Worcester, MA
Lifestyle
Burning Energy: Video Conferencing's Pollution Problem - And How To Clean It Up Burning Energy: Video Conferencing's Pollution Problem - And How To Clean It Up
Burning Energy: Video Conferencing's Pollution Problem - And How To Clean It Up Zoom and other video conference calls may not be as much of an environmentally-friendly alternative to in-person meetings as many people assumed, according to a new study. But there’s a simple trick to make video conferencing even greener - turn off your camera. Despite a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020, a pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home entertainment still presents a “significant environmental impact” due to how internet data is stored and transferred around the world, according to a study by Purdue University, Yale University, and the Massachusett…

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by Kristin Palpini
Ridgefield, CT
News
COVID-19: Zoom Meeting For Residents, Drive-Thru Testing Starts In Ridgefield COVID-19: Zoom Meeting For Residents, Drive-Thru Testing Starts In Ridgefield
Covid-19: Zoom Meeting For Residents, Drive-Thru Testing Starts In Ridgefield Ridgefield residents will be able to attend a COVID-19 Zoom meeting for an update on the town's current status and the start of drive-thru testing in town. The meeting will take place online at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17, and will include updates from the town's task force including scientists, doctors, communications specialists as well as Town Health Director, Ed Briggs, School Superintendent Susie Da Silva, and First Selectman Rudy Marconi.  Dr. Maher Madhoun, infectious disease doctor for Stamford Health will give an update on vaccines. Questions may be sent in advance or dur…

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by Kathy Reakes
Washington Township, NJ
Schools
HOMEBOUND? University Students Air Virtual Performance From Gloucester HOMEBOUND? University Students Air Virtual Performance From Gloucester
Homebound? University Students Air Virtual Performance From Gloucester Stuck at home?  Beginning Wednesday, a free Rowan University online theatre production celebrates and mixes 1980s songs and local, national TV news broadcasts and topical issues to correlate with 2020 experiences. Undeterred by the coronavirus pandemic, Gloucester County's Rowan University students produced ‘Breaking News," a virtual  cabaret show.  Rowan University College of Performing Arts’ student-produced show will be aired for free online viewing through Sunday, Dec. 20, according to NJ Advance Media.  The production mixes 1980s songs and local, national TV …

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by Jon Craig
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Schools
PA High School College Fair 'Zoom Bombed' With Racist, Pornographic Images PA High School College Fair 'Zoom Bombed' With Racist, Pornographic Images
PA High School College Fair 'Zoom Bombed' With Racist, Pornographic Images A foreign hacker may be to blame for the racist and pornographic images that were broadcast during a Zoom college fair for Montgomery County high school students Friday, district officials said.  The images were posted to the Harriton High School event attended by nearly 300 students, and shut down as soon as counselors were notified, the Lower Merion District said. The district announced a switch to full-remote learning for its high schools just this week, following a petition launched by students. District officials believe the event was set up without usual security measures. "Thi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Bergenfield, NJ
News
Four Dumont HS Teachers Suspended For Anti-Gay Comments In Zoom Class Four Dumont HS Teachers Suspended For Anti-Gay Comments In Zoom Class
Four Dumont HS Teachers Suspended For Anti-Gay Comments In Zoom Class UPDATE: Four Dumont High School science teachers were suspended for anti-gay remarks about a female colleague during a Zoom class. The teachers will continue to be paid as an investigation continues, with possible disciplinary penalties to follow, they said. A student captured a screenshot from a teacher’s monitor during the disturbing open group Zoom chat last month. “Who the hell is that kid with [the] gay gym teacher?” one asked. “Why is that kid with the gay gym teacher,” another wrote. "Is that her adopted kid? Who is gonna be all f----d up growing up watching 2 chicks kissing and …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Massapequa, NY
Politics
COVID-19: Cuomo Cancels In-Person Media Briefings For First Time During Pandemic COVID-19: Cuomo Cancels In-Person Media Briefings For First Time During Pandemic
Covid-19: Cuomo Cancels In-Person Media Briefings For First Time During Pandemic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s popular COVID-19 news briefings with members of the media will be the latest gathering to go fully remote. A spokesperson for the governor announced that moving forward, due to new CDC guidance and a spike in COVID-19 cases across the state and country, Cuomo would be canceling all in-person briefings for the time being. “Since the beginning, we’ve talked about the important role the media has played in educating the public about this pandemic,” Rich Azzopardi said late on Tuesday, Dec. 8. “But given the new stricter CDC guidelines released Friday and the realit…

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by Zak Failla
Stony Point, NY
Schools
Person Posing As Student Posts Lewd Photos At Area School's Zoom Meeting Person Posing As Student Posts Lewd Photos At Area School's Zoom Meeting
Person Posing As Student Posts Lewd Photos At Area School's Zoom Meeting A teacher in the Hudson Valley received an unexpected and unwanted visitor when a “Zoom-bomber” crashed her virtual class and displayed inappropriate images with students. The Highland Central School District in Ulster County issued a report following the incident involving the middle school, where someone logged into a Zoom class posing as a student and displayed lewd images on their computer screen. Highland Schools Superintendent Thomas Bongiovi said that once the teacher was made aware of the mischief, the person was removed from the Zoom immediately.  It is believed the person - …

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by Zak Failla
Mahwah-Ramsey, NJ
News
COVID-19 Outbreak Closes Bergen County Police Academy COVID-19 Outbreak Closes Bergen County Police Academy
Covid-19 Outbreak Closes Bergen County Police Academy The Bergen County Police Academy was shut down for at least two weeks after a number of recruits tested positive for COVID-19. Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco confirmed the move Saturday morning. At least eight new police officers on the verge of completing their 22-week basic training at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute on Campgaw Road in Mahwah received positive results from mandatory testing, authorities said. As a result, operations at the academy were temporarily suspended and the recruits were advised to quarantine based on CDC guidelines, they said. The move …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Northern Valley, NJ
News
Daughter Of Late Bergen Pizzeria Owner Turns Grief Into Giving Through Mental Health Chats Daughter Of Late Bergen Pizzeria Owner Turns Grief Into Giving Through Mental Health Chats
Daughter Of Late Bergen Pizzeria Owner Turns Grief Into Giving Through Mental Health Chats If you knew Demarest Pizza owner Steve Renke, you wouldn’t be surprised by an organization created by his daughter to help those struggling with mental health issues. That it’s happening amid the COVID-19 pandemic just makes “The Pizza Project” created by Braden Renke that much more important. Before social distancing, members of Braden's group met every Friday night for pizza and frank discussions at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, where she's a junior student athlete majoring in Psychology. Now they Zoom. "I saw a major gap in mental health awareness for a lot of people…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Springfield, MA
News
Thanksgiving Cancelled? Tips For A Safer Celebration During COVID-19 Thanksgiving Cancelled? Tips For A Safer Celebration During COVID-19
Thanksgiving Cancelled? Tips For A Safer Celebration During Covid-19 Thanksgiving can carry on this year, despite a surge in COVID-19 infections, but for celebrations to be safe, Massachusetts and the Centers for Disease Control have some suggestions. For starters, the CDC would prefer if everyone stayed home this Thanksgiving and had virtual feasts via Zoom with friends and family. But recognizing many people are going to see their loved ones on Thanksgiving, the CDC offered advice. In a new public information blast, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reminded Bay State residents that: - No more than 10 people can attend a private indoor party,…

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by Kristin Palpini
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
News
'Bring Your A***s Back To Work,' Atlantic City School Super Says On Zoom As Teachers Sick-Out 'Bring Your A***s Back To Work,' Atlantic City School Super Says On Zoom As Teachers Sick-Out
'Bring Your A***s Back To Work,' Atlantic City School Super Says On Zoom As Teachers Sick-Out Coronavirus continues to wreck havoc in schools across New Jersey, upsetting parents, students and teachers alike.  In Atlantic City, hundreds of school teachers called out sick this week and planned to stay out until working conditions improve, union leaders said. Simmering COVID-19 tensions among teachers and administrators hit a boiling point Tuesday night, when a microphone captured an inflammatory remark by the school district's superintendent. “Bring your asses back to work,” Superintendent Barry Caldwell is heard saying during the public comment portion of a virtual staff meeti…

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by Jon Craig
Franklin Township, NJ
News
Zoom Bombed: Porn-Sharing Hackers Disrupt Raritan Council Meeting Zoom Bombed: Porn-Sharing Hackers Disrupt Raritan Council Meeting
Zoom Bombed: Porn-Sharing Hackers Disrupt Raritan Council Meeting A New Jersey town council trying to meet for the first time last month since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented was derailed by a group of hackers. The hackers shared pornography and yelled profanities during the Oct. 27 Raritan Borough Council Meeting, aired for the public over Zoom. The meeting was quickly shut down but continued off the air,  Mayor Zachary Bray said. A phone-in option for those participating from home. No major business was acted upon, the mayor said. The council will meet again Nov. 17. Hello, Tonight’s council meeting was hacked and we are terribly embarra…

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by Cecilia Levine