RIGHT 2 THE CITY Blog

The Biden administration is considering a vaccine mandate for federal workers

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The Biden administration is considering a vaccine mandate for federal workers

By Michael D Shear

Read the full article from The New York Times, here.

The Biden administration is considering requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel, officials said Tuesday — a major shift in approach by President Biden that reflects the government’s growing concern about the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

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As worries mount over the Delta variant, the U.S. retains travel bans and weighs tougher steps.

By Ethan Hauser and Jesus Jiménez

Read the full article from New York Times, here.

On Monday, U.S. officials matched the growing concern with steps aimed at controlling travel to and from the United States to stem the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

The Biden administration said it would continue to restrict the entry of Europeans and others into the country, citing concerns that infected travelers could contribute to Delta’s spread. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged Americans to avoid traveling to Spain and Portugal, saying that as cases rise in both countries, “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants.”

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Buffalo’s 14215 ZIP code among those Cuomo targets for vaccine push

By News Staff Reporter

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

With roughly one in four New Yorkers still unvaccinated against Covid-19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said the state will attempt to boost the vaccination rate by targeting 117 ZIP codes that have both low vaccination rates and a high spread of Covid with outreach efforts by community-based organizations.

Twenty-five of those ZIP codes are outside New York City and Long Island and include two in Western New York: 14215 in Buffalo and Cheektowaga and 14770 along the Pennsylvania border in Cattaraugus County.

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Can Erie County office close the health equity gap?

By News Editorial Board

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz plans to spend $300,000 in federal stimulus money to attack the racial disparity in health outcomes. It’s a good start. The challenge for Poloncarz: Ensure the spending actually narrows the gap.

In Erie County, African American children are more than twice as likely to die within a year after birth, according to the County Health Rankings report, and twice as likely to die before they turn 18. African American girls are 2 1/2 times more likely than whites to give birth in their late teens.

Underlying all of that is poverty. Nearly half of African American children in Erie County are living in poverty – five times the rate among white children.

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How Buffalo’s lottery proposal for $500 monthly checks compares to other cities

By News Staff Reporter

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

The “guaranteed income” program Mayor Byron W. Brown has proposed for Buffalo shares the traits of other such initiatives around the country with one exception: More people would participate.

The $500 monthly payment is in line with pilot projects proposed or already running in 16 other cities, according to a Buffalo News review of their criteria.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: What the NBA Championship Means to Me

By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Read the full article from Jacobin, here.

Although winning is exciting, fulfilling, and pretty much everything you imagine it would be, I’m also well aware that whether in 1971 or 2021, an NBA championship is often about more than just a team hoisting a shiny gold trophy. It can also be a reflection of the country’s zeitgeist with all its cultural, social, and political turmoil.

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Disinformation for Hire, a Shadow Industry, Is Quietly Booming

By Max Fisher

Read the full article from New York Times, here.

A London-based public relations agency wanted to pay them to promote messages on behalf of a client. A polished three-page document detailed what to say and on which platforms to say it.

But it asked the influencers to push not beauty products or vacation packages, as is typical, but falsehoods tarring Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine. Stranger still, the agency, Fazze, claimed a London address where there is no evidence any such company exists.

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Common Council researching form of governance that replaces the mayor

By News Staff Reporter

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

The Buffalo Common Council will “explore” a city manager form of governance to replace the office of mayor.

Under such a plan, a city manager would be selected by the nine-member Council in conjunction with the community to “carry out the will of the Council members,” University Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt told The Buffalo News.

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Related Companies obtain $3 million in tax breaks for affordable housing overhauls

By News Staff Reporter

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

Related plans to invest up to $50,000 per unit on renovations that should begin this fall and take up to 18 months to complete at the Princeton Court Apartments, Parkside Houses Apartments, Brewster Mews Apartments and Oxford Village Townhomes. Current owner M.J. Peterson Corp. will remain a 50% owner and continue to manage the properties.

Amherst Industrial Development Agency officials say the projects preserve roughly 1,000 units of affordable housing in the town for the next 30 to 40 years. The IDA board approved the incentive requests on July 16. Related also is seeking a payment in lieu of taxes agreement from the Town of Amherst.

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