TWF 302: County Executive Orders Schools Closed & More (CoVID Update #5)

Greetings, friends,

Opening note - these may be the strangest times since the end of 2012, huh?

Moving on.

Nassau Executive Curran Orders Nassau County Schools Closed

This is an expansion of Freeport's pre-existing announcement, recorded here, both beyond the 3/16-17 closure, and beyond the local scale.  This is a two-week closure, though staff is permitted to use the facilities for distance learning purposes and others, and it doesn't apply to certain schools for people with special needs.  As always, please check in with your district.

Notice that "Social Distancing" is called for; this is basically just staying in with friends and family; or, at least, not going out to crowded places.

Last, as we've been saying here:

First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!  (That still includes buying up all of the damned toilet paper!  :/ )

TWF 301: Freeport Schools Closed To Students, 3/16 & 3/17 (CoVID-19 Update #4)

Greetings, friends,

Just a brisk update:

According to the latest Superintendent's message at the Freeport Schools website, schools will be closed 3/16/2020 and 3/17/2020 for students:

"We have decided, in an abundance of precaution, to close the schools for students only on Monday, March 16th and Tuesday March 17th to continue preparations for our contingency plans for communication and E-Learning platforms and other related matters to ensure the continuity of education for our students in the event of an extended closing. During these two days, staff will further solidify our E-Learning platforms. We will continue enhanced building sanitizing protocols including the weekends."



Last, as we've been saying here:

First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!  (That still includes buying up all of the damned toilet paper!  :/ )

TWF 300: States Of Emergency Require Calm (CoVID-19 Update #3)

Greetings, friends,

Just a few updates.

First, the Federal Government is taking emergency action over the Coronavirus in order to make more testing available.  Why more testing wasn't available earlier is itself an unexplained question.  The U.S. has been pitifully behind the rest of the world in testing.


Second:  Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has declared a State Of Emergency in order to access more resources.  This includes many facility closures.


Third:  As Laura Curran said as part of the above announcement, IF you are healthy and IF you can, please donate some blood.  There's apparently a lack of donations going on.


Fourth:  As we always say, here:

First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!  (That includes buying up all of the damned toilet paper!  :/ )

TWF 299: Coronavirus Shuts SUNY, CUNY, Nassau & More! Plus, Dr. Kuncham Speaks! (CoVID-19 Update 2)

Hello friends,

I hope you are all doing well!

Freeport-Specific Updates from Dr. Kuncham:  Nassau County Executive Laura Curran gave a press conference with medical and educational leaders - including Freeport's own Superintendent, Dr. Kishore Kuncham, who spoke about issues regarding the spread of dangerous rumors about the virus' impact.  Kuncham also talked reassuringly about the development that's gone on for Freeport's online learning plan, which involves over 6,000 Chromebooks being distributed to students!  He even addressed concerns about internet access for possible students.  (Starts 16:00 min into the video)

Broader Long-Island College & University Closures
A little past 2:00 PM, Governor Cuomo announced that all SUNY and CUNY schools will be transitioning to an online "distance learning" model.  According to Garden City's Patch, Nassau Community College is also closed; Long Island Press provides a more comprehensive listing of closures, including my Alma-Mater, Adelphi University, as well as Molloy College and others.


While there are still very few public school district closures in our area (see the above link to Long Island Press for more details!) - and such closures present infinitely different complications, including but not limited to how children would be supervised, and in some case get fed - the risk exists that certain schools may close in the future due to a confirmed case of exposure, or due to a broader outbreak that is uncontainable with lesser measures.

As always, check with your district's website and administration to confirm any changes you hear about online!

State Worker Aid:  Cuomo has announced that any quarantined/etc NYS workers will get up to two weeks of paid leave.  Private enterprise and other government offices might want to follow suit, especially for places like New Rochelle, where broader quarantines already exist.


To that end:  First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!

TWF 298: Nassau County Coronavirus School closures (CoVID-19 Update #1)

Greetings, friends!

As 2020 continues to be a banner year for Humankind, I'm hopping back on The Weekly Freeporter strictly in an Emergency Response basis.  Please note that this is an ongoing emergency, and that situations change frequently and without warning - and TWF is not a professional outlet, meaning our resources are limited.  Updates will be on a limited basis, and only to serve as a place to collect information.

That said, if you have any leads, reach out and we'll verify as best we can!

Additionally, as with our Hurricane Sandy coverage, while we'll focus on Freeport as possible, this disaster effects, well, all of Humankind, so let's start with just keeping an eye on Nassau County.

According to Governor Andrew Cuomo's latest update on Twitter, about 19 people in Nassau have tested positive for Coronavirus.  ABC News and others report that the National Guard has been called into Rockland County to help those in quarantine get food and supplies.  As more testing takes place, more positives are expected; according to medical professionals I've spoken to, this will help with controlling the outbreak.


To that end:  First of all, please make sure you are washing your hands, covering your coughs, and generally obeying good personal hygiene in order to minimize both your risk and the risk of those around you.  If you feel sick (fever, chills, body ache, difficulty breathing), DO NOT go to work, and DO NOT just go to the doctor - call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions on what their procedure is.

Do not panic!


Announced Nassau County School District Closures - More detail available from Long Island Press.
Glen Cove
Locust Valley
Oyster Bay
Plainview-Old Bethpage
Shoream-Wading River

It is reasonable to expect more as time goes on.  Additionally, there are many local colleges closed, including Hofstra, Columbia, and Saint John's.  As always, please check in with your school's webpage on a daily basis, and/or keep an eye on the alerts sent to your e-mail/cell phone.


Be safe.

TWF 297: Juried Photography Contest From Long Island Arts Council At Freeport

Hello, friends!

I know that with the Coronavirus around, it's easy to get lost in scary thoughts, so here's something a little more upbeat!  As a creative person, I always try to shout out opportunities for others - in any given field - to make a little money and get a little advancement.  For example, I was recently a guest on "Ronin Uncensored" Podcast, and I'd encourage you to check it out in your leisure time.

The Long Island Arts Council at Freeport is having their Fortieth Annual Juried Photography Show (link goes to their full prospectus), with a calendar and possible winnings as repeated below:







We strongly encourage all photographers to join!  It must be wondered, however, why you have to be 20 years old to enter, and not just a legal adult?  Ah well!  It's a good contest, nonetheless!


Jesse Pohlman is an author and creator from Freeport, New York, and occasionally publishes new The Weekly Freeporter articles only under unusual circumstances, as the publication is on hiatus.  If you want to check out his website, its https://www.jpohlmanwriting.com!  

TWF 296 - Poor Peoples' Campaign Comes To Freeport!

Greetings, friends!

The Poor People's Campaign (shortanded to PPC for this article) was started in 1968 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to advocate for the poor and disadvantaged among us.  On at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 25th at 10:00, the PPC will be having it's Monthly Meeting at God's Open House For Everyone in our own Freeport, New York.  Sandy Guillaume, Executive Director of Second Chance Reentry will be present to help address concerns about recent changes to criminal processing laws.

If you're looking to learn about things like bail reform, and you're ready to have some of your concerns demystified, this meeting is a great chance to learn from an expert in the field!  Furthermore, after the fact, the Campaign will be joining a rally at the Nassau County DA's office to support what are viewed by many as essential reforms.