Dozens of ancient artifacts investigators believe were looted have been seized from the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.The office seized 27 artifacts from the Met using three search warrants. They will be repatriated to their countries of origin, a spokesperson for District Attorney Alvin Bragg told CNN."We have two repatriation ceremonies next week, one with Italy and one with Egypt," the spokesperson told CNN. "Fifty-eight objects will go back to Italy, 21 from the Met. Sixteen to Egypt, six from the Met."Bragg's office did not detail where the other artifacts were seized from, nor did it describe the artifacts seized."It should be no secret to collectors, art museums and auction houses that they may be in possession of pieces from known traffickers that were illegally looted," Bragg said. "The investigations conducted by my office have clearly exposed these networks and put into the public domain a wealth of information the art world can proactively use to return antiquities to where they rightfully belong.""Our investigations, which have led to the repatriation of nearly 2,000 objects, will continue," he added.CNN has reached out to the Met for comment.The effort to return cultural artifacts to their home countries after being illegally sold to private collectors or museums has been ongoing. In August, New York officials returned 30 antiquities to Cambodia, including a 10th-century Khmer sculptural "masterpiece."Officials also returned stolen antiquities worth nearly $14 million to Italy in July, including dozens of artifacts seized from US billionaire Michael Steinhardt.In 2021, the Met returned three African art objects, including a pair of 16th-century Benin brass plaques, to Nigeria. The move came after European museums began returning stolen African art to their native countries following mounting pressure to return the irreplaceable artifacts plundered during colonial times.

A U.S. Marine veteran pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the fatal chokehold of a man who was behaving erratically on a New York City subway train.

Daniel Penny, 24, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator who was shouting and begging for money when Penny pinned him to the floor of the moving subway car with the help of two other passengers and held him in a chokehold for more than three minutes.

Neely, 30, lost consciousness during the struggle and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

A grand jury voted to indict Penny on updated charges earlier this month. Wednesday's arraignment on the charges lasted mere minutes. Penny, who is free on bond, only uttered the words “not guilty” before he left the courtroom with his lawyers.

Penny, who served in the Marines for four years and was discharged in 2021, has said he acted to protect himself and others from Neely, who shouted “I’m gonna’ kill you” and said he was “ready to die” or go to jail for life.

“He was yelling in their faces saying these threats,” Penny said in a video released by his attorneys. “I just couldn’t sit still.”

Neely's family members and their supporters have said Neely, who struggled with mental illness and homelessness, was crying out for help and was met with violence.

“What happened to Jordan was a crime and this family shouldn’t have to stand by themselves,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said at Neely's May 19 funeral.

Neely's death aboard an F train in Manhattan quickly became a flashpoint in the nation's debates over racial justice and crime, with Republican politicians including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hailing Penny as a hero while Sharpton and others compared the death of Neely, who was Black, at the hands of Penny, who is white, to the 1984 subway shooting of four Black men by Bernhard Goetz, a white man dubbed the “subway vigilante” who was eventually acquitted of charges in the shooting except for carrying an unlicensed gun.

Gloria Estefan sang a medley of her hits, Post Malone sang one of his forgotten gems, Teddy Riley swayed to New Jack Swing and Jeff Lynne rocked out to "Mr. Blue Sky" at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony Thursday night.The gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City celebrated a diverse group of songwriters, with Broadway represented by lyricist Tim Rice, pop from Glen Ballard and a Nashville twang from Liz Rose. Each inductee spoke about how important music was to them growing up and how it connected them to the past and future.Video above: In May, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Post Malone would be recognized"To those fans that have found in my music what I found in the music of the life-changing songwriters that nourished my soul throughout my life, I thank you for that privilege," said Estefan, the first Hispanic woman to be inducted. "And I can assure you that it is just as magical from the other side of the song."Lynne, of the prog-rock Electric Light Orchestra, who worked with the Travelling Wilburys and Tom Petty, was the first to be honored, with guitarist Joe Walsh introducing his friend as a "a one-man Renaissance artist" and playing ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down."Lynne recalled a day in 1977 when he was in a Swiss chalet trying to write his next album but for weeks it had been dark and misty. Then he woke to the sun shining and blue sky. He soon wrote 14 songs, one of which was "Mr. Blue Sky," which he performed.Rose recalled being a single, working mom with three children who turned to songwriting in her late 30s. She co-wrote many songs with Taylor Swift beginning when the singer-songwriter was 14, including "You Belong with Me," "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "White Horse." Rose doesn't sing or play an instrument and thanked all the artists."The cool thing about songwriting is that you get to hang out with your friends and you get to have therapy and you get to cry and drink wine and eat Cheez-Its," Rose said. "I just love to dig in and just see that song come out at the end of the session. There's just nothing like it."Broadway star Heather Headley introduced Rice and sang "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from "Jesus Christ Superstar," the musical he wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Rice, who is already in the hall, was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the event.Miles Frost, another Broadway star from the Michael Jackson musical "MJ," helped introduce Ballard, who helped write and produce Alanis Morissette's monster 1995 album "Jagged Little Pill" and was involved in the recording and writing of several Jackson albums, including "Thriller," "Bad" and "Dangerous.""The journey of a songwriter is quixotic and occasionally exotic. Never a straight line, but always serpentine," Ballard said. "I've been writing songs from age 4, not for money but because I had to."Doug E. Fresh and Keith Sweat inducted Riley, the singer, songwriter and producer credited with creating New Jack Swing, which fuses hip-hop, R&B, dance and pop, and its top anthems such as Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative." The trio did a medley of hits that included "I Want Her," "No Diggity" and "Rump Shaker."Producer Louis Bell introduced Malone, having met him when he was 19 in a recording studio: "Not only is he one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure of sharing a room with, more importantly he's also one of the purest, most beautiful souls I've ever met."Malone, 27, received the Hal David Starlight Award, given to "gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry."Malone thanked his baby and his fiancee, removed his suit jacket, picked up an acoustic guitar and played "Feeling Whitney," a deep cut from first album "Stoney," with the lyrics: "To each their own and find peace in knowin'/Ain't always broken, but here's to hopin.'""I'm sorry that I played a song that nobody knows," he said to laughter.The last performer of the night was Estefan, who is credited for popularizing Latin rhythms with such crossover smashes as "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" and "Let's Get Loud." I"Music has saved my life," she said.Joined by her husband, Emilio, and 11-year-old grandson, Sasha, Estefan ended the night with a medley of songs that got people on their feet: "Reach," "Words Get in the Way," "Anything for You," "Can't Stay Away from You," "Don't Wanna Lose You," "Let's Get Loud" and "Rhythm Gonna Get You."Snoop Dogg, whose hits include "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin & Juice," deferred his induction to next year. Sade also deferred her induction.The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.Some already in the hall include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.

NEW YORK —

Gloria Estefan sang a medley of her hits, Post Malone sang one of his forgotten gems, Teddy Riley swayed to New Jack Swing and Jeff Lynne rocked out to "Mr. Blue Sky" at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony Thursday night.

The gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City celebrated a diverse group of songwriters, with Broadway represented by lyricist Tim Rice, pop from Glen Ballard and a Nashville twang from Liz Rose. Each inductee spoke about how important music was to them growing up and how it connected them to the past and future.

Video above: In May, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Post Malone would be recognized

"To those fans that have found in my music what I found in the music of the life-changing songwriters that nourished my soul throughout my life, I thank you for that privilege," said Estefan, the first Hispanic woman to be inducted. "And I can assure you that it is just as magical from the other side of the song."

Lynne, of the prog-rock Electric Light Orchestra, who worked with the Travelling Wilburys and Tom Petty, was the first to be honored, with guitarist Joe Walsh introducing his friend as a "a one-man Renaissance artist" and playing ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down."

Evan Agostini

Lynne recalled a day in 1977 when he was in a Swiss chalet trying to write his next album but for weeks it had been dark and misty. Then he woke to the sun shining and blue sky. He soon wrote 14 songs, one of which was "Mr. Blue Sky," which he performed.

Rose recalled being a single, working mom with three children who turned to songwriting in her late 30s. She co-wrote many songs with Taylor Swift beginning when the singer-songwriter was 14, including "You Belong with Me," "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "White Horse." Rose doesn't sing or play an instrument and thanked all the artists.

"The cool thing about songwriting is that you get to hang out with your friends and you get to have therapy and you get to cry and drink wine and eat Cheez-Its," Rose said. "I just love to dig in and just see that song come out at the end of the session. There's just nothing like it."

Evan Agostini

Broadway star Heather Headley introduced Rice and sang "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from "Jesus Christ Superstar," the musical he wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Rice, who is already in the hall, was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the event.

Miles Frost, another Broadway star from the Michael Jackson musical "MJ," helped introduce Ballard, who helped write and produce Alanis Morissette's monster 1995 album "Jagged Little Pill" and was involved in the recording and writing of several Jackson albums, including "Thriller," "Bad" and "Dangerous."

"The journey of a songwriter is quixotic and occasionally exotic. Never a straight line, but always serpentine," Ballard said. "I've been writing songs from age 4, not for money but because I had to."

Doug E. Fresh and Keith Sweat inducted Riley, the singer, songwriter and producer credited with creating New Jack Swing, which fuses hip-hop, R&B, dance and pop, and its top anthems such as Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative." The trio did a medley of hits that included "I Want Her," "No Diggity" and "Rump Shaker."

Producer Louis Bell introduced Malone, having met him when he was 19 in a recording studio: "Not only is he one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure of sharing a room with, more importantly he's also one of the purest, most beautiful souls I've ever met."

Malone, 27, received the Hal David Starlight Award, given to "gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry."

Malone thanked his baby and his fiancee, removed his suit jacket, picked up an acoustic guitar and played "Feeling Whitney," a deep cut from first album "Stoney," with the lyrics: "To each their own and find peace in knowin'/Ain't always broken, but here's to hopin.'"

"I'm sorry that I played a song that nobody knows," he said to laughter.

The last performer of the night was Estefan, who is credited for popularizing Latin rhythms with such crossover smashes as "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" and "Let's Get Loud." I

"Music has saved my life," she said.

Evan Agostini

Joined by her husband, Emilio, and 11-year-old grandson, Sasha, Estefan ended the night with a medley of songs that got people on their feet: "Reach," "Words Get in the Way," "Anything for You," "Can't Stay Away from You," "Don't Wanna Lose You," "Let's Get Loud" and "Rhythm Gonna Get You."

Snoop Dogg, whose hits include "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin & Juice," deferred his induction to next year. Sade also deferred her induction.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.

Some already in the hall include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joined leaders in New York to discuss a rise in antisemitic hate crimes.

His speech before the Orthodox Union highlighted that 63% of religious hate crimes in the U.S. in 2021 were motivated by antisemitism. He added that there was a 34% increase in antisemitic crimes last year.

“Our United States Department of Justice is fully dedicated to the prosecution of hate crimes. I and others will be engaging with investigators and prosecutors in cities and states across the country – with city attorneys, district attorneys, state attorneys general and others – to ensure that violent acts of antisemitism and other forms of hate are addressed at every level, to the fullest extent of the law,” Mayorkas said.

Mayorkas noted the anxiety the Jewish community has long felt.

“As a child, I did not have regular sleepovers with friends, and I didn’t go to sleep-away camps like many of my friends did,” he said. “The horror of the Holocaust that my mother lived through – that most of her family did not survive – defined my mother’s fear of her young children being away from home, and her frame of mind that hatred of Jews can mean violence even in what one thinks are the safest of places.”

The rise has been particularly stark in New York City. The city reported 195 incidents of hate crimes directed at the Jewish population from January through September 2022. During the first nine months of 2021, there were 141 incidents reported.

“After decades of hard-won progress, tamping down antisemitism in America, we have now experienced a dramatic resurgence in the last few years,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is also a Jewish resident of Brooklyn. “Not only slurs, not only graffiti, and threats, all of which are abhorrent and unacceptable, but also physical violence against our Jewish brothers and sisters. Sometimes tragically deadly.”

New York City plans to soon lift one of its COVID-19 vaccine requirements for indoor activities, but Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is unvaccinated, still won't be able to play home games due to the city's workplace vaccine mandate, a city official confirmed to CNN.

However, Irving would be able to attend home games as a spectator.

News of the restrictions were first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.

On Sunday, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that provided the city's COVID-19 numbers continue to go down, he plans to lift the city's requirement to show proof of vaccination for indoor activities such as dining, attending gyms and entertainment facilities for those ages 5 and older starting March 7.

The move was part of a general relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions as the omicron wave of cases has sharply receded over the past month. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday students will no longer be required to wear masks in schools, and Adams said he plans to remove the school mask mandate next week.

However, the city still has a mandate requiring all workers who perform in-person work or interact with the public to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

"Businesses may not allow any unvaccinated workers to come to their workplace," the city's website explains.

The city does allow an exception for non-NYC resident entertainers and professional athletes. That means unvaccinated players on other NBA teams are still allowed to play against the Nets at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver noted that paradox on ESPN's "Get Up" two weeks ago, saying the city rule "doesn't quite make sense to me."

"This law in New York, the oddity of it to me is that it only applies to home players," Silver said. "I think if ultimately that rule is about protecting people who are in the arena, it just doesn't quite make sense to me that an away player who is unvaccinated can play in Barclays but the home player can't. To me, that's a reason they should take a look at that ordinance."

He added that about 97% to 98% of NBA players were vaccinated.

As an unvaccinated player, Irving — a seven-time NBA All-Star — made his return to the Nets in January, playing in only road games due to the city's mandate. Irving has played in 15 games this season, averaging 25.1 points per game and 5.3 assists. The Nets are 32-29 on the season.

The NBA directed comments to the mayor's office. CNN has reached out to the Nets for comment but did not immediately hear back.

NEW YORK CITY — A new action that rolled out Monday in New York in hopes to combat violence and homelessness in subways comes as at least six people were stabbed over the holiday weekend.

According to CNN, six people were stabbed in New York City train stations since the plan was announced Friday, which was unveiled by Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

The new plan hopes to see more police and mental health teams into the subways, the Associated Press reported.

ABC News reported that the plan notes that many people who use the subways for shelter need help, not handcuffs.

According to the AP, a 74-year-old man was slashed in the face after he argued with two female teenagers for allegedly smoking on the train.

Those suspects were arrested, the news outlet reported.

A 58-year-old man was arrested Monday, accused of going after another man with a hatchet around 12:30 a.m. in a Brooklyn subway station.

CNN reported that a 46-year-old man was stabbed in the thigh after he was approached by three males who demanded money.

On Friday, a man was arrested for allegedly stabbing another man inside a Queens subway station.

On Saturday, a 20-year-old female victim was punched in the back inside a subway station in Brooklyn. She was then stabbed three times in the abdomen by the suspect after getting into an argument.

The sixth victim was stabbed in the leg Saturday night after two men attempted to remove property from the male victim.

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 health and safety protocols were announced Thursday for the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square.

The event in New York City will be limited to 15,000 people. Approximately 58,000 people typically pack into Times Square to see the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Masks and proof of vaccination status are required for those planning to attend the event. Organizers will also limit entry to after 3 p.m.

The latest health protocols come as New York City faces a surge in cases of COVID-19 due to the omicron variant. The latest seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in New York City is well over 12,000.

This year's event marks the return of the in-person celebration. The annual tradition was virtual in 2020 due to concerns about the virus.

Bradley Cooper opens up about a harrowing ordeal he faced after being held at knifepoint in New York City.

USA Today and CNN reported that the actor revealed the October 2019 scary incident on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast on Monday.

According to the news outlets, Cooper said it happened on the subway on his way to pick up his 4-year-old daughter, which he shares with ex Irina Shayk, from school.

People reported that Cooper didn't notice the person approaching him because he was wearing headphones and couldn't hear what he was saying.

Cooper said he at first thought the person was asking for a selfie, but when he noticed the blade, he knocked the person's arm away and ran.

As the person was running away, Cooper said he could get a picture of them and show police who were nearby.

Cooper said he then got back on the subway and picked up his daughter.

The Oscar nominee was unharmed.

One in six New York City municipal workers remained unvaccinated after Friday’s deadline to show proof they’ve gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the city said Saturday.

A last-minute rush of jabs boosted the vaccination rate to 83% among police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors and other city workers covered by the mandate as of 8 p.m. Friday, up from 76% a day earlier.

The more than 26,000 workers who haven’t complied with the requirement will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday, leaving the Big Apple bracing for the possibility of closed firehouses, fewer police and ambulances and mounting trash.

Vaccination rates for the city’s fire and sanitation departments jumped significantly Friday as workers rushed to meet the deadline for the mandate and an extra incentive: Workers who get a shot by Friday will get $500.

The fire department’s rate rose 8% and the sanitation department saw an additional 10% of its staff get vaccinated Friday, according to city data. The fire and sanitation departments each have 23% of their staffs that still haven’t been vaccinated.

The NYPD had a 5% jump in vaccinations Friday, leaving 16% of police personnel who had yet to get a dose.

City officials have been weighing various contingencies to deal with an expected staffing shortfall come Monday.

The fire department said it was prepared to close up to 20% of its fire companies and have 20% fewer ambulances in service while also changing schedules, canceling vacations and turning to outside EMS providers to make up for expected staffing shortages.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the sanitation department will move to 12-hour shifts, as opposed to the usual 8-hour shifts, and begin working Sundays to ensure trash doesn’t pile up.

New York City will phase out its controversial gifted and talented student program after years of debate that the exclusive classes further segregated students.

City officials say the new policy will allow all rising kindergarteners to have access to accelerated learning, in what the Mayor says will provide an equitable model allowing children to "reach their full potential."

The program, named Brilliant NYC, will do away with the test given to 4-year-olds before they enter kindergarten to identify "gifted and talented" students, and instead implement an accelerated instructional model in Fall of 2022 that will serve all approximately 65,000 kindergartners, according to the Department of Education (DOE).

"The era of judging 4-year-olds based on a single test is over," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. "Brilliant NYC will deliver accelerated instruction for tens of thousands of children, as opposed to a select few," he said.

"Every New York City child deserves to reach their full potential, and this new, equitable model gives them that chance."

The current gifted and talented program admitted 2,500 students based on test scores, many who were predominantly Asian American and White, according to the DOE.

For years, students, advocates and some educators alleged the city's gifted and talented exam was polarizing and didn't ease the existing debates over the unequal and discriminatory treatment of Black and Latino students.

New York City public schools are some of the most segregated in the U.S., according to the UCLA Civil Rights Project. In an updated analysis using 2018 data, a report released this year found that New York retains its place as the most segregated state for Black students, and second most segregated for Latino students, trailing only California.

The segregation is stark in New York City. In the city's public schools, 74.6% of Black and Latino students attend a school where fewer than 10% of the student body is White. Additionally, 34.3% of White students attend schools that are majority-White, according to the DOE.

Earlier this year, students and advocates filed a lawsuit against state and city defendants that "challenged the racial hierarchies in public education and asserting their right under the New York State Constitution to an education that identifies and dismantles racism."

What happens next

Admission to the program was based on a test score and availability of seats in the program, and not every child that scored high enough received an offer, the DOE explained. But that structure ends as every kindergartener will now have access to accelerated learning.

Students currently admitted to gifted and talented program will continue their elementary education in their current programming, the DOE said.

Under the new plan, students heading into third grade will be universally screened to evaluate whether they may benefit from tailored accelerated instruction, however will remain in mixed-level classrooms, according to the DOE.

Robin Kelleher, an elected parent leader in District 2, told the New York Times Friday that de Blasio's announcement felt like a "political stunt," and that the mayor would be leaving a pile of "bloody broken bone fragments" for the next mayor to clean up.

Eric Adams is the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York.

According to the Times, Adams has endorsed keeping the gifted and talented classes while increasing them in low-income neighborhoods.

That idea has been questioned by researchers, but it is popular with some parents, including Black and Latino families who want more gifted options, the Times reported.

During an appearance on Brian Lehrer's weekly ask the mayor show Friday, de Blasio defended the plan.

"We respect the parents who worked hard to get their kids ready for a test that I think was a mistake to begin with but it exists," he said. "And we don't want to take away from people who got something that's why we're phasing it out."

Adams' spokesperson Evan Thies told CNN that, Adams, "will assess the plan and reserves his right to implement policies based on the needs of students and parents, should he become mayor. Clearly the Department of Education must improve outcomes for children from lower-income areas."

Under the new plan, the accelerated instruction will include learning through projects centered on real world problems, including in part, robotics and coding to community organization and advocacy, per the DOE.

Officials plan to train all 4,000 kindergarten teachers in this accelerated learning instruction, hire new teachers already trained, and launch teams of experts across the boroughs to support its implementation. The DOE also plans to expand the schools with the accelerated program from 80 to 800.

The DOE said it plans to launch citywide forums in all 32 districts this October and November to gain community feedback, before rolling out the plan in December.

"As a lifelong educator, I know every child in New York City has talents that go far beyond what a single test can capture and the Brilliant NYC plan will uncover their strengths so they can succeed," Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter said.

Porter also appeared on Brian Lehrer's show to answer questions about the new plan.

"This moment is about making sure that you don't have to cross district lines, that you don't have to go outside your neighborhood, but that your neighborhood schools can actually provide the support the services the type of learning that your child needs.

A largely virtual St. Patrick's Day is planned for New York City on Wednesday, one year after the annual parade celebrating Irish heritage became one of the city's first coronavirus casualties.

Although the city's usual huge parade with floats and marching bands has been canceled, a few dozen people are expected to march at 6 a.m. to keep the tradition alive, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Then at 8:30 a.m. there will be a live broadcast of the St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, according to the parade organizers' website. A virtual parade featuring clips of marching groups from past years will follow at 10 a.m. and an hourlong show streaming on Facebook at 11 a.m. will include performances by singers Andy Cooney and Moya Brennan.

Multitudes of people usually line Fifth Avenue for New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, which traces its roots to the 1760s.

The city was just starting to shut down to halt the spread of the coronavirus on St. Patrick’s Day 2020, and de Blasio waited until days before the parade to cancel it. A small group marched in the rain before 7 a.m.

St. Patrick's Day is also usually big business for taverns and restaurants, both within the city and across the country, and a major date on the calendar for tourism.

Related video: Bars put COVID-19 protocol plans in place for St. Patrick's Day

This year, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, celebrations will be muted. Establishments that serve alcohol can only do so if they also serve food. Closing time is 11 p.m. Taverns and pubs, like all restaurants, can only fill 35% of their seats. That will rise to 50% two days after the holiday.

New York held a ticker-tape parade Wednesday for the health care workers and others who helped the city pull through the darkest days of COVID-19, while authorities in Missouri struggled to beat back a surge blamed on the fast-spreading delta variant and deep resistance to getting vaccinated.

The split-screen images could be a glimpse of what public health experts say may lie ahead for the U.S. even as life gets back to something close to normal: outbreaks in corners of the country with low vaccination rates.

"We've got a lot to appreciate, because we're well underway in our recovery," declared New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who rode on a parade float with hospital employees down the Canyon of Heroes, the skyscraper-lined stretch of Broadway where astronauts, returning soldiers and championship teams are feted.

In Missouri, meanwhile, the Springfield area has been hit so hard that one hospital had to borrow ventilators over the Fourth of July weekend and begged on social media for help from respiratory therapists, several of whom volunteered from other states. Members of a new federal "surge response team" also began arriving to help suppress the outbreak.

Missouri not only leads the nation in new cases relative to the population, it is also averaging 1,000 cases per day — about the same number as the entire Northeast, including the big cities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

California, with 40 million people, is posting only slightly higher case numbers than Missouri, which has a population of 6 million.

Northeastern states have seen cases, deaths and hospitalizations plummet to almost nothing amid widespread acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vermont has gone 26 days with new case numbers in single digits. In Maryland, the governor's office said every death recorded in June was in an unvaccinated person. New York City, which was the lethal epicenter of the U.S. outbreak in the spring of 2020, when the number of dead peaked at over 800 a day, regularly goes entire days with no reported deaths.

The problem in Missouri, as health experts see it: Just 45% of the state's residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 55% of the U.S. population. Some rural counties near Springfield have vaccination rates in the teens and 20s.

At the same time, the delta variant is fast becoming the predominant version of the virus in Missouri.

Epidemiologists say the country should expect more COVID-19 outbreaks in areas with low vaccination rates over the next several months.

"I'm afraid that that is very predictable," said Dr. Chris Beyrer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins University. "If politician seize on this and say, 'Who could have predicted this?' The answer is every licensed epidemiologist in the country."

Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Wednesday that his administration has done "everything possible" to fend off outbreaks.

"Right now, the vaccine's out there," he said. "I mean, people walk past it every day, whether they're in a pharmacy, whether they're in a Walmart, whether they're in a health center."

Mercy Hospital Springfield reported Tuesday that it had more than 120 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — the highest total since the pandemic began. Seventeen people died in the latest two-week reporting period in the county that surrounds Springfield, the most since January. None were vaccinated, authorities said.

Erik Frederick, Mercy's chief administrative officer, said staff members are frustrated knowing that "this is preventable this time" because of the vaccine.

"We try to convince people, but it is almost like you are talking a different language," he lamented. "There is no way they are going to get a vaccine. Their personal freedom is more important."

The Mercy system announced Wednesday it is requiring vaccinations among staff at the hospital in Springfield, as well as at its hundreds of other hospitals and clinics in Missouri and neighboring states. It said about 75% of its more than 40,000 employees are vaccinated.

Missouri also never had a statewide mask mandate. The sentiment against government intervention is so strong that Brian Steele, mayor of the Springfield suburb of Nixa, is facing a recall vote after imposing a mask rule, even though it has long since expired.

At Springfield's other hospital, Cox South, several patients are in their 20s and 30s, said Ashley Kimberling Casad, vice president of clinical services. She said she had been hopeful when she eyed the COVID-19 numbers in May as she prepared to return from maternity leave.

"I really thought when I came back from maternity leave that, not that COVID would be gone, but that it would just be so manageable. Then all of a sudden it started spiking," she said, adding that nearly all the virus samples that the hospital is sending for testing are proving to be the delta variant.

Citing the rise in cases, the Springfield school district reinstated its mask requirement for its summer program starting Wednesday.

The contrasting scenes in the U.S. came as the worldwide death toll from COVID-19 closed in on 4 million, by Johns Hopkins University's count. COVID-19 deaths nationwide are down to around 200 per day from a peak of over 3,400 per day in January.

In New York, those honored at the parade included nurses and doctors, emergency crews, bus drivers and train operators, teachers and utility workers. The crowds along the route were thin, in part because many businesses are still operating remotely.

"What a difference a year makes," said parade grand marshal Sandra Lindsay, a nurse who was the first person in the country to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot.

"Fifteen months ago, we were in a much different place, but thanks to the heroic efforts of so many — health care workers, first responders, front-line workers, the people who fed us, the people who put their lives on the line, we can't thank them enough."

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Tom Murphy contributed to this report from Indianapolis.