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Greater Chicago brings back mass vaccination sites amid renewed demand

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — It was reopening day at a greater Chicago mass vaccination site Tuesday, as local health officials bring previously closed locations back online to meet renewed demand during the omicron surge.

Cook County closed the last of its six suburban mass vaccination sites six months ago due to declining demand and as vaccine administrations shifted more to pharmacies and doctors’ offices. But with renewed interest in recent weeks, county officials have been encouraged to reopen several of the sites operated by Cook County Health.

“With the surge in omicron, we’ve actually seen an increase in interest in, particularly, boosters,” Dr. Gregory Huhn, Cook County Health’s vaccine coordinator and an infectious disease physician, told ABC News. “We believed that we would need this type of opportunity again to really meet that demand, as people recognize the importance of vaccination in combating against omicron.”

About 80% of Cook County residents have received at least one vaccine dose, while 40% of those eligible have gotten their booster, Huhn said.

A majority — around 75% — of Cook County Health’s patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated, and that rate is higher for those in the intensive care unit and on ventilators, according to Huhn.

“We will have breakthrough infections, we know that,” Huhn said. “But with the booster, we’re able to generate enough antibodies to protect people against the progression of their infection and disease, to keep them out of the hospital and keep them from dying.”

On Tuesday, the first of three mass vaccination sites reopening across the county started administering doses again. There were a couple hundred appointments scheduled, and more walk-ins.

Stephen Gallardo showed up to the Forest Park site after trying more than a week to get his booster elsewhere, he told Chicago ABC station WLS. “Most places are booked for a while,” he told the station.

The other two sites are scheduled to open Thursday and Saturday, with all three offering weekend hours.

Local leaders are hoping the weekends will draw out residents who have not yet gotten their first dose.

“We know that certain populations have not availed themselves of the vaccines, so what we hope to see is church congregations coming on Sundays to get vaccines here in Forest Park,” Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins told reporters Tuesday.

All three sites are in former big-box stores, which have provided a large amount of open space to easily maneuver patients from station to station, Huhn said.

“We find that this type of environment is really highly conducive to our vaccine operations and efficiency,” he said.

When the sites first opened nearly a year ago, they were partially staffed by members of the National Guard. Now, they’re relying on both Cook County Health administrators and support from nursing agencies.

The clinics will run as long as there is demand.

“We have adequate vaccine supply, we have the staff,” Huhn said. “We really want to make it easy and accessible for everybody to get the vaccine that they need.”

Synagogue attack puts Jewish community on edge

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Recent attacks on Jewish institutions — including the 10-hour-long hostage situation at a synagogue in Texas on Jan. 15 — have cast a dark shadow on the simple act of walking into a Jewish institution.

The faith-based attacks have forced community leaders to prioritize security and safety precautions to maintain their ability to pray, congregate and practice their faith, Eric Fingerhut, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, told ABC News.

“This is not new,” Fingerhut said. “This has been a particularly violent period of attacks on Jewish institutions and on Jewish community.”

On Jan. 15, an armed suspect that claimed to have bombs took a rabbi and three others hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was held hostage, told reporters that his training with the Jewish-led security training organization Secure Community Network helped get his congregants out safely.

Since antisemitism is still present in the U.S., protecting one’s congregation is key, community leaders say. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tracked 2,024 antisemitic incidents in 2020, the third-highest year on record since the organization began tracking these incidents in 1979.

Faith-based communities will “likely” continue to be the target of violence “by both domestic violent extremists and those inspired by foreign terrorists,” according to a note sent on Monday to law enforcement officials and houses of worship nationwide by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

“The fact that he’d been trained like so many members of the clergy and other communal leaders in active shooter drills, in hostage crises, and how to deal with terrorist scenarios unfolding in your synagogue … it’s actually not a surprise,” ADL’s CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt told ABC News.

“We are in an environment where, whether you run a synagogue or a JCC [Jewish community center] or a day school or a summer camp, you need to take action and be vigilant because of the very real threat of violence,” Greenblatt said.

The Secure Community Network is a national security initiative composed of former high-level law enforcement officials that work across 146 federations and more than 300 individual groups. They train religious leaders in threat and vulnerability assessments, training and drill programs.

Brad Orsini, the organization’s senior national security advisor, said that in Texas, leaders were taught basic situational awareness: what to look for, what suspicious behavior may look like. They also engaged in active shooter training, countering an active threat training and life-saving training to stop bleeding.

“We really teach that community the necessary tools to stay alive for three to five minutes prior to law enforcement getting there,” Orsini told ABC News. “Law enforcement is not there when an incident happens so we need to know those initial steps to keep ourselves alive.”

The organization said it also provides a 24/7 analyst who is on alert for security threats from across the country.

Security and safety training are beginning to become a part of daily life as Jewish leaders, Fingerhut said. He said they’re doing what it takes to protect the community’s ability to practice their faith rightfully and freely.

“The basis of our religion is the community,” Fingerhut said. “If people are afraid to take their kids to a JCC or to summer camp or afraid to go to synagogue to pray with their community, that would be the ultimate tragedy.”

Prosecutors lay out ‘missed opportunities’ in Robert Durst murder investigation

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A series of “missed opportunities” and an overreliance on false statements made by Robert Durst delayed his prosecution for the murder of his then-wife, Kathleen “Kathie” Durst, by almost 40 years, Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah said Wednesday.

Rocah’s office released a 13-page report that probed the entire scope of the investigation and found both police and prosecutors relied too much on Robert Durst’s alibis that his wife was last seen in Manhattan before she disappeared from their South Salem home on Jan. 31, 1982. Her body has never been discovered.

Even though Robert Durst’s claims were refuted by other evidence, investigators continued their search for Kathie Durst in New York City instead of Westchester, the report said.

“In short, it appears that the initial investigation suffered to some degree from ‘tunnel vision’ — having a theory of a case, which is maintained even when there are red flags that should cause those initial theories to be questioned,” the report said.

New York investigators uncovered evidence that showed Kathie Durst was the victim of domestic violence by Robert Durst before she was killed. Neighbors at the Dursts’ Manhattan residence told investigators at the time that Kathleen Durst had knocked on their window seeking protection from her husband, who allegedly beat her and threatened to shoot her.

Neighbors of his South Salem home refuted Robert Durst’s claims that he stopped by their house for drinks after he dropped off Kathie at a train station the night of her disappearance.

“And yet focus of the investigation remained guided by Durst’s version of events that he had driven her to the train to New York City on the night she disappeared,” Rocah said at a news conference Wednesday.

Susan Berman, Durst’s friend and unofficial spokeswoman, also gave questionable statements to the police suggesting Kathie had run off with another man, the report said.

Berman was murdered in 2000 before she was set to speak with police for a follow-up investigation into Kathie’s disappearance. Robert Durst was arrested in 2015 and charged in connection with Berman’s death, following the airing of the final episode of the HBO documentary “The Jinx,” where he was recorded on a hot mic allegedly incriminating himself.

Robert Durst was convicted in Berman’s death last year and was sentenced to life in prison in October. Shortly after the sentencing, Rocah’s office charged Durst with Kathie Durst’s murder.

Robert Durst died of natural causes earlier this month in custody.

Kathie Durst’s family wasn’t invited to Rocah’s press conference, according to family attorney Robert Abrams, who added that they’re calling for Rocah’s resignation. She was elected as DA in November 2020.

“There have been numerous individuals, including members of the Durst family, that have knowingly and intentionally participated in a criminal conspiracy to help Robert Durst avoid prosecution,” Abrams said in a statement. “Through her misrepresentations and omissions, DA Rocah must now be considered part of the cover-up.”

Sia reveals she became “suicidal” and entered rehab following ‘Music’ movie backlash

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Sia revealed in a new interview that she considered suicide after critics said her Music movie was harmful to the autistic community. Critics and autistic actors slammed the film after dancer Maddie Ziegler was cast as a nonverbal girl on the spectrum.

Speaking to the New York Times, Sia admitted the controversy had an alarming effect on her mental health, revealing, “I was suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab.” The interview was conducted by comedian Kathy Griffin, whom Sia credited for “[saving] my life” for helping her generate positive buzz after the intense backlash.

The Australian singer previously revealed that Ziegler was not her first choice for the role and that she “actually tried working with a beautiful young girl nonverbal on the spectrum,” but that actress withdrew from the project because she “found it unpleasant and stressful.”

Sia also said the character in question was “based completely on my neuro-atypical friend… I made this movie with nothing but love for him and his mother.”

Despite her seemingly good intentions, Music hit a sour note with the autistic community and its advocates. Actress Ashley Wool, who is on the spectrum, said the movie was “doing active harm to people.” Others condemned Music for not being inclusive and claimed it depicted those with autism as infants.

Sia previously apologized for the controversy and said she had “been listening” to concerns. After the film received two Golden Globe nods, she added a disclaimer to the film that said, “MUSIC in no way condones or recommends the use of restraint on autistic people. There are autistic occupational therapists that specialize in sensory processing who can be consulted to explain safe ways to provide proprioceptive, deep-pressure feedback to help with meltdown safety.”

She later redacted the scenes in question.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.

Sidney Poitier’s cause of death revealed, all-star tribute to Harry Belafonte, and more

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The cause of death of the late Sidney Poitier has been revealed. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that the Academy Award winner passed away on January 6 from a combination of cardiopulmonary failure, prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s dementia, according to Deadline.

As previously reported, Broadway theaters in New York City will dim their lights Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. in tribute to the iconic actor. Poitier made his debut on the Great White Way 75 years ago in an all-Black revival of Lysistrata, and earned a Best Actor Tony nomination for the role of Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry‘s groundbreaking drama A Raisin in the Sun.

One of Poitier’s best friends, Harry Belafonte, will be honored at an all-star 95th birthday tribute on March 1 in Manhattan. John Legend, Laurence Fishburne, Doug E. Fresh, Danny Glover, Lenny Kravitz, Q-Tip, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Alfre Woodward are among the confirmed participants. The event will raise funds for Sankofa.org, the social justice organization Belafonte co-founded ten years ago.

“I am honored that so many are coming together to celebrate my birthday, life, and legacy,” the Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winner said in a statement. “I founded Sankofa.org alongside my daughter Gina and Raoul Roach to create additional space for artists and allies to join force to garner an artistic approach to the needs of our disenfranchised communities… to use art as a tool to educate messages of hope and to encourage and energize the public to become engaged.”

Finally, Spike Lee will receive the lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in motion picture direction from the Directors Guild of America, Variety reports. The Do The Right Thing director will be honored at the DGA’s 74th annual awards ceremony on March 12.

Willie O’Ree, 1st Black NHL player, reflects on his time in the league

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BOSTON) — The Boston Bruins retired the jersey of Willie O’Ree, the first Black NHL player, on Tuesday night — 64 years to the day of his professional hockey debut.

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 and currently in line to be the first hockey player to receive a Congressional Gold Medal, the ceremony, which was held at TD Garden, marked another historic moment for O’Ree’s ever-growing, decades-long legacy.

An avid ice hockey player from the age of 5, O’Ree knew he’d wanted to play professional hockey since he was 14 years old.

“I made two goals for myself: to play professional hockey and hopefully one day to play in the National Hockey League,” he said in an interview for ABC News Live on Monday.

He would go on to achieve both.

The Canada native committed himself to the sport, leaving home at 17 years old to play in a junior league.

O’Ree continued to improve his game, but at 20 years old, his dreams of joining the NHL were jeopardized when a puck struck him in the face while playing for the Kitchener Canucks, a junior ice hockey team. The impact shattered his retina, causing him to lose vision in his right eye. He was told that the injury would stop him from playing ever again.

Despite the prognosis, O’Ree said he was determined to continue practicing, so he adapted. As a left-wing player, he would have to turn his head completely to the right to see the puck.

“Forget about what you can’t see, and concentrate on what you can see,” he said he told himself at the time.

Just two years later, he made history when he became the first Black NHL player ever in 1958 at 22 years old. He never told the team about his loss of vision. It would have made him ineligible to play if the league knew.

O’Ree didn’t know the impact he was making at the time, he said.

“I didn’t realize I broke the color barrier until I read it in the paper the next morning,” he said, adding, “I was just so excited that I got the opportunity to play in the National Hockey League and with the Boston Bruins.”

If they can’t accept you for the individual that you are, then that’s their problem
But his time with the Bruins was not without adversity.

Although his Bruins teammates accepted him, as the first and only Black player in the league during the 1950s and 1960s, O’Ree said he was met with racism from fans and opposing players. He said he didn’t allow the bigotry to deter him.

“I knew if I fought every time somebody called me a name that I’d be in the penalty box all the time,” O’Ree said. “So it was hard. It was hard at the beginning. But later on, I did gain the respect of not only the fans in the stands, but the players on the opposition.”

O’Ree credits his older brother Richard with helping him develop the confidence he needed to succeed in a league that was not welcoming to people like him.

“He knew the type of individual I was, and you know, the racism and prejudice and bigotry,” O’Ree said to media after the ceremony. “He knew I could handle that, and he just said, ‘Forget about what other people think about you. If they can’t accept you for the individual that you are, then that’s their problem.'”

He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 1961, the same team he played against in his NHL debut, and then continued on to play in minor leagues before retiring in 1979.

Over half a century later, Black hockey players still face prejudice from spectators, teammates, and coaches.

O’Ree, now 86, has worked as the NHL’s director of youth development and an ambassador for NHL Diversity for 24 years.

His lifelong dedication to dismantling barriers for athletes of color continues to play a large role in the NHL’s efforts to address the lack of diversity in the league.

The NHL has an initiative called Hockey is For Everyone, which is focused on creating a more inclusive environment for players and fans of all backgrounds through programming that includes the Willie O’Ree Skills Weekend.

“Watching these boys and girls experience everything hockey has to offer is incredible,” he said. “More than 130,000 boys and girls have gone through the programs so far. I look forward to supporting the next generation of young hockey players.”

His passion for ice hockey, helping young athletes set goals and providing a space for opportunity and success have influenced the sport and many who love it over the years.

“There are more Black girls and Black boys and players of color playing hockey today than ever before,” O’Ree said. “So we’re going, we’re going in the right direction.”

Rock and Roll All May: KISS announce rescheduled dates for postponed 2021 US concerts

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

KISS has announced new dates for four U.S. shows that were postponed last year, all of which will take place in May.

The concerts, which are part of the band’s End of the Road farewell tour, are scheduled for May 11 in Milwaukee; May 12 in Dayton, Ohio; May 14 in Hartford, Connecticut; and May 17 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tickets and VIP packages that were purchased for last year’s shows will be honored for the new dates. Additional information will be emailed directly to those with tickets.

KISS also is scheduled to play a previously announced headlining set at the Rockville 2022 Festival in Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 19.

The band will kick off its 2022 End of the Road itinerary with a series of Australian shows in late March and early April, followed by a South American leg that’s mapped out from late April to early May.

After the U.S. concerts, KISS will head to Europe for a run of shows scheduled from early June to late July.

Visit KISSOnline.com for more details about the tour.

Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch dispute having COVID mask flap

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not ask her colleague and seatmate on the bench, Justice Neil Gorsuch, to wear a mask during the omicron surge, according to a rare joint statement issued Wednesday.

The justices, addressing swirling media reports of discord, insist they remain “warm colleagues and friends” despite recent headlines suggesting Gorsuch had defied a request to mask up, forcing Sotomayor, who, because of her diabetes and her age — 67 — is at heightened risk of COVID, to retreat to her chambers.

“Reporting that Justice Sotomayor asked Justice Gorsuch to wear a mask surprised us. It is false. While we may sometimes disagree about the law, we are warm colleagues and friends,” they said in a rare joint statement.

Since early January, Sotomayor has not joined her colleagues for any in person proceedings or private meetings due to health concerns. At the same time, her peers began wearing masks while together — with one notable exception: Gorsuch.

NPR’s Nina Totenberg reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed source, that Chief Justice John Roberts had encouraged his colleagues “in some form” to mask up during omicron. She indicated that Gorsuch defied that request.

Fox News’ Shannon Bream reports, citing a separate unnamed source, that’s not true and that no request went out from Roberts and that Sotomayor never asked Gorsuch herself.

Roberts later out his own statement, saying, “I did not request Justice Gorsuch or any other Justice to wear a mask on the bench.”

He indicated he will have no further comment.

All the justices are boosted and tested daily before meeting together, per the court.

From October through December, all nine justices convened on the bench together — and only Sotomayor wore a mask at that time. She sat next to a maskless Gorsuch and Justice Stephen Breyer, among others.

In January, when they reconvened, most justices started wearing masks — with sole exception being Gorsuch. Sotomayor started dialing in from chambers.

The implication has been the appearance that Sotomayor is not comfortable sitting next to unmasked Gorsuch — with whom she’s been friendly and appeared with jointly in virtual events.

Her chambers has not specified the reason for her remote participation.

Everyone else in the courtroom who’s not a justice must be masked and must be tested, per court rules.

Suspect captured in furniture store slaying, a crime that ‘shocked’ LA neighborhood

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles police on Wednesday arrested the man they say killed a 24-year-old woman while she worked alone in a furniture store.

The suspect, believed to be homeless, attacked Brianna Kupfer with a knife just before 2 p.m. Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

He fled through the store’s back door and Kupfer’s body was soon found on the floor by a customer, police said.

Police on Tuesday identified the suspect as 31-year-old Shawn Laval Smith and asked for the public’s help in finding him.

There is no known motive, police said, adding that the suspect had randomly walked into the store.

Kupfer texted a friend that afternoon saying someone in the store was giving her a “bad vibe,” LAPD Lt. John Radke said at a Tuesday news conference.

The slaying has “shaken and shocked our community to its core,” Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz said at the news conference.

While not working at the furniture store, Kupfer was taking courses in design through UCLA Extension, a continuing education program.

“Brianna, who was born, educated and was building her career here in Los Angeles, was a rising star in this community,” Kupfer’s family said in a statement read on their behalf at the news conference. “Brianna was a smart, funny, driven and kind soul who only wanted to better herself and her community on a daily basis.”

‘Multiple casualties’ in rollover crash involving Marines from Camp Lejeune

January 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(JACKSONVILLE, N.C.) — There have been “multiple casualties” in a rollover accident involving Marines stationed at Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, according to the 2nd Marines Logistics Group.

No further details have been provided.

The group had previously posted on Twitter, “We are aware of a vehicle rollover in Jacksonville, North Carolina, involving service members with 2nd MLG. We are working closely with @camp_lejeune and Onslow County officials to gather details regarding this incident.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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