WSKG - Site Search

ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 27: Sheriff officers look down from the rooftop as people gather near a press conference being held about the death of Andrew Brown Jr., on April 27, 2021 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Family lawyers spoke to the media about the 20 seconds of police body camera footage they were shown and an autopsy they performed after the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. on April 21 by Pasquotank County Sheriff deputies. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Loved Ones Mourn Andrew Brown Jr.: 'He Kept A Smile On His Face'

As the investigation into his death continues, Andrew Brown Jr. will be remembered with a funeral in Elizabeth City, N.C., on Monday. He was fatally shot by sheriff's deputies on April 21.

Liberals Admire Justice Breyer. Now They Want Him To Retire

Democratic lawmakers and activists are urging the justice to step down in time to allow a narrow Democratic majority in the Senate to confirm a replacement.

Michael Lewis' 'The Premonition' Is A Sweeping Indictment Of The CDC

In a new book, author Michael Lewis writes about public health officers who tried to get others to look at the data on COVID-19 and act to make sure the virus didn't spread.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York City restaurants can operate at 75% of capacity beginning May 7, bringing rules there in line with the rest of the state. While COVID-19 restrictions are easing for restaurants and bars across the state, the industry, hit hard by the pandemic, said more needs to be done. This week, the state Legislature ended an executive order by Cuomo that required food to be served with all alcoholic drink orders. It had been in place ever since bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen last summer. The measure passed unanimously in both houses on April 28. Sen. Ed Rath from the Buffalo area supported legal challenges from some western New York restaurants to end many of the restrictions, including limits on indoor dining capacity and curfews. “While this is a welcome step, it has taken far too long to get here,” Rath said on the Senate floor. “It shouldn’t take lawsuits and court hearings for our struggling restaurants to be heard.” Rath said the state’s own data shows that restaurants and bars account for just a small percentage of coronavirus transmissions. Hours before that vote, Cuomo announced that he, too, favored ending the food requirement. He also said he’d lift midnight curfews on restaurants and bars later in May. Many restaurants and bars expressed relief. Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, is also encouraged by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement that he intends to fully reopen the city by July 1. But Rigie, in a statement, said government leaders can do more to help. They’d like to see a temporary rule that allows take-out alcoholic drinks be made permanent, saying it will be a while before everyone is comfortable dining inside. Patrick Noonan runs El Loco Mexican Café in Albany and is the chair of a group of independently owned restaurants and bars. He said the take-out drink sales helped keep restaurants from closing and decreased the need for layoffs. El Loco Cafe in Albany (Courtesy: Karen DeWitt) “Permanent to-go cocktail policy in New York would be most appreciated,” said Noonan, who added recent surveys show 63% of patrons intend to continue ordering cocktails to go, even when full indoor dining is allowed. Assemblyman John McDonald, a Democrat from Cohoes, supports the bill, which is sponsored by Albany Assemblywoman Pat Fahy. He said ordering mixed drinks as part of his New Year’s Eve to-go dinner order was a nice treat during the long pandemic-restricted winter. “It was great to have something professionally put together,” McDonald said. The restaurant groups also want to limit charges by third-party delivery services. They said some services like Uber Eats and Grub Hub take up to a third of the bill for a food order. And they said the federal and state bureaucracies need to be better at connecting restaurants to grants and loans that are now available in the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund. They said the money can be used for, among other things, improving indoor air quality in their establishments.

Restaurants Say They Need More Help to Survive the Pandemic

“It shouldn’t take lawsuits and court hearings for our struggling restaurants to be heard.”

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. (Credit: DiNapoli's Office)

As Budget Grows, New York Comptroller Urges Lawmakers To Set Aside Money

DiNapoli believes there is an opportunity to set aside the new revenues to make sure the state is in a good position in case of an emergency, such as another lockdown.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras (Pat Bradley/WAMC)

SUNY Campuses Allow Fully Vaccinated Folks To Go Mask-Free Outdoors

“As we set our sights on the fall semester and reopening our campuses, we hope to be able to lift many more COVID-related restrictions in the weeks and months to come."

Many COVID-19 Restrictions Could End Soon In New York

The governor said everything can’t be reopened all at once -- it’s not like flipping a “light switch,” he said -- and some restrictions will remain for now.

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - MAY 01: Protesters are seen during the national strike against the tax reform as they gather on the International Workers' Day on May 01, 2021, Bogota, Colombia, 2021. Unions joined to call a national strike and demonstrations in major cities, urging participants to follow COVID-19 protocols as the heavy protest continues in the biggest cities of the country in Cali, Medellin, and Bogota. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Amid Nationwide Protests, Colombia's President Withdraws Controversial Tax Hike

President Iván Duque had argued that the tax overhaul was needed to raise badly needed revenue. But ordinary Colombians who are suffering amid COVID-19 turned out by the tens of thousands.

Internet Oldies AOL And Yahoo Are Sold ... Again

Unable to compete successfully with Facebook and Google for digital advertising, Verizon signals a return to its roots as a telecommunications company.

ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 03: Pallbearers carry the casket of Andrew Brown Jr. to a horse drawn carriage before his funeral service at the Fountain of Life church on May 03, 2021 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Mr. Brown was shot to death by Pasquotank County Sheriff's deputies on April 21. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Family And Civil Rights Leaders Mourn Andrew Brown Jr. At Funeral

Brown, a 42-year-old Black man, was shot dead by sheriff's deputies as they arrived to carry out search and arrest warrants last month. The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered his eulogy.

Search results for