New York City fired more than a thousand workers who failed to comply with the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the mayor's office said Monday.

The 1,430 workers who lost their jobs represent less than 1% of the 370,000-person city workforce and are far fewer terminations than expected before a Friday deadline to get the shots.

The city sent notices in late January to up to 4,000 workers, saying they had to show proof they got at least two doses of the vaccine or else they'd lose their jobs. Three-quarters of those workers had already been on leave without pay for months, having missed an earlier deadline for getting vaccinated in order to stay on the job.

Mayor Eric Adams' office said hundreds of workers produced proof of their vaccines or got the shots after being notified they would be fired. Of the 1,430 fired workers, about 64% worked for the city's education department.

The United Federation of Teachers, the public school teachers' union, said last week that about 700 of its members had been given notice they would be fired. The union joined with others to sue to block the firings, but a judge ruled in favor of the city on Thursday.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal from a group of Department of Education employees. New York City has imposed some of the most sweeping vaccine mandates in the country, requiring almost all city workers to be vaccinated and requiring private employers to ensure their workers get vaccinated as well.

Customers of restaurants, gym and entertainment venues also have to show proof of vaccine to enter.

This story was originally published by Alexandra Miller of Newsy, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

New York Mayor Eric Adams says he plans to receive his first paycheck as mayor in the form of the cryptocurrencies bitcoin and ethereum.

Mayor Adams made the remarks Thursday, as Reuters reported, amid an increasing rush by investors, countries, and companies to be more open to understanding the currencies, which run on blockchain technology.

Adams' Friday paycheck will be switched into cryptocurrency using an online platform called Coinbase Global Inc., Adam's said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Earlier this month one of the nation's largest retailers, Walmart, was said to have reportedly filed multiple trademark applications in late December to sell virtual goods. The retailer signaled in the filing that the company plans to possibly get involved with NFTs, the acronym for "non-fungible tokens," which are virtual items sold with a physical certificate of authenticity. Walmart also plans to delve into the cryptoconcurrency space as well, as Engadget reported.

The death of an LGBTQ advocate and brother of a former Miami mayor is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said, after his body was discovered in a Florida landfill.

Jorge Diaz-Johnston, a plaintiff in a historic same-sex marriage lawsuit against Miami-Dade County in 2014, was found dead at a Jackson County landfill on Jan. 8, the Tallahassee Police Department said.

The body had been in trash collected from an Okaloosa County landfill that morning and transported to Jackson County by a garbage transportation company, according to a statement released by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

The 54-year-old was last seen Jan. 3 in Tallahassee, police said.

Diaz-Johnston and his husband Don Johnston were one of six couples who filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County in 2014 challenging Florida's ban on same-sex marriage. A Miami-Dade circuit judge ruled in the couples' favor in 2015.

"There are just no words for the loss of my beloved husband Jorge Isaias Diaz-Johnston," Johnston wrote on social media Wednesday. "He touched so many people with his kind and generous heart."

Manny Diaz, chair of the Florida Democratic Party and the mayor of Miami from 2001-2009, released a statement thanking police and city officials who worked to locate his brother and investigate the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

"I am profoundly appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to me, my brother-in-law Don, and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Diaz-Johnston. My brother was such a special gift to this world whose heart and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come," the statement said.

The investigation into Diaz-Johnston's death is ongoing, the Tallahassee Police Department said. Investigators asked for those with any information to contact detectives.

In less than one week, Cincinnati will know who its next mayor will be. One of the key issues in the race is violence in the city, particularly among young people.

One day after Mayor John Cranley gave his final state of the city address, WLWT asked the two mayoral candidates looking to replace him to give their own thoughts on the current state of Cincinnati.

"I agree with him. We have made a lot of progress in the last eight years and happily, I've been a part of that. For the first time in decades, the city's population has grown. We have created in the last eight years 29,000 additional jobs. We've done a lot to reduce poverty. We've done a lot to engage with neighborhoods," David Mann said. "I think we're on track so the issue and the challenge is continuing that and making sure that the benefits of what's happening are spread to as many of our citizens as possible."

"There's no doubt that we have seen incredible progress over the last 20 years, but unfortunately the pandemic, the challenges of gun violence, the economic downturn because of the pandemic and then obviously the several indictments on city council has unfortunately blemished some of that progress," Aftab Pureval said. "So while I think the state of the city is strong, I believe we need new leadership to turn the page on that ugly chapter."

Both candidates said addressing violence would be among their first priorities if elected.

"Number one, we support our police and we celebrate the fact that our police have evolved so positively in the last 20 years," Mann said. "We have to ask ourselves why young people ages 13, 14, 15 have illegal guns and why are they apparently lost souls without hope."

"No one of us has a magic wand to fix this issue overnight, but what I'm committed to doing is working with law enforcement, working with community stakeholders to get around the table and come up with the most innovative ideas that we can," Pureval said.

When asked about the keys to economic success following the pandemic, both candidates said growth is important.

"Creating a vibrant economy that increases jobs, supporting our neighborhoods and continuing some of the wonderful renaissance that's taken place in the last eight years," Mann said. "If I'm elected, I will concentrate very highly on making sure that we are as inclusive and equitable a community as possible."

"I firmly believe that cities that innovate, that are flexible, that are nimble will be the ones that grow and succeed over the next 10 years. The pandemic has completely changed the way that we work, the way that we live, the way that we play and Cincinnati is well-poised to take advantage of that future," Pureval said.

Mann said restoring trust in government is another one of his top priorities, while Pureval said affordable housing is another one of his.

CLEVELAND — Barbara Fulker and James Gavin of Cleveland feel lucky to be alive. After a suspect van plowed into their home during a Cleveland police chase in July 2019, the couple is now left with $30,000 in repairs.

The senior couple told News 5 they live on a fixed income and couldn't afford homeowners insurance.

So far, the City of Cleveland has told them it's not responsible for helping with repair costs due to "sovereign immunity," which absolves the city of liability in situations involving emergency services like police, fire, or EMS.

To make matters worse, the couple said four months after the accident, the city issued them a citation, fine, and court hearing for the unfinished repairs.

The couple said too often they're forced to use a narrow wooden ramp to get into their home.

“It was a van speeding, and they lost control of the van and ran into the house and the steps," Fulker said. “I was very scared and very shocked. I really couldn’t believe it.”

“I called several times, and I left so many messages, never got a callback, they won't help us."

“I told them we couldn’t afford to have this fixed, especially not in 30 days. We don’t have that kind of money. We still don’t have it.”

Fulker has now challenged the candidates for the vacant Ward 4 Cleveland city council seat to help them find a solution.

Candidate Deborah Gray told WEWS if she's elected, she'll propose legislation that could grant repair assistance to homeowners dealing with police chase-related property damage by amending what can be covered by the Cleveland Moral Claims Commission.

While candidate Erick Walker told WEWS if he is elected in November, he'll explore a city-based homeowners insurance assistance program for qualifying low-income families and seniors on a fixed income, which could help with these types of damage claims.

News 5 also reached out to the Cleveland Mayor's office about this case, and it responded immediately. The city said it'd contacted several city departments to see if anything could be done to help the couple repair their home.

Joe Pagonakis at WEWS first reported this story.

WASHINGTON - The mayor of Washington D.C. declared Wednesday a day of remembrance as the nation’s capital surpassed 1,000 deaths from the coronavirus, including the mayor’s sister.

Following Mayor Muriel Bowser’s declaration, she shared that her sister was among those who lost their lives this week.

In a thread on Twitter, Bowser said her sister Mercia had been treated for COVID-19-related pneumonia, and died Wednesday morning from complications related to COVID-19.

“Mercia was loved immensely and will be missed greatly, as she joins the legion of angels who have gone home too soon due to the pandemic,” Mayor Bowser tweeted.

“I ask that you continue to keep those who have been lost or impacted by the pandemic and those who are working so hard to protect us from it in your thoughts/prayers,” she added.

Wednesday night, houses of worship across the D.C. area will honor the lives lost to COVID-19.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley gets his vaccine as eligibility opens up

Updated: 6:55 PM EDT Mar 19, 2021

Getting his first COVID-19 shot was a joyful moment of relief for Cincinnati's mayor, John Cranley."I am over 40 so I happily receive my vaccine today of Moderna," said Cranley.Cranley said the shot itself was painless, but the pain of the past year was not lost on him. "I have to say it was a bit emotional. A yearlong of suffering, of sacrifice, of tragedy. I have friends who lost their parents to COVID," said Cranley.Cincinnati Health Department nursing director, Virginia Scott, administered Cranley's vaccine. She said the health department is ready for even more patients as the eligibility groups open up. "We have been going six days a week, depending on the vaccine allocation, we will go on to the seventh day. We will not leave a week with vaccine still in our fridge or our freezer," said Scott.With one half of his COVID-19 immunity wrapped up, Mayor Cranley urges people not to get complacent so close to the end. "It's important to be careful, wear masks, until you get the vaccine, distance because we're so close. We're so close to the end here," said Cranley. The mayor will receive his second shot mid April.

CINCINNATI — It feels like the national election just ended, but people can now vote early in the primaries in Ohio.

RELATED: Hamilton County Board of Elections sets the lineup for Cincinnati mayoral race

The biggest local race on the ballot is the race for mayor of Cincinnati. It's important to remember that race is non-partisan, so whoever the top two people are with the most votes will be on the November ballot regardless of their political party.

The candidates in the mayor's race are:

• Tech start-up entrepreneur Gavi Begtrup
• Current city councilman David Mann
• West Sider running as an Independent Herman Najoli
• Retired district fire chief Raffel Prophet
• Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval
• Ohio Senator Cecil Thomas

Some of the other races on the primary include Harrison city council, Silverton mayor and city tax levies.

People can still request absentee ballots, but they have to be returned to the Hamilton County Board of Elections by May 1. For more information on how to vote in the primary, click here.

HAMILTON, Ohio — How much would you spend to preserve history? It’s the big question the City of Hamilton is struggling with when it comes to saving a historic CSX rail station.

The idea of moving the building and repurposing it for a modern use was floated before residents in February – now the city is eyeing a price tag of several hundred thousand dollars to save it.

The fate of the building came down to a city council vote Wednesday evening.

“Let’s use what we have,” Hamilton resident Phil Thayer said. “Use that history. Take advantage of the beauty we have in Hamilton we’re so lucky to have.”

For Thayer, it’s a matter of saving history. For now, the future of the train station is at a crossroads.

“I don’t have a great idea of what it should be,” he said. “I know it needs to be saved. It has a lot of great options for what it could become. It just has to be saved first.”

Hamilton’s City Council was presented with an ordinance to accept a donation of the train depot by CSX, but it comes with a steep price tag. Physically uprooting the building – adding a foundation – and moving it 500 feet to Maple Avenue adds up to an estimated cost of $600,000. On top of that – renovating the entire area could cost nearly $1.5 million.

“I struggle with the cost to relocate the historic depot,” Hamilton mayor Pat Moeller said. “I really, really struggle with the loss of a historic building that connects Hamilton to Lincoln, Truman and Eisenhower.”

Council member Susan Vaughn opposes the idea of spending general fund dollars to move the building.

“We received thousands of signatures on petitions,” she said. “Maybe if each one of those came with a $100 commitment, maybe we would’ve raised $200,000. Maybe that would help with the moving.

Some council members believe the money could be put to better use elsewhere.

“There’s so much more we can do with this that should be affecting the people living and breathing here right now,” council member Carla Fieher said. “To put any general money into it right now I think it’s a sin.”

This was a sentiment Moeller argued.

“No other building in this city has that authentic history,” he said. “We seem to get more and more convince stores, but less and less historic buildings.”

His vision is centered around the opportunity a renovation could bring.

“I envision Maple Avenue being a historic railroad district,” Moeller said. “Taking a block at a time. What’s the first block? That can be the historic CSX train depot.”

Thayer said this is an opportunity the city can’t afford to pass up.

“In Hamilton we’ve seen those costs pay off,” he said. “They brought up the Municipal Building where Municipal Brew Works is now. They didn’t know what was going to happen with it years and years ago when they saved it. They didn’t know that Spooky Nook was going to become Spooky Nook. And now the community is looking at that to be an economic driver.”

The vote passed five to two; Hamilton now has possession of the building.

At the next city council meeting in two weeks’ time – city leaders will decide if they want some, all, or none of Hamilton’s historic train station to be saved.