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Pfizer to Cuomo: HHS Approval Needed to Sell Covid Vaccine to NY

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(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

By: Jennifer Peltz

Frustrated by the flow of coronavirus vaccine from the federal government, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday floated the idea of buying shots for New Yorkers directly from one of the vaccine makers, Pfizer.

The idea seemed far from a sure bet, with the pharmaceutical giant saying it would need federal approval to sell to state governments. If that were to happen, the cost and amount have yet to be be discussed.

Regardless, Cuomo said he felt compelled to broach the idea as his state, like many others, faces tough vaccine math. At the current pace of federal vaccine shipments to New York, it could take six months or more to get shots to the 7 million residents already eligible under federal guidelines, let alone the roughly 12 million other New Yorkers. Residents have been scrambling to try to get the shots, with many getting shut out and upset.

“My job as governor of New York is to pursue every avenue, and that’s what I’m doing,” the Democratic governor said at a virtual news conference as he released a letter he’d written to New York-based Pfizer about his idea. He told the company it “could help us save lives right here in New York.”

Pfizer Inc., which developed one of the current vaccines with German partner BioNTech, said in a statement that it appreciated Cuomo’s praise and was open to working with the federal Health and Human Services Department on getting the shots as quickly as possible to as many Americans as it could.

“However, before we can sell directly to state governments, HHS would need to approve that proposal,” the company said.

An HHS spokesperson said via email that Cuomo is “trying to circumvent a long-planned federal allocation system by attempting to cut to the front of the line at the expense of fellow jurisdictions.”

The spokesperson said the top priority for HHS is “maximizing the availability of safe and effective vaccines in a manner which is responsible, fair and equitable for all Americans, not just to those in New York State.”

Under the current system, HHS allocates vaccine doses to states and ships them. The federal Food and Drug Administration’s emergency-based authorization for the Pfizer vaccine specifies that it will be supplied “as directed by the U.S. government.”

The federal government has been paying $19.50 per dose for the Pfizer vaccine and has ordered 200 million doses so far, enough to give the two-shot regimen to 100 million people. Other nations around the world have also placed orders.

(AP)

Big Donor Money Flows into NYC Mayoral Race; 38 Candidates Jockey for Job

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Some of the 2021 NYC mayoral race candidates.

By: Ilana Siyance

The 2021 NYC Mayoral race is picking up speed and the money is rushing in.

The crowded race includes some 38 candidates. There are over a dozen Democratic candidates in the race, as per the city’s Campaign Finance Board as of late Friday.

As per the NY Times, Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, and Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller were the two reputed Democrats who became early frontrunners in the race. The two were the most well- known candidates and had an early lead with ready connections and a support base, quickly raising enough to qualify for public matching.

The head fundraiser for now is Mr. Adams, who has raised $8.6 million thus far, and will have just over $8 million on hand once his latest expected $1 million of matching funds are distributed. In the most recent period he raised $438,000, of which $123,000 was matchable. Mr. Stringer follows closely. His campaign is slated to have raised a minimum of $8.3 million in total, and to have $7.5 million on hand. In the latest period he raised $458,000, and he is expecting $1.57 million in matching funds.

As per the NY Times, on Friday, another democratic candidate announced that she too qualified for the taxpayer-sponsored matched-funds program, by raising at least $250,000 from at least 1,000 donors. Maya Wiley, a former MSNBC analyst who served as counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, said she has raised $715,000 in funds, $280,000 of which would be matchable, qualifying her for $2.2 million in public funds. This brings the total she has raised to nearly $3 million, as per her campaign. Two other Democrats may have also solidified their status as contenders in the mayoral race. Raymond J. McGuire, a former Citigroup executive, reported that he raised $5 million in funding in just three months from the business community. Unlike the other candidates, McGuire will not be participating in the matching-funds program. Andrew Yang, who ran for President of the U.S. in 2020, officially just joined the race on Thursday and is expected to be a strong fundraiser moving forward.

Other leading democratic candidates who participated in but did not meet the requirements for the funds matching program include: Zach Iscol, a nonprofit entrepreneur and former Marine; Shaun Donovan, a former federal housing secretary under President Obama; and Dianne Morales, a nonprofit executive who describes herself as the candidate for the lower and working-class New Yorkers. Candidates still have a chance to qualify for matching funds at the next deadline.

Republicans Asked to Register as Dems to Vote in NYC Mayoral Primary

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Lou Puliafito was a recent Republican candidate for the New York State Assembly Photo Credit: louforall.com

By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh

Republican and independent voters in New York City are receiving letters and text messages offering unsolicited advice about how to get their voice heard in the 2021 mayoral election. The messages urge voters to re-enroll as Democrats so as to enable them to vote in the party’s June primary for mayor — which the letters say is the election which will likely decide the next mayor.

“Many New Yorkers do not realize that the election almost certain to choose the next Mayor is not the November 2021 General Election, but the June 2021 Democratic primary. Why? Almost 70% of NYC voters are registered Democrats, meaning that whoever wins the Democratic primary will almost certainly become the city’s next mayor,” said a letter received by Lou Puliafito, who is a recent Republican candidate for state Assembly. The letter was penned and sent from a group called Be Counted NYC. “But, if you are registered with another political party or not registered with a party you are allowed to update your registration to enroll as a Democrat so that you can vote in this election, but you MUST do so before February 14, 2021,” the letter added.

As reported by the NY Post, Be Counted NYC was founded about a month ago by wellness brand financier Lisa Blau, whose husband is Jeff Blau, the CEO of Related Companies, a major real estate developer in NYC. The group has already spent $1.5 million to reach out to Republican, independent and unaffiliated voters via postal letters, text-messages and phone calls, as per campaign records filed with the Board of Elections.

The letter, which includes a link to re-enroll as a Democrat, continues: “In 2013, about 3% of New Yorkers voted in the Democratic primary and chose New York City’s mayor for the next 8 years. In a democracy, we are all supposed to have a vote in who leads our government.”

Adding more conservative voters into the pool of Democratic voters, may help a more moderate Democratic candidate to become elected. The group’s efforts have raised criticism, however, from Republicans who don’t want to give up just yet, as well as from Democrats who clearly don’t want other party members invading their election.

Responding to a request for statement on Sunday, Blau said, “Be Counted NYC was created to make sure as many people as possible participate in this year’s mayoral election, which is critically important to the future of this City. Our goal is to support civic engagement, every New Yorker should have a voice in this election.”

NY Nursing Homes see Rise in Coronavirus Deaths, as Vaccines Rollout

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The Coronavirus’s infamous death trail in New York’s nursing homes took a break over the summer but now seems to be picking up. Photo Credit: John Minchillo/AP Photo

By Ilana Siyance

The Coronavirus’s infamous death trail in New York’s nursing homes took a break over the summer but now seems to be picking up. The timing coincides with the rollout and initial distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

As reported by the WSJ, federal data shows that in each of the last three weeks of December, over 200 nursing home residents died of the virus in NYS. That weekly figure is alarmingly higher than the average of roughly 16 deaths a week reported between July to October, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

State officials and nursing home operators are working hard to show that the surge in deaths were not a result of the vaccine, but of a second wave that came on during the winter. They hope that the vaccinations will prove effective in halting the pandemic, and most residents are eager to receive the shots. In the U.S. over 10 million people in total have received a first dose of the immunization, and roughly 540,000 have received the second dose, the NY Times reported.

At the same time, however, there are still those who mistrust the speedily manufactured vaccine and wish to adapt a wait-and-see approach. As per the WSJ, at some nursing home facilities, less than half of staff members have said they want to receive the vaccine, said Stephen Hanse, president of the New York State Health Facilities Association, which represents nursing homes. “There needs to be better education” about the importance of vaccinations, he said, because some workers are resisting vaccinations. Jill Montag, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health, said the agency was working to communicate with communities to ease fears of the vaccine, saying it is safe and effective.

Negative media coverage has helped ignite resistance to the vaccine. On Jan. 10, the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity published an article entitled, “A Nursing Home had Zero Coronavirus Deaths. Then, It Vaccinates Residents for Coronavirus and the Deaths Begin.” The story on Syracuse.com refers to The Commons on St. Anthony 300-bed nursing home in Auburn, New York which had a recent outbreak which infected 137 residents, and claimed 24 lives. On Jan.13, the home’s operator, Julie Sheedy, admonished the publishers for “false and dangerously misleading information”. As per USA Today, she said that the first positive case was well before the vaccinations began to be administered at the facility.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘Lieutenant’ at War with Neighbors at $10M NYC Penthouse

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Sarah Kellen, 41, and her husband Brian Vickers, 37(Facebook)

By: Rusty Brooks

Sarah Kellen, the alleged “lieutenant” of Ghislaine Maxwell, and her husband Brian Vickers, 37, are the subject of ire among neighbors at the SoHo condo building on Greene Street, where Vickers leads the condo board, the New York Post reported on Saturday.

Kellen is accused of helping Ghislaine Maxwell recruit ‘sex slaves’ for Jeffrey Epstein is now in a spat with neighbors at the ritzy Manhattan condo where she lives with her NASCAR-driver husband.

Kellen reportedly cut ties with Epstein after his first arrest in Florida in 2008 and gained immunity through the deal he struck with prosecutors. In 2013 she married her longtime boyfriend Vickers, who is a NASCAR driver, Daily Mail reported.

Neighbors told the Post they are fed up with the couple’s constant noisy renovations in their $10 million penthouse, as well as massive fee assessments imposed by Vickers and the other board members.

Neighbors at the 14-unit Mercer Greene condo building, where Lindsay Lohan once live, tell the Post that they are fed up with the construction racket from Kellen and Vickers’ penthouse.

‘It’s the other homeowners that have to put up with it,’ one condo owner complained, noting that the couple are rarely in town.

One condo owner told the Post that they have been charged $100,000 in assessments in the last five years. It is noteworthy the building has been plagued with construction and repairs before Vickers was elected to head the co-op board.

Sarah Kellen is rarely mentioned in connection to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, but she and Vickers reappeared in New York after Maxwell was arrested in July. There has been speculation she might testify against Maxwell.

Epstein’s controversial 2008 federal non-prosecution agreement extended immunity to four ‘potential co-conspirators’ including Sarah Kellen and fellow executive assistants Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff and Nadia Marcinkova, Daily Mail pointed out.

Daily Mail reported: Kellen could not face federal charges, despite multiple girls describing how she would book them for massages and greet them they as arrived at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion before escorting them upstairs and laying out massage oils.

Kellen has spoken out to vehemently deny the allegations that she aided in Epstein’s devious sex schemes.

‘I’ve been made out to be such a monster — but it’s not true. I’m a victim of Jeffrey Epstein. I was raped and abused weekly,’ she told the Sun last month.

NYC Attorney Claims Ex Went Crazy, Spied on Him & Killed His Cat

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Brad A. Kauffman (left) has accused his ex-girlfriend Leisa Aras of killing his cat. (Facebook)

By: Don Driggers

A New York City attorney claims his ex-girlfriend went crazy, started spying on him and killed his precious cat.

The NY Post reported, Brad A. Kauffman claims his obsessed ex-lover spent weeks spying on him, hacking his devices, and in a final twisted act, killed his pet, Miyagi, on New Year’s Day 2020.

Kauffman, 50, alleges in Manhattan Supreme Court papers that his former girlfriend, real estate agent Leisa Aras, 46 began monitoring his text messages with a spy app, stalked his social media, posed as imaginary woman to set up dates with Kaufman, and finally slaughtered the lawyer’s cat.

The NY Post reported: “I killed your cat and you better watch out,” Aras allegedly told Kauffman, according to a harassment complaint the lawyer filed against her with the NYPD last year

Aras, a mother of 2 flatly denies the cat killing.

“I certainly didn’t poison his cat. I loved that cat, I picked that cat out with him,” the single mom of two told The Post.

“Everything he’s saying is untrue,” she said. “No, I didn’t use any spyware. I’m not that sophisticated.

“I had seven people at my house at that time, visiting, and he texted me saying Miyagi just passed away,” she claimed. “I went over there and wrapped her up in a T-shirt and put her in a crate so he could take her to the vet — not exactly something that someone who was malicious would do.”

The couple apparently dated since 2015 according to social media and broke up in 2019.

The NY Post reported: Kauffman even represented Aras in a 2016 lawsuit she filed against Con Edison and the city after the motorbike she was riding hit a pothole on West End Avenue, injuring her foot.

Kaufman is an experienced attorney practicing in NYC, specializing in personal injury cases such as car, truck, bus, train, motorcycle, pedestrian and bicycle accidents; sidewalk trip and falls, slip and falls; dog bites; also, cases of Medical Malpractice such as surgeon error; failure to properly/timely diagnose, misdiagnosis of a medical condition; non-diagnosis of a medical condition; nursing home negligence; hospital and doctor errors; wrongful death.

While this couple did not break up over the cat, the animal allegedly was the victim. Often jealous or scorned lovers will go after someone’s pet. This seems too be most common for cats, as cat owners often develop remarkably close relationships to their pets and killing a creature the object of one’s desire loves, is a sick, satisfying form of vengeance.

Covid Stubbornly Refuses to Release its Grip on NYC; Livelihoods Ruined

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Positive cases of the coronavirus continue to rise, claiming more lives daily. Livelihoods are also still at stake. Photo Credit: AP

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to stubbornly refuse to release its grip on New York City.

Positive cases of the coronavirus continue to rise, claiming more lives daily. Livelihoods are also still at stake. Tourism and visitors across New York are only about half what they were when the pandemic began close to 11-months ago. Unemployment in the Bronx, the poorest of the five boroughs, is now close to 16 percent. Businesses are ailing, with about a third of NYC’s 230,000 neighborhood businesses reporting that they might not be able to hold out till the vaccination becomes widely available.

As reported by Crain’s NY, despite the vaccine’s rollout, last week, the city reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases, even exceeding April highs. Although the Covid-19 immunization is now being offered to an expanded populace, the actual distribution continues to be slow. “It is really going to be tough still in the coming months,” said Tim Tompkins, former head of the Times Square Alliance.

The outlook for NYC’s economic recovery is becoming more difficult, with New Yorkers fleeing the scene. Those who lost their jobs, and who have trouble affording the Big Apple’s high cost of living are leaving. The upper class, who are now working remotely are also leaving for greener and warmer pastures. Businesses too are relocating, and taking their tax revenue with them. This month, Virtu Financial Inc. joined the list of finance firms which announced plans to move workers to Florida. New York City is feeling it in record-high vacancy rates in commercial and residential real estate. The exodus is leaving City Hall in a financial deficit, desperate for federal aid, as its revenue from property taxes and income taxes wanes.

In December, the New York State Comptroller’s office cautioned that 15 percent of landlords worry they may not be able to pay their property taxes due in January. More than 50 percent of low-income New Yorkers said they are already behind in their rent or mortgage payments, or will fall behind in a few months. A recent survey revealed that apartment tenants owed a total of $1 billion in unpaid rent. The state has extended the moratorium on evictions yet again, leading some tenants to owe as much as 11-months of back rent.

Hope for recovery lies in the vaccination, which can potentially allow businesses and employees to return to their offices by the spring or summer. It could also help open the door for tourism. There is also confidence that the incoming Biden administration will provide additional federal rescue funds.

SI Man Arrested for Role in Capitol Riot; Posted Pic on Social Media

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Authorities allege that Nicholas Moncada, 20, of Taunton Street in Bay Terrace posted on social media this photo of himself storming the U.S. Capitol building. (Courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York)

By: Serach Nissim

On Monday, a Staten Island man who allegedly livestreamed himself at the Capitol riot was arrested, as per the FBI.

Nicolas Moncada of Taunton Street was arrested at his home, with federal agents remaining at the scene. “[Moncada] is now in custody for his role in assaulting the US Capitol while our representatives were inside performing their Constitutional duties,” the FBI said on Twitter.

As reported by the NY Post, Moncada was tracked down by the feds because he had livestreamed his presence at the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol building in Washington, DC on Instagram, a law enforcement source said.

Moncada, a 20-year-old student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, is due to appear in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday. His mother told The Post on Monday that her son wasn’t rioting, but rather was curious to see what was happening inside the capitol. “I’m upset that everyone’s jumping to conclusions,” Joan Moncada said. “He’s such a good kid. I just don’t want to see his future ruined because he wanted to see what was going on.”

“Everyone always says how lucky I am, how good a son I have,” she said. “He was recording. He wants the truth,” she added. “When you watch the news you just want to see for yourself. Is this what’s really happening?”

The Post reported that federal court records show that Moncada’s classmates and faculty at the Fashion Institute of Technology were the ones who turned him in, after seeing the footage of him at the Capitol raid. In an email sent on Monday, FIT said Moncada studied illustration at the school, but has not been enrolled since May. “FIT did cooperate with government authorities after learning about Mr. Moncada’s social media posts from members of the college community,” school spokeswoman Alexandra Mann wrote.

Moncada was photographed in several locations within the building, including outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, records show. He also exchanged private messages with friends during the siege. “what is going on?” a friend messaged. “Storming the Capitol Buiding,” Moncada had allegedly replied.

Dozens of other arrests have been made in connection with the storming of the Capitol Building, during the congressional vote to certify the count of the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election. The siege was an unprecedented security threat, which prompted the arrival of 20,000 armed National Guards and other law enforcement personnel as backup. The extra security will also be present in anticipation of unrest during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday.

NY Tax Revenue from Casinos Dwindling Amid Covid-19

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New York’s casinos have also been dealt a rough hand, during the ongoing pandemic. Photo Credit: AP

By Benyamin Davidsons

New York’s casinos have also been dealt a rough hand, during the ongoing pandemic. The big loser in this case is the state coffers, which are out $600 million in revenues from the casinos in the current fiscal year, state Gaming Commission reports, as per the NY Post.

When New York was declared the epicenter of the Coronavirus, the governor ordered a shutdown of all nonessential business. The Casinos were completely shut for five months from April to August, producing zero revenues for government coffers. Even after the casinos opened, fewer gamblers came in, leaving revenues lower than typical monthly revenues.

The lost revenue in taxes had been earmarked for education, and state schools. In the fiscal year dated April 2019 till the end of March 2020, the four horse track casinos created $906.3 million for education, as per the Gaming Commission. As reported by the NY Post, this year, thus yet, the track casino revenues earmarked for education is only $222 million, with just three months left in the fiscal year. If things continue as they are, the casinos are slated to bring in another $180 million in the last three months, reaching a total of $400 million for the fiscal year. That would be a decline of $500 million, in comparison to the previous year.

For example, the Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct race track in Queens generated only $58.8 million so far this year. If the next few months go well, it can bring that figure up to $100 million, which is still painfully lower than the $250.3 million in revenue that it directed toward education last year. Similarly, the Empire City casino at Yonkers Raceway, brought in $290.5 million for education last year, but this year it has generated just $60.9 million so far. The four upstate commercial casinos, which include Resort World’s Catskills, Rivers, Del Lago and Tioga casinos, are also generating drastically lower revenues this year, in comparison to last year.

Some lawmakers are pushing to legalize mobile sports betting in the state, maintaining that the app-based wagering would remain active even if in-person visits to casinos suffer again. “Under my proposal all casinos benefit through mobile sports betting by placing bets off site,” said Gary Pretlow (D-Mt. Vernon ), chairman of the Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee. Currently, New Yorkers can only wager on sports by in-person betting at one of the four upstate casinos.

DOE Adds Teacher & Secretary to Covid-19 Death Toll in NYC

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The Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, taking its toll on school staff and educators. Photo Credit: abc7ny.com

By Hellen Zaboulani

The Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, taking its toll on school staff and educators.

Two more deaths were added to the toll of DOE employees lost to COVID since March. The city Department of Education has now lost 81 employees. Some argue that the total is actually 96, because the DOE tally does not include the loss of 14 school safety agents on the NYPD payroll and a school nurse on the city health department payroll.

As reported by the NY Post, the two recent deaths include a public-school teacher and a school secretary. Their schools and identities were not disclosed, but officials did say that the employees had been granted medical accommodations, and did not work in-person since March. “As the City fights hard to beat back a second wave and administer as many vaccines to educators as possible, it is heartbreaking that we continue to experience the loss of members of our school communities,” said DOE spokeswoman Miranda Barbot, in a statement.

NYC students and school staff testing positive for COVID-19 has now passed 10,000. On Friday, the DOE’s online COVID case map added another 155 infections — 75 students and 82 staffers. Since Sept. 14, when the public schools opened, the tally is now up to 10,410 positive cases. That figure includes students and staff who attend remotely and those who come in-person, at least part-time. School buildings “continue to be safer than other places in the city,” the DOE said.

The DOE continues implementing its in-school testing program, which is supposed to test 20 percent of students and staff in all schools each week. On Thursday, testers went to 158 schools, and conducted 6,567 tests – 55 of the students and staff had positive test results. Since October 9, the positivity rate has ranged from .33 percent in Manhattan to .67 percent in The Bronx, as per the NY Post.

Public Middle Schools and high schools are closed for in-person sessions and are all remote. Elementary schools and District 75 schools for children with disabilities are open, at least part-time, for those who opt for in-person classes. As of Friday, a total 1,194 DOE classrooms and 321 buildings, were temporarily closed to thwart the spread of COVID.

Positivity rates continue to increase throughout NYC — reaching 4,645 on Saturday. Mayor de Blasio tweeted saying the city’s COVID-19 test positivity rate on a seven-day average reached 8.6 percent on Saturday. On Friday alone, there were 157 COVID-19 deaths in New York State, which included 46 deaths in NYC.

Condo at 111 West 57th St at Top of High-End NYC Luxury Deals

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A luxury condo on the 53rd-floor at 111 West 57th Street was at the top place of last week’s list of high-end Manhattan luxury deals. Photo Credit: 111w57.com

By Ellen Cans

A luxury condo on the 53rd-floor at 111 West 57th Street was at the top place of last week’s list of high-end Manhattan luxury deals. As reported by the Real Deal, the contract was one of 16 signed last week for Manhattan residential properties asking above $4 million, down from 27 deals sealed the week before. Of the deals, however, seven properties were asking over $10 million— the most deals made in that price range weekly since before the pandemic hit in March.

The in-contract 4,183-square-foot condo at the JDS Development, has three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms and views of Central Park. While the buy price has not yet been disclosed, the last asking price was $26.5 million. The buyers are a married couple, both real estate developers, who already own a pied-à-terre in New York City and are now upgrading, as per the Olshan Realty market report. The couple flew into New York for two days from Aspen, Co to look at some residences, said Sotheby’s International Realty broker Benjamin Pofcher, who represented the couple along with Nikki Field. “They sensed the timing was right to get a deal and they got one,” said Pofcher.

The landmark building in Billionaires’ Row, which soars 1,428 feet high, was formerly the 1929 Steinway Hall which was just overhauled. The building, which is known as the “tallest, most slender skyscraper in the world”, offers concierge service and 24-hour doormen, meeting rooms, a lounge with an outdoor terrace, a fitness center, an 82′ lap pool with private cabanas, a sauna and treatment rooms.

The next top deal on last week’s list of pricy residential contracts was unit 27 at 50 Central Park South. The home was last asking $24.5 million, after reducing the price down from $39.5 million when it was listed around two years ago. The unit is one of just twelve Ritz-Carlton residences, at the former site of the landmark St. Moritz Hotel. The home has two bedrooms and three terraces. The 6,829-square-foot, full-floor unit is currently owned by film producer and philanthropist Sidney Kimmel, a 93-year-old billionaire whose movies include “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Moneyball”. He and his wife Caroline had purchased the home in 2001 for roughly $29 million. “Most people felt they would gut the entire apartment,” said Douglas Elliman broker Steve Cohen, who represented the seller. “I think we had the right buyer and I communicated with enough brokers to know there was a deal to be had here.”

Barneys Iconic Brand is Back In NYC After 11-Month Absence

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On Friday, the store opened under the name Barneys at Saks, inside the Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store at 611 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Photo Credit: AP

By Benyamin Davidsons

Barneys New York, the iconic retailer, is back after an 11-month absence. The bankrupt trend-setter had plans for a revival, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The luxury department store brand, founded in 1923 in New York City, is now back in its hometown. It opened on Friday under the name Barneys at Saks, inside Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store at 611 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The location is just a few blocks north of Barneys’ old flagship store on Madison , and is roughly a fifth of the size of the store which was closed in early 2020 following its second bankruptcy.

As reported by Crain’s NY, the Barney’s at Saks store spans 54,000 square feet, and was initially due to open last September, but the Coronavirus pandemic delayed the plans. The retailer boasts that it will be refreshing merchandise constantly and offering feature selections by established as well as emerging designers. On opening day, the store had customized mini-shops featuring labels such as Fear of God, Reese Cooper and A-Cold-Wall. It is also offering VIP shopping suites, style advisers and after-hours appointments for customers.

The opening is exciting news for luxury shopping enthusiasts as well as the fallen retailer. Barneys had succumbed to the gloomy decline of the Brick and Mortar retailers, liquidating its merchandise last February. The 97-year-old luxury brand was purchased last year by fashion licensing company Authentic Brands Group and financial firm B. Riley for $271.4 million.

Authentic Brands Group, which holds a massive portfolio of more than 50 brands, licensed Barneys to Saks in North America. Saks, which has been owned since 2013 by the oldest commercial corporation in North America, the Hudson’s Bay Company, also has exclusive rights to the Barneys NY name online. The SaksFifthAvenue.com website has its own distinct webpages selling designer brands under the Barneys name.

The retailer has plans to open its first standalone ‘Barneys at Saks’ store in Greenwich, Connecticut, on January 25, as per Crain’s. That 14,000-square-foot store will offer women’s and men’s apparel and shoes. There are also plans to revive Fred’s, the Barneys restaurant, this year, but details have not yet been divulged.

Authentic Brands also has plans to expand Barneys internationally, and is working on an initiative to sell in China and Korea over the next two years. It already has six Barneys stores and five outlets in Japan through a licensing agreement with Seven & i Holdings.

Historic “Halloween House” in NY Burned Down; Satanists Warn “Hell to Pay”

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Satanists warned that whoever was responsible for burning down the historic “Halloween House” has “Hell to pay”. Photo Credit: Courtesy: City of Poughkeepsie Historic District & Landmarks Preservation Commission

By Ellen Cans

Satanists warned that whoever was responsible for burning down the historic “Halloween House” has “Hell to pay”.

As reported by the NY Post, on January 14, the Church of Satan, also known locally as the Halloween House was burned down. Located in Poughkeepsie in upstate New York, the house which was built in 1900, served as an Addams Family-style hub for local adherents of the Satan religion.

Authorities say the house was set ablaze by an unidentified arsonist, as per the Poughkeepsie Journal. “Now there’s going to be hell to pay,” said a member of the Church, who identified himself as Isis Vermouth. “Whoever did this is going to be hexed by all of us.” The Satanist said other local members of their religion were jolted over the atrocity and that “everyone in the neighborhood is worried.”

Police say they have surveillance footage of a person walking up to the house at 27 South Clinton St. with two gas cans, pouring liquid on the front porch and setting it on fire, at about 5 a.m. on Thursday. Two people were inside the home at the time, but they were able to escape uninjured. The religious site, also known as the House of Netherworld, had been decorated with devil sculptures and other paraphernalia, which exemplified the beliefs of its longtime former owner, Joe “Netherworld” Mendillo, a Church of Satan devotee, who died last year. Located in what is known as the ‘Witch District’ of the city, the house burned for more than 90-minutes, despite the Poughkeepsie Fire Department’s efforts to battle the blaze.

Peter H. Gilmore, high priest of the Church of Satan, said the house would probably not be restored, due to the extent of damage it endured. “Sadly there are some ‘people of faith’ who are intolerant, and typically ignorant, of other belief systems,” said Gilmore. “I am convinced that Joe’s legacy will live on,” Gilmore added, “even though the home he so carefully cultivated has been destroyed through the hateful act of some deeply disturbed individual, regardless of motivation.”

The religion of the House of Satan was founded in 1966 as an atheist philosophy, which does not actually worship the devil. The House’s nickname pays tribute to the fact that it bore Halloween-style decorations all year round. “It was extraordinarily different,” said City Councilman Chris Petsas, describing the house as “It wasn’t your normal home.”

Immuno-Compromised in NY Still Not Eligible to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

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New York has yet to allow its immunocompromised residents to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

By Hellen Zaboulani

New York has yet to allow its immunocompromised residents to receive the Covid-19 vaccination. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had announced that they would be added to the list of eligible recipients. It seems, however, that this change was never implemented amid the state’s frenzied vaccine rollout.

“I just feel it’s almost like saying anyone with comorbidities, you are allowed to be dispensed, you are not important,” said Swati Bhise, 61, who described her frustration and feeling of neglect to the Post on Monday. Bhise, an educator and filmmaker who lives in Midtown East, says her life is at stake if she should catch the Coronavirus. “I am living in fear, I don’t go out,” Swati said in the phone interview. Three years ago, she suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome, which damaged her lungs and left her intubated in an ICU. She is still unable to walk more than a few blocks without needing supplemental oxygen. She also has type-2 diabetes. Catching COVID-19 “would be a certain death sentence for her,” Bhise’s son Aditya Bhise said. “Don’t pretend we don’t exist. We do exist,” Bhise pleads.

As reported by the NY Post, last Tuesday, at the same time as Gov. Cuomo announced that ages 65 and over would be eligible for the immunization, he had also said that the immunocompromised would be made eligible, in line with federal guidance. Since the announcement, nothing changed, however. It seems the state is already overwhelmed with the number of people currently eligible. Cuomo is saying that they are awaiting specific guidelines from federal authorities, to define and prioritize the “immunocompromised” populace, in order to proceed.

Other states, however, including New Jersey and Florida, have already started permitting those with qualifying conditions to receive the immunization, not waiting for the Feds to weigh in further. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a regularly updated list of medical conditions that put people at a higher-risk for COVID-19. The list includes patients of cancer, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, just to name a few. As of last week, NJ is permitting anyone who has a condition listed on the CDC’s website to have equal access to the vaccination.

NY has been widely criticized for its slow rollout of the immunization. On Monday, Cuomo continued to shift the blame onto the federal government, saying we are already experiences a severe shortage of doses doled out by the feds. He says the feds expanded eligibility without increasing the supply of vaccines. “Now you have 7 million New Yorkers chasing 300,000 [vaccines],” Cuomo said.

Biden Sends Reassuring Messages to Palestinian Authority Ahead of Entry Into WH

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A Palestinian source reports that the messages that were passed from Biden’s staff to the Palestinians through a Palestinian billionaire living in Washington in recent months were initiated by a US diplomat of Lebanese descent, Hady Amr. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS on 9 March, 2016

By: Baruch Yedid

The renewed relationship between the Palestinian Authority and the Biden administration is not waiting for the swearing-in ceremony to be held on Tuesday at the White House. While Palestinian Authority (PA) officials express concern that the beginning of Joe Biden’s tenure will not lead to significant changes in the Middle East in general and the Palestinian issue in particular, due to the burden of internal problems imposed on the new administration and the urgency of a new nuclear agreement with Iran, an unofficial coordination system is already in place between the PA and the Biden government that has already led to significant developments in the Palestinian arena and even pushed Abu Mazen to run in the elections.

A Palestinian source reports that the messages that were passed from Biden’s staff to the Palestinians through a Palestinian billionaire living in Washington in recent months were initiated by a US diplomat of Lebanese descent, Hady Amr.

Amr, who is married to a Palestinian woman, was a member of Martin Indyk’s staff, held a number of positions in Barack Obama’s administration, and is considered to have promoted the idea of ​​alliances with Islamic elements in the Arab world.

Indyk, it will be recalled, decided to resign after criticizing Israel and construction in the territories, and was accused by Israeli officials of “hypocrisy.”

The Palestinian source says that Amr is responsible for the messages conveyed to Abu Mazen that the renewal of the Palestinian leadership’s legitimacy through the elections will greatly facilitate the creation of a positive relationship with the new US administration.

“Amr is also responsible for the fact that Abu Mazen has recently embarked on a series of structural reforms and measures that will prove that he is also fighting corruption at the top of the Palestinian Authority,” the Palestinian source said.

With the expected re-approach, the Biden government is considering the reopening of the consulate in eastern Jerusalem and is also considering setting up a special office for Palestinian affairs at the US State Department headquarters. One of the candidates for this position is Amr, an expert on international relations and Islamic world affairs, a researcher at the Brookings Institution and former director of the Center for American Studies in Doha, Qatar.

Sources in Ramallah who met with the Americans estimate that Amr has a good chance of being appointed a member of the coordination team for the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but only for his appointment as a special envoy on behalf of the White House.

Already a few months ago, the Palestinians renewed their contacts with the US Embassy under David Friedman, who was boycotted by Abu Mazen. The renewed ties are now the responsibility of the Palestinian Affairs Unit, headed by George Noll.

The relations between the US and the PA were severed following the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem and the American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. With the closure of the consulate in the east of the city, it was converted into a small unit operating from the American embassy building, but since the election results in the US became clear, the connection between American officials operating at the American consulate in Jerusalem and the Palestinian leadership has renewed. Embassy staff also visited Hebron and Ramallah, and recently Noll met with senior PA and Fatah officials.

Several talks have dealt with election issues in the Palestinian Authority, in which the Americans are showing great interest. At one of the meetings, Jibril Rajoub promised to work to ensure that Abu Mazen will be elected for another term as Palestinian president, without any of the Palestinian factions or Fatah officials running against him.

These officials at the US Embassy are also in contact with Fatah activists from the camp of Muhammad Dahlan, an opponent of Abu Mazen. A source who is in contact with Rajoub says that he is working to present himself to the US as the best-man in the reconciliation agreement with Hamas and as the one who brought about the election, in accordance with the messages from the United States.

In the messages conveyed from the US to the PA, it was required to act to eradicate corruption in the PA and to decentralize Abu Mazen’s powers, and it is now in the midst of a process of staff shuffle in civilian institutions and appointments to the security services.

Among the recent notable appointments in the Palestinian Authority is the dismissal of Ahmad Baraq, who headed the Anti-Corruption Authority to whom several cases have been linked.

Appointments were also made in the legal system. Judge Iman Nasser a-Din became the head of the Supreme Judicial Council in place of Issa Abu Sharar. This is the first time a woman is appointed to the position.

Various sources indicate that the PA has even agreed to cease joining a series of international conventions, since its joining a series of agreements and conventions has so far provoked opposition and anger in Israel.

Recently, the Palestinian Authority has also decided to make structural changes in dozens of government agencies, abolishing some of them and merging other authorities to avoid duplication. Changes are also being made in a number of economic institutions, insurance institutions, funds and corporations.

A series of recent appointments made by Biden also indicates, in the opinion of Palestinian sources, a favorable policy towards the Palestinian issue. After announcing the appointment of Reema Dodin, of Palestinian descent, to his staff, the President of the US is now appointing California-born Dana Shubat as a Legislative Affairs Strategic Coordination Lead, making her the second Arab-American among Biden’s new team at the White House.

Shubat is a graduate of the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado and is of Jordanian of Palestinian descent.

(TPS)

Russia to Israel: Stop Bombing Iran Targets in Syria, We’ll Take Care of It

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (r) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow, Dec. 30, 2019. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia’s foreign minister said his country doesn’t want Syria used “as a platform for the Iranian-Israeli strife.”

By: Paul Shindman

Russia called on Israel Monday to let it know about threats to its security from Syria and allow Russia to defuse the situation instead of using Syria as a battlefield, Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had previously told Israel that they are willing to intervene on Israel’s behalf rather than have Israel strike at Iranian military targets in Syria.

“If Israel is really forced to respond to threats to Israeli security coming from the Syrian territory, we have told our Israeli colleagues many times: If you see such threats, please give us the information,” Lavrov said. Russia has a strong military presence in Syria helping to prop up Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

“So, our dear Israeli colleagues, if you have facts that your state is facing threats from the Syrian territory, report the facts urgently and we will take every measure to neutralize the threat,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia doesn’t want Syrian territory to be used as a base for attacks on Israel or “as a platform for the Iranian-Israeli strife.”

For the past several years, Israel has warned both Syria and Iran that it would not tolerate any Iranian military presence in Syria that threatens the Jewish State.

Iranian political and military leaders have repeatedly stated that their goal is the “total annihilation” of Israel. Iran has been heavily arming Hezbollah in Lebanon through Syria and has sent forces to Syria to join Iranian-backed militias fighting for Assad.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has previously warned that any Israeli action in Syria “can’t pass without a reaction.”

“The Zionist entity will regret its actions. We will respond sooner or later with the resistance in Syria and Lebanon,” Velayati said in December of 2019.

Over the past several years, Israel has struck at Iranian military targets in Syria on many occasions, but does not comment on most of the attacks that foreign sources attribute to the IDF. The most recent attack last week attributed to Israel targeted weapons storage sites in Syria said to belong to Iran or its proxy militias.

The Turkish think tank Jusoor For Studies, which specializes in Middle East and Syrian issues, claimed in an article on its website that Syrian and Israeli officials met last month at the Russian air force base in Hmeimim, Syria, to discuss several issues, including Israel’s demand for Iran to pull out its militias from Syria.

            (World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com