Northeast
Cuomo to testify on COVID orders, nursing home deaths as spox predicts a ‘master class in gaslighting’
![Cuomo to testify on COVID orders, nursing home deaths as spox predicts a ‘master class in gaslighting’ Cuomo to testify on COVID orders, nursing home deaths as spox predicts a ‘master class in gaslighting’](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/cuomo-hands.jpg)
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sit for a hearing Sept. 10 before the congressional subcommittee tasked with probing the coronavirus pandemic, the panel announced Tuesday.
Cuomo, one of the most visible governors during the height of the pandemic, was lambasted for implementing stringent social and economic restrictions throughout the Empire State.
He also was blamed for thousands of COVID-related deaths that occurred in nursing homes, which a 2023 report from the NYS Department of Health calculated to be 826 in Suffolk County, 813 in Erie County – which includes Buffalo — and 623 in Queens County.
“Mr. Cuomo will be questioned about his Administration’s issuance of unscientific guidance that forced New York nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit COVID-19 positive patients,” an announcement for the hearing read.
CUOMO ALLEGATIONS HAVE NEW YORK DEMOCRATS GOING AFTER EACH OTHER ‘MORE THAN THE ROYAL FAMILY’: GAETZ
Former New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. (Getty Images)
Cuomo, a Democrat, previously sat for a seven-hour transcribed interview with the subcommittee. The panel also interviewed Cuomo’s former secretary, Melissa DeRosa, and then-NYS Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a Staten Island lawmaker who sits on the subcommittee, said in an interview Tuesday that Cuomo still refuses to take responsibility for his orders and their repercussions.
She recounted how no one in Albany could point to exactly where the order partitioning nursing home patients came from.
“We still don’t know who approved that directive because the governor saying he didn’t know about it, he’s claiming that [Zucker] knew about it before it went out. And yet somehow they’ve been unable to identify who the person was that approved it and issued it, which is so negligent for a directive like that to go out without the health commissioner approving it at minimum,” she said.
The New York lawmaker also pointed to then-President Donald Trump dispatching a military medical ship to New York Harbor, the Jacob Javits Center, and the availability of a mental hospital in her district for the purposes of treating and partitioning serious COVID-19 patients.
“They weren’t being used. So why you have that directive in place, forcing the nursing home to take the COVID positive patients, even when you had alternatives? That was a big failure because at that point he was very clear about this directive.”
SUNUNU NAMES THE TWO GOVERNORS ALL THE OTHERS ‘HATE’
![Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York, speaks during a Select Subcommittee On Coronavirus Crisis hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. A probe by the U.S. Congress into Emergent BioSolutions found that the contract manufacturer failed to address deficiencies in vaccine production at its facilities despite warnings following a series of inspections in 2020. Photographer: Susan Walsh/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725571164_324_Cuomo-to-testify-on-COVID-orders-nursing-home-deaths-as.jpg)
Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York, will be one of the lawmakers questioning former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo next week. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
When asked how people in her district feel about the situation, Malliotakis said many had lost loved ones during the pandemic from “preventable deaths.”
“They were a result of putting COVID-positive patients in nursing homes. And that was based on a directive and mandate by the Cuomo administration. And the buck stops with him, and he needs to be held accountable,” she said.
“[He blamed] everybody but himself. No apology, no accountability. No remorse… the public deserves answers, and we’re going to push for them at this hearing.”
However, a Cuomo spokesman told Fox News Digital, “the facts speak for themselves” when it comes to the former governor’s handling of COVID, calling congressional Republicans’ oversight a “master class in gaslighting.”
“New York had a lower nursing home death pro-rata than all but 11 states,” said Rich Azzopardi.
![NY-Capitol](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725571164_649_Cuomo-to-testify-on-COVID-orders-nursing-home-deaths-as.jpg)
The New York Capitol building is seen, June 30, 2023, in Albany, New York. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Azzopardi called the committee a “farce” and criticized it for being comprised of a “foot doctor” – referring to Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, — “Trump’s personal physician” – former White House doctor; current Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and “a representative with a Ph.D. in QAnon,” in regard to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.,
“[The committee] refuse[s] to look in the mirror at their own anti-science policies that caused hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths or call the one witness who is most relevant and was supposed to lead the entire effort: Donald Trump,” Azzopardi said.
While in office, Cuomo was at times questioned by the press on the matter. In one notable exchange during a July 2020 press conference, the governor was asked about a state report on nursing homes and why an independent investigator was not appointed.
“I don’t believe your characterization is correct – I believe it is a political issue,” Cuomo shot back at the reporter.
Cuomo then went on to blame the New York Post and Fox News, as well as political motivations, for the issue’s prominence.
“People died in nursing homes. That’s very unfortunate. Just on the topline, we are number 35th in the nation in percentage of deaths in nursing homes. Go talk to 34 other states first.”
Cuomo was also criticized for interviews during the pandemic with his brother, Chris, on CNN. In one exchange, the siblings shared a laugh after Chris brandished two comically-large nasal swabs to suggest Andrew has exceptionally large nostrils.
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Boston, MA
Boston's Positives Outweigh Clear Negative For Elias Lindholm
![Boston's Positives Outweigh Clear Negative For Elias Lindholm Boston's Positives Outweigh Clear Negative For Elias Lindholm](https://nesn.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/09/Elias-Lindholm.jpg)
Bruins forward Elias Lindholm is enjoying almost everything about his time in Boston.
“It’s been good. I’ve obviously been here for a month now,” Lindholm told reporters Thursday, per team-provided video. “I think the weather has been nice. The city’s been really nice to explore and settle into our place. It’s — you know, so far, so good.”
How about the traffic?
“It’s a little different than I’m used to,” he admitted. “I’m not a huge fan, but I’ll get through it.”
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Lindholm — despite the obvious drawback of driving in a city that was meant to be navigated by horse-drawn carriage — had nothing but positive things to say about getting acclimated to his new surroundings. He signed a seven-year deal in free agency, joining the Bruins to presumably fill a top-six center role that has needed upgrading since the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
The B’s need someone to play alongside David Pastrnak, after all.
“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Lindholm said of Pastrnak. “If that’s the case, it’s super exciting. We’ll see what’s going to happen. There’s a lot of good players on this team, and that’s why I wanted to come here. I think we have a good chance to do something special. And obviously you always want to win. And I feel like, right here, we have a good chance.”
The Bruins need production from their top lines, and hope Lindholm can provide that with a bounce-back season in Black and Gold.
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Lindholm accounted for just 44 points in 2023-24, but has attributed some of his downtick in production to a midseason trade that left him in limbo entering the offseason. He’s going to be in Boston for a while, though, so as long as he can learn to live with the traffic, he should find comfort in playing with some of the most talented players in the world.
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers’ Russell Wilson Suffers Injury Setback
![Steelers’ Russell Wilson Suffers Injury Setback Steelers’ Russell Wilson Suffers Injury Setback](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3600,h_2025,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_steelers/01j71qa7srzgscdpe3c2.jpg)
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Russell Wilson was limited in the team’s practice on Thursday afternoon with lingering effects from a calf injury, throwing a late curveball into the team’s plans just days before their Week 1 bout with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Wilson was seen around the team, though he did not have his helmet on and never took a snap throughout the day.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Wilson’s calf tightened up on him and that he is visiting a doctor to have his situation further diagnosed.
Wilson did not appear on the team’s injury report that released following Wednesday’s practice and had been a full participant in recent days.
The Steelers are taking all of the proper precautions to ensure his injury doesn’t worsen ahead of his regular season debut with the team. Per Tomlin, however, there isn’t much concern from the team regarding his long-term availability.
Wilson initially suffered the injury during the Steelers’ conditioning test at the beginning of training camp that limited his involvement in team sessions and even opened the door for Justin Fields to come in and challenge him for the starting job.
Wilson sat out of the team’s opening preseson contest against the Houston Texans before playing a combined six series over their following two games against the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.
He was officially named the starting quarterback last week and was also awarded the offensive captaincy for Pittsburgh on Monday as a result.
Wilson is coming off of a 2023 campaign with the Denver Broncos where he threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a completion percentage of 66.4%, the third-best rate of his 12-year career.
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year this offseason after the Broncos released him from a $245 million contract, taking on $85 million in dead money in the process.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.
Connecticut
Connecticut Ski Area Likely Closed For Good After Sale
![Connecticut Ski Area Likely Closed For Good After Sale Connecticut Ski Area Likely Closed For Good After Sale](https://unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-04-at-9.21.02-PM-scaled.jpg)
Woodbury, Connecticut — Woodbury’s life as a ski area appears to be over.
The Republican American reports that the former Woodbury Ski Area has been sold to a local couple. Seymour Blackwood and Simone Pyne have purchased the property for $675,000 and intend to convert the base lodge into a home. They could run the lifts, as they are operational, but it’s unclear whether the new homeowners are skiers or riders. This move to make the base lodge a home likely means the end of public skiing and riding at the Woodbury ski area.
![](https://i0.wp.com/unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-04-at-9.31.10-PM.jpg?resize=780%2C517&ssl=1)
Woodbury opened in the early 1960s and was initially known as the Tapawingo Ski Area. In 1972, former U.S. Ski Team member Rod Taylor bought the ski hill and renamed it Woodbury Ski and Racquet Club. In the 2000s, they were the first ski area in New England to open for the season several times, beating out the heavyweights Killington and Sunday River. However, since Connecticut’s winters are underwhelming compared to its New England counterparts, they focused on adding many summer attractions.
The longtime owner of Woodbury, Olympian Rod Taylor, passed away in 2014, and the last year it operated for skiing was in 2016. The mountain did not open during the 2016-2017 season and was placed on the market in 2017. Numerous owners followed without any success in reopening the mountain. One proposal came from Art Powers, who wanted to turn the hill into a venue with various summer attractions. Before a deal could be finalized, Art died in a skiing accident at Stowe in February of 2021.
In 2021, it appeared like Woodbury would be revived. Eric Anderson, the owner of Quassy Amusement Park, bought the property and aimed to reopen the tubing park and the ski area. However, he was too preoccupied with running the amusement park and decided to put the properties back on the market in 2022. For more information about the life and times of Woodbury, check out New England Ski History.
![](https://i0.wp.com/unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/xs3askijqt7ofzx85fntgcduqgr5.jpg?resize=780%2C725&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/xs3askijqt7ofzx85fntgcduqgr5.jpg?resize=780%2C725&ssl=1)
Image Credits: Woodbury Ski Area, Skimap.org
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