OSSINING WEEKLY WEB BLAST DECEMBER 10, 2020
Village & Town Information
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Helpful Information from the Village of Ossining, Westchester County & New York State |
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The Village of Ossining is committed to sharing up-to-date and relevant information regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. In our weekly web blasts you will find this section dedicated to new information. For previously shared information, please visit the Village of Ossining's dedicated Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) page. |
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Each week, Mayor Victoria Gearity prepares a Mayoral Monday Message for the Ossining community, which focuses on current Board and community issues. This message also includes various public interest matters, including programs, services, and events going on in the Village.
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Your Voice Matters! Talk to us about Parking in the Village of Ossining!
What comes to mind when you think of Downtown Ossining? The food and shops? The museum? The architecture? The parking?
The Village of Ossining understands that parking Downtown is important. We are looking for residents, business owners, commuters and Downtown employees to give their opinions about parking in the Village. Let your voice be heard during one of our six Virtual Focus Groups in mid-December!
Please share this with other Village of Ossining residents, friends, family and coworkers!
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¡Queremos escuchar sus opiniones sobre el departamento de policía! Únase a nosotros para una Zoom próxima semana (en español o inglés) como parte del proyecto de Revisión Colaborativa de la Reforma Policial. Discutiremos una amplia gama de temas relacionados con los servicios policiales en Ossining. |
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We want to hear your opinions on the police department! Join us for a Zoom discussion next week (in either Spanish or English) as part of the Police Reform Collaborative Review project. We will be discussing a wide range of topics related to police services in Ossining. |
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Westchester County Update |
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County Executive George Latimer Statement on Passage of Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney’s Bill to
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The next stage of the battle with COVID is going to be vaccine distribution and vaccine acceptance. The vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to get there, and we have to get there with as little loss of life as possible. We must do our best to keep the virus from spreading any further. Wear a mask, avoid gatherings (both indoor AND outdoor), social distance and wash your hands.
New York State will opt in to a federal program to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff. The state expects to have enough vaccines for one-third of high-risk health care workers, assuming the federal approval process happens on schedule.
As we continue to see the number of COVID cases rise in New York and across the nation, it's critical that we not only remain tough and practice safe behaviors to limit viral spread, but that we also do everything in our power to ensure hospitals are prepared to handle a growing number of patients. Everyone must do their part to slow the spread of the virus and stop the uptick in hospitalizations. If we work together and stay New York Tough, we can manage this pandemic until the vaccine is here.
The FDA is expected to authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and New York is expected to receive an initial allocation of 170,000 doses as soon as this weekend. As part of the distribution, the State will set up 90 cold storage sites as regional distribution centers that are capable of cold storage at the required temperature.
This vaccine distribution will be a massive undertaking. At the same time we will need to manage our hospital capacity and continue to stop the spread of the virus. The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war. We will get it produced. We will get it distributed. And we will be successful. But it will take months for the entire vaccination process to be completed. Meanwhile New Yorkers should continue to wear masks, social distance and avoid small and large gatherings.
As outlined in New York's vaccination program, high-risk health care workers, nursing home residents and staff will be the first New Yorkers to receive the vaccine. "High-risk" hospital workers include emergency room workers, ICU staff and pulmonary department staff. The State expects all "high-risk" hospital staff will receive a vaccine by the end of week two. Other long-term and congregate care staff and residents and EMS and other health care workers will follow high-risk health care workers. Essential workers and the general population, starting with those who at the highest risk, will be vaccinated after these initial priority groups.
New York has opted into the federal government's nursing home vaccination program. Under the federal program, employees of CVS and Walgreens will vaccinate residents and staff at these facilities, much like they do for the flu vaccine. We expect deliveries for this program to begin arriving next week and the federal administration program to begin by December 21st. New York is dedicating a portion of our initial 170,000 doses to this program. Portions of future state allocations will also be used to help complete the program and ensure all residents and staff are vaccinated.
The CDC has agreed to remove requirements on vaccine reporting data that could have been used to identify immigration status. This means that New York will not send any personally identifying information to the federal government in vaccine distribution—ensuring that no one feels dissuaded from getting vaccinated due to immigration status.
The New York National Guard will participate in a vaccine pilot program. The NY National Guard has been selected by the Department of Defense as one of the 16 pilot programs across the nation to be part of the limited distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to military personnel. Members of the New York Army and Air National Guard who serve as part of the State's COVID response efforts will be eligible for the vaccine.
The State is launching 150 new rapid testing sites in partnership with Prescryptive Health. The partnership will help expand testing capacity in areas across the State where testing access is limited. Residents can find participating sites, schedule a test, receive results and follow-up with licenses clinicians directly from their mobile device. All testing sites will be searchable on the State's COVID test website and appointments for these sites will also be available at www.prescryptive.com.
Governor Cuomo will sign an Executive Order expanding eligibility for New York State's COVID Rent Relief Program and reopening the application window. This Executive Order will expand the program's eligibility so more rent relief can be provided to New Yorkers and additional details will be available in the coming days.
Celebrity Chef David Chang, owner of the Momofuku restaurant group, became the first celebrity to win $1 million on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". The prize money will be donated to the Southern Smoke Foundation, an emergency relief fund for restaurant industry workers impacted by the pandemic.
Governor Cuomo understands COVID fatigue—we all are tired and exhausted by this pandemic. But we can't give in to it. We can't let hospitalizations climb. Contact tracing data suggests that small indoor gatherings are a source of as much as 70 percent of infections. While he can understand why there is a desire to gather, we can't give in to it this holiday season. We have regulations in place for a compelling reason: to safeguard the public health, keep people out of hospitals and save lives.
Local governments must enforce compliance. If they don't enforce the restrictions it will not help us. But each of us needs to help too. How? It's simple: Follow health guidelines, avoid gatherings where COVID can spread and (you guessed it) wear a mask—including in all indoor settings when outside of your own household.
The CDC recommends the "universal use of face masks" to fight COVID, further backing up New York's mask policies. The agency stressed the need for people to wear masks in all non-household indoor settings. As a reminder, New York State law requires everyone over age 2 who can medically tolerate a face covering to wear one when in public if unable to maintain at least six feet of distance from others. It's also an excellent practice in private settings outside of your own household.
As cases across the country continue to rise, the American people need support from the federal government. National Governors Association Vice Chairman Asa Hutchinson and Governor Cuomo issued a statement calling for Congress to deliver a COVID relief bill before recessing. This is a national crisis, cutting across geographic, economic and demographic lines, and it demands a national, bipartisan solution. Congress should not leave Washington for the holiday recess without enacting a much-needed COVID relief package. Read the full statement here.
Governor Cuomo was joined on Monday by Dr. Anthony Fauci at his COVID briefing. He asked Dr. Fauci when we might see a peak in the expected COVID spread. He thinks that the effect of Thanksgiving will likely become clearer in the coming days and that with Christmas and Hanukkah coming up, we could see a "surge upon a surge." "Without substantial mitigation, the middle of January can be a very dark time for us," he warned.
In order to manage hospital capacity during this expected surge, New York State will begin implementing a "surge and flex" protocol. As part of this strategy, all hospitals must begin expanding their bed capacity by 25 percent. Hospital systems must also balance patient loads within their system to make sure no one hospital is overstressed. (In Spring, there was an issue with individual hospital overload, but not system-wide overload.) As we approach the height of the holiday season, we are prepared. Make sure you are too. Please continue to follow our health guidelines and act with caution.
NYS is calling on all retired doctors and nurses to return to service if they are able to do so. Hospitals were previously asked to identify retired staff as part of New York's COVID Winter Plan in order to help avoid or mitigate any potential staffing shortage. The State will automatically renew registrations at no cost to help streamline the process.
Regions that reach "critical hospital capacity" will be designated as a Red Zone under New York's micro-cluster strategy. Critical hospital capacity is defined as 90 percent of hospital capacity (in other words, 90 percent full). Following the implementation of the State's "surge and flex" protocol, if a region's 7-day average hospitalization growth rate shows that the region will reach 90 percent hospital capacity within the next three weeks, the region will become a Red Zone.
Driver's license expiration dates have been pushed back to January 1, 2021. If you have a New York State Driver's License or permit with an expiration date after March 1, 2020, it is still valid until January 1, 2021. This extended an Executive Order that granted people whose licenses expired during the pandemic more time to renew.
SUNY Upstate Medical University received the number one ranking by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 saliva test. The saliva test developed by Upstate Medical and New York startup Quadrant Biosciences, called Clarifi COVID-19, detects the virus in its earliest stages. The FDA also cited the test as being among the most sensitive tests regardless of type. SUNY's COVID-19 saliva test is cost-effective and easy to use, which has been instrumental in helping SUNY campuses test students and staff and pinpoint cases.
In the second round of the program, Nourish NY has so far spent $2.4 million to help New Yorkers in need. So far, over 2.6 million pounds of raw milk has been turned into dairy products and distributed by food banks, along with 750,000 pounds of produce. Over one million households in need have received products sourced from New York farms.
Major Wooten of Alabama was recently hospitalized with COVID-19 but overcame the virus just in time to celebrate his 104th birthday last week. Wooten, who served in World War II repairing damaged trains in France, left Madison Hospital in a wheelchair adorned with birthday balloons as hospital workers sang "Happy Birthday." |
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**NEW COMMUNITY CENTER WIFI**
Password for all WIFI Networks:
95Broadway
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Dear Community Members:
The Ossining School District is engaging in a strategic planning process to establish key goals for the next three-five years. A brief electronic survey is open for community members who are residents without students currently in the school system. To participate, please follow this link or go to the link provided on the district website and complete the brief survey by November 24th. Your opinions and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.
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Upcoming Programs in the Village and Town of Ossining |
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Ossining’s Down to Earth Farmers Market will be open regular hours this Saturday
When: Saturdays from 9AM-1PM
Where: Near Market Square at the corner of Spring & Main Streets, Ossining, NY
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“Cheers To 10 Years” WCT’s Live-Streamed Tenth Anniversary Celebration
What: Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT), which commemorates its 10th anniversary this year, is presenting a virtual event, Cheers To 10 Years, a celebration of the company’s decade of success in developing new work for the theater. “Cheers To 10 Years” will include selected scenes from some of WCT’s most popular and highly acclaimed, previously staged productions, music sets by noted jazz artists KJ Denhert and Ingrid Jensen.
Where: A Live-Streamed Event
When: Saturday, December 12th at 8:00pm
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FREE Weekly meditations
What: Join Elisha every week for a great way to start or end your day with a short meditation filled with love!
When: Tuesdays 8:30am & Wednesdays 8:30pm
Info: If you miss it- don't worry, we post them to CYP'sYouTube Channel
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FREE Weekly yoga classes
When: Tuesday 9:15am-9:45am, Wednesday 7:00pm - 7:45pm
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Don't miss Ossining Village Trustee Omar Lopez's podcast - "Omar Lopez Talks to the People"
What: Every Sunday, Ossining Village Trustee Omar Lopez releases a new podcast covering local issues and interviewing officials and community members. From improving parking to legalizing backyard chickens, no issue is to too large or small.
When: New episodes available every Sunday
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Ossining’s Museum in the Streets (MITS)
What: MITS is a free, self-guided walking tour and consists of 25 numbered panels with images and explanatory text about the architecturally and historically significant buildings within the Downtown Ossining Historic District.
When: On a 24/7 basis
Where: The tour starting point is located on the north side of the Ossining Open Door Medical Center at 247 Main St. in Downtown Ossining. However visitors one can also begin at any of the numbered panels and take as few or as many panels as desired.
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The Westchester-Fairfield Joint Electrical Apprenticeship Training Committee (WFJEATC), Local Union #3 IBEW, will conduct a recruitment from September 15, 2020 through September 14, 2021 for 15 Electrician apprentices. To request an application, email wfjeatc@jibei.com. For more information on this program, click here. For more information on NYEAC, click here. |
St. Matthews Headstart Daycare Early Headstart & Headstart Program
What: High quality research based curriculum, screenings and services to support healthy development and promote school readiness; family support, nutrition, guidance and access to community resources.
Hours: Head Start Hours 9:00 – 3:00pm/Daycare Hours 7:00-9:00am & 3:00-6:00pm
Contact: For more information contact St. Matthew’s at 914-941-1715
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Green Ossining Launches ‘Green Ossining Sustainability Partnership
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Theater O Classes!
What: Theater O offers classes in all things theater for children ages 3+: From Acting to directing, play writing to design, Improv! to Musical Theater and more. Our faculty is comprised of seasoned professionals who excel in their craft. Listen, Learn, Imagine, Perform & Join the Play. visit www.theatero.org.
Where: Theater O @ 25 State St, Ossining, NY 10562
Contact: (914) 487-4322
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REGISTRATION FOR CLASSES at LOGREA now open online
What: Classical Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Theatre Dance and Mommy and Me
When: March 16th for CURRENT Students; March 30th for NEW students
Where: Logrea Dance Academy, 2 Dale Ave, Ossining NY 10562
Info: Beginner to Advanced training. Discounts available. Scholarship auditions in September.
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Ossining Athletic Booster Club
What: The Ossining Athletic Booster Club is a not-for-profit volunteer organization established in 2001 to promote the athletic programs of the Ossining School District, recognize their achievements, and support Ossining's student-athletes and coaches by funding items not in the school budget and awarding scholarships to worthy graduating seniors of Ossining Athletic Booster Club members and donors.
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CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Admissions Test -TACHS PREP CLASSES & BOOT CAMPS
What: Prepare with us for the TACHS – Test for Admissions to Catholic High Schools. This course will heavily concentrate on the Reading, Language, Mathematics and Reasoning skills covered on the TACHS Examination. During class, students will practice timing, test taking strategies and extensive drill and review of all TACHS Exam topics. Register online at https://www.eduscapeassociates.com/tachs-exam-prep-classes/
When: Fall 2020-Check website for schedule of Classes/Boot Camps
Contact: Eduscape College & Test Prep Dr. Gayle Marchica, Principal Mobile/Text 914.886.5043 Office 914.941.4148 info@EduscapeAssociates.com
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Therapeutic Foster Parents NEEDED
What: Family Services of Westchester is looking for individuals who are interested in learning about becoming a Therapeutic Foster Care Parent! We are looking for loving people willing to open their homes and hearts to a child in need of a stable, safe home environment.
Contact: Please contact Melissa Aversa, Home-finder & Recruitment Specialist at (914) 358-5828
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Volunteers Needed - English-Spanish Translators
What: The Ossining School District needs volunteers! Volunteering offers an opportunity to serve the community and can be a rich, rewarding experience. The district is seeking bilingual English-Spanish volunteers to serve as translators at district and school events. These events include but are not limited to, parent-teacher conferences, parent engagement nights and college fairs. We are dedicated to ensuring all members of our diverse community have equal access to Info and can fully participate in the educational life of their children. An Infoal flier is attached. Please kindly share this Info with members of your agency and/or community. Individuals with some time to serve as a translator and who are interested in making a difference may fill out an online form to be added to the district’s translator database. We welcome and greatly appreciate your help!
When: Ongoing
Where: Ossining Union Free School District
Contact: Ms. Ferzeen Shamsi at (914) 762-5830, ext. 4309
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Mike Risko Music now accepting registrations
What: Mike Risko Music, just named a Top 100 Music School/Store in the world by NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) is now accepting registration for Fall session music lessons.
When: Call or email today to schedule a free trial and/or find out about our programs
Where: All programs are offered at Mike Risko Music right here in Ossining.
Info: Design your own schedule and take music lessons on any instrument or voice in our state of the art studios. All ages, levels and instruments are welcome! We even have programs for adults.
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Safety Tips from the Ossining Fire Department
Sign Up for NIXLE Alerts: The Village of Ossining has launched a program to help notify the public of emergencies, road closures, hazardous conditions, and other incidents concerning the public within the Village of Ossining. This program, called Nixle, is a free program and allows members of the public to receive these messages in email, text message, and on an internet web site. Village of Ossining residents are urged to subscribe to receive emergency messages only by texting 10562 to 888777 on their cell phone, or to receive a full complement of messages, including community updates residents can visit www.Nixle.com and click the sign up now! button.
Sign up for ConEdison Customer Alerts via Text: Use your cell phone to text REG to OUTAGE (688243) and follow the prompts. You will need your account number and zip code. To retrieve your account number, log in to My Account or check your next bill. This information is also located on the ConEdison website at coned.com/text.
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Tri-State Mask Makers are creating masks for those in need - healthcare workers to neighbors in nursing home.
Your donation will allow many sewists to continue with their work of love. |
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The Ossining Micro Fund is a non-profit organization offering interest-free loans to individuals and families who encounter unexpected financial obstacles. Our philosophy is to “pay it forward” – when a loan recipient repays a loan, the money becomes available to help another person in need. Click here for information . |
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*The Village makes no representation that donations are tax deductible. You should always check with your tax professional |
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What can you do?
As many of you know, our local food pantries and non-profits have been coming together to ensure our community does not go hungry. We can’t thank these organizations enough for all their help. Below you will find links to our local non-profits that have been working in partnership with the Village of Ossining to distribute food to people who need it. If you would like to provide donations or volunteer support we encourage you to do so*.
These efforts will continue through this COVID-19 pandemic and thereafter. We are proud to say that many of our local restaurants are also taking donations toward providing meals to those in the community that cannot leave their homes. We will be including this information in a section of our Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) web page.
Please send emails to webblast@villageofossining.org if you know of any other Ossining based agencies that are providing food during this time so that we can add them to this list.
We appreciate your commitment to our community.
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Any New Yorker who sees excessively priced consumer goods and services that are used primarily for personal, family or household purposes to prevent or respond to the Covid-19 virus should file a complaint with the New York State Division of Consumer Protection.
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Consumer hotline +1 800-697-1220
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WEB BLAST FORMAT
Do you have an event, Info or picture of the Village of Ossining that you would like included in this web blast? If so please submit to webblast@villageofossining.org. All Info must be submitted by noon on the Wednesday prior to the distributed web blast. Submissions included in this listing are intended solely to inform of events and Info of general interest to subscribers. The Village of Ossining does not necessarily endorse or support organizations or entities whose events and / or activities are listed above. The Village makes no representation as to the accuracy thereof, nor does it assume any liability in connection with same. Please don't print this e-mail unless necessary. All submissions must follow the format listed below:
Title:
What: [Limit description to 100 words or less]
When:
Where:
Info: [May include a single flyer]
Contact: [Name of organization/ individual, phone, email]
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Ossining Community Christmas Crib Dedication
What: Annual Dedication of the Christmas Crib
When: Sunday December 6, 2020 at 2pm
Where: House of Refuge Apostolic Church----formerly Washington School, Corner of Croton Ave. & Todd Pl.
Info: To help defray the cost of maintaining the figures donations can be made payable to "The Ossining Community Christmas Crib" can be sent to Bonnie Marconi, 7 Nelson Ave, Ossining, NY 10562. There is also a 50/50 raffle available, please contact Bonnie Marconi.
Contact: Bonnie Marconi (914)941-601
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for Ossining Prison Ministry, Inc.
What: Volunteers for a hospitality program at the Sing Sing Correctional facility that is held
When: Saturdays, Sundays, and most major holidays; from 8am to 11 am or 12pm to 2:30pm.
Where: Sing Sing Correctional Facility 354 Hunter Street, Ossining NY 10562
Info: Our organization provides hospitality to the visitors who come to visit their loved ones. We also provide toys, puzzles, and games to the people in the facility to help normalize the visiting time.
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