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The Perez family has always had strong bonds to one another, and now theyre even stronger as the family overcame the coronavirus.

52-year-old Eloy Oscar Perez was diagnosed with the virus April 8, and his wife and two younger family members also tested positive in the same week.

While the other family members recovered without severe symptoms after 21 days, things took a turn for Eloy on April 15, when he was admitted into University Medical Center and had to be put on a ventilator within an hour of being dropped off by his family.

"My dads biggest battle was overcoming the oxygenation levels. Thats where COVID attacked the hardest," said Eloy Perez, named after his father. "Our dad fought hard, and he was able to overcome the symptoms that came along with COVID."

Perez spoke with A-J Media on his fathers behalf, as Eloys throat was still sore from the experience.

Eloy was in the MICU for just over 20 days, 15 of which were on a ventilator. Not being able to know how he was doing was hard on the family and Eloys daughter, Amber, in particular. She is a nurse working on a COVID floor, and knew what her father was feeling. She was working with patients, but was not allowed to visit her father.

When the hospital started using plasma treatment, Eloy was one of the first patients to receive it. All seemed well for about eight days, and then Perez said his dad suffered cardiac arrest for several minutes.

"I cant tell you how bad we wanted to be with my dad at that moment," Perez recalled. "We knew he needed to hear us. We also knew God had full control, and at that moment learned what it feels like to fully trust in him."

That night, the Perez family prayed for their dad and prayed again the next night, when UMC held a community prayer night. Perez said the family was grateful to the caregivers at UMC because they were giving daily updates on Eloy and helped the family FaceTime after that.

Almost five days after his cardiac arrest, Eloy began to improve. He no longer needed a ventilator and he was becoming more responsive, though doctors and nurses still monitored his condition.

"The teamwork from the doctors and nurses was inspiring," Eloy said via a message later. "The staff was always very positive, supportive and caring when they took care of me."

Eloy has been steadily getting his strength back since returning home and has started physical therapy. He was able to walk on his own again five days after leaving the hospital and is not having to use his oxygen support except in a few cases.

Perez said the caregivers fought for his dad as they would their own family, and they are so grateful for their help and the support from the community.

Now, the family is focused on helping Eloy recover.

"Family is our priority," said Perez. "Together, we know we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way."

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Strengthening their bond: Lubbock family sheds light on recovery after father overcomes COVID-19 - LubbockOnline.com

John Jastremski, a native Staten Islander and longtime sports radio host of WFANs JJ After Dark, is living out his pandemic days in his Brooklyn apartment, which also serves as his recording studio for the time being.

Like many of us, the Petrides HS and Syracuse University alum is taking the stay-at-home order day-by-day, though he longs for the return of professional sports -- not only for the sake of his work, but also out of his own pure desire to sit down and watch a ball game.

For someone who is involved in sports, not having that element of being able to put a game on at night...that throws you out of your comfort zone, admitted Jastremski.

Thankfully and God-willing my family is healthy, he added. But as a sports fan, I need the games back.

In the meantime, the Castleton Corners native, who still spends 3 or 4 days a week on the Island, is doing his best to keep busy when he isnt on the air.

A whole lot of trying to play golf, running, and finding ways to pass the time, said Jastremski.

And hes in the market for an open golf course.

I love running at Clove Lakes Park, but I miss the golf course, he said. Can we find a way to open the golf courses?

Life in the studio has been a bit more challenging, though its a challenge Jastremski has fully embraced.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

One would imagine that hosting a four-hour sports talk radio program without any sports being played might be an arduous task.

In mid-March I was thinking: what am I going to do? admits Jastremski, who hosts his show five nights a week from 2 a.m. to 5:40 a.m. on WFAN, as well as nationally on CBS Sports Radio on Saturday evenings from 6 to 10.

John Jastremski, whose show is known as JJ After Dark on WFAN, was a special guest at one of the Advance's Media Days a handful of years ago. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Some people like to map out their segments [beforehand]," he explained. I like to read and react, give my opinion and see where it takes us.

With this [pandemic], it definitely requires some brainstorming to find topics that I know will engage the audience, added JJ.

While trying to move forward in a perpetually-evolving landscape, Jastremski is actually turning back the clock.

With no live games, theres a whole lot of me tying in nostalgia, said JJ, who has been watching and discussing classic sporting events.

Were all in lockdown reminiscing, he said. A lot of these games I vividly remember.

Nevertheless, even JJ acknowledges that it still doesnt fill the void.

Its cool showing old games and I get excited, but now Im over it, said Jastremski. I love sports because it gives you the chance to react to something new, and that element of being in the moment...I miss it greatly.

STAYING ENGAGED

Jastremski, who typically doesnt saturate his show with guests, has been making an effort to bring in unique voices and fresh perspectives.

We normally dont have a ton of A-list guests, being an overnight show, but Im trying to engage with the audience, challenge their minds and have the audience get into [the show], he explained.

Among the recent and upcoming guests are Bill Raftery, Steve Schirripa, and David Wells, to name a few.

As if the sports landscape hadnt thrown enough of a wrench into the shows daily planning, it now takes place exclusively in Jastremskis Brooklyn apartment -- something he has found beauty in.

Its easy, I have everything I need, said Jastremski, whose main concern is not frightening the neighbors during his 4 a.m. sports rants.

I have my mic, a mic stand, and my call screen right on my computer, he pointed out. Its not as comfortable as the studio, but we find a way to make it work...Im thankful the neighbors havent gotten me evicted yet.

JJ BEFORE DARK?

WFAN recently announced that Jastremski would be switching time slots beginning next week.

The longtime overnight host will take the reigns from 7 pm to 11 pm, at least for the month of June.

Im excited to be introduced to a new audience and new exposure, said JJ. "Well see what happens in July, but its a good chance to get more ears on the show and I appreciate the vote of confidence from the station.

The listeners have been amazing, he added. Never in a million years would I have thought that we could go 70 days without sports and still have jammed phone lines."

JJ hopes to keep the ball rolling in his new time slot.

The continued support, passion, and energy has been great, explained Jastremski. Hopefully the overnight audience can follow me to 7 p.m. and keep the vibes going.

BACK IN ACTION?

Jastremski, a Staten Island sandlot baseball veteran, doesnt expect to lace up his spikes this season due to the shutdown -- but its not all bad news.

I miss not playing, but I dont expect to this year, he said. "But I think well get there.

[Governor] Cuomo has talked of playing without fans in the stands and I think sports will be back real soon, added Jastremski.

But how soon?

Hopefully baseball will come back in July, I think well definitely have the NFL in the fall, said Jastremski.

We need that safety net and that distraction, its very important to get some games back," he added.

Like the rest of us, JJ concluded with what most of us are already thinking:

We need our sports back, he proclaimed.

Record job losses hit the state during the first full month of COVID-19 economic fallout.

Illinois lost 762,200 jobs from mid-March through mid-April, the largest monthly jobs loss in state history, new data shows.

March jobs figures were also revised to show jobs decline of 60,900 jobs instead of the 34,100 originally reported. That is the second largest monthly decline for Illinois in recorded history, according to the preliminary data released May 21 by the Illinois Department of Employment Security in conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Leading the declines was the leisure and hospitality jobs sector, with 50% of the jobs lost. Many of those businesses were ordered to close under Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order, costing that sector 295,300 positions.

All sectors of the economy have experienced job loss since the onset of COVID-19 related fallout. Total non-farm payrolls throughout the state have now fallen to their lowest levels since 1993.

The large decline in payrolls has also sent the unemployment rate skyrocketing. The current estimated real-time unemployment rate is now above 24%. However, this is likely an underrepresentation, as it does not include those who have stopped looking for work altogether during this crisis. When you add those who have dropped out of the labor force into the equation many of whom are likely not being counted due to mismanagement of the unemployment application system the estimated unemployment rate would have been nearly 27%.

Illinois families cannot afford to be out of work for an extended period of time. Many are still waiting to have their unemployment claims processed and have little to no savings to feed themselves or cover other expenses. Other countries and other U.S. states are beginning to phase in the re-opening of their economies.

Business and consumer confidence are a cheap form of stimulus. Pritzker now has an outline of a plan, but Illinoisans need more detail for it to provide the certainty needed to make economic decisions.

State lawmakers need to do their part to minimize uncertainty by voting to remove the progressive income tax from the Nov. 3 ballot, which they can do by supportingHouse Joint Resolution 123. If passed, that tax hike will hit more than 100,000 small businesses the states most prolific job creators just as they are trying to recover from the COVID-19 recession.

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shed 762,200 jobs in April, 12.5 times greater than worst month on record - Illinois Policy

Prince William shed light on his parenting journey, while recollecting emotional childhood memories of his late mother Princess Diana.

Opening up about how becoming a parent was one of the scariest moments of his life, and how he and wife Kate Middleton work through their mental health challenges together, William was seen revealing, in the documentary Football, Prince William and our Mental Health, the impacts of being a father in his life.

While empathising with footballer Marvin Sordell, the Duke of Cambridge recalled his own mother Diana, who passed away in a tragic car accident.

Sordell suffered from depression and grew up without a father.

During the conversation between the two, Sordell tells William, "You know, I found it really tough . . . I grew up without my father . . . I really struggled with my emotions at that time.

William agrees and states, Having children is the biggest life-changing moment, it really is . . . I think when youve been through something traumatic in life, and that is like you say, your dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger, the emotions come back, in leaps and bounds."

Me and Catherine, particularly, we support each other and we go through those moments together and we kind of evolve and learn together.

I can completely relate to what youre saying about children coming along its one of the most amazing moments of life, but its also one of the scariest," he added.

Meanwhile, Sordell also opens up about his lowest point when he attempted suicide in 2013.

I was in a really bad place. I got to the point where I thought I cant do this anymore. I took a load of tablets and went to bed, not expecting to wake up," he says. "If I saw me in that situation now, you can tell a mile off theres a big problem, big, big problem. But its football though literally we dont look at these things and tackle them and try and solve them, we just think we just wanna put that away, and just leave it," he shares.

The new documentary, premiering in the UK on May 28, supports Prince William's HeadsUp campaign which is aimed at creating awareness about mental wellbeing surrounding men.

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Prince William sheds light on parenting journey, recalls mother Diana - Geo News

An empty Chapel Street in New Haven, Conn., on Apr. 23, 2020. Connecticut lost jobs in April.

Photo: Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

An empty Chapel Street in New Haven, Conn., on Apr. 23, 2020. Connecticut lost jobs in April.

Connecticut shed 266K jobs in April

Connecticuts economy shed about 266,000 jobs in April amid the coronavirus crisis, a historic single-month toll that cost the state more than twice the number of salaried and wage positions that it lost in the Great Recession.

Reflecting an unprecedented shutdown of the states economy since its first confirmed COVID-19 case in early March, every major sectors employment contracted, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Labor. Several sectors lost more than 20,000 positions, with each of them alone breaking Connecticuts monthly record for job losses.

Connecticuts unemployment rate for resident workers and self-employed professionals spiked more than four points to 7.9 percent. But the level appears severely underestimated due to data-collection problems, including misclassification of some workers employment status, according to labor officials. They estimate the actual rate is closer to about 17.5 percent, which approaches Great Depression-era levels.

These numbers are both devastating and unsurprising, given the number of businesses shut down. And with businesses that have been allowed to open, many have no business or volume, so theyve been letting people go, said Joe Brennan, CEO and president of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. The main thing is just how quickly we can get them back to work.

Leisure and hospitality ranked as the hardest-hit sector, losing nearly 73,000 salaried and waged jobs. Next came trade, transportation and utilities, which saw employment plunge by about 50,000. Health and education lost about 45,000 positions. Professional and business services ranks dropped by about 26,000, followed by plunges of about 24,000 in other services, around 20,000 in government, approximately 13,000 in manufacturing and nearly 11,000 in construction and mining.

Financial activities and information industries sustained lighter blows: They, respectively, dropped 2,600 and 1,300 positions.

What remains to be seen is how many of these jobs were suspended and will return when public safety permits and how many were permanently lost, Andy Condon, director of the labor departments Office of Research, said in a statement.

In another blow, the labor department announced Thursday that it had revised its originally calculated March jobs loss from 7,600 to about 22,000.

Previous downturns paled in comparison. The state dropped about 119,000 jobs during its 2008-2010 recession. In the worst month in that span, it lost about 17,000 jobs, in April 2009.

It took 10 years to replace 99,000 of those jobs, Kurt Westby, the states labor commissioner, said Thursday in a phone press conference. Just in April 2020 alone, we lost double that. Were talking about job losses of epic proportions.

The damage also far exceeds that of the 1989-1992 downturn when Connecticut lost about 150,000 positions, Don Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for DataCore Partners LLC, noted in a report Thursday.

Barring an immediate cure or vaccine for the coronavirus, this one-month job decline for April implies not only a harsh new economic landscape for Connecticut, but one that is apt to leave scars on the local economy and its residents for months and years to come in the same way that consumer behaviors were abruptly altered back in the 1930s, Klepper-Smith said.

Since March 13, the labor department has received more than 544,000 unemployment insurance applications surpassing the total that it would typically receive in a four-year period.

It was initially overwhelmed by the volume, with many applicants waiting six weeks to receive their benefits. But staffing increases and technological upgrades have helped to speed up the processing of regular claims to an average of about one to two weeks, according to Westby.

As of Thursday, the department had processed about 507,000 claims - although not all of them have been paid out.

Since the pandemic began, DOL has paid out about $1.58 billion in benefits. About $1 billion of that total was distributed through federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which adds $600 in federal stimulus funds to every weekly state benefit payment.

Another $640 million was allotted for regular unemployment benefits and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The latter program supports self-employed and gig workers and independent contractors.

We havent ever increased such a massive increase in claims and calls in the history of the DOL in such a short period of time, Westby said.

While the labor department has sped up its response time, its processing was severely disrupted by IT problems on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The majority of our staff, even those processing claims, are teleworking because of the pandemic. Those staff could not access our servers here within the agency, Dante Bartolomeo, the states deputy labor commissioner, said in the press conference. So even though on Wednesday we were able to resume functions, we were at very low capacities for our staff for most of that day as well.

The technical issues resulted in no data loss, according to Bartolomeo.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott

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Connecticut shed 266K jobs in April - The Advocate

Eighty-seven years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln delivered perhaps the most famous speech in American History. In its text is the ironic line, the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here. This is, of course the Gettysburg Address, 278 of the best words ever delivered.

In this dedication he speaks indirectly of the blood that was shed. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate we can not consecrate we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

Abraham Lincoln was one of many national leaders who were men of deep faith. If we think that their faith was conflicted and complicated, I suggest living through a civil war would tend to make most things conflicted and complicated.

Another national leader with deep faith, James Garfield, played a role in what we now call Memorial Day. He wrote of his baptism in his diary when he was eighteen years old. These are entries made on Sunday and Monday, March 3-4, 1850. Determined to obey the Gospel. Signified my intention of so doing. On Monday he wrote, Meeting. Today I was buried with Christ in baptism and arose to walk in newness of life. For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

He became a lay-preacher and had a successful military career. He was later sent to Washington as a congressman and was honored to give a speech at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday May 30, 1868. The Decoration Day was the first national celebration of what was to become Memorial Day. This is the opening paragraph of his speech.

I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung. With words we make promises, plight faith, praise virtue. Promises may not be kept; plighted faith may be broken; and vaunted virtue be only the cunning mask of vice. We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. For the noblest man that lives, there still remains a conflict. He must still withstand the assaults of time and fortune, must still be assailed with temptations, before which lofty natures have fallen; but with these the conflict ended, the victory was won, when death stamped on them the great seal of heroic character, and closed a record which years can never blot.

The history of war in the United States, as with all nation-states, is checkered to say the least. There have been wars we have been dragged into, Just Wars, wars begun with bad intelligence, and many proxy wars. When one decides to serve a group of people, there will be challenges to ones morals and conscience (this is true even in congregations). There will be decisions made and events that push us beyond our capacity to discern. Anyone going into any kind of service must understand this or learn it very quickly.

I believe that Lincoln and Garfield understood that there is something holy about blood. We learn in Genesis 4:10 that the first blood shed was heard by God, And the LORD said, What have you done? The voice of your brothers blood is crying to me from the ground.

If we consider blood to be holy (as in belonging to God), it will have an impact on how we view war. This is the reason war is so difficult for people of faith. David Lipscomb, for whom Lipscomb University in Nashville is named, was a famous pacifist. He was of the same faith tradition as James Garfield. Lipscomb believed that Christians should not vote. Garfield became President.

According to the Bible, blood represents life. Blood shed for another is given high honor. For over 150 years we have set aside a day to remember the blood shed by those who gave their lives serving in the military. We do not have to agree with the reasons why. We do not have to agree with the violence at all. But we can be thankful and remember. We must. May God grant us peace.