workers, and motorists.

“We had a goal of $1,000, but we blew past that goal,” Joseph said. “I had a great time.”

Sophie and Joseph Kelly (Photo: Courtesy of Hugh Kelly)

Between individual donations that ranged between $1 and $20, the brothers ultimately raised $1,241 for the hospital over the course of five Tuesdays. During their second week, they even received $100 from Michael Fuquay, one of the owners of The Queensboro restaurant — located a few blocks away from where the brothers had set up their table on 34th Avenue.

“I learned this summer that people are very generous,” Connor said, “and it feels good doing good.”

The hospital confirmed that the funds raised by the Kelly brothers will go toward vital programs and services for the children and young adults at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children.

Hugh said he also had the opportunity to spend quality time with his sons through this project. He was delighted to watch the boys interact with their neighbors, spread awareness of St. Mary’s Hospital, and even practice some math and marketing skills in the process.

“They exceeded my expectations, and my wife and I are very proud of the two of them for choosing to honor Sophie and all the kids at St. Mary’s,” he said.

“It was a very special five Tuesdays that I’ll never forget.”

In October, Connor and Joseph will take their fundraising skills to the next level. They plan to help out at St. Mary’s annual Big Hearts Walk and Family Fun Day at the Bronx Zoo, where they hope to raise $10,000.

Currents News Update for Wednesday, 9/22/21

President Biden broke off from the scheduled events at the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday to hold a summit with world leaders on COVID vaccines.

More than a month after that earthquake devastated Haiti, a top prelate there is speaking out.

Two Catholic school students in Queens spent their summer vacation running a lemonade stand.

President Joe Biden Announces Donation of 500 Million COVID-19 Vaccines Globally at Virtual Summit

By Jessica Easthope

Building vital public trust in the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine, that’s President Joe Biden’s goal. How he’s planning to achieve it – buying and donating 500 million vaccines to low and lower-income countries across the globe.

“To beat the pandemic here, we need to beat it everywhere,” said President Biden.

President Biden made the announcement, Wednesday, in a breakaway virtual coronavirus summit with other world leaders who have been gathered for the United Nations General Assembly.

The President is also calling on countries around the world to ramp up their own vaccine manufacturing and donations.

“We’re working with partner nations to increase their own capacity and capability to produce and manufacture safe and highly effective vaccines in their own countries,” President Biden said.

This announcement brings the total number of vaccine doses the United States has shared to 1.1 billion. President Biden says he’s after true global health security for all and believes the only way to defeat COVID-19 is together.

“We’re going to lead with the power of our example, but the only way to get this done is for everyone, everywhere, all of us to step up,” he said.

More than 4.5 million people around the world have died from COVID-19 so far.

President Biden wants 70 percent of the global population to be vaccinated within a year.

Texas Doctor Sued for Performing Abortion

Currents News Staff

A San Antonio doctor has become the first to officially challenge the new Texas pro-life law. Doctor Alan Braid says he performed an abortion in defiance of the new pro-life law and is now facing two lawsuits for doing so.

The plaintiffs in both cases are not Texas residents and both say they are pro-abortion. The six-week abortion ban in Texas went into effect Sept. 1.

 

Iraq’s Latest Postage Stamps Commemorate Pope Francis’ Papal Trip

Currents News Staff

It’s been several months since Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, but the country continues to remember those days.

Now Iraq is commemorating the visit with postage stamps. Their value ranges from 1,500 dinars (about $1) to 500 dinars. They immortalize moments like the Holy Father’s visit to Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of Abraham and his meeting in Najaf with Ali Al Sistani, the spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims.

One of the stamps has an image of the facade of the Cathedral of Baghdad. It isn’t the first time Iraq prints Christian images on its stamps.

In 2020, the country released this postage stamp collection featuring some of Baghdad’s churches. It’s often sold online by collectors.