RIGHT 2 THE CITY Blog

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Masks no longer required in summer school

By Barbara O’Brien

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

The state Health Department updated the guidance because of the “current low rates of Covid-19 transmission,” it said in an email to school districts.

Schools and districts may implement the masking policies for child care, day camp and overnight camp programs, the state said. That guidance says that unvaccinated children “are strongly encouraged but not required to wear face coverings indoors as feasible.”

Selected Media

India Walton’s mayoral campaign reinforces progressive police proposals

By Robert J. McCarthy

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

Walton cruised to victory last month by emphasizing new ways to solve old problems, especially in policing. She reiterated on Wednesday her plan to reallocate $7.5 million of the Police Department budget to programs that link usual subjects of police attention to mental health services. Her Wednesday event also marked the first of many in which she is expected to highlight her proposals, backed by high-profile figures like Williams. Others with similar socialist philosophies – such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Bronx and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont – are mentioned as other potential campaign allies.

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Erie County legislators expect ugly fight before vote on how to spend stimulus money

By Sandra Tan

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

The Democratic majority of the Erie County Legislature stands poised to approve County Executive Mark Poloncarz’s $123.7 million spending plan Thursday, which would take one of the biggest windfalls in decades and use it to boost a variety of infrastructure and community improvement projects, as well as county payroll.

But the Republican-supported minority caucus is gearing up to wage a battle on the Legislature floor. They will push to sidetrack the county executive’s spending plan and replace it with a different plan that they say offers more public input.

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Buffalo offering aid for those behind on water bills

By Jeff Slawson

Read the full article from WKBW Buffalo, here.

The City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Sewer Authority are providing relief to the more than 30,000 households that fell behind on water and sewer bills during the past 16 months. Of the $361 million the city received through the American Rescue Plan, $13 million of it will be used to wash away debt for low-income families who faced financial hardships as a result of the pandemic.

Selected Media

Over 1,100 vaccinated at home, but Erie County program hits snags

By Sandra Tan

Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz first announced on May 11 that the county had contracted with Buffalo Homecare and the Visiting Nursing Association of Western New York to deliver and administer the vaccine to the homes of eligible residents who request it, regardless of whether they are homebound.

Selected Media

Biden Calls for Door-to-Door Vaccine Push; Experts Say More Is Needed

By Michael D. Shear and Noah Weiland

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

Faced with a steep decline in vaccination rates, President Biden said on Tuesday that his administration would send people door to door, set up clinics at workplaces and urge employers to offer paid time off as part of a renewed push to reach tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans.

But top health experts say that it is simply not enough, and that the president needs to take the potentially unpopular step of encouraging states, employers and colleges and universities to require vaccinations to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Selected Media

After assuring Congress that it hasn’t forgotten about Haiti, the Biden administration scrambles to assess the crisis

By Lara Jakes and Catherine Porter

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

On Wednesday morning, Representative Andy Levin, a member of the committee who is also a co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, called the killing of Mr. Moïse “a devastating if not shocking example of the extent to which the security situation in Haiti has unraveled.”

“For months,” he said in a statement, “violent actors have terrorized the Haitian people with impunity while the international community — the United States included, I fear — has failed to heed their cries to change course and support a Haitian-led democratic transition.”

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