A cat on West 105th Street eyes an American Kestrel — so close yet so far. Photo by David G.
February 8, 2021 Weather: Brrrrrr, with a high of 30 degrees.
Notices:
Our calendar has local and virtual events.
News:
City Hall is closed. The Boathouse in Central Park is closed. Where is a couple supposed to get married — in person, sans masks, with guests — these pandemic days?? There’s a new option on the UWS, according to the New York Post. “A new micro-wedding space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is offering quickie, Vegas-style ceremonies as an alternative to large venues that have been forced to shutter during the pandemic. The 500-square-foot Love Chapel on West 75th Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam) opened last month as a no-frills, COVID-safe option for couples to say “I do.”
“In December, I received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and then received the necessary second dose in early January,” wrote Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who reps part of the UWS, in a Daily News opinion piece. “Yet on Jan. 13, 2021, I tested positive for COVID-19…” The Congressman recovered. That’s “hopeful,” he said and all the more reason to get vaccinated as soon as eligible. “[Dr. Fauci] made it clear that the vaccine I received was the sole reason I did not require immediate and intensive emergency care.”
Middle School students are headed back to their school buildings on February 25th, Chalkbeat reported. “Middle school teachers will return the day before to ready their classrooms, and will be prioritized to receive coronavirus vaccinations during the mid-winter recess, from Feb. 12 – 21, according to education department officials.” Officials also said they plan to increase staffing of testing teams and the ‘Situation Room’ rapid response team charged with quickly helping principals respond when cases of the coronavirus are detected among students and staff.”
Last week’s blizzard gave Central Park’s operations chief an early test, NY1 reported. “Talk about a tough first week on the job. The new Chief of Park Operations for the Central Park Conservancy, Damon Bennett, was just six days into his new post when a storm dumped a foot and a half of snow on the park. ”
Indoor dining is coming back on Friday at 25% capacity, Gov. Cuomo said on Monday. “The governor had said he wanted to evaluate the data over the weekend when asked late last week about a potential date change and affirmed an ongoing stabilization, if not marked improvement, in the numbers on Monday,” NBC reported.
Wow! What a great picture. What a lucky cat:)
I also live on 105th Street and, as I left on an errand this morning, I heard the kestral’s repeated call, then looked up just in time to see a pair of them gliding west toward Riverside Park. What a treat, made all the more special by seeing a neighbor’s terrific photo.