Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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Small Business Owners Try To Stay Afloat, Pay Workers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
By Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – The coronavirus pandemic hit thriving local food and hospitality businesses hardest, halting sit-down eateries and slowing foot traffic as government imposed unprecedented actions to shut restaurants and people practice social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly disease.
Two weeks ago, Seth Goldstein – the franchisee of three Jersey Mike’s Subs locations on Long Island – was preparing for its annual “Month of Giving” initiative in which the chain projected to donate $8 million from its nationwide sales on March 25 to The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now, Jersey Mike’s is trying to stay afloat and continue to pay its workers.
“We want to make sure we can pay our full-time people,” Goldstein said, noting he considers all employees who work 40 hours or more a week to be “full-time.” “We got to take care of the people who are taking care of us all the time.”
He will apply for any interest-free loans provided as a stimulus by the federal government.
He slashed hours for students who are now home looking for more work.
Goldstein’s sub shops are currently open from 11 AM-8 PM. Its normal hours are 10 AM-9 PM. He is anticipating Jersey Mike’s will further reduce operating hours with the sub shop open only for take-out and delivery.
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week that all restaurants and bars in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will be closed to dining in and may only provide food take-out and delivery services.
“We are seeing about a 30-35 percent drop-off in the sandwiches that we make,” said Goldstein who measures his business by “bread count.”
As an entrepreneur from the time he graduated college, he understands the importance of making adjustments. Goldstein’s foray into business was when he bought a piece of the Baskin-Robbins store he worked at as a 14 and 15 year old with his life savings and then some.
“I’m hoping that people still come out when they eat lunch,” said Goldstein who now sees it as inevitable that technology will disrupt the fast-food business.
“I think that a lot of people will be working from home on a split-basis going forward. I think that our business has changed a little bit in the fact that a lot of our online ordering will be augmented here, a lot of the delivery systems will be augmented here.”
Even an 83 year old business on the Lower East Side is seeing an unprecedented decline in sales this week.
“We’ve gotten through 9/11, we’ve gotten through the hurricane, Sandy, we will work to get through this as well, but we’ve never had to close down,” said Mitchell Cohen, the third-generation owner of Economy Candy – an old-fashioned candy store that carries all the classics from Black Jack to Clove Gum and 2,000 more selections.
Cohen’s store was impacted by President Donald J. Trump’s travel ban on foreigners coming to the U.S. from most European nations. Economy Candy thrives on tourist food traffic.
He has adjusted work schedules and reduced in-store hours for workers to for health reasons and insists he needs to pay all his employees.
“[I need to > take care of them so they can take care of their bills and their families,” said Cohen.
During a devastating week for in-store sales in an eerily vacant Lower Manhattan, the former Wall Street analyst who grew up in his family’s candy shop realized new ways to be efficient and market to potential new customers.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever gotten this much in the weeds on scheduling and inventory management and that kind of thing,” Cohen said laughing. “Luckily, we still have suppliers that are still delivering because they need the business, too, so there could be a trickle-down effect. If we could get some business online, I could get some orders to other people and I keep on going down the road.”
For many small business owners across the country, the impact of the pandemic was felt immediately.
Richard Bayliss, owner of Nu-Way Cleaners and Tailors in White Plains, which has been in the family for 75 years, said he didn’t see this coming.
“It wasn’t a gradual thing where you could turn around and say, ‘Let’s try to do this, let’s try to do that,” he told WCBS 880’s Mack Rosenberg.
Bayliss relies on delivery service as one of his main sources of income. Nu-Way usually delivers to 150 homes per day, but Bayliss says it’s down to a quarter of that now.
When you walk into nu-way, you feel like you’re in a factory. Pants and jackets fly from clotheslines overhead, while cashiers at several registers figure out what goes where, and how much it’ll cost you. Bayliss employs around 30 people. Most of them have worked for him for at least 10 years.
“You got these people that are working people. It just breaks my heart because I don’t really want to lay anybody off. We’re cutting their hours back. It’s hard when you go up to them and they’re supposed to work until 6, and you have to say ‘Well do you want to go home at 1 today,'” he said.
Bayliss says morale is still strong in the store, and there are no plans to close.
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Blood Drives Seeking Donors As Supply Slows Down
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The New York Blood Center says that 75 percent of its incoming blood supply was interrupted when schools, business and religious institutions closed because of coronavirus.
Andrea Cefarelli, the Senior Executive Director of Donor Recruitment for the New York Blood Center, says they’ve increased hours at their centers in an effort to bring in more donors.
“We’ve added days and added shifts so many days we are open 12 hours per day, in the hopes that healthy individuals will come out to donate and give the gift of life,” Cefarelli told WCBS 880’s Neil A. Carousso.
The centers have switched from walk-ins to appointment only, so that they can manage a safe distance between donors.
The need for blood is constant, and right now, we have an urgent need. If you are healthy and well, please make an appointment at one of our donor centers ASAP: https://t.co/JMOlBf9oy3 pic.twitter.com/WdkSOpqkbE
— NY Blood Center (@NYBloodCenter) March 17, 2020
“In New York, we usually have about 30,000 blood donations per month,” Cefarelli said. “We’ve seen cancellations of 25,000”
The centers want to remind potential donors that a single pint of donated blood can be used to save multiple lives.
The center’s 19 locations across New York and New Jersey do not test for novel coronavirus.
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NYC To Open 1st Drive-Thru COVID-19 Test Site Thursday On Staten Island
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City’s first drive-through coronavirus testing site will open on Staten Island Thursday morning.
The site will be located at the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Seaview Avenue.
Congressman Max Rose, who represents Staten Island, took to Twitter to announce the testing facility will be open to all New Yorkers, but by appointment only. It will operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
BREAKING: Drive trough testing will open on Staten Island TOMORROW, 3/19.
Testing is open to all NYers but will take place by APPOINTMENT ONLY between 11am – 7pm at 777 Seaview Ave.
If you have symptoms and would like to schedule an appointment, call NYSDOH at 888-364-3065.
— Archived: Rep. Max Rose (@RepMaxRose) March 18, 2020
The Health Department notes that a person must be experiencing symptoms of the virus to be eligible for an appointment.
If somebody suspects they may have the virus, they should call the New York State Department of Hospitality at (888) 364-3065.
The state opened another drive-through testing center at Jones Beach on Long Island Tuesday morning.
The site is also testing on an appointment basis, and patients must show identification at various checkpoints in order to ensure no tests are wasted.
The first drive-through testing site opened in New Rochelle last week, when the city had the largest cluster of cases in the state. Most were connected to a 50-year-old attorney who worked in Manhattan.
For information on how to make an appointment, call the New York State Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hotline at 1-888-364-3065.
Rockland County opened its first drive-through center on Wednesday afternoon at the MedRite Urgent Care in Spring Valley. Officials hope to be able to test hundreds of people per day at the location.
Meanwhile, ProHEALTH, a private medical facility in New York, opened two other locations in Jericho and Little Neck on Wednesday.
ProHEALTH patients who are experiencing symptoms of a high fever, sore throat and cough, and those who have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, may call a dedicated hotline for a medical screening before they are able to make an appointment for a test, which includes a nasopharyngeal swab in both nostrils.
“We try to make an assessment and then act accordingly,” Dr. Bonnie Simmons, chair of ProHEALTH Urgent Care, told WCBS 880. “It may be stay home and continue doing what you’re doing, it may be go to a hospital, it isn’t turning around fast enough.”
ProHEALTH opened drive-thru testing sites in Jericho and Little Neck today. Dr. Bonnie Simmons, Chair of its Urgent Care tells me people should self-isolate and self-medicate with Advil or Tylenol like any other virus. That should “keep us ahead of this pandemic.” @wcbs880 pic.twitter.com/znFUnmXzN3
— Neil A. Carousso (@NeilACarousso) March 18, 2020
Dr. Simmons said there are still hospital beds available, but medical professionals are concerned hospitals could reach maximum capacity. ProHEALTH is increasing its Telemedicine capabilities for doctor evaluations to prevent an overflow in its urgent care.
“The best way to limit this entire pandemic is for everybody to stay home and self-isolate and self-medicate with Tylenol [or] Advil like you would with any other virus,” said Dr. Simmons who started tested patients in Jericho at 7 AM on Wednesday.
ProHEALTH will be able to test a couple hundred in-network patients a day at both new locations. The healthcare system is offering testing for non-ProHEALTH patients at its other locations on Long Island and in New York City.
The ProHEALTH coronavirus hotline is (516) 874-0411.
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Super Tuesday 2020: Sanders Wins Prized California Primary As Biden Surges Nationwide
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Super Tuesday seemed to turn into a two-man battle between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders early in the night, despite five candidates vying for delegates from 14 states and one U.S. territory.
About one-third (1,344) of all delegates were up for grabs and it takes 1,991 pledged delegates to win the nomination.
Biden saw a surge of support Tuesday after gaining endorsements from Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Monday night.
RELATED: What You Need To Know On Super Tuesday
Early in the night, Biden scored a series of wins taking Alabama, Oklahoma and the battleground states of North Carolina and Virginia. CBS News then projected the former Vice President to win the Tennessee primary and the Associated Press projected him to win Minnesota and Arkansas. He also took Massachusetts, upsetting Sen. Elizabeth Warren in her home state.
It is increasingly looking like a two-man race between @JoeBiden and @BernieSanders. @LeeMiringoff of @maristpoll reflects on what we learned tonight about the race for the Democratic nomination with @KevRincon and @SteveScottNEWS. #SuperTuesday https://t.co/gmdL8Ckq8n pic.twitter.com/mwh8OanUqx
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) March 4, 2020
Meanwhile, Sanders claimed the biggest Super Tuesday prize with the Associated Press projecting he would take California, which has 415 delegates up for grabs. Sanders also pulled off an expected home-state win in Vermont and took another victory in Colorado, which has 67 delegates at stake, as well as Utah.
Bernie Sanders tells supporters in Vermont: "Tonight, I tell you with absolute confidence, we are going to win the Democratic nomination and we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of this country" https://t.co/dejxP1swQq pic.twitter.com/5J8h5dXuFa
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 4, 2020
About 1.3 million people voted in the Virginia Primary today whereas 780,000 people voted in the 2016 Democratic Primary. That’s a drastic contrast in voter enthusiasm. @JoeBiden easily wins The Old Dominion State. #SuperTuesday @KevRincon @SteveScottNEWS @peterhaskell880 https://t.co/AdjFrxBbb1
— Neil A. Carousso (@NeilACarousso) March 4, 2020
Maine and Texas were too close to call after midnight, with Biden holding a slim lead in Maine (about 2,000 votes) and a growing lead in Texas (about 25,000 votes).
Votes were still being called early Wednesday, but the Associated Press allocated 362 delegates to Biden, 285 to Sanders, 30 to Bloomberg, 20 to Warren and one for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, appeared on the ballots for the first time on Super Tuesday, but saw a poor performance overall.
How is @MikeBloomberg's #SuperTuesday investment? @peterhaskell880 explores as the former New York City mayor was declared the winner of the American Samoa caucuses.
Tune into our special coverage anchored by @KevRincon and @SteveScottNEWS: https://t.co/gmdL8CC1wX. pic.twitter.com/fTQ6HSEhMM
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) March 4, 2020
While he took at least five delegates from American Samoa, according to the Associated Press, the former New York City mayor will reassess whether he will continue his bid for president on Wednesday.
Hawaii Sen. Tulsi Gabbard remains in the race but has not reached double-digits – nor has any other candidate that has since dropped out.
California poll numbers suggest Sanders also has the most support among potential voters with 35%. He is followed by Warren at 14%, Biden at 13% and Bloomberg at 12% support.
Despite struggling in the polls, Warren vowed to remain in the race. Early results showed her polling in third in her home state, and that could be a bad look for her campaign.
“Symbolically it’s bad. It hurts her narrative. The question then is if you can’t win in your home state where can you win?” CBS News reporter Zak Hudak told WCBS 880. “It’s embarrassing for her if that happens. Does it threaten her Senate seat in the future? I don’t know, maybe? At the very least it’s really embarrassing and it kind of creates this mentality of her own people, her own constituents, don’t want her to be president.”
Neil A. Carousso is the 2020 Elections Producer for WCBS Newsradio 880, producing all multi-media content of WCBS’ Election Night special coverage.
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New Hampshire Primary 2020: Sanders Declares Victory
CONCORD, N.H. (WCBS 880) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has won the New Hampshire primary.
After a tight race, Sanders came out on top with over 69,000 votes in the first-in-the-nation Democratic primary. In second place was former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg followed by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Shortly after a number of outlets began to call the race, Sanders took to Twitter to declare his victory.
We just won the New Hampshire primary. What we have done together here is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution. Join us live at our primary night rally in Manchester! https://t.co/OmKd1xIumv
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 12, 2020
“We are going to unite together and defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country,” he told a cheering crowd of supporters in Manchester. “The reason I believe we are going to win is that we have an unprecedented grassroots movement from coast to coast of millions of people. The reason that we are going to win is that we are putting together an unprecedented multi-generational, multi-racial political movement. And this is a movement from coast to coast, which is demanding that we finally have an economy and a government that works for all of us, not wealthy campaign contributors.”
CBS News estimates Sanders will walk away with at least 8 delegates, Buttigieg at least 7, and Klobuchar at least 4.
JUST IN: CBS News estimates the three leaders in New Hampshire will walk away with delegates tonight. Sanders will have at least 8, Buttigieg at least 7, and Klobuchar at least 4. https://t.co/Y8wAV74KxV pic.twitter.com/K0U6tB02Tk
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 12, 2020
A total of eight candidates had been vying for votes: Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former hedge fund investor Tom Steyer and former tech executive Andrew Yang — who decided to drop out of the race as polls closed.
WATCH: @KevRincon and @peterhaskell880 break the news on-air and ponder where @AndrewYang's support goes. #NHPrimary2020 #MoreThanJustTheHeadlines
Listen live: https://t.co/1YViQiKH5A
Follow along with the newsroom: https://t.co/nN5KIYTfti pic.twitter.com/T5XZuRLo3N— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) February 12, 2020
Michael Bennet, a 55-year-old senator from Colorado who entered the race in late April, also dropped out during the evening, after failing to stand out in the crowded Democratic field.
I love our country. I love the idea of democracy. And I want to pass it on to the next generation.
I feel nothing but joy tonight as we conclude this campaign and this chapter.
Tonight wasn’t our night. But New Hampshire, you may see me once again.
— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) February 12, 2020
Despite falling short, Klobuchar sounded confident when she addressed supporters as results continued to come in.
“I came back and we delivered,” she said. “America deserves a president who is as resilient as her people.”
She firmly stated that she would be the person to defeat President Donald Trump in the general election.
.@ewarren emphasizes unity with supporters: "We cannot afford to fall into factions. We can't afford to squander our collective power. We win when we come together." @KevRincon and @peterhaskell880 analyze her underperforming campaign. #NHPrimary2020 https://t.co/1YViQiKH5A pic.twitter.com/iiMTHJOxpx
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) February 12, 2020
Meanwhile, Warren vowed to continue her efforts in other states.
“The fight we’re in, the fight to save our democracy, is an uphill battle, but our campaign is built for the long haul and we’re just getting started,” Warren said.
.@PeteButtigieg is in a close second behind @BernieSanders where his supporters are chanting "We are unstoppable. Another world is possible." @StvBurns joins @KevRincon live from Sanders' headquarters at @SNHU in Manchester. https://t.co/1YViQiKH5A pic.twitter.com/6ZiJfjZuqT
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) February 12, 2020
At his election night event, Buttigieg didn’t seem too upset by the loss and said he “admired” Sanders as a teenager.
“I respect him greatly to this day, and I congratulate him on his strong showing tonight,” Buttigieg said.
Meanwhile, the night proved to be slightly disappointing for Biden, who did not attend any events in New Hampshire. Instead, the 77-year-old had gone to South Carolina to get a head start on campaigning in the state before it holds the second primary in a number of days.
“We just heard from the first two of the states … where I come from, that’s just the opening bell, not the closing bell,” Biden said.
.@JoeBiden left New Hampshire early for South Carolina where he addressed supporters. @KevRincon and @peterhaskell880 look at the former vice president's road ahead. #NHPrimary2020
Listen live: https://t.co/1YViQiKH5A
Live updates: https://t.co/nN5KIYTfti pic.twitter.com/NRnSz7btm5— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) February 12, 2020
Klobuchar surged in the race following a strong showing in the most recent debate.
“This is a state that Bernie Sanders won last time over Hillary Clinton,” Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said. “What we’re seeing is people like Peter Buttigieg and tonight Amy Klobuchar as clearly gotten into the top tier she’s broken away from the pack where Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden are dropping almost out of sight.”
The first votes in the race were cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, where residents often take part in a tradition of casting their votes at midnight. There was one confirmed vote for Buttigieg, one vote for Sanders and two write-in votes for Mike Bloomberg, who received an extra vote from a Republican, even though he does not appear in the New Hampshire ballot.
A new Quinnipiac University national poll had Bloomberg just a couple of points behind Biden, whose support among Democrats and independents has plummeted in the past two weeks.
Earlier, exit polling from CBS News found almost half of Democratic primary voters decided on the candidate in the last few days, with many saying the most recent debate was an important factor in making their choice.
Meanwhile, there seemed to be division among New Hampshire voters as to what kind of policies they want to adopt. About 40% say they want to return to Barack Obama’s policies, while 38% want to change to more liberal policies.
The most unifying factor seemed to be the desire to vote President Donald Trump out of office. More than 9 in 10 voters in the New Hampshire Democrats primary said they were unhappy with the Trump administration – including 81% who are angry.
Many also said they prefer a nominee who can beat Trump, a sentiment that was often observed by WCBS 880’s Steve Burns on the road in the state.
Voters in New Hampshire say the most important issue is health care, followed by climate change, income inequality and foreign policy.
President Donald Trump also made a stop in the Granite State on Monday night to rally supporters, and possibly sway some undecided Democrats to vote red.
During the rally, the president focused on his goals should he be elected again in 2020 and took time to criticize House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for ripping up her copy of the State of the Union speech last week.
The crowd responded with chants of “Lock her up.”
Trump easily won New Hampshire’s Republican primary against minimal opposition.
Neil A. Carousso is the 2020 elections producer for WCBS Newsradio 880, including producing and editing all video content.
