Northeast
NY Gov. Hochul says she’s considering a mask ban to reduce hate crimes, triggers COVID fearful X users
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., said she was considering bringing back a ban on masks in her state to reduce crime, a proposal that was rejected by some social media accounts still fearful of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hochul spoke to CNN anchor Laura Coates on Wednesday night about potential measures she may take to reduce rampant crime in New York City, including reinstituting a previous mask ban. Jewish leaders have stated that the masks have made violent offenders less afraid to commit antisemitic hate crimes.
“But I absolutely will go back and take a look at this and see whether it can be restored because it is frightening to people,” Hochul said of the mask ban.
JILLIAN MICHAELS SAYS SHE LEFT CALIFORNIA BECAUSE OF NEWSOM’S LEADERSHIP, PRAISES HOW FLORIDA IS ‘LESS CRAZY’
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., told CNN Wednesday she was considering a mask ban in New York City to prevent crime. (Screenshot/CNN)
Coates brought Hochul on to talk about a 4% rise in antisemitic incidents throughout New York City. The anchor noted that the “tone” and the “aggressiveness” of the antisemitic crimes and vandalism “seem to have truly escalated and they are where commuters are and beyond.”
The governor described these acts as “textbook antisemitism” and that they “constitute hate crimes,” and touted her administration for reforming the bail laws so that suspects accused of committing hate crimes could be held on bail.
She added that her team listed “28 more offenses to our hate crime list,” “beefed up security at vulnerable places, particularly places of worship,” and worked to protect college campuses during commencement season.
Coates then brought up the potential mask ban, stating, “There‘s also a call some have talked about – some Jewish leaders actually in New York are calling tonight for a mask ban, saying that covering faces allows protesters to have some level of anonymity to be more aggressive, to be more entitled to say what they want because they don‘t fear repercussion the same way.”
“Would you support that endeavor?” the anchor asked.
The governor began by noting that there used to be a mask ban “before the pandemic, that you couldn’t have a face covering that didn’t serve a purpose… The pandemic removed that from our state law.”
She continued, noting she “absolutely will go back and take a look at this.”
“You‘re sitting on a subway train and someone puts on a mask like this… you don‘t know if they‘re going to be committing a crime, they‘re going to have a gun or whether they‘re just going to be threatening, intimidating you because you are Jewish, which is exactly what happened the other day. Absolutely unacceptable in the state of New York,” Hochul said.
HOUSE DEM WHO CHALLENGED BIDEN IN PRIMARY CALLS ON GOV. HOCHUL TO PARDON TRUMP FOR ‘GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul presents her 2025 executive state budget in the Red Room at the state Capitol on Jan. 16, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Multiple accounts on social media apprehensive about COVID-19 voiced their displeasure with a potential mask ban.
Public health commentator Dr. Lucky Tran posted, “UPDATE: NY Governor Kathy Hochul said on CNN last night that she is considering a ban on masks. @GovKathyHochul this is absolutely shameful! New York has suffered so much from COVID, and COVID is not over. We should be normalize[sic] and depoliticizing masks, not banning them.”
The account “COVID Advocacy NY” posted, “NY ACTION ALERT: @GovKathyHochul said on CNN that she is considering banning masks in NY. We need to all speak out against this!”
The account also provided details for how to contact the governor or her team.
Health policy activist Myra Batchelder commented, “I just called and spoke with Gov Hochul’s staff. I urge New Yorkers to call and message her office today and urge her not to ban masks in NY! A mask ban will endanger people’s lives and health. We cannot ban masks in NY.”
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Boston, MA
Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call that forced Delta flight to abort landing, expert says
BOSTON (AP) — A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport.
Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Curtis now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues.
“This is a significant incident,” Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews.
He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for a while now and will scrutinize Saturday’s close call.
Near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports will be the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will seek ways to strengthen safety across the national airspace system.
The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway, according to the FAA and flight logs.
The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally, according to the spokesperson.
Go-arounds are safe, routine procedures performed at the discretion of the pilot or air traffic controllers, according to the FAA.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Juneteenth celebration sees peaceful end after Market Square fight prompts chaperone policy
The 2026 Juneteenth celebration in downtown Pittsburgh came to an end Sunday with no additional major issues reported following the large group of juveniles fighting Friday night in Market Square.
The group of 40-50 juveniles fighting toward the end of Friday’s celebrations led to police using pepper spray and clearing the square, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.
Event organizer William “B” Marshall responded with a chaperone policy starting Saturday, requiring kids to be joined by adults in Market Square.
Pittsburgh Public Safety told KDKA-TV that they don’t know of any issues with groups of kids on Saturday evening, and Marshall called the policy—and the event—a success.
“It’s been fantastic,” Marshall said. “We’re getting a lot of parents coming down with their children. We don’t want to stop anybody from coming and enjoying some Juneteenth.”
KDKA-TV still saw groups of kids unaccompanied in the square on Sunday, but none were disruptive. Marshall said they didn’t have to remove any kids from the square, which had programming aimed at older adults.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of adults. I haven’t seen a lot of groups of kids,” said Zhane Wilds, a mother who brought her kids to the celebrations on Sunday. “Everybody’s getting along, which is great.”
A big crowd gathered in Point State Park for an evening of music, helping to wrap up another year of Juneteenth in Pittsburgh.
“It’s been a vibe down here. Everything is going very good,” Wilds said.
Other attendees said the event was nice and fun.
“The festival has been great, we’ve had great weather, people are happy, and I’m happy,” Marshall said.
It’s hard to say if the lack of fights was directly due to the police. Marshall said that overall, there weren’t too many issues.
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams told KDKA-TV on Saturday that they weren’t enforcing this chaperone policy, that it was Marshall’s idea, but they would be on standby inside the square in case they needed to step in.
At the same time, Williams said they support the idea and Marshall’s efforts.
Looking ahead to next year, Marshall said they plan to kick off the celebration with an indoor performance from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
More than 150 vendors took part in the event this year.
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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