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Some school districts bring back mask mandates to stem spread of COVID, flu and RSV

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Several schools are bringing back mask mandates to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

In New Jersey, two school districts said students will be required to wear face coverings indoors upon returning from winter break.

Paterson Public Schools, which serves abut 25,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, said the new rule will go into effect starting Jan. 3.

“I know this is a relief to some, and a frustration to others. No matter what your position may be, I ask for your cooperation,” Eileen Shafer, Paterson school district superintendent, wrote in a letter to parents and guardians. “Please continue to maintain universal masking throughout our buildings and we encourage you to take all other precautions against the spread of the COVID-19, RSV, flu virus including frequent hand washing, avoiding large gatherings, and staying home when sick.”

Meanwhile, Camden City School District, with about 7,500 students between kindergarten and 12th grade, will implement required indoor masking for at least two weeks, through Jan. 17.

“The New Jersey Department of Health has already reported an increase in COVID, flu, and RSV cases,” CCSD Superintendent Katrina McComb wrote in a letter to families. “Therefore, in an effort to be proactive and remain vigilant, all schools and offices will operate under a short mask mandate upon reopening.”

The moves come amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, weekly cases have increased 309,272 to 402,525 over the last five weeks, although they have begun to decline recently.

Meanwhile, infections of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and the flu are still high — but appear to have peaked in mid-November and mid-December, respectively, and are now declining, according to CDC data.

According to the CDC’s latest flu report, the cumulative hospitalization rate for influenza is more than four times higher at this point in the year thanx every season going back to 2010-2011, but the number of new admissions has declined for the third week in a row.

Schools in New Jersey are not the only ones bringing back masks. Earlier this month, the School District of Philadelphia announced students would be required to wear masks for the first 10 days after winter break.

“In an effort to be proactive in supporting healthy environments and maintaining in-person learning following students and staff returning from winter break, the District will implement mandatory masking from January 3 through January 13, 2023,” the district wrote in a release, according to local ABC affiliate WPVI.

The Year in Music 2022: Country says goodbye to Loretta, Naomi, Alabama’s Jeff Cook and more

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

While there were plenty of happy moments in country music in 2022, we also collectively mourned some beloved artists.

In October, the iconic Loretta Lynn passed away peacefully at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee at age 90. The Coal Miner’s Daughter helped pave the way for women in country music, writing and singing songs that tackled infidelity, motherhood, divorce, and alcoholism.

April brought the year’s most heartbreaking loss, as Naomi Judd took her own life at age 76, after years of mental illness and just one day before she and daughter Wynonna were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. At the time, the duo was preparing for their Farewell Tour, which Wy continued on her own, with the help of a who’s who of artists like Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town and more. The trek continues into next year.

Right before the CMA Awards in November, we lost Jeff Cook of the legendary country group Alabama at age 73. After winning Vocal Group of the Year, Old Dominion‘s Matthew Ramsey remembered the legendary guitarist and fiddle player during his acceptance speech.

Another country great we lost in 2022 is Mickey Gilley at age 86, one of the men who helped create the Urban Cowboy movement, which took country music to a whole new audience in the eighties.

We also lost Mickey’s cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis, aged 87, the legendary rocker who also had nearly thirty top ten country hits. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame just days before his passing.

In August, the world mourned the passing of Olivia Newton-John, aged 73, who broke through with a string of country hits and won both CMA and ACM awards in the seventies, prior to her massive success in the pop world and the movies, most notably in the film version of the musical Grease.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

D-Nice says he “would have never imagined” co-hosting ABC’s ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

D-Nice is shocked to be hosting the Los Angeles portion of ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

“Just a moment ago, I had a moment of like, ‘Wow!’ Like I was sitting there looking at the chair and it said host and I was sitting in it … I would have never imagined being here,” he admitted to ABC Audio during NYRE rehearsals.

The DJ raved, “I grew up watching the show and when I was invited to deejay on the show last year I was excited. But to come back and to now be one of the hosts, it’s unbelievable. I’ve been on this journey for over 30 years in the music industry, and this is truly a highlight.”

The well-known disc jockey, born Derrick Jones, reflected on how the past few years led to this moment. “I’ve always had a great career … But there was something magical that happened during the dark time where I just played music for the world and didn’t ask for anything,” he said of launching the global phenomenon #ClubQuarantine during lockdown.

D-Nice continued, “It just goes to show you how just being nice and kind to people can go a long way when you do it authentically from the heart.”

And as for how he feels about working on New Year’s Eve, said D-Nice, “This doesn’t feel like work. This is a celebration of people. It’s a great way to end the year and start the new year.”

And while he’s thrilled to party it up in LA, he hopes to someday celebrate NYRE alongside Seacrest in his native New York.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 will air December 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Sugar, we’re gettin married: Fall Out Boy’s Andy Hurley is engaged

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Fall Out Boy‘s Andy Hurley will soon be dance, dancing at his own wedding.

In an Instagram post Thursday, the drummer announced that he got engaged to his longtime partner, Meredith Allen.

The post features a photo of Hurley proposing via the marquee of Tennessee’s Franklin Theatre, which read, “Meredith, will you marry me??” In the caption, Hurley writes, “I’m marrying the love of my life.”

Allen also shared the news in her own Instagram: “We’re engaged, y’all! I love you so much [Hurley] and I can’t wait to spend forever with you as your wife.”

In addition to planning for his upcoming nuptials, Hurley may also be playing on some new Fall Out Boy music in 2023. The “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” rockers have been teasing a possible follow-up album to 2018’s M A N I A, most recently with a Christmas-themed claymation video.

Idaho murders: 28-year-old man arrested in Pennsylvania, sources say

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A 28-year-old man, Bryan Kohberger, was arrested Friday morning in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Sources said that authorities knew who they were looking for and had tracked Kohberger down to Pennsylvania.

A SWAT team entered the location where he was staying in order to take him into custody Friday. Kohberger appeared before a judge Friday morning.

Moscow police officers, members of Idaho State Police, Moscow city leaders and University of Idaho officials will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. local time Friday.

It’s been over six weeks since roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, as well as Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were all stabbed to death in the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13.

Two other roommates — who police said are not suspects — survived and likely slept through the murders, according to officials. The survivors were on the ground floor while the four victims were on the second and third floors.

Police have been urging the public to come forward with information.

It’s been weeks since police and city officials have gathered for a news conference, choosing instead to release small updates through social media. This new announcement comes as University of Idaho students are away from campus for winter break.

Halsey pays tribute to late designer Vivienne Westwood: “My idol, my icon”

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Pioneering British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood passed away on Wednesday, and Halsey has taken to Instagram to post a heartfelt tribute to the woman who designed many of the looks the chart-topping singer has worn over the years.

Westwood designed the looks that defined the 1970s British punk rock and new wave era, like clothing slashed to pieces and held together with safety pins, bondage suits and other fetish-inspired pieces, and T-shirts featuring slogans and artwork that pushed social and sexual boundaries.

SEX, the London boutique run by Westwood and her then-partner Malcolm McLaren, was the meeting point for, and occasional employer of, the musicians who’d become punk rock and new wave stars, including The Sex Pistols, who McLaren would go on to manage. Westwood later became a global fashion icon and activist for causes like climate change and nuclear disarmament.

On Instagram, Halsey wrote, “Viv! My friend, my idol, my icon. There is not enough time or space in this format to appropriately describe the ways you impacted music, fashion, culture, and the like. Your legacy is immortal and eternal. I hope we will all continue to break boundaries and question institutions in your example and memory.”

They concluded, “I will cherish all of our conversations and teas (and *tea*! you had the best stories). Love always, and long live Queen Viv.”

Halsey’s message was accompanied by a slideshow of themselves wearing a variety of Westwood creations — including several featured in her film If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power — as well as a photo of Westwood and Halsey sitting together at a fashion show, and one that shows the singer deep in discussion with Westwood and Pamela Anderson.

Six years of Trump tax documents released by House Ways and Means Committee

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee on Friday publicly released documents related to former President Donald Trump’s tax returns covering the six years from 2015-2020.

The move comes after committee members voted 24-16 last week to release the documents after sensitive information — like bank account numbers and Social Security numbers — had been redacted.

Trump has long fought to keep his tax records private.

Trump released a statement Friday pushing back on the House committee for making the records public while also claiming they “show how proudly successful” he has been.

“The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people,” Trump said. “The great USA divide will now grow far worse. The Radical Left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous two-way street!”

Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., told reporters last Tuesday that the committee found there was no ongoing audit of Trump’s tax returns during his presidency until the committee requested them, despite an IRS requirement that tax returns filed by a sitting president or vice president are subject to audit.

Neal said the audit only began in 2019 after he requested the returns and said the audits of the requested returns were never completed.

“The tax forms were really never audited and only my sending a letter at one point prompted a rearview mirror response,” Neal said.

The committee had requested six years’ worth of Trump’s returns from the Treasury Department as part of what it said was an investigation into IRS audit practices of presidents and vice presidents.

Trump has accused the committee of seeking his taxes under false pretenses, saying the probe is just a politically motivated fishing expedition. But the committee said the documents were critical for drafting “legislation on equitable tax administration, including legislation on the President’s tax compliance.”

According to a summary released last week by the committee, Trump and his wife, Melania, together reported $31.7 million in losses and reported $641,931 in net taxes during the first year of Trump’s presidential campaign, in 2015.

During the 2016 presidential election year, the two again reported losing $32.4 million in adjusted gross income and paid just $750 in taxes, according to the committee. During Trump’s first year in office, the couple reported losing $12.9 million and again paid $750 in taxes.

In 2018, their adjusted gross income went up, with them bringing in $24.3 million, and they reported paying $999,456 in taxes. In 2019, the two reported making $4.4 million and paid $133,445 in taxes.

In 2020, they reported losing $4.8 million and Trump paid $0 in taxes.

The top Republican on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, has said Democrats made a major mistake in a “rush to target” Trump by releasing his tax returns.

“Ways and Means Democrats are unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond President Trump, and jeopardizes the privacy of every American,” Brady said in a statement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

The Year in Rock 2022: Joni Mitchell makes triumphant return

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When Joni Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, few people thought she’d ever return to the public eye, let alone perform again. But that all changed in 2022.

–The singer’s good year started in April, when she was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year, with artists like Brandi Carlile, Jon Batiste, John Legend, Herbie Hancock and Stephen Stills celebrating her at a gala in Las Vegas.

–In July, Joni shocked everyone when she turned up at Rhode Island’s Newport Folk Festival to join Carlile for a “Joni Jam,” featuring special guests like Marcus Mumford, Lucius, Taylor Goldsmith and Wynonna. With help, Joni, who hadn’t performed live since 2000, treated the crowd to such songs as “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Both Sides Now.”

–In August, she received an honorary doctorate from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music during an event held at a private residence in Santa Monica, California. Mitchell was bestowed with the honor by Berklee’s Office of the President and Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.

–Joni isn’t done performing. In fact, in October, Carlile announced a new three-day festival, Echoes in the Canyon, at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington, with one of the nights featuring another “Joni Jam.” The festival goes down June 9 to June 11, with Joni’s night, June 10, already sold out.

Tom Hanks transforms from “nicest man in Hollywood” to grumpiest man alive in ‘A Man Called Otto’

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In the new movie A Man Called Otto, opening Friday in limited release, Tom Hanks plays Otto, described as being the grumpiest man alive. So was he a grump on set?

“No! He was very sweet like he is,” his co-star Mariana Trevino tells ABC Audio. “We confirm his reputation as the nicest man in Hollywood. Totally true. Confirmed. He was really sweet.”

While it may be odd to some that a guy with that reputation would play such a hardened character, director Marc Forster explains, “It’s because you ultimately want to fall in love with him and you don’t want him just to be a dislikable grump.”

“And that’s the beauty about Tom Hanks,” Forster continues. “He is such an incredible actor that he can play grumpy, even though he’s so kind and nice and lovely. And then you fall in love with him.”

Overall, Forster hopes that A Man Called Otto audiences take home a message of kindness towards others.

“Hopefully that they see it’s a life affirming film and that if they have an Otto in their life, maybe it just doesn’t take that much then to knock on the door and bring them some food, and give them some company and open their heart,” he says.

Trevino, who plays one of Hanks’ neighbors, a bubbly woman trying to break through Otto’s concrete-coated exterior, adds, “We are all made of the same substance and we have the same essence. Our capacity to love is what leads us to connect to everyone. And I just think that is a beautiful, not only thought, but a reality. And we should tap into it.”

Steven Tyler accused of sexual relationship with a minor

December 30, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Steven Tyler is facing a lawsuit filed by a woman who claims she had a relationship with him in the ’70s when she was a minor. Rolling Stone reports that in a suit filed in Los Angeles, the plaintiff, Julia Holcomb, is accusing the Aerosmith frontman of sexual assault, assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Although Tyler isn’t named in the suit, the defendants are listed as Doe 1 and Does 2 through 50. The mag claims it’s obvious it’s Tyler since Holcomb has talked about her relationship with him in the past, and Tyler also wrote about it in his memoir. The suit also uses quotes about the relationship from Tyler’s book.

Holcomb claims she and Tyler were together for three years starting 1973, when she was 16 and he was in his 20s. They were allowed to be together because the rocker got her mother to grant him guardianship over her, which allowed her to live and travel with him.

Holcomb claims she “was powerless to resist” the rock star’s “power, fame and substantial financial ability,” and that he “coerced and persuaded” her into believing their relationship was a “romantic love affair.” She also says at 17 she got pregnant with Tyler’s son, but he pushed her to have an abortion, alleging smoke inhalation from when their apartment caught fire hurt the baby. Holcomb claims he threatened to stop supporting her if she didn’t. She says after she had the abortion she left him.

Tyler does mention a relationship with a 16-year-old in his memoir, Does the Noise in my Head Bother You? Although he doesn’t name Holcomb in it, he does include a Julia Halcomb in the acknowledgements.

So far Tyler hasn’t commented on the lawsuit.

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