Internet Inequality Impacts Millions of NYC Students During Distance Learning, But There Is Help

By Jessica Easthope

According to the Mayor’s office more than one quarter of New York City’s eight million residents are not connected to the internet.

Only a few weeks ago, Aidan and Alyssa Osorio were part of that population.

“It’s been okay, but It’s also been tough,” said 12-year-old Alyssa.

The siblings were using devices that didn’t have the bandwidth to connect them to their classes at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in South Ozone Park, Queens, and were missing school.

“I was worried about how we were going to be able to spend a little extra on iPads if we needed, but I feel like our prayers were answered when we got that email from the teacher,” said Jessica Medina, Aidan and Alyssa’s mom.

Jessica said a weight was lifted when she got that email offering her kids iPads. Aidan and Alyssa’s iPads come from a device grant from DeSales Media Group, NET TV’s parent company. They even come with internet access free of charge.

“We don’t want any child to be left behind because they don’t have a device,” said Gina Krainchich, the Director of Educational Media Services for DeSales Media.

Over the last three years, the device grant has allowed her to give out more than 10,000 iPads and tablets.

“Even if they do have internet and a computer, we’re still finding there is difficulty for everyone to get on and do what they need to do during this crisis,” Gina said.

The latest date from the city Comptroller’s Office shows low income families struggle disproportionately with lack of internet access, a problem that existed since the debut of the world wide web and exacerbated by the pandemic.

504,000 households across New York City have no internet subscription, and more than one third of families making less than $20,000 a year have no access to internet at all.

The latest data from the Mayor’s Office shows the number of people in New York City without a broadband connection at home is equivalent to the population of Houston, Texas.

Currents News reached out to the Department of Education about its plan to close the gap in internet access but the request was not answered, leaving many worried what will happen come September.

But, that worry is behind those in Catholic Schools throughout Brooklyn and Queens. DeSales Media set out on a mission to give every student in need an iPad to learn with, and is close to accomplishing that goal.

“If they don’t have the device in their hand, they’re missing that connection,” Gina said.

With their devices in hand, the Osorio family is keeping that connection with their school community and their faith.

Catholic War Vet Sings ‘God Bless America’ Moments Before Dying of COVID-19

Currents News Staff

Tom McDermott was a pretty amazing guy.

He survived polio, nearly became a priest and worked on nuclear submarines. Recently, the 84-year-old Alzheimer’s patient contracted COVID-19.

His family said their final goodbyes. He was on comfort measures, and there was no expectation he was communicating.

His lungs were overwhelmed by the virus. His family said he never spoke again. Instead, he sang.

Tom’s family was at home watching a Mass when a call came in from the hospital — his last words were carrying a tune: “God Bless America.”

Catholic Headlines for Saturday, 5/16/20 (Currents News full broadcast)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

When his brother’s heart suddenly stopped beating, a Boy Scout stepped in with his scout skills to save his sibling’s life.

Patients in New York hospitals must now test negative for COVID-19 before being discharged to nursing homes, but one grieving woman says the governor’s new mandate comes too late.

Tens of thousands are watching livestreamed Masses during the pandemic, but will they return to the pews once church doors are open again?

Researchers are hard at work working to find a COVID-19 vaccine, but the process has given way to an ethical issue for Catholics.

Dying of the coronavirus, an 84-year old man’s last words to his family left them in awe, but filled with hope.

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Is the Kawasaki-Like Illness Spreading Among Children Related to COVID-19? We Ask the Doctor

Currents News Staff

It’s been weeks, and we’re still learning new things about the coronavirus.

The unknown can cause fear and anxiety. That’s why on Fridays we ask the doctor to get answers to your questions about COVID-19.

There has arisen a huge concern for parents: there’s a mystery illness that’s spreading among kids which is related to COVID-19. What is known about this disease, and what should parents be looking out for?

When it comes to coronavirus antibody testing, there are different types of tests. What is the most accurate test being offered? And when you test positive and you have the antibodies, what exactly does that mean?

Can you still be a carrier and spread the virus? If the virus mutates, do the antibodies work for all the mutations? Can you donate your plasma if you test positive?

To help Currents News answer some of these questions and debates is Dr. Robert Tiballi, an infectious disease expert with the Catholic Medical Association.

Send Currents News your questions about the coronavirus at [email protected]. And tune in on Fridays – the doctor could have an answer.

Catholic Headlines for Friday, 5/15/20 (Currents News full broadcast

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

While other parts of the country and state are opening up under a new normal, New York City remains shut down for at least another month.

One Catholic high school principal is going above and beyond to let her graduating seniors know that they haven’t been forgotten during the pandemic.

In Rome, efforts are underway to make sure hundreds of churches in the city are safe for reopening.

A mystery illness related to COVID-19 is spreading among kids. We ask the doctor what signs PARENTS should be looking out for?

When he saw cars lined up at a mobile food pantry, a retired police officer showed up to offer a big and unexpected gift to those in need.

Rome Is Sanitizing Hundreds of Churches in Preparation for Resuming Public Masses

By Melissa Butz

Public Masses will resume in Italy on Monday May 18, after more than two months on lockdown. Before that though, a complete disinfection of every church in Rome is taking place.

Cleaners, decked out in masks, gloves and hazmat suits, worked alongside soldiers and priests to get priests to get the parishes sterilized.

“We are beginning to sanitize inside the 337 parishes in Rome at the request of the Vicariate of Rome,” said Virginia Raggi, Rome’s mayor.

Inside and outside the churches, disinfectant is sprayed as part of the requirements before Masses can resume.

“We have 80 teams and from them, nine are working in Rome,” explained General Domenico Ciotto. “All are specialized in environmental remediation.”

Every surface is sprayed, with products made from either chlorine, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Once dry, seats are blocked off with signs, to ensure the three-feet distance required for liturgical celebrations.

“Our sanitizing and daily cleaning consists of cleaning pews, the altar, and any areas people touch with their hands,” explained Katia of De Simone Pietro Cleaning Service.

The Vatican is also preparing for reopening day May 18, cleaning inside the basilica and placing yellow tape where pilgrims should stand before entering St. Peter’s.

A top priority is to keep senior citizens safe from the coronavirus. The most at-risk group represents a big part of many Italian congregations.

A 2018 study in the country showed 2.5 million Italians aged 75 and older attended weekly Mass, making them the largest age group going to Church.

Hand sanitizer at the door, distancing, masks, and gloves are required for everyone who enters a church. It is the only way Italy’s government agreed with bishops to open the churches back up.

St. Saviour High School Principal Gives Signs of Thanks to Graduating Seniors

By Jessica Easthope

Most students wouldn’t be happy about waking up early on a weekend to find their principal on their front lawn. But the seniors at St. Saviour High School are not just any students and Carol Timpone is not your average principal.

“They’ve worked very, very hard, they’ve done the best that they could do and now today we’re starting to give back to them,” Carol said.

She and several other teachers from the Catholic high school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, picked neighborhoods and went door-to-door to each of the 64 seniors’ homes delivering lawn signs with their graduation year which, unfortunately, is not ending how they expected.

The group of seniors have been awarded more than $16 million in college scholarships. Their Catholic education is taking each of them on a different path toward their dreams.

Carol said the signs are a thank you to the girls who have spent the last four years leading lives of service.

“Their service is beyond belief,” Carol explained. “They give back to the community in any way they can. They step up to the plate.”

For senior Molly Murtagh, her service is far from over: she’s off to West Point in the fall.

“I really liked the strong sense of community, that’s a big thing at St. Saviour and I also saw that at West Point so I wanted to keep that going,” she told Currents News. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to help my country and that’s what I’m meant to do.”

The sense of belonging Molly felt at St. Saviour, Carol felt too when she arrived last year on her first day as principal.

“I walked in, I said, ‘This is where I belong,’” Carol recalled.

For her, the simple gesture is a way of keeping a connection with her girls.

“Religion is really all about connection, and when we lose that connection we lose our religious purpose,” Carol said.

She’s leading by example with hope and her faith.

Cuomo Extends New York Stay at Home Orders as Other States Prepare to Reopen

Currents News Staff

It’ll be one more month at home for millions of New Yorkers. Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended restrictions until June 13 for the most populous regions of the state.

Some areas that have shown enough improvement can ease those restrictions starting May 15.

Earlier, Cuomo said five of 10 state regions met criteria to begin relaxing social distancing, including a decline in hospitalizations and coronavirus-related deaths.

“I would urge local governments to be diligent about the business compliance and about individual compliance,” he said. “And then if you see a change in those numbers, react immediately.”

Binghamton is within one of those regions, and some business owners are getting ready to open again.

“I think it’s going to be a slow start as much as everybody’s eager to get out there do every everything” explained Tom Sheredy, a partner at Blue Culture Coffee in Binghamton. “So doing it in phases, I think ,is a healthy approach.”

The CDC posted step by step guidelines to help states reopen safely after most are already, or preparing to rollback even more restrictions.

Summer camps are allowed to operate in-person in Rhode Island beginning June 29 if all goes well.

Shoppers can return to Minnesota’s Mall of America June, and the Jersey shore will reopen by Memorial Day — with limitations.

“That’s a big step,” explained Governor Phil Murphy. “We take it very seriously.. and if we have to pull the brakes we will do that.”

But the moves aren’t fast enough for some demonstrators in Michigan, who are protesting Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay at home order and prompting law enforcement to close the state capitol.

Wisconsin residents returned to local bars and restaurants, some immediately after the state supreme court overturned Governor Tony Evers’ stay at home order.

“You don’t have to be a science person. You don’t have to be a politician to figure out you’ve got a lot of people in a place, and you’re going to spread a disease,” said Evers.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, one of the nation’s top vaccine experts, Rick Bright, gave this stark warning to a House health subcommittee:

“Without better planning, 2020 could be the darkest winter in modern history.”

Bright testified before Congress for the first time since being removed from his federal position last month, giving a bleak assessment of the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic.

“We don’t have a single point of leadership right now for this response,” he added. “And we don’t have a master plan for this response. so those two things are absolutely critical.”

At least 48 states have plans to reopen by next week.

Catholic Headlines for Thursday, 5/14/20 (Currents News full broadcast)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

A living rosary comes together bead by bead and takes to the airwaves.

Pope Francis leads the Catholic world in a day of prayer and fasting, begging God to end the coronavirus pandemic.

Nonprofit volunteers are handing out thousands of meals in NYC’s struggling Chinatown.

Archbishop Wilton Gregory is condemning the “murderous attack” on Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery as the “virus of racism.”

The bishop of Saint Petersburg shares what protocols are being followed now that churches are back open in Florida.

Rethink Food Feeds Chinatown as Pandemic Pummels Business

By Jessica Easthope

The silence is deafening in Manhattan’s Chinatown. A few months ago, its streets were bustling. Now, an endless row of closed metal gates is the reality for the people who live and work there.

Chinatown was one of the first communities to shutter back in February. Now, three months later, the situation is dire.

Numbers reported by the Wall Street Journal show only 15 percent of Chinatown’s roughly 270 restaurants are still open. In all of New York City, 94 percent of Chinese restaurants are closed.

“People in our neighborhood are so worried. I’m very worried. I’m very concerned,” said Father Vincentius Do, the pastor of St. Agatha’s, a Catholic Church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a predominantly East Asian neighborhood.

Winston Chiu, the Chief Strategy Officer of Rethink Food NYC is also worried.

“A lot of mom and pop shops are closed, so it became a food desert,” said Wintson.

Winston is doing everything he can to end the stigma and hunger Asian communities like Chinatown and Flushing are facing.

“In addition to the virus coming and affecting the people we’ve seen people not come to our restaurants, one of our main concerns is that Chinatown will not be able to survive the pandemic,” Winston said.

He and other volunteers went door-to-door May 14 in Knickerbocker Village in the heart of Chinatown, bringing meals to the hundreds of residents who signed up with their door sticker system.

Winston said the food being handed out isn’t something generic you’d find at a pantry or soup kitchen.

“A peanut butter and jelly sandwich in Chinatown might not make sense, but something with chicken and rice might be a more equitable resource for them,” Winston said.

Rethink Food has been handing out nearly 9,000 meals across the city, daily. Every meal means one less person goes hungry until this community gets back on its feet, whenever that day comes.

“The Asian shops and restaurants, they closed a little earlier than the others,” said Fr. Vincentius. “I don’t see them opening up any time soon”