Dinowitz calls for regular COVID testing

With the omicron variant taking over a vast majority of coronavirus infections in New York City, Councilman Eric Dinowitz has joined forces with City Hall colleagues Mark Levine and Mark Treyger, as well as the United Federation of Teachers labor union to demand city officials provide the resources to schools can test everyone who walks onto campus.

As Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Kathy Hochul make clear they are not planning to shut schools down again, the city lawmakers are worried faculty and students will not have the protections they need against a virulent strain of the virus.

“Almost two years into this pandemic, there is no excuse not to be prepared when we’re introduced with new variants,” Dinowitz said, in a release. “We’ve been through this before. We know a surge is coming after the holidays. This requires a bold approach to lay the groundwork for an effective and immediate response.”

Webb Ave fire claims tenant’s life

A two-alarm fire in a Webb Avenue apartment building Monday morning left one resident dead while injuring three others, including a firefighter.

Firefighters received a 911 call around 10:30 a.m., about a fire on the second floor of 2835 Webb Ave., near West 197th Street. It took nearly 90 minutes for the New York Fire Department to bring the blaze under control, ultimately damaging one apartment, while adding smoke and water damage to surrounding units.

The resident who perished was identified as Sherry Anderson, who firefighters say they found inside her second-floor unit.

The fire marshal has yet to determine a cause of the blaze, and the New York Police Department is investigating how Anderson died.

— Ethan Stark-Miller