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Monday, July 10, 2023

NYC wants private security for migrant centers as union rep says too ‘dangerous’ for peace officers

City Hall wants to hire private security guards to patrol the Big Apple’s packed migrant facilities — a gig considered too “volatile” and “dangerous” by even trained peace officers, The Post has learned.

“There are migrants who are gang members in these facilities,” said Gregory Floyd, the head of Teamsters Local 237, whose peace-officer union members typically protect schools, college campuses and hospitals.

“It’s volatile. It’s dangerous. We don’t know if all these migrants are properly vetted. My members are unarmed,” he said.

NYC Health + Hospitals, which oversees a dozen Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers, issued a request for bids Friday to spend tax dollars on private guards for the more than 50,000 migrants in its care.

The cost for the added coverage is not clear, but the HERRC sites and other services for the booming population of migrant asylum-seekers are already costing New York City taxpayers nearly $8 million a day, according to city officials. Mayor Eric Adams has estimated that the price tag for the recent crisis could total $4.5 billion by next June.

New York City migrant crisis. — New York City officials are looking to hire a private security company to patrol its migrant facilities, with taxpayers again picking up the tab.

NYPD cops have been seen at at least some of the migrant facilities, but the department is struggling with a staffing crunch as officers feel “squeezed from every direction” thanks to such issues as forced overtime and burdensome oversight, the city’s police union told The Post over the weekend.

City Hall did not respond to a request for comment from The Post on Sunday about the contract request.

According to the request for proposals, the city is looking for a private contractor “as a response to the mass influx of asylum seekers arriving in New York.

“The primary role of security is to ensure the safety of guests and staff while creating a welcome, safe place for all individuals on the site,” the request said. “The HERRC protocols and procedures surrounding safety must be enforced.”

Police officer at migrant center. — A cop checks documents for migrants streaming into 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan as more than 80,000 asylum seekers have now been processed by the city.

Security concerns at migrant facilities. — Security confronts a migrant who tried to cut the line outside 26 Federal Plaza as the city grapples with an unprecedented influx of asylum-seekers.

While there have been concerns about the safety of migrant children mixing with single men at the shelters, there have been no reports of crimes or safety issues at the HERRC sites. The NYPD did not respond to a Post request for comment about potential crimes or security issues at the city’s other 179 migrant sites.

The Big Apple’s top GOP pol raised questions about the city’s bid to hire guards.

“On the one hand, the city is telling people how safe these migrant centers are in their neighborhoods,” City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli told the Post on Sunday. “At the same time, the city is spending millions of dollars to keep people safe at the migrant facilities.”

New York City has already seen more than 84,000 migrants processed through its local intake centers, with the HERRC sites and nearly 180 hastily opened emergency centers beyond capacity, city officials said.

Last week, Adams pitched a controversial plan to house migrants at city schools while the facilities are empty during the summer, drawing fierce criticism from local elected officials.

He also suggested using Gracie Mansion as a shelter — only to later say it was a symbolic offer.

Adams has shipped busloads of migrants to hotels in upstate New York and on Long Island, too, sparking pushback — and even legal action — from officials in those communities who said they have security concerns that local cops would be hard-pressed to handle.

US Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) took issue with Adams’ handling of the migrant influx, saying his “priorities are backward.

The Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on the Upper West Side.

“The city is short cops and detectives, so those we have are being overworked, which only intensifies the stress and pressure that’s driving cops to retire and leave for other municipalities,” she said. “[City officials] have gone from defund the police to driving them out.”

https://nypost.com/2023/07/09/nyc-wants-to-hire-private-security-for-alleged-volatile-and-dangerous-patrols-at-migrant-sites/

Sunday, July 9, 2023

1 dead as heavy storms cause chaos on the roads in upstate New York

At least one New Yorker was killed Sunday night when “tidal-wave”-like floodwaters swept her away in a devastating rainstorm that pummeled parts of the Hudson Valley and wreaked havoc on roads and homes across the region.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for Orange County and Ontario County Sunday night, stating that the counties “experienced life-threatening flooding over the past few hours” — totaling about eight inches of rain by 10 p.m.

A woman in her 30s drowned as she tried to flee her Orange County home with her dog, County Executive Steve Neuhaus said Sunday night.

“Her house was completely surrounded by water. The family tried to escape,” he said. “She was trying to get through [the floodwaters] with her dog and she was overwhelmed by tidal-wave type waves.”

The flash flooding dislodged boulders and smashed the large rocks into her house, damaging part of its wall, he said.

Two other family members and the dog survived the harrowing ordeal, officials said, according to PIX 11. Rescue teams were trying to retrieve the woman’s body from the waters Sunday night.

Several New Yorkers remained unaccounted for late into the night during the unrelenting storm. Hochul said on WCBS 880 there were more “missing individuals” in Orange County, without specifying a number.

“The amount of water is extraordinary and it’s still a very dangerous situation,” she said, noting one house was swept away.

She warned that “it’s going to be a rough night.”

Flooding on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland County, New York on July 9, 2023. — Flooding on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland County, New York on Jul. 9, 2023.

New York State Police and other first responders brought multiple stranded motorists to safety Sunday night, a spokesperson said. Five swift-water rescue teams and a high-axle vehicle were deployed by the state to aid in rescues in high flood waters.

Authorities continued to do sweeps of the affected areas late into the night to make sure other drivers weren’t stuck in the cars, police said.

“We’re looking for people who may still be out there,” Trooper Steven Nevel told The Post Sunday night.

According to the New York State Police, "numerous" drivers were left stranded by flooding in Rockland County. — According to the New York State Police, “numerous” drivers were left stranded by flooding in Rockland County.

It’s unknown how many people have been rescued so far.

State police urged drivers to avoid parts of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Orange and Rockland counties because of the heavy flooding. The parkway was shuttered from Exit 14 to the Long Mountain traffic circle, along with many other major roads.

“You couldn’t even get in there if you tried to,” Nevel said. “But even if you did, it wouldn’t be beneficial to you.”

Some drivers were forced to sleep in their cars Sunday night or stay in hotels that might not have power, Neuhaus told PIX 11.

Car stuck in floodwaters in Rockland County.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day told the news station six hikers and dozens of drivers needed to be rescued from the storm’s wrath.

The storm has particularly devastated the area around Highland Falls and West Point, where the United States Military Academy is located. Officials are worried that some historic buildings there might have been damaged in the storm.

Videos posted on social media showed brown-colored floodwaters with cars engulfed in the water in West Point.

Neuhaus, the Orange County executive, told the Times-Union the area around Highland Falls closest to the Hudson River was “an absolute war zone.”

Drivers struggling to make it past debris during the storm. — Drivers struggling to make it past debris during the storm in upstate New York.

He called the damage “massive” and said repair work could take months with many flooded homes in Highland Falls likely to be condemned.

Officials said the storm had already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

The storm shut off power for thousands of New Yorkers across the region. As of Sunday evening, there were more than 12,000 power outages in Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Albany and Ulster counties.

The Metro-North Railroad announced late Sunday that the Hudson Line was suspended north of Croton-Harmon due to the battering storm. Service was expected to be unavailable through the day on Monday.

Authorities have warned drivers to stay clear of the Palisades Interstate Parkway on Sunday evening.

“Due to the impact of severe storms in Northern Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, leaving behind high water, trees, boulders and other debris, sections of Metro-North’s Hudson Line tracks north of Croton-Harmon have become impassable,” the transit agency said in a news release.

Crews were working throughout the night to check out the damage and clear tracks of debris, mud and water.

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne told The Post Sunday evening the walloping rain caused a sinkhole to open up under the foundation of a Carmel house which forced the residents to evacuate.

A retaining wall in the homeowner’s basement collapsed, according to county officials. First responders found a large hole had opened up on the side of the house and front lawn when they reached the shocking scene.

Driver battling strong floodwaters during the storm. — Drivers battling strong floodwaters during the storm.

Flash flood warnings were issued for much of the Hudson Valley, as well as parts of the Big Apple Sunday night, the National Weather Service said.

“Over an inch of rain has fallen in parts of the Bronx and Manhattan in the last hour, with another 1 to 2 inches expected,” the National Weather Service tweeted around 9:30 p.m. “Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly, if not already occurring.”

The city’s emergency notification system warned residents Sunday they “should prepare now to move to higher ground if needed” due to potential “life-threatening flooding to basements.”

Almost 53 million people along the Eastern Seaboard were at risk of flooding through Monday morning, according to Fox Weather.

Millions of people from Washington DC through Philadelphia and New York and up to Vermont faced the most serious risk, Fox Weather said.

https://nypost.com/2023/07/09/heavy-storms-cause-chaos-on-the-roads-in-upstate-new-york/

Triple combination therapy brings lasting improvement in cystic fibrosis

The mucus in the airways is not as sticky, inflammation in the lungs significantly reduced: Triple combination therapy can achieve these positive, lasting effects in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Researchers from Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center have just recently published their findings in the European Respiratory Journal.* According to their research, this form of medication improves the symptoms of CF in many patients.

Two years ago, a research group headed by Charité showed that combination therapy involving three drugs -- elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor -- is effective in a large portion of patients with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease, meaning that the treatment noticeably improves both lung function and quality of life. Now, the team headed by Prof. Marcus Mall, who has been the lead researcher in both studies, has investigated for the first time whether this form of treatment is also helpful in the long term, meaning over a period of 12 months or more. To examine this, the researchers took a closer look at the sputum, the secretions from patients' respiratory tracts. "In patients with cystic fibrosis, the mucus in the airways is very sticky because it doesn't contain enough water and the mucins, the molecules that form mucus, adhere too much due to their chemical properties. This results in thick, sticky mucus, which clogs the airways, making it harder for patients to breathe and leading to chronic bacterial infection and inflammation of the lungs," explains Mall, Director of the Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine and the Christiane Herzog Cystic Fibrosis Center at Charité.

In the current study, the researchers show that a combination of elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor results in less viscous respiratory secretions and decreasing inflammation and bacterial infection in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. "What's more, the effects lasted over the entire one-year study period. This is really important because previous medications caused a rebound in the bacterial load in the airways," explains Dr. Simon Gräber, who also works in the Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine at Charité and was one of the co-leaders of the study. 79 adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis and chronic lung disease participated in the trial.

A major step in treating cystic fibrosis, further research important

"This is a major step forward in treating cystic fibrosis," Mall says. "At the same time, it would be premature to say that patients have been normalized, let alone cured. Chronic lung changes arising over many years of living with the disease cannot be reversed, unfortunately." This means patients with advanced lung disease will still need to rely on established treatments involving inhaling mucus-thinning medications, taking antibiotics, and physical therapy.

"We plan to forge ahead with our research on how to make treatments that address cystic fibrosis via the molecular defects that cause the disease -- like the triple medication combination studied here -- even more effective. This includes starting treatment in early childhood with the goal of preventing chronic lung changes wherever possible," Mall notes. "Aside from that, this therapy is not available to about ten percent of our patients right now due to their genetic conditions," Gräber adds. "That's why we are also hard at work on research involving new molecular treatments so we can treat all people with cystic fibrosis effectively."

The researchers are also working to advance their understanding of mucus defects in cystic fibrosis and develop new mucolytics, drugs that thin and loosen the mucus. This research could also benefit patients with common chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma and COPD.

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common fatal hereditary diseases worldwide. As many as 8,000 children, teens, and adults are living with the disease in Germany today. An imbalance in salt and water transport across mucosal surfaces of the body causes people with cystic fibrosis to produce thick, sticky secretions that harm organs such as the lungs, intestine and pancreas. This leads to progressive loss of lung function and shortness of breath, which still significantly lowers life expectancy despite advances in treatment. Some 150 to 200 children are born with this rare disease in Germany each year.

About the triple combination therapy

A combination of three drugs -- elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor -- became available in Europe in August 2020. The therapy noticeably improves lung function and quality of life in patients with the most common genetic defect involved in CF, F508del. This means the treatment is an option for nearly 90 percent of those living with cystic fibrosis. The combination therapy was approved for children starting at the age of six years in early 2022.

Journal Reference:

Laura Schaupp, Annalisa Addante, Mirjam Völler, Kerstin Fentker, Aditi Kuppe, Markus Bardua, Julia Duerr, Linus Piehler, Jobst Röhmel, Stephanie Thee, Marieluise Kirchner, Matthias Ziehm, Daniel Lauster, Rainer Haag, Michael Gradzielski, Mirjam Stahl, Philipp Mertins, Sébastien Boutin, Simon Y. Graeber, Marcus A. Mall. Longitudinal Effects of Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor on Sputum Viscoelastic Properties, Airway Infection and Inflammation in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis. European Respiratory Journal, 2023; 2202153 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02153-2022

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230707111622.htm

6 foods is associated with better cardiovascular health

A study led by McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences researchers at the Population Research Health Institute (PHRI) has found that not eating enough of six key foods in combination is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults.

Consuming fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and whole-fat dairy products is key to lowering the risk of CVD, including heart attacks and strokes. The study also found that a healthy diet can be achieved in various ways, such as including moderate amounts of whole grains or unprocessed meats.

Previous and similar research has focused on Western countries and diets that combined harmful, ultra-processed foods with nutrient-dense foods. This research was global in scope and focused on foods commonly considered to be healthy.

The World Health Organization estimates nearly 18 million people died from CVD in 2019, representing 32 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85 per cent were due to heart attacks and strokes. PHRI researchers and their global collaborators analyzed data from 245,000 people in 80 countries from multiple studies. The results were published in the European Heart Journal on July 6.

Researchers derived a diet score from PHRI's ongoing, large-scale global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, then replicated that in five independent studies to measure health outcomes in different world regions and in people with and without prior CVD.

"Previous diet scores -- including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean Diet tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries. The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle, and low-income countries," said Salim Yusuf, senior author and principal investigator of PURE.

As well as being truly global, the PURE Healthy Diet Score focused on exclusively protective, or natural, foods.

"We were unique in that focus. The other diet scores combined foods considered to be harmful -- such as processed and ultra-processed foods -- with foods and nutrients believed to be protective of one's health," said first author Andrew Mente, PHRI scientist and assistant professor at McMaster's Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact.

"There is a recent increased focus on higher consumption of protective foods for disease prevention. Outside of larger amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, the researchers showed that moderation is key in the consumption of natural foods," he said.

"Moderate amounts of fish and whole-fat dairy are associated with a lower risk of CVD and mortality. The same health outcomes can be achieved with moderate consumption of grains and meats -- as long as they are unrefined whole grains and unprocessed meats."

The PURE Healthy Diet Score recommends an average daily intake of: Fruits at two to three servings; vegetables at two to three servings; nuts at one serving; and dairy at two servings. The score also includes three to four weekly servings of legumes and two to three weekly servings of fish. Possible substitutes included whole grains at one serving daily, and unprocessed red meat or poultry at one serving daily.

There was no specific funding for this analysis, although each study that contributed data was funded separately and conducted over a 25-year period.