Good morning. Women are more likely to suffer from long COVID compared to men, according to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Long COVID presents itself with typical COVID-19 symptoms for weeks, or even years after infection. Researchers found that 17% of adult women had long COVID compared to only 11% of men. No exact cause for this gender divide has been determined yet.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
A suspended Riverhead administrator will return to work soon. Jefferson Murphree was charged with insubordination, incompetence and neglect of duty in March for allegedly mismanaging the town’s comprehensive plan update and delaying building and planning work. He was reinstated last week but will no longer oversee building and planning departments. A hearing on Murphee’s case will be held in December.
Families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims offered a deal to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones last week. Jones could pay $8.5 million a year for 10 years — plus 50% of any income over $9 million per year instead of paying the $1.5 billion in defamation damages. Families of the victims won a lawsuit against Jones this summer after he repeatedly called the shooting a “hoax.” Jones faces bankruptcy and has not responded to the offer yet.
More New York dispensaries may begin to open after the Cannabis Control Board reached settlements in two lawsuits on Monday. The opening of dispensaries was paused in August after a group of veterans sued the board for being unjustly prohibited from opening their own stores, resulting in an injunction. The settlements are pending court approval. If approved, over 430 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary Program licensees can resume opening stores.
Over 50,000 New York drivers may have their licenses suspended if they fail to pass or skip vision tests by Friday. The high number of potential suspensions stems from a COVID-19 policy that allowed drivers to self-certify vision tests in order to limit crowds at DMV offices. Many residents used this policy to skip the test entirely. Drivers who are repeatedly pulled over with license suspensions may face misdemeanors up to $300 or 30 days in jail.
A member of the MS-13 gang was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murdering a 15-year-old in Central Islip. According to Newsday, Lidia DelCarmen-Rodriguez ambushed and fatally shot Jasson Medrano-Molina in 2019, believing he was a member of the rival 18th Street gang. DelCarmen-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the murder in 2022 and is expected to be deported to El Salvador once her 22-year sentence is complete.
Recently reinstated Shelton police officer faces more restrictions amid returning to duty. David Moore was reinstated after being improperly fired for allegedly covering up a domestic violence case. Superior Court Judge Scott Burns barred Moore from carrying a gun and ordered him to stay away from Police Chief Shawn Sequeira on Monday. Moore was charged with third-degree stalking in August.
Over 70 women issued proposed settlements to Yale to resolve a fertility procedure lawsuit. The women sued Yale for inflicting painful fertility procedures on them after their pain medication was stolen and swapped with saline. The settlements would cost the university over $118 million. Yale has not responded to the proposed settlements yet. Trials for the lawsuits are expected to begin in Oct. 2025.
