In the old days, it was enough for teachers to air their grievances in the mysterious smoke-filled teacher's lounge, where they gossiped about students and had coke-fueled sex orgies. But this is the Internet age, and kvetching in person just isn't enough anymore. That's why a Fresh Meadows teacher started the website Burn and Rot in Hell, a message board where visitors are encouraged to vent about everything from "sex" to "bad students" to "other stuff." It's healthy to blow off steam, but the wholesome administrators at St. Francis Prep School (Home of the Fightin' Swine Flu!) think the website is inappropriate, and they've suspended teacher Elizabeth Cucinotta without pay. more ›

St. Francis Prep, the Queens private school where many of the city's swine flu cases originated (some students had gone to Mexico for spring break), has reopened today. Mayor Bloomberg was present to help welcome back the students who had been catching up with homework via the Internet. And the students seem to be glad to get back to normalcy—one student who had the A(H1N1) flue told WABC 7, "I'm feeling great now. After the long break, I'm glad to see everyone else and how they're doing... I'm just hoping the school's clean." more ›

St. Francis Prep, the private school in Queens where many students came down with the swine flu, will reopen on Monday. A group of students had gone to Mexico for spring break and, in turn, infected some of their classmates. NY1 reports that most of the students have recovered or are "close to it"—and the school says its air system has been purified. more ›

As the swine flu death toll in Mexico rose to 149 yesterday (with 2,000 hospitalized), for the first time ever the World Health Organization raised its global epidemic threat level to Phase IV. That's two phases below a full blown pandemic, and the alert means there is sustained human-to-human transmission, with containment is no longer possible. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg announced this afternoon that the number of confirmed instances of swine flu in New York has jumped up to 28, with another 17 probable cases likely to follow. But he emphasized that all of these are still relegated to students from St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows and officials reported once again that none of the teenagers afflicted are gravely ill. Bloomberg said, "We have one reported cluster of swine flu at one school." more ›

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg confirmed that swine flu has hit New York, and the federal government declared a national public health emergency. The current outbreak is believed to have originated in Mexico, where the virus is suspected to have caused 81 deaths and 374 hospitalizations as of yesterday. The eight confirmed cases in New York are all from St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, where some students recently returned from spring break in Mexico. more ›

Update, 1:20 p.m.: The Obama administration has declared a "public health emergency" with further cases of swine flu expected to emerge. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the declaration of a public health emergency "standard operating procedure." more ›

The Health Department is conducting tests to determine whether swine flu has found its way into our area after 75 students at a Queens high school turned up sick with potential symptoms for the virus. Students from St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows are being tested after dozens have reported nausea, fever, dizzyness, aches and pains. One student told NY1, "My chest is really tight, it feels like a 20-pound baby is sitting on my chest. I have shortness of breath, I can't even walk up the steps, and as you can hear I'm stuffy and my coughing is getting really bad." more ›