Winner of Vol. 72, No. 2
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, February 18, 2021
$1.00
Mayor reopens middle schools as COVID-19 infections drop
A snowy blessing
n Still no return date for high schools, making them last to return come Feb. 25
Bumpy road
By ROSE BRENNAN
Palisade Ave was surprised with a set of speed humps. Could it cause more harm than good? Page A3
rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
Small biz rescue A new Lehman program gives an assist to mom and pops wading through some COVID recovery programs. Page A10
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Not even the cold, wintry weather could dampen spirits at the John Cardinal O’Connor Clergy Residence on Arlington Avenue. Snow flurries have made winter’s mark clear in our neighborhood, and more storms could follow close behind.
Getting back to school hasn’t been easy for many, but it’s been especially difficult for New York City. Public school buildings were not open two months last November when officials shut them down again in the midst of a new coronavirus surge. Elementary schools, preschools and specialized District 75 schools were among the first to reopen physically in December. But there was no reopening date in sight for middle and high schools. That all changed last week. Mayor Bill de Blasio declared middle schools would reopen Feb. 25, following a winter recess. Still closed for the time being, however, are high schools, although de Blasio says he hopes they will follow at some point this spring. BILL de Blasio has maintained public school de BLASIO buildings are among the safest places for children to be during the pandemic since positive test rates weren’t common inside them. That was his position last fall, and it continues to be the mayor’s argument even now as he reopens middle schools. “We know kids are ready to come back,” de Blasio said. “Teachers and staff are excited to see the kids again. This is going to be great for New York City. And a lot of work has gone into this to make sure we are ready, and of course, to always put health and safety first.” Because middle school employees now need to physically report to campus, they’ll be moved up the priority list to receive coronavirus vaccines, de Blasio said. The goal is to get as many vaccinated as possible, especially during INFECTIONS, page A4
On the computer? In the car? SAR here to help n Volunteers help seniors register for vaccines while also offering them literal lifts
Need assistance? If you’re eligible for the coronavirus vaccine but are struggling to schedule an appointment, SAR’s chesed team may be able to help. Just fill out this online form at tinyurl.com/ChesedVax
By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
All you can be Army Black Knights finished a stellar football campaign in 2020, thanks in no small part to a quarterback with local roots. Page A5
SAR Academy and its nearby high school made national headlines becoming some of the first schools in the state — and perhaps the country — to close because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, nearly a year later, they’re leading the charge to get their surrounding community vaccinated against the very virus that initially shut them down. For many of the pandemic’s early months, SAR’s focus was on how to reopen its campuses safely. That was ultimately a success — nearly 90 percent of SAR Academy’s students have been learning in-person the majority of the time, according to principal Binyamin Krauss. But once the coronavirus vaccine rollout began last December, Krauss noticed the schools prioritizing something new: Getting everyone inoculated. Educators and pretty much anyone working at schools were likely going to get higher priority for the vaccine, but the rabbi wasn’t exactly sure when those at SAR would become eligible. But getting vacci-
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Jen Kroll is one of several of SAR Academy’s chesed volunteers helping elderly neighbors get vaccinated. She hopes her effort to register people for vaccine appointments can help make a difference — especially since local vaccination sites are limited. nated became a team effort, thanks to an online messaging app known as Slack. “I basically said, ‘We have to crowdsource this. There’s no other way to do this, because it’s not like one website,’”
Krauss said. “It’s almost like getting concert tickets. You’re going to have to get on there and keep going until you get appointments.” And they got those appointments, cov-
ering nearly 100 faculty members and school workers. In fact, many are now well on their way to receiving their second and final dose. But SAR’s success didn’t necessarily translate to similar results for the rest of the community. So Krauss turned his viewpoint outward, asking his team how they could get the rest of their neighbors vaccinated. Krauss turned to a group of volunteers formed in the early days of the pandemic to deliver food and other essential supplies to the community. They were known as chesed volunteers — the Hebrew word for “kindness.” And kindness was just what the doctor ordered — along with two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, of course. Krauss reached out to one of chesed’s members asking if they’d be willing to revive the group. But the volunteers would CHESED, page A4
Newest council candidate under fire over Twitter account n Kevin Pazmino often shared tweets focused on many debunked conspiracy theories, baseless claims By ETHAN STARK-MILLER estarkmiller@riverdalepress.com
Up until the moment he was accused of inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol, Twitter was Donald Trump’s personal megaphone. The former president used it for everything — riling up his base, targeting political enemies, and even for firing several executive branch employees. That all changed after the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill — an insurrection attempt law enforcement says was led by Trump supporters,
KEVIN PAzMINO
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL 4705 Henry Hudson Pkwy, Apt. 3K 2 BD | 1.5 BA // $385,000 ALISON BARTLETT Alison.Bartlett@sothebyshomes.com
Just who is Kevin Pazmino? Page A7 and what many political leaders from both sides of the aisle say the president himself incited. Twitter finally suspended Trump’s account, silencing his digital voice to millions of followers. Yet, Twitter is not completely out of the political conversation just yet — at least as far as the March 23 city council special election race is concerned. One of the six candidates looking to fill Andrew Cohen’s final year, Kevin Pazmino, shared Trump’s love of the social media platform. And just like the former president, his account, too, was suspended by Twitter. Pazmino doesn’t know why he, too, was silenced — but those running against him in the council race say they do know.
Spreading conspiracy theories
It all comes down to what populated his feed, they TWITTER THEORY, page A4
Before his Twitter account was suspended, Kevin Pazmino often retweeted figures considered by many to be right-wing extremists, like Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.