Nassau Illustrated News 5/10/23 edition is published weekly by Anton Media Group.

Celebrating Life At Its Greenest Garden City group seeds kindness, and history, for spring

JANET BURNS

jburns@antonmediagroup.com

Members of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHSLI) in Garden City have been busy as bees (which they hope to attract) in their garden lately, giving both a historical tree and a new ‘kindness garden’ room to root.

In honor of the recent Earth Day and Arbor Day holidays, EHSLI community members recently planted a new sapling named for our nation’s 32nd president that will offer its future admirers a look back at U.S. ecological history.

Vinnie Drzewucki, an EHSLI member who’s also a Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Nassau County Horticulture and Urban Forestry Educator and a Certified Arborist, led the celebration with the planting of a Franklin D. Roosevelt American Chestnut Oak.

As part of the tree-planting ceremony, community members wrote wishes for the tree on a piece of paper that was included in the planting hole for the tree to grow into and up with.

“This tree is a perfect addition to our Ethical Society’s recently developed native garden landscape,” commented Drzewucki.

The American Chestnut Oak is a member of the white oak group that is native to Long Island, New York State, the Appalachians, and the U.S. northeast, meaning the EHSLI’s new tree is well-suited to our climate and soils. It’s called a Chestnut Oak because the leaves resemble American Chestnut leaves, and will grow about a foot a year, eventually reaching 60 to 70 feet tall and wide. With luck, such trees can easily live to be over 200 years old.

“Like all oak trees,” Drzewucki said, “this one will provide lots of environmental

economic, social and health benefits for all, including cleaning the air of particulates and pollution, reducing asthma and other respiratory ailments, providing oxygen, absorbing stormwater and keeping bay and ocean waters and seafood free from pollution.”

The tree itself began its life as an acorn collected from President Roosevelt’s Little White House property in Warm Springs, Georgia. It was sprouted and grown at American Heritage Trees’ Tree Farm in Wilson County, Tennessee, where arborists can order several types of heritage trees to plant back home.

As EHSLI explained in an email, “President Roosevelt loved trees and identified himself as a ‘Tree Farmer’ when registering to vote. A staunch supporter of protecting the environment, he created and supported numerous conservation projects and policies including adding millions of acres of land to America’s national forests, national parks and wildlife refuges. Through all these projects, President Roosevelt adhered to one overall philosophy: that the nation must be responsible and preserve the world we live in for future generations.”

In recent weeks, the EHSLI also got another welcome addition to their site’s foliage.

In April, the Garden City Rotary Club donated and planted a “Pollinator and Kindness Garden,” which joins the EHSLI’s native plant garden on their property in Garden City.

This initiative is part of a larger project begun by the parents of a Sandy Hook victim, Catherine Violet Hubbard, who was a nature lover, the Society said.

The foundation responsible, the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation, is currently supplying various organizations with plants to create their own “Pollinator and Kindness Gardens” in an effect to spread human warmth as well as botanical health and diversity (for the bees, and thus for all of us).

EHSLI was selected to receive a set of plants, the group said.

“We were given 16 little plants that are perfect for the spot around the newly installed John Bell sculpture.”

A presidential memo on the subject of Christmas trees. (Public domain via National Parks Service)

Members of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island pose for a photo while clearing space for new plantings in their garden.

Members of the Garden City Rotary Club stopped by to help bring new, pollinator-friendly plants to the EHSLI garden donated by the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation. (Photos courtesy of EHSLI)

Blakeman Signs Sands Lease, Pending Legislative Approval

ANTON MEDIA GROUP STAFF

editors@antonmediagroup.com

On April 24, County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed a 99-year lease agreement with Las Vegas Sands Corp. that will require the gaming and entertainment company to pay millions up front whether or not it receives a casino license (which it is likely to do).

The county, which owns the property around Nassau Coliseum and the Nassau HUB, will receive “a check for $54 million dollars” from Las Vegas Sands within sixty days of the lease’s approval by the Nassau County Legislature, Blakeman said.

Blakeman told the New York Post in a phone interview that the controversial “integrated resort” complex, which is said to include a luxury hotel, a spa, a meeting space, and an entertainment venue in addition to the casino, will become “the number-one entertainment facility in the United States.” He also suggested that the Sands complex would generate more than

$100 million in revenues yearly into Nassau governments and school districts.

As Fox 5 NY reported, it’s unclear whether the Nassau Coliseum itself will remain.

On May 2, Sands announced that it has signed memorandums of understanding “with several leading restaurant groups as the foundation of a premier dining experience that will put Long Island on the culinary map for global tourism and drive significant visitation to local restaurants, bars, hotels and attractions.”

Restaurant brands that have entered into agreements to explore dining concepts with Sands at the planned Long Island destination include Rao’s, Jean-Georges and estiatorio Milos, and multi-brand restaurant groups include 50 Eggs, D.ream International, Poll Restaurants of Long Island, Maximal Concepts and Lettuce Entertain You, according to the company.

“The dining experiences we create will be a magnet for a global audience to view Long Island and its dining scene as must-experience destination,” Robert G. Goldstein, chairman and chief executive officer at Sands, said in a statement. “In every region we’ve entered, the restaurants

at our resorts have accentuated existing offerings and contributed game-changing positive impact for the entire local hospitality industry.”

The Rules Committee of the Nassau County Legislature will consider the Las

Competitors Will Honor Bed, Bath & Beyond

ANTON MEDIA GROUP STAFF

editors@antonmediagroup.com

As hundreds of Bed, Bath & Beyond stores are marking down to empty their shelves ahead of nationwide closures, coupons are no longer being accepted there, but New York shoppers can still redeem some of their saved-up coupons at certain competitors’ stores this month.

As Daniel Hampton first reported for Patch.com, several large retailers with stores in our region announced in late April that they would temporarily be accepting Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons for purchases at their own locations.

The Container Store, which has a The Gallery at Westbury Plaza location as well as stores in New York City, Yonkers, and White Plains, announced that it would offer a 20 percent discount off any item at any location through May 31 to customers who bring in a “competitor’s blue coupon.”

Kirkland’s Home, with locations in Nanuet and New Jersey, reportedly also offered to honor 20 percent coupons on single items through May 31.

Vegas Sands lease transfer of the Nassau Coliseum property during its regularly scheduled meeting on May 8 at 1:00 p.m. If it the lease transfer passes the Rules Committee, it will go before the full legislature on May 22 at 4:00 p.m.

Coupons In May

Big Lots, with locations in Carle Place, Hicksville, and West Babylon (among many others), also stepped up for the opportunity more briefly, offering 20 percent off with any Bed, Bath & Beyond Coupon on any purchase of $50 more only until May 7, sadly.

Bummed out about Bed, Bath & Beyond’s bankruptcy? Your coupons may still be usable elsewhere this

Legislators Team Up With Colette Coyne

Legislator Rose Marie Walker was joined by Deputy Presiding Officer Howard Kopel, Legislators Mazi Melesa Pilip, and Tom McKevitt, Deputy County Executive for Health & Human Services Anissa Moore, Dr. Irina Gelman, Commissioner of Health, Comptroller Elaine Phillips, Colette Coyne of Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign, Garden City Dermatologist Dr. Ted Daly, and skin cancer survivors earlier today, to discuss what steps can be taken to prevent Melanoma, the importance of regular check-ups, and other tips to stay safe in the sun in honor of Melanoma Awareness Month.

Nassau County Legislator Rose Marie Walker stated, “As we head into the warmer weather, and spend our days at the park, a

Melanoma Awareness Campaign

ballgame, or the beach, I want to remind everyone to take proactive measures by wearing sunscreen, hats, and UV clothing, even on cloudy days. This year an estimated 100,000 adults will be diagnosed with Melanoma, but early detection is key and can save lives. So be sure to schedule yearly check-ups to stay safe!”

The Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign, Nassau County, Belaray Dermatology, and Garden City Dermatology are hosting free skin cancer screenings on Saturday, May 13. See this week’s community calendar or visit ccmac. org to learn more.

— Submitted by the Nassau County Legislature Majority Caucus

L to R: Helen Sanudo, Donald Gleason, Legislator Tom McKevitt, Dr. Irina Gelman, Commissioner of Health, Dr. Ted Daly, Colette Coyne, Legislator Rose Marie Walker, Comptroller Elaine Phillips, Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, Anissa Moore, Deputy County Executive for Health and Human Services, Retired Nassau County Police Officer Sharon Galvin.

(Courtesy of the Nassau County Legislature Majority Caucus)

(Courtesy of the Office of County Executive Bruce Blakeman)

(Credit: Phillip Pessar via Wikimedia, CCA 2.0)

May, at least.

The Davenport Building was originally built in 1896 as the Nassau County Trust. In 1924 it became the Davenport Press and remained a printing press until 1978 when its present owners converted it to a restaurant. It’s a building rich with history, the shelves on the dining rooms’ exposed interior brick are lined with antiques. Don’t let the subtle rumble of the trains deter you. We are located just steps away from the Mineola train station. Come cozy up by our large fireplace for a delicious meal or much needed drink after a long day’s work.

Now Accepting Reservations

FEATURING:

Prime Rib

Fresh Maine Lobster

Fresh Seafood

Pasta Dishes

Rack of Lamb

Pot Roast

Chilean Sea Bass

Daily Grilled Specialties

Branzino

King Crab Legs And Much More!

Celebrating Graduation

IN THE

Families Enjoy 12th Annual All Kids Fair

On Sunday, April 23, approximately 3200 kids and their families attended the expo at Samanea New York Mall, formerly The Source Mall, at 1504 Old Country Road in Westbury. Since 2011, the All Kids Fair has provided a fun day each April for kids and their families to spend time together and also learn about Long Island-based companies with services and products available to them.

Free with admission, indoor and outdoor activities included over 80 kid-centered exhibitors, 15 activity areas, three bouncy houses, face painting, balloon animals, cotton candy, soccer, and a petting zoo.

There were also opportunities to purchase food for lunch, indoors and at two food trucks, along with pretzels, desserts, and Italian ices.

According to Barbara Kaplan, director of the expo, “Every year, we try to outdo ourselves in terms of the number and quality of opportunities. Families had a blast at our 15 activity areas in addition to the bounce houses, petting zoo, and much more that we had available. We can’t wait for next year!”

The All Kids Fair had over 80 vendors, including camps, places to play, after-school activities, birthday party providers, travel, non-profits, college planning, and many kid-centered products.

This year’s list of activity areas had many new choices. They included hip hop, two arts and crafts projects, sewing on a machine and fashion drawing, martial arts, musical chairs, and soccer. Most of these areas operated all day.

This fun-filled event offers exciting educational and leisure activities to interest kids and their families each year. The Fair had opportunities for all ages, including kids who have special needs.

River Birch Tree Planting Celebrates Arbor Day

Attendee Noelisa Montero Gonzalez shared, “It was a great event, and we look forward to many events like this one.”

Exhibitor Carrie Leigh of Celtic Love Photography enthusiastically added that she “had a great time. So glad I decided to be a vendor. It was my first time doing this, and I think it was a learning experience. Here’s to the next one!”

A charity drive to benefit Giving is Living, a local 501c3 that provides non-perishable food, including formula, to those in need, was a new addition this year. Those who donate boxed and canned food or money received raffle tickets to win dozens of great donated prizes.

Information about the expo is available at www.AllKidsFair.com.

— Submitted by All Kids Fair

Highlights From The SCO Family of Services Speakeasy Soiree

On April 27, Garden City-based SCO Family of Services, a leading provider of essential human services for more than 125 years, held a Speakeasy Soiree at the Mutual of America Building in New York City. Funds raised at the annual event will help SCO provide vital services for more than 50,000 children, teens, families and adults each year across New York City and Long Island.

SCO honored PharMerica, a nationwide trailblazer in pharmacy services, with the Corporate Leadership Award for their partnership and unwavering philanthropic support spanning more than two decades. Accepting the award was PharMerica North Pharmacy District Manager Charley Seide.

BSE Global, parent company of Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets, Long Island Nets and NetsGC, received the Humanitarian Award for enriching the lives of SCO youth and families. BSE Global Manager, Community Relations Leah Lawrence and Senior Director, Community Relations Heather Hall accepted the award.

“We are proud to honor and recognize PharMerica and BSE Global for their commitment to the children and families in our care,” said Suzette Gordon, SCO Family of Services Interim President and CEO. “We are grateful for their continued partnership and look forward to more opportunities to work together to strengthen our communities.”

Guest Speaker Quamayne Thomas, a graduate of SCO’s Fathers’ Program, shared his transformative experience in the program and how it gave him the tools to improve and strengthen his relationships. He was joined on stage by his young son where he received special citations sent

from Senator Roxanne Persaud and Council Member Charles Barron to recognize his accomplishments.

The event was hosted by Donna Drake, award-winning creator and host of “The Donna Drake Show: Live it Up!” Live music, strolling casino games, and fabulous auction prizes rounded out the exceptional evening.

SCO extends its gratitude to the sponsors, supporters, and volunteers who made the event a success, led by the Speakeasy Soiree Event Committee and its Co-Chairs, SCO Board Members Essya Hanachi and Mike Furlani. This year’s presenting sponsor was Mutual of America. Leading sponsors included Essya Hanachi, PharMerica, Corporate Synergies, and Squash Exterminating.

— Submitted by SCO Family of Services

(Photos courtesy of All Kids Fair)

Recreation and Parks employee Tom Gordon, Althea Robinson, a longtime member of the Civic Beautification Committee, resident Walter Roller, Recreation and Parks crew member Jessie Lyons, Recreation Commissioner Paul Blake, Maureen Lyons, chairperson of the Civic Beautification Committee, Recreation and Parks crew members Tom Armato and Jake Babsin, Village Trustee Lawrence N. Marciano, Jr., Grace Li of the Recreation Commission, and Kathleen Auro, another longtime member of the Civic Beautification Committee, celebrating Arbor Day on the Village Green. (Credit: Carisa Giardino)

L to R: PharMerica North Pharmacy District Manager Charley Seide accepting the Corporate Leadership Award on behalf of PharMerica from SCO Family of Services Interim President and CEO Suzette Gordon at SCO’s Speakeasy Soiree. (Courtesy of SCO)

2023 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

To place an item in this space, send information at least two weeks before the event to editors@antonmediagroup.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

Adult Chair Yoga

Hosted by certified teacher Vicky Seff, the program will focus on the correct alignment of all body parts within each yoga pose. 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on May 11 and 23. Register on the Franklin Square Public Library website.

Amsterdam

MAY 10

MAY 11

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., it’s movie night at the Mineola Memorial Public Library. In this 2022 film directed, written, and produced by David O. Russell, and set in the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

Book Signing: Killer Actress

Author Donna Cooper will be on hand to sign copies of her new book, Killer Actress, at the Westbury Public Library on May 11 starting at 7:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 12

Game Day for Adults! at Hillside Public Library

MAY 12

MAY 13

Spend Friday mornings with friends for fun and games! Join a group, or bring some friends for a rousing game of Rummy Cube, Scrabble, Chinese Checkers, MasterMind, or bring your own! Coloring books and sheets also available. No registration necessary. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. weekly.

Anita Baker: The Songstress Soul, funk, and R&B singer-songwriter Anita Baker makes a tour stop in Nassau County at UBS Arena. Tickets start at $60 plus fees.

The Mountaintop

MAY 14

MAY 21The Marshall Tucker Band

JUN 3Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

JUN 10Happy Together Tour

JUN 23Chicago

JUN 24Les Claypool Fearless Flying Frog Brigade

JUN 25Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood

JUL 16Gladys Knight

JUL 18Belinda Carlisle

JUL 22Johnny Mathis

AUG 5Air Supply

AUG 9The Concer t: A Tribute to Abba

AUG 18 Elvis Tribute

Artist Spectacular

MAY 18

AUG 19The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute

SEP 9Lar Enterprises Presents: Oh What A Night of Rock & Roll

SEP 23Hermans Hermits starring Peter Noone

OCT 1The Price is Right

OCT 19+20 Lee Brice

OCT 21Monsters of Freestyle

OCT 21Parliament Funkadelic feat. George Clinton

NOV 10Masters of Illusion

NOV 12Celebrating David Bowie featuring Peter Murphy, Adriant Belew, Scrote & more

As the nation marks the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, EastLine Theatre returns to Westbury Arts with Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall’s play set on the eve of his murder, and the play’s Long Island premiere. Opens at 7:30 p.m. on May 12 with evening and matinee performances through May 28th. Tickets are free with a $20 refundable reservation at eastline. ludus.com. Reservations are refundable, in cash, following each performance. Learn more at more eastlinetheatre.org or (516) 749-5047.

SATURDAY, MAY 13

Miles for Melanoma Walk & Health Screening

The Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness

Campaign, Nassau County, Belaray Dermatology, and Garden City Dermatology are hosting free skin cancer screenings beginning at 9:00 a.m. during the 17th Annual Long Island “Miles for Melanoma - Steps to Stop Skin Cancer” Walk in Eisenhower Park, Parking Field #2. Additional information can be found by visiting ccmac.org.

Walk Safe with a Doc: New Hyde Park

Join the New York Coalition for Transportation Safety (NYCTS) and the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC) as we come together to combine Walk Safe Long Island and Walk with a Doc for a special event! Our doc will briefly discuss the many health benefits of walking before we walk with the NYCTS team of pedestrian/ bike safety experts through New Hyde Park. Walkers, meet outside Hillside Library at 10:30 a.m. for this free one-hour event.

SUNDAY, MAY 14

Mother’s Day at Old Westbury Gardens

This year, bring Mom to the flowers on this day to honor her. Spring bulbs, dogwoods, lilacs are all in bloom. Complimentary lavender plants for women ages 18 and older. Guided tours included with admission (no registration required): 1:30 p.m. Westbury House tour, 2:00 p.m. garden highlights tour (meet at West Porch Beech next to Westbury House), 2:30 p.m. Westbury House tour.

Mother’s Day Brunch at Jericho Terrace

Thank Mom for all that she does with a legendary brunch at the Jericho Terrace. Buffet includes numerous hot and cold stations, seafood, steak, pasta, omelets, charcuterie, desserts, and brunch cocktails and mocktails. Tickets from $59.75 on Eventbrite.

UPCOMING

CradleCon 2023

Cradle-Con is Long Island’s non-profit, comic, collectible, and pop culture convention, built by fans, for fans, held annually at

May 19th): Adults

$12.00, Weekend

(May 20-21): $15.00 (no weekend

THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR MANHASSET PAT AITKEN

FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION - VOTE TUESDAY, MAY 16th

7 AM to 9 PM – Manhasset High School Gym

THE EXPERIENCE, PROVEN COMPETENCE & DEDICATON WE NEED

Proven record in business advisory & finance combined with governance skills developed through service to churchcommunity & on university board of trustees

PUTTING EDUCATION FIRST

Expandedcurricular & extracurricular options, maintaining high standards in education

New electives in Engineering sequence and Broadcast Journalism

Expanded AP options including Human Geography, Art History, and Capstone r esearch program

HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

24th in NYS Public Schools 2022

Budgets within NYS tax levy cap

2.07% average 15-year levy increase

Even In Defeat, Hochul Housing Proposal Raises Questions

Nassau will still need to address the issue of development

aolsen@antonmediagroup.com

While the housing portion of the New York State budget seems to be tabled for now, housing and urban planning are ongoing issues. According to the Regional Plan Association, a non-profit organization that does research, planning, and advocacy for transportation, housing, planning and environmental issues in the tristate area, New York State will need to build over 800,000 housing units during the next ten years to address current needs and meet expected population and job growth. People need places to reside, and it’s generally better if they are able to do so near the places where they spend the rest of their time- their places of employment, schools, retail and recreation. Careful planning can result in settings that are beneficial to residents, the community, and the environment.

“(Locating) your doctor, your lawyer, where you get your groceries, fresh food, all within walking distance or within a short commute has been a planning principle for a long while. It does have a number of positive effects in terms of the livelihood of a neighborhood; the livelihood of a place makes it more attractive, it also can lead to a positive effect on property values. It also has a net effect on congestion because people don’t have to drive a couple miles just to get a quart of milk or whatever. They can do that if they can just walk a few blocks and not having to get into their car,” said Marcel Negret, Senior Planner at the RPA.

When people think of compact or high-density housing, they often think of examples like tall skyscrapers. Frequently, though, housing can be added through the application of adaptive use. This is where existing structures are modified. Examples include where a lower story has commercial space, like a store or restaurant, while the upper stories are housing units. These are sometimes called “middle density,” a unit of housing that is often missing in many parts of Long Island. “So, there’s something in between the large, high rise, multifamily buildings, a skyscraper, and low density, single family residential neighborhoods, with the detached units. There’s a lot in between. Mixed use buildings that have like some form of commercial use on the first floor, maybe two, three stories above with residential, that would fit the description of kind of middle density, that in many cases is

kind of just missing because we either have one extreme or the other,” said Negret.

There is also potential for these mixed-use buildings to plan their utilities and HVAC systems in a more environmentally sound way, rather than retrofitting them later. There is even the possibility of growing food and managing stormwater runoff. “The category of mixed uses shouldn’t be limited to just combining commercial retail and residential, but also have other more functional, utility led uses like solar panels. In places where you have issues with managing stormwater runoff, you also can retrofit some of those spaces with some form of a green roof that captures some of that water and helps manage some of the limitations with our sewer infrastructure, for example. This idea of mixed uses probably fits that description

as well,” Negret said, when discussing how these mixed-use buildings fit into a more sustainable way of developing.

One of the biggest benefits of more carefully planned, compact development is the preservation of forests and open space. Since 2001, New York State has lost over 68,000 acres of forest land, with 94 perecnt of the lost forest (64,000 acres) attributed to sprawl, according to the National Land Cover database. Building in areas that are already urbanized, called “in-fill” development, is one solution to take pressure off undeveloped land. Negret puts it this way: “One of the other great benefits of favoring this type of planning of more compact, mixed uses clustered together is the preservation of natural areas, of forest land, of watersheds. You’re meeting those needs in this more

efficient form of urban clusters or suburban villages. In the context of Long Island, it mitigates or reduces kind of pressure for sprawling out and consuming existing open space or forest land or polluting watersheds.”

Even though most of the sprawl happened in the mid part of the of the last century, with the explosion of highways and car ownership, it has continued into the present day. “We looked at those kinds of consumption rates from forest land in the past 20 years, and they’re still concerning. It’s not something that has gone away, even though planners have realized that they want to shift gears to more compact forms of development. Unfortunately, sprawl is still happening and we’re losing forest land because of that,” said Negret. “Over the past two decades Nassau County has lost over 1,100 acres of forest land to sprawl, an area larger than all of Eisenhower Park. Promoting more compact forms of housing development in the region, and in our suburbs in particular, is a smart way to advance land conservation goals and preventing future loss of forest land and open space.”

Proactive planning allows communities to make decisions collectively about how their community develops. Without direction, the development still happens, but it isn’t as organized or deliberate. Negret points out that the default ends up being sprawl. “If there’s no proactive effort to prioritize these forms of more compact forms of development, that have mixed uses, that favor adaptive reuse, the default is you will have sprawl. Like the inaction or lack of proactivity in implemented planning ideas just will result in sprawl. So regardless of who is taking the lead, there is definitely a need for action.”

An example of middle density, adaptive use development in Patchogue, NY.

(Photo by Amanda Olsen)

In Nassau County, a total of 1152 acres of forest was lost in the last decade. (diagram courtesy of Regional Plan Association)

Long Beach Resident Among First Peace Corps Volunteers To Return To Service Overseas

Long Beach resident Arthur Gold is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m looking forward to my second encore career,” said Gold. “My desire to join the Peace Corps stems from the joy of fulfillment I feel when I am able to facilitate and witness the success of others. In my role I hope to usefully contribute to the community and realize the adventure of new people, places, and culture.”

Gold is a 1984 graduate of the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, formerly known as Polytechnic Institute of New York, with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. After graduation,

he worked in industrial engineering and economic development for the manufacturing sector, later becoming a certified personal trainer. Now, at 72 years old, Gold will serve as an education volunteer in the Eastern Caribbean.

The volunteer cohorts are made up of both first-time volunteers and volunteers who were evacuated in early 2020. Upon finishing a three-month training, volunteers will collaborate with their host communities on locally prioritized projects in one of Peace Corps’ six sectors – agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health or youth in development – and all will engage in COVID-19 response and recovery work.

Currently, the agency is recruiting volunteers to serve in 58 countries around the world at the request of host country governments, to connect through

the Peace Corps’ grassroots approach across communities and cultures. Volunteers have already returned to a total of 53 countries around the world. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development. The Peace Corps continues to monitor COVID-19 trends in all of its host countries and will send volunteers to serve as conditions permit. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 143 countries worldwide. Americans interested in transformative service and lifelong connections should apply to Peace Corps service at www.peacecorps.gov/apply.

—Submitted by The Peace Corps

County Facing Class-Action Lawsuit Over Racially Disparate Traffic Stops

JANET BURNS

jburns@antonmediagroup.com

Nassau County is facing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all Black and Latino drivers in Nassau which alleges racial bias by the Nassau County Police Department in its execution of traffic stops.

The lawsuit, which seeks $40 million in damages, local policy changes, and oversight from a federal monitor to ensure reforms happen, is similar to one that began in Suffolk County eight years ago, and has required that county to both pay millions and better train its officers while releasing better data on how they enforce the law. A judge will later decide whether to certify the suit’s class-action status.

The suit’s lead plaintiff, Tivia Leith, originally filed suit against Nassau County last November following a traffic stop for which she was held 11 hours in police custody.

In response to a request for comment on the case, NCPD Detective Lieutenant Richard LeBrun said that the department does not comment on ongoing litigation.

Ms. Leith is being represented in the case by the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, whose attorneys are well known on Long Island for civil rights work.

In a phone intervew with Anton Media Group, Frederick Brewington, Esq.

explained the background and aims of the case, which he said was originally brought on behalf of Ms. Leith and her minor son.

“After we looked at it, and after issues were raised by the defendants, the County of Nassau, at a conference with a federal judge, the determination to expand this case into a class action become fairly obvious to us,” Brewington said.

“We began to look at the numbers concerning traffic stops that had been made available through Nassau County. Their reporting is limited, and even with that limited view we saw that there was a disparate treatment of persons of color, of Black and brown individuals in Nassau County, with regard to the ratio of car stops to the total number of population, that was completely out of whack.”

“So, we made the determination that we needed to expand this to make sure that all those persons, like my client, who are impacted by Nassau’s determinations to disproportionately pull over Black and Latino people, are included, and that it would be aired in a courtroom where this issue can be addressed, because this appears to be an institutional, systemic issue.”

As Brewington noted, it was data from the Nassau County Police Department itself that indicated to his firm that something was amiss county-wide.

“Their data is incomplete, it does not give source information, it doesn’t give some

of the data that’s necessary to do other statistical evaluations, but just looking at the raw numbers that they provided it’s pretty clearly that something needs to be said and done about the way that they’re treating drivers, passengers, and other folks related to car stops in Nassau County.”

“Ms. Leith’s experience was, in a word, haunting. She has issues with anxiety to

begin with, and what this did to her, both in her mind and also in her gut, made her extremely concerned about whether or not she was ever going to make it home that night. She was held for eleven hours on an alleged warrant that did not exist, and the problem about that was that even with the issue of pulling her over, it appeared to be pretextual. The officer drove up next to her, saw that she was a Black woman, then drove behind her and pulled her over. In this situation, we can’t have police officers making the determination they want to pull people over on a hunch.”

In Ms. Leith’s case, Brewington noted, “She had her minor son with her. He had to watch his mother be placed in handcuffs, and then they threatened to take him into custody, and she had to plead [with police] to allow her to get someone to come pick him up so he wouldn’t be taken into police custody. That’s just outrageous.”

He continued, “They now claim the reason she was pulled over, which is pretty ridiculous, was that the light on her license plate was out. That charge was dismissed along with any other charges.”

“What we’ve really got to do is bring accountability into the picture, and see that, in this situation, police don’t just get a chance to say anything after the fact and expect people to go for it. That ‘okey-doke’ is long gone, and never should have been in the first place.”

Peace Corps Volunteer Art Gold.

(Photo submitted by the Peace Corps)

Frederick K. Brewington, Esq. (Submitted photo)

LEGAL NOTICES

KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORPORATION d/b/a NATIONAL GRID

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by KeySpan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid (“Company”) that it has led with the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) tari revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No.1 – GAS, that are proposed to become e ective June 3, 2023.

The Company seeks to increase delivery revenues by approximately $228 million to modernize and improve the safety, reliability, and performance of our infrastructure, enhance the customer experience, reduce system emissions, and fund energy a ordability and e ciency programs. The Company’s ling is subject to approval by the PSC and the rates approved may be di erent from those proposed. The Company expects that the PSC will suspend the proposed rates for the maximum period permitted under the Public Service Law, which would mean an e ective date of revised rates of April 1, 2024.

S.C. No. 1A, 5-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. No. 1AR, 5-1AR – Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. No. 16, 5-16 – Year-Round Space

S.C. No. 1B, 5-1B – Residential Heating Service S.C.

–

5-2A – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. 17 – Baseload

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 2 –Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW

5-2B – Non-Residential Heating Service

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 3 –Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW

S.C. 18/19–Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 1

S.C. 18/19–Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 2

For more information, visit ngrid.com/li-rate ling or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).

KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORPORATION d/b/a

Mailer Discovers The Novel—And The New Journalism

JOSEPH SCOTCHIE

jscotchie@antonmediagroup.com

“There is a good Norman Mailer and a bad Norman Mailer. The good Norman Mailer has won out.”

So claimed Jason Epstein, the man’s editor, sometime in the early 1990s.

Well, it better had won out, or else the novelist was certain to spend his days in the slammer. For decades, Mailer’s life and times---and brawls, one of them nearly fatal----filled the gossip pages as much as his published work.

The youngest of two children born 100 years ago in 1923 to Isaac and Fanny Mailer, the young Norman was an ace student who rose from Crown Heights to matriculation at Harvard at age 16.

At Cambridge, Mailer intended to study engineering. The late 1930s was also a Golden Age of the American novel. Mailer eagerly read Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Wolfe, Dos Passos, Steinbeck, and Farrell. He wrote his own stories and novels. When Pearl Harbor hit, the teen-aged Mailer vowed to write the great American novel of the war. He soon married and was shipped out to first, Texas and then the Philippines. He told his young bride to save his letters home. The Naked and The Dead, a novel about a colorful cross-section of Americans fighting in the Pacific Theatre was published in 1948. It sat on top of the best seller lists for months.

Mailer was only 25. He would spend the next 60 years trying to top his first novel. Along the way was more fiction, essays, biographies, films, the co-founding of The Village Voice , books about political conventions, the Apollo moon shot, Marilyn Monroe, prize fights and even a run for mayor of New York in 1969.

Whatever else Mailer achieved or didn’t achieve, the man was prolific. Every morning, he put on work jeans, had breakfast with his mother in her neighboring Brooklyn Heights apartment and proceeded to a daily word count that generally hit 1,500---and often, much more.

Mailer’s second novel, Barbary Shore (1951) was panned by the critics. His comeback novel, The Deer Park (1955), a send-up of Hollywood’s

decadent side, was more successful. Satisfied that he could write fiction, Mailer turned to journalism. A born polemicist, the man caught a break when Clay Felker, co-founder himself of New York magazine, assigned Mailer to cover the 1960 Democratic Party convention. Mailer was vain enough to believe that his Esquire essay on John F. Kennedy, “Superman Comes To Supermarket,” helped to win the presidency for the man. Still, he had found another niche.

Mailer covered more conventions, two of which, Miami and The Siege of Chicago (1968) and St. George And The Godfather (1972) were book-length reports. If Mailer succeeded in these books, it had to do with his self-styled standing as a “Left Conservative.” He held great hopes for Kennedy-style liberalism. Mailer was no nihilist. He admired Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy, but also the traditionalism of Robert Taft and Edmund Burke. This allowed Mailer to sympathize with such reform Democrats as Robert F. Kennedy. He also understood the desire of heartland Republicans seeking to restore a lost “Jesus land” now being obliterated by social revolution.

Mailer continued to write fiction. He also seemed liberated by journalistic ventures. From 1963 to 1975, came a creative streak that the novelist Tom Robbins claimed had no parallel in modern American culture, save the same creative outburst turned in by Bob Dylan over the same period. Mailer’s output included The Presidential Papers, Cannibals and Christians, An America Dream, Why Are We in Vietnam? The Armies of The Night, Miami and the Siege of Chicago, Of A Fire On The Moon, Marilyn, Existential Errands, The Faith of Graffiti and The Fight.

I’ll plunk out a few books from that list. Cannibals And Christians is his best non-fiction collection: An angry and fast-paced volume denouncing the deadening effects of technology and mass society on a nation’s soul. (However much he could not escape them, Mailer disliked television and modern architecture, while coming out early against the Vietnam War.)

The Armies Of The Night, Mailer’s dramatic account of the 1967 antiwar march on the Pentagon was the book that marked his rise as an avatar of the New Journalism, where the author injects himself into the action. Miami,

however, is a tighter and more prophetic book: The Vietnam War came and went; however, the civilizational crisis dramatized by the 1968 conventions still plagues the nation.

When Mailer was working on The Naked And The Dead, he showed a draft to Charlie Devlin, another writer also living in Brooklyn Heights. Devlin liked the draft, but scolded Mailer on his inability to construct metaphors, which Devlin claimed marked the true measure of any writer. The young Mailer got the message. And he went to work. Does anyone still remember the riots at the Chicago convention? You will if you read the book.

The police attacked with tear gas, with Mace, and with clubs, they attacked like a chain saw cutting into wood, the teeth of the saw the edge of their clubs, they attacked like a scythe through grass, lines of twenty and thirty policemen striking out in an arc, their clubs beating, demonstrators fleeing. Seen from overhead…it was like a wind blowing dust, or the edge of waves riding foam on the shore.

The Fight is about the 1974 heavyweight title bout between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali is the best single book I know about Sweet Science. In addition to Left Conservatism, Mailer also embraced existentialism. To the end, the man could never fully define the term. It did have everything to do with the novelist being cut from his Brooklyn roots following the success of his first novel. Mailer was condemned to be a celebrity author always promising that Great American Novel. He revered Ernest Hemingway, Ali and most erroneously Fidel Castro as existential heroes, men who stood apart from the crowd and were willing to meet---and overcome--this world on their terms.

Hemingway took his life. Castro turned Cuba into a totalitarian hellhole. That left Ali. Mailer died in 2007 at age 84. Ali lived until 2016. As long as Ali was on this side of the river, Mailer saw hope for this world.

With The Fight, Mailer’s third-person forays into the swirling controversies of the 1960s and ‘70s ended. It was back to the fiction grind. Next week, we’ll look at the man’s ruminations on God, Christianity, and its implications for America.

Norman Mailer in the 1950s

Dust jackets for The Naked And The Dead and Miami And The Siege of Chicago

Phantom Conversations

Smartphones are loaded with applications and features that let you enjoy social interactions and meet new friends. Why are they so popular? I can only assume that people look to avoid live face-to-face disruptions that can go bad real fast. Or maybe not. But if it’s true, there is a better way. Instead of downloading an application, many people use a feature not advertised by cell phone companies called the phantom conversation. This allows you to hide from others seeking to borrow your car, money and valuable time.

The history of the phantom phone conversation goes back to the 40s, at least in the movies. Take the PI who shadows a suspect, careful not make any abrupt movements that may blow his cover. He stays back a safe distance as he follows the suspect through the crowded streets of New York City. Suddenly, the suspect darts into a hotel and sits down in the lobby. The PI nonchalantly walks to the other end of the lobby, ducks into a phone booth, and lifts the receiver. Keeping an eye on his suspect, he waits a few moments and starts to mouth the fake dialogue.

Avoiding a face-to-face conversation with someone you know, for any reason, has long been a sore spot for many people. I’ve learned that it’s painfully obvious when you suddenly take off when you first notice the person. The phantom conversation provides a means to eliminate this embarrassment. All you need to do is pull out the phone, start talking and wave to the person as you walk by. Even Miss Manners would agree that a person on a phone call is off limits to interruption. True, it’s a fake conversation, but that’s not important. The fact is that you’ve succeeded in your goal to avoid a face-to-face conversation. Here is a true-life example that may drive home the point.

One afternoon, I pulled into my apartment building lot when I noticed a group of neighbors standing near the front entrance. I had just laid out six hundred dollars to my mechanic and wrenched my back reaching into my glove compartment for the checkbook. I didn’t want to enter the fray with their conversation suddenly turning to me and my disgust over a car bill. As I

LONG ISLAND STORIES

approached the group, the cell phone came out and I started a dialogue with nobody.

“Yeah, Danny, how goes it? They ever fix that pot- hole at the end of your block?”

As I walked past the group, we all exchanged friendly waves. They knew the deal and stayed a safe distance away. This signaled a respect for what appeared to be a legitimate two person dialogue. Once safely in my apartment, I buried the phone in my pocket and made lunch.

If you think that was good, another favorite application of mine is using the phantom

conversation as a salesperson repellant. The strategy here is to whip out the phone as the salesperson approaches and quickly begin your non-existent conversation. What salesperson is going to walk up to a potential customer and say, “Excuse me, as soon as you’re finished, can I help you?” In this scenario, I was able to take pictures of certain items, go home and purchase them online. Now, you may be asking, “Who the hell started this farce of the phantom conversation?”

Besides the PI using the phone booth, history also documents that women were and are, true pioneers of the phantom conversation. What choice do they have with these derelict dudes lurking around bars, gyms and the ladies room? Back in the day, I had friends that went to bars armed with lame pick up lines that never worked. Yet, the lines stay in their arsenal. Women quickly learned how to combat this arsenal. For example, a woman is sitting at the bar waiting for her girlfriend, when she notices a guy approaching. The woman pulls out the cell as if she’s Annie

Oakley drawing a pistol on some cowboy, then rolls into her phantom conversation.

“Hi, honey. You won your WWF match? Almost killed the guy? What, you’re only five minutes away? Great, see you soon.” She watches as the prying panther does a 180 and takes off in the other direction.

You might also question the ethics of the phantom conversation, asking what kind of world do we live in? I agree. As a civilized society, we should be able to speak directly to another human being and tell them you don’t have time to talk. We’re not that civilized. Many people are too sensitive to another person’s feelings. More to the point, they don’t have the guts. Phantom conversations act like Prozac. They come to people’s rescue by mellowing the mood. They allow a person to feel they are involved in a legitimate act of conversation even though it’s more a case of deception. Deception or not, feel free to dive into a phantom conversation if you fear that a conversation may glide into the spewing of information not meant to be spewed.

Karl V. Anton, Jr., Publisher, Anton Community Newspapers, 1984-2000

Publishers of Glen Cove/Oyster Bay Record Pilot

Great Neck Record

Manhasset Press

Nassau Illustrated News

Port Washington News

Syosset-Jericho Tribune

The Nassau Observer

The Roslyn News

Editor and Publisher

Angela Susan Anton

President

Frank A. Virga

Vice President of Operations/CFO

Iris Picone

Director of Sales

Administration

Shari Egnasko

Editors

Janet Burns, Jennifer Corr, Lauren Feldman, Christy Hinko, Amanda Olsen, Julie Prisco, Joe Scotchie

Advertising Sales

Ally Deane, Mary Mallon, Sal Massa, Maria Pruyn, Jeryl Sletteland

Director of Circulation

Joy DiDonato

Director of Production

Robin Carter

Creative Director

Alex Nuñez

Art Director

Catherine Bongiorno

Senior Page Designer

Donna Duffy

Page Designer

Christina Dieguez

Director of Business Administration

Linda Baccoli

For circulation inquiries, email: subscribe@antonmediagroup.com

Publication Office: 132 East Second St., Mineola, NY 11501 Phone: (516) 747-8282

Fax: (516) 742-5867

© 2023 Long Island Community Newspapers, Inc.

Celebrating 39 YEARS IN BUSINESS 1984-2023 ARE

Letters to the editor are welcomed by Anton Media Group.

We reserve the right to edit in the interest of space and clarity. All letters must include an address and daytime telephone number for verification. All material contributed to Anton Media Group in any form becomes the property of the newspapers to use, modify and distribute as the newspaper staff assigns or sees fit. Letters to the editor can be mailed to: editors@antonmediagroup.com

Additional copies of this and other issues are available for purchase by calling 516-403-5120.

Thomas Kuntzmann

COLUMNS Lag B’Omer-Joy in the Journey

A man sitting on the deck of a boat reaches into his toolbox, pulls out a drill, and proceeds to bore a hole in the hull. Suddenly, the people sitting next to him begin to shout, “Stop! What are you doing?”

“I’m drilling a hole,” the man says. “I can do what I want. Why is it any of your business?”

“Are you kidding? We’re all together on this boat!” They exclaim. “You may think you’re only making a hole under your own seat, but because of your actions, we are all going to sink!”

This famous parable reminds us that our personal choices have ripple effects, consequences that affect others. Though we may think we can be self-sufficient, in fact, we are interconnected. As such, we must be respectful in our dealings with others, and always aware of our responsibility to treat people fairly, in our pursuit of a just and moral society.

Do you remember the character of the Count, the Dracula-like figure on Sesame Street who loved to enumerate? If the Count were Jewish, he would love this time of year, for we Jews are currently in the middle of counting the Omer. This is a daily practice

intended to remind us of the link between Passover, which commemorates the exodus from Egypt, and Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The counting of the Omer brings home the notion that our redemption from slavery was not complete until we received the Torah and became a holy people.

The Talmud recounts that the students of Rabbi Akiva died in a plague during this season because they did not give each other

proper respect. Rabbinic sources attested that the plague ended on Lag B’Omer–the thirty-third day of the Omer. By Lag B’Omer, the thirty-third day of this counting period, the Jews began to treat each other with kindness and humility, and the plague receded. For this reason, Lag B’Omer is a happy occasion for Jews all over the world, who are permitted to celebrate anew with weddings, music, and outings. Families and neighbors gather together around bonfires, barbecues, and picnics, uniting to enjoy a day of community and camaraderie in a celebration of Jewish history.

In modern day Israel, this day has morphed into one that’s celebrated with barbecues. We must not forget, however, that the Omer is also a semi-mourning period, commemorating the many thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students who died via plague so long ago. Although they were brilliant scholars, they perished because they did not treat each other with the appropriate respect granted to men of their station.

The Israeli mountain-town of Meron turns

My Conversation With A Robot

I think newspaper columnists like me might soon be out of a job.

You may have heard about a computer program called Chat GPT which will have a virtual conversation with you. Ask the program a simple question and get an answer. Ask a follow-up question and get another answer. Before you know it, you are conversing with a computer that generates instantaneous responses based on what it can find about the subject on the internet.

If you are old enough to remember the original AOL chat rooms, it’s the same idea. However, instead of having a text-based conversation with another human, it’s a computer. Chat GPT is a highly developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) designed to take Google searches to another level. Instead of using Google to research articles requiring you to read about, say, Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, it does the research for you. But the best part is that it will provide you with an impressively comprehensive document that doesn’t just contain non-sequiturs or bullet-point facts. If you need 500 words, ask for 500 words on the topic, and Chat GPT obliges.

Of course, this renders the need for students to research and compose homework moot. If teachers thought allowing their students to produce book reports by just reading the “Cliff Notes” was a menace to society, what would they do once they get hold of Chat GPT? At the absolute minimum, students still needed to read the Cliff Notes. Now all they do is type text into a chat box and hit enter.

As a columnist, the most challenging part of my job is coming up with an interesting idea to entertain my readers in roughly 650

words. I depend on reader emails, conversations with friends and family, and snippets from the news. I’ll then do my research and produce the Award-Winning column you are enjoying right now.

But with Chat GPT, maybe I don’t have to work as hard.

Ah, Chat GPT. The magnificent machine that can answer just about any question thrown at it. It’s like having a personal genie trapped inside a computer instead of a lamp. And let’s be honest; sometimes it feels like we’re asking it to perform magic.

Chat GPT is not some all-knowing being gifted with the power of speech. No, it’s a machine programmed to generate responses based on the vast amount of data it’s been fed. In other words, it’s just a really smart parrot.

I mean, think about it. You ask Chat GPT a question, and it spits out an answer. Sure,

it might be a perfect answer, but it’s not like it came up with it independently. It’s just repeating information that’s already been stored in its vast database, like when your pet parrot repeats what you say. Polly might sound like she’s talking, but she’s not really understanding the words.

But at least Chat GPT is a parrot that doesn’t require any cleaning up after. Can you imagine if it actually had a physical form? It would be like having a really talkative but also really messy bird in your house. Plus, you’d have to worry about it flying away and joining a group of rogue AI that are plotting to take over the world.

And let’s not forget about the times when Chat GPT gets it wrong. It’s like when your

Lag B’Omer into a mega-celebration. There, hundreds of thousands of people come to pray at the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a holy scholar who studied Jewish mysticism, otherwise known as Kabbalah, while he and his son hid in a cave for thirteen years to escape Roman persecution. It is said that by praying and connecting oneself to the soul of a tzaddik, a completely righteous person, one can alter the course of one’s destiny. The spirit of the tzaddik is said to inhabit the space around his gravesite and act as a conduit for sincere believers seeking G-d’s blessings. Particularly on the anniversary of the death of a tzaddik, the connection to his spirit is intensified.

As we count towards Lag B’Omer, we also look forward to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the receiving of the Torah by the Jewish people. The Midrash teaches that every Jewish soul that would ever be born was gathered at Mount Sinai when our Creator gave the Torah to His people. Now, like then, we are all in this together. In that spirit, may we draw strength and understanding from each other and become a more unified people.

pet parrot accidentally swears in front of your grandparents. You can’t blame the bird since it’s just repeating what it’s heard, but it’s still embarrassing.

In conclusion, Chat GPT is like a parrot on steroids. It’s incredibly smart and can spout off information like nobody’s business, but at the end of the day, it’s still just a machine. So, next time you’re impressed by Chat GPT’s ability to answer your questions, just remember that it’s not really magic. It’s just a really good parrot.

And now, dear readers, take another look at this column and try to figure out what parts came directly from Chat GPT and what parts came from your humble narrator.

RABBI MOSHE WEISBLUM

HOME & DESIGN

Green Your Spring Lawn And Garden Care

Looking to reduce the amount of time, money, chemicals, and effort needed to have a beautiful lawn or garden? Here are some tips to get started:

Reduce weeds naturally

• In late April, apply corn gluten to lawns. While it will not kill weeds, it will stop new ones from germinating that year. Corn gluten is also a great natural source of nitrogen.

• Place two to three inches deep of mulch to application areas to provide nutrients and shade out weeds in plant beds. Types of mulch include bark clips, leaves, or recycled rubber. But do not allow mulch to touch tree trunks so growth is not inhibited.

• Pour boiling water over weeds and repeat as needed.

• Select native species and non-invasive plants. Perennials are a good choice and can help reduce costs from having to purchase new plants annually.

• Use “minimum risk pesticides.”

An example is nematodes which can be used on the lawn for grub control.

Maintain a healthy lawn and deter weeds

• Don’t bag your grass clippings. Leave them on the lawn.

• Let grass grow and mow less. The taller the grass, the deeper the roots - this can aid in getting through dry spells.

• Seed bare patches in lawns with grass seed.

• Remember lawns need about an

Recently Sold HOMES

inch of water per week—water once a week if necessary and do so early in the day to help prevent conditions that encourage pest infestations.

• Follow local watering restrictions.

• Make sure your gutters flow onto lawns—not pavement.

• Collect water in a rain barrel to use in the yard.

• Conduct a soil test to see if you need to fertilize.

• Broadcasting up to a half of an inch of compost can provide nitrogen along with other trace nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

• Nitrogen deficiencies can be corrected with a slow-release, organic source of nitrogen such as blood meal, cottonseed meal, or fish meal.

• Applications should be when soil temperatures are above 65 degrees.

• Half of a lawn’s needed nitrogen can be obtained by leaving clippings on the lawn. The other half can be applied in the fall by shredding leaves with a mulching mower and leaving them on the lawn.

• Do not fertilize an established lawn in mid-summer. Doing so just feeds the weeds.

Start a compost pile

• Backyard composting

• Indoor vermicomposting bin

• Subscribing to a local food scraps collection or participate in a drop-off program in your community

—Department of Environmental Conservation

Luxury has been reimagined in this Locust Valley home at 10 Overlook Court. It sold on April 26 for $2,600,000. It is an exquisite and tastefully appointed custom brick Colonial. Enjoy scenic views of the lushly manicured four-acre property. A gracious two-story entry foyer welcomes you to the sprawling main level with grand entertaining as well as everyday living in mind. Bathed in sunlight and featuring sophisticated artisan detailing throughout, this residence boasts five bedrooms, seven bathrooms. It has three fireplaces and more than 6,000 square feet of living space. This home offers its own outdoor paradise featuring an in-ground pool with a poolhouse, an outdoor kitchen, bluestone patios and a koi pond.

This charming Colonial in the heart of Locust Valley at 41 Bella Vista Street sold on April 18 for $905,000. It has a semi-open floor plan, an entryway, a formal living room with a fireplace and French doors. It has four bedrooms and one bathroom. One of the bedrooms is on the first floor. The other three are on the second floor. The home has a den, a formal dining room and a large country-style eatin-kitchen with granite countertops, a copper farm sink and a new refrigerator. The home has central air conditioning, Nest thermostats and a new water heater. There are wood floors throughout. The private backyard is fenced in and has a patio for entertaining. This home is located near shopping, dining and the train station.

Homes shown here represent closed sales, sold by a variety of agencies and are selected for their interest to readers by the Anton Media Group editor. Except where noted, data and photos are provided courtesy of Multiple Listing Service of Long Island, Inc. and Zillow.

REPLACE. RENEW. RESTORE.

REPLACE. RENEW. RESTORE.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of healing, growing and rejuvenating. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of healing, growing and rejuvenating. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you to discover the difference The DUX Bed can make in your life.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA store near you to discover the difference The DUX Bed can make in your life.

The heart of health care beats within every nurse.

Catholic Health gratefully acknowledges the more than 4,000 members of our Long Island nursing sta who bring outstanding care to our patients every day. Throughout our many inpatient and outpatient facilities, your dedication to excellence makes our driving mission real —to give the very best care to every patient, in every encounter, every time.

Our most heartfelt appreciation— during Nurses Week and every week.

chsli.org

What Is National Nurses Week?

BY JOLEEN SAMS specialsections@antonmediagroup.com

Every year from May 6 to 12, nurses are recognized for their service and dedication to caring for others and improving the health of patients nationwide through National Nurses Week. Throughout the week, healthcare organizations celebrate their teams, and you’ll even see nurses featured on the news. People across the nation thank the nurses that have made a difference in their lives.

Nurses Week celebrates the effort, dedication, and sacrifice nurses make every day. Nurses are essential members of America’s healthcare workforce who provide care through every stage of life, working with patients at their most intimate and vulnerable moments. Nurses Week offers a chance to highlight and celebrate nurses for all we do.

History of National Nurses Week

Several individuals, organizations, and political leaders contributed to the efforts that have evolved into Nurses Week as it is celebrated today. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has compiled several facts about the history of Nurses Week:

1953: The first effort to establish a recognition day for nurses was when Dorothy Parker of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proclamation to then-President Eisenhower. He never signed the proclamation.

1954: A National Nurse Week was observed October 11-16 in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s work during the Crimean war.

From the 1950s to 1970s, several bills were introduced to Congress, but none made it through the legislative process.

1974: The International Council of Nurses declared May 12 International Nurses Day. In the US, President Nixon signed a proclamation recognizing National Nurse Week.

1982: The ANA declared May 6 as National Nurses Day, which Ronald Reagan signed as an official proclamation

1990: The ANA extended the celebration to “Nurses Week,” and the dates May 6-12 became permanent as of 1994.

Within Nurses Week, National Student Nurse day is May 8, and National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday that falls during Nurses Week.

Why Nurses Week is Celebrated

The ANA and other nursing organizations promote Nurses Week as a time to thank and recognize nurses across the country for the dedication to the profession and patients we serve. Healthcare organizations throw celebrations, and the public is encouraged to “thank a nurse” that’s made a difference in their lives.

Nurses Week is our time to shine. Let’s lift each other up and recognize the good in what we do every day. It’s easy to dwell

on everything that needs to be changed, but for one week, I challenge you to look for the good. Recognize your nurse besties, mentors, and the nurses who make a difference in your day.

How Nurses Week is Celebrated

Every healthcare organization celebrates its nurses a bit differently. Many hold events throughout the week to recognize their nurses, and meals or gifts for the entire nursing team are common.

Managers and administration plan and prepare for months to make the week special.

In the community, you’ll see news reports highlighting extraordinary nurses who go above and beyond for their communities and patients. In addition, many local businesses also create special offers for nurses - watch your local news and social media outlets to see what might be available near you.

Several major sports teams offer “Nurses Night Out” events. It’s a great time to grab your favorite group of nurses and enjoy an evening of fun and relaxation. Some teams, like the Red Sox, have a nurse throw the first pitch.

Nursing has always been a profession that needs more than just your time and knowledge. Nursing requires heart, passion, and dedication to serving others. Nurses Week allows the public to acknowledge and thank nurses for the work you choose every day. It’s a chance for us to pause and thank the nurses who have made a difference in our careers.

—Joleen Sams is a family nurse practicioner and writes for Nurse.org

Molloy Earns Clinical Healthcare Simulation Facilities Endorsement

Molloy University’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences has received the prestigious Healthcare Simulation Standards Endorsement Designation from the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) for its state-of-the-art healthcare simulation facilities that are the training ground for the nursing and healthcare professionals of the future. The endorsement recognizes healthcare institutions and practices that have demonstrated excellence in applying simulation standards.

“We are the first nursing school on Long Island to receive this recognition, and one of only twenty-five institutions worldwide,” said Lori Persico, PhD, CHSE, RN, director of simulation education and assistant professor at Molloy University.

“This is a direct result of the collaboration between our highly trained Clinical Learning Center (CLC) facilitation team, faculty, and our simulation technology specialists, who serve more than 1,000

nursing students each semester. Our CLC simulation programs exemplify excellence in applying Healthcare Simulation Standards for Best PracticesTM in the core four categories: professional integrity, facilitation, prebriefing: preparation and briefing, and debriefing.”

The Molloy University simulation program provides high-tech, interactive

opportunities allowing the student to bridge theory to practice in a safe learning environment. A team of dedicated CLC nursing instructors facilitate the simulation learning session for students. CLC sim facilitators, simulation specialists, and faculty work collaboratively with students, individually or in group settings, to master the clinical skills essential for competent and safe nursing practice at two sites: the main campus in the Barbara H. Hagan Center for Nursing, Rockville Centre and at Route 110 in Suffolk County. Each nursing instructor has worked in various capacities within the clinical setting and brings a wealth of professional expertise to share with students. Simulation facilitators guide students through replicated clinical scenarios using state-of-the-art technology that promotes safe nursing practice by stimulating critical thinking, reasoning, and judgment.

—Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing and Health Sciences/Molloy College

Molloy was one of 25 schools worldwide and the only one on Long Island to earn the recognition.

ASK AN HSS DOCTOR

Sponsored by Hospital for Special Surgery

QI have knee arthritis causing ongoing pain. An MRI also showed a torn meniscus cartilage. A doctor is recommending arthroscopic surgery, but I’ve read that doesn’t help with arthritis. Could you provide some advice?

AThree words: Don’t Do It. Studies show, and we know from our own experience, that arthroscopic surgery does nothing to relieve arthritis pain. Not only is this surgery useless; it often makes arthritis worse by causing more inflammation in the joint.

I typically see one or two patients a week after another orthopedic surgeon performed arthroscopic surgery a few months earlier. Patients are very unhappy because they are in worse pain than before they had the procedure. Many were told minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery would buy them time before needing a knee replacement, and they are disappointed

Patients hoping to put off joint replacement may have heard that it’s a painful surgery with a long recovery. However, major advances in technology, surgical technique and pain control have benefited patients. Robotic-assistance and computer navigation have enabled a very accurate surgery using smaller incisions. A long-lasting anesthetic nerve block applied during surgery and an improved pain management protocol after the procedure result in less discomfort. Many times, motivated patients in good general health can go home the same day.

The first line of treatment for people with arthritis should be nonsurgical. This often includes physical therapy, pain medication such as anti-inflammatories, activity modification and possibly a steroid injection.

When conservative treatments fail to provide relief, joint replacement surgery is the only tried-and-true remedy for ongoing, painful arthritis. If the damage is limited to just one area of the knee, we can do a partial joint replacement, which generally leads to a quicker recovery. It’s important to get the proper diagnosis and the right treatment sooner, rather than later.

You may be wondering when arthroscopic knee surgery would be appropriate. It may be recommended if a patient has “mechanical symptoms” that are causing pain and making it difficult to walk. There could be a large cartilage tear or a loose body in the knee – a small fragment of cartilage or bone - that’s getting caught in the joint and preventing normal movement. In these cases, minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery may be indicated to repair the tear or remove a loose body. But it is not recommended for someone with ongoing symptoms from arthritis.

Bottom Line: A second opinion is always a good idea when elective surgery is recommended. For patients with ongoing, painful knee arthritis, arthroscopic surgery usually does more harm than good.

HAVE A QUESTION FOR AN HSS DOCTOR?

Cash Prizes Inspire Gamified Wellness

HealthyWage Jackpot & Step Challenges proffer healthful weight loss motivation in a way that entertains, challenges and financially rewards good choices through game play. Having paid out over $52 million cash for a collective 10 million pounds lost, HealthyWage participation—and prize pots—surge as behavioral economics studies continue to substantiate gamification efficacy for weight loss-driven wellness.

Wellness gamification pioneer HealthyWage—the world’s leading purveyor of money-driven diet contests and challenges for individuals, teams and corporate wellness groups that has paid more than $52 million cash rewards for more than 10 million collective pounds lost—recently announced that it’s current round of weight loss “Jackpot” and “Step” challenges boasts a collective cash pot prize opportunity of nearly $95,000. The proof is in the performance in the form of quantifiable and undeniable metrics that behavioral economics-based gamification works to promote healthful weight loss. Exemplifying the power and efficacy of HealthyWage’s approach are many success stories (both female and male).

With reports indicating that four in ten American adults (about 41.9 percent) are currently obese, and with nearly 20 percent more states today suffering obesity rates above 35 percent versus the year prior, there are compounding concerns as the condition escalates nationwide. Not the least of which is untold millions of Americans needlessly putting themselves at higher risk of—or exacerbating—serious medical conditions per CDC warnings. A Harvard School of Public Health report underscores an ominous trajectory if obesity is not aptly addressed by the end of this decade, revealing that, “If U.S. trends continue unabated, by 2030, estimates predict that roughly half of all men and women will be obese.” Other dire study-driven forecasts through 2030 estimate a staggering “33 percent increase in obesity prevalence and a 130 percent increase in severe obesity prevalence over the next two decades,” also noting that this reality would further hinder healthcare containment cost efforts.

Understanding the need for serious health-focused intervention to get America’s collective weight-driven wellness trending in the right direction, category pioneer HealthyWage continues to tackle the U.S. obesity epidemic head on by using the psychological benefits of game mechanics to motivate weight loss. This as the company is helping more people than ever lose weight and get healthy through its gamification platform

Cash inspires weight loss challenge-driven wellness.

founded on study-driven behavioral science and economics principles validated by many esteemed medical research institutions.

“Studies continue to show that monetary incentives serve to enhance the effectiveness of, and duly complement, weight-loss programs of any and all sorts, especially when paid out quickly like our various programs,” said HealthyWage co-founder David Roddenberry. “Loss aversion is a powerful dynamic and the reality of having ‘skin in the game’ can propel the results of a gamified weight loss initiative. Indeed, a key element for the success of a gamification program is giving participants something to lose if they fail to meet their goal—whether tangible or intangible.”

Whether one is dieting in a personal or professional environment, an array of studies reiterate the importance of the “stick” in the design of a wellness incentive program. “There are many studies demonstrated that the threat of losing something of value is much more effective than the opportunity to win something of equal value,” Roddenberry continued “That’s precisely why we advocate that program participants ‘pay to play’ and make an investment out of their own pocket in order to win rewards—in our case large cash prizes— for losing weight and getting more active in the program. The average HealthyWager participant more than doubles their investment if they are successful at achieving their goal. The financial upside potential is impressive.”

So effective is the company’s diet gamification method, famous personalities have joined HealthyWage in the fight to get America fit. For one, the company partners with global health and fitness expert Jillian Michaels to provide free six-month access to The Fitness App by Jillian Michaels for participants taking a HealthyWager challenge. Beyond the cash prize potential, this partnership additionally provides participants with custom workouts and meal plans—everything they need to succeed—along with other wellness resources like recipes and that related to meditation, mindfulness and sleep.

—HealthyWage

Answer from Michael Alexiades, MD, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee and hip surgery and joint replacement at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City and at HSS Long Island.

Abnormal Liver Problems Can Originate In Gallbladder Medical Students Celebrate Match Day

Not all liver test abnormalities originate in the liver. Sometimes it is the gallbladder. As many as 50 percent of people with a “gallbladder attack” or medically termed acute inflammation of the gallbladder will have abnormal liver tests. Many patients become jaundiced from gallbladder or bile duct disease. Gallbladder disease is common, especially among an overweight population. A good diet with maintenance of a healthy weight may help reduce the likelihood of developing gallstones.

Most people with acute gallbladder inflammation complain of pain in the right upper abdomen. Coincidentally, this also happens to be the area where the liver is located. It is for this reason that your doctor may ask you to undergo a sonogram of the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts if you have abdominal pain and abnormal liver tests. This test is looking for changes in the gallbladder consistent with inflammation, gallstones, bile duct obstruction or structural liver abnormalities.

THE SPECIALIST

David Bernstein, MD

A thickened gallbladder wall, fluid around the gallbladder or pain on performing the ultrasound are all commonly seen in a “gallbladder attack”. Stones seen within the gallbladder do not necessarily mean that the gallbladder is sick or that the stones are a problem. Gallstones are very common and large stones seldom cause problems.

The treatment for an inflamed gallbladder is surgical removal

of the gallbladder. There is no medicine for this. Patients whose gallbladders are removed are generally out of the hospital within 48 hours and the recovery time is significantly less than older, open gallbladder surgery. Despite the commonality of this type of surgery, it is still a surgical procedure with potential significant risks for both long and shortterm complications. You should ask your surgeon to answer any questions prior to the surgery.

The gallbladder is not an essential organ and most people who have had their gallbladder removed feel fine without any changes to their usual activities. Rarely, people can develop diarrhea following surgery and sometimes years later, a new stone forms in the biliary tract that can be endoscopically removed. Following gallbladder removal, the liver tests should return to normal. If they do not, further evaluation of the liver should be performed.

—David Bernstein, MD, MACG, FAASLD, AGAF, FACP

Graduating students at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell learned where they would spend the next phase of their medical training during the school’s Match Day ceremony on March 17. Clutching small white envelopes containing their “match,” the 91 graduating students that make up the Class of 2023 eagerly awaited the stroke of noon, the time all medical students nationwide open a personalized letter from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) revealing their residency results. This rite of passage is the culmination of years of preparation, hard work, and determination.

Anise Diaz is the only student who successfully matched into the competitive otolaryngology specialty at Boston University Medical Center.

“I’m so grateful for all the support and for all the mentors that I had here at the School of

Medicine,” shared Diaz. “I’m super ecstatic that I made it and I’m ready for the future.”

Eric Lee and Erika Rivera were one of three couples at the Zucker School of Medicine who went into the match process together via “Couples Match”.

“It was a little scary applying to the match as a couple. There’s already so much uncertainty with a match and having to apply as a couple further adds to that uncertainty,” said Lee, who expressed both nervousness and excitement for his and Rivera’s future. “It was really helpful to have someone by your side to ground each other during the stressful parts of this entire process,” explained Rivera. Lee and Rivera successfully matched and will begin their residencies in anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital.

—Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Anise Diaz

Eric Lee and Erika Rivera

Increase Productivity And Manage Mental Health

Productivity and mental health are closely linked. With depression, anxiety and burnout being the most common manifestations of poor mental health, the experts at Joy Organics have compiled a list of five tips to help manage your mental health and increase productivity both in and out of the workplace.

Take a break

It’s important to step away from your work every few hours otherwise your brain will freeze up and feelings of burnout or anxiety will start to become stronger. Only eleven out of fifty states mandate some type of rest break for workers. If your employer allows a break, you should make sure it is uninterrupted.

Having a break allows your brain to reset itself from any stressful situations. Research from the Association of Psychological Science suggests that a ten-minute break for every hour you work is a good balance to maintain

productivity.

Set Small Objectives

Looking at your work as a huge single object is daunting. Those feelings of dread can feed into depression and anxiety so splitting up your work into manageable chunks will make things easier. A simple way to do this is by using Stephen Covey’s four quadrants of time management approach. This method uses four categories:

• Urgent and important—unforeseen events and urgent matters

• Not urgent but important— smaller tasks that won’t affect your deadlines

• Urgent but not important— meetings and phone calls

• Not urgent and not important— checking social media Compartmentalizing can also help with ADHD as your brain can tick off small steps as you go.

Communicate

Having another perspective is useful for lowering your stress levels. Talking to your team or

a manager not only gives you a break from staring at a screen, but it means that you can solve problems faster.

Instead of struggling with a project alone, ask for a quick meeting or an informal chat to have another set of eyes on it. Don’t take on too much

Hustle culture has become common in workplaces over the past few years, where everyone is trying

to take on everything their managers give them. This can be a huge contributor to stress and depression as the work keeps coming in.

You have a finite number of hours at work, so don’t take on a week’s worth hoping to get it done in a day. Set boundaries and know when to focus on the work you already have.

Get a good night’s sleep

When you’re tired and low on

energy it becomes harder to concentrate. Getting at least eight hours of sleep each night will allow your brain to rest and you will be better equipped to deal with whatever the workplace throws at you.

Before going to bed, you should do something relaxing and not stare at a phone screen or catch up on work. This helps to signal that it’s time to sleep.

According to a study by stress. org, more than 50 percent of workers are not as productive at work due to stress, and 39 percent claim workload is the main cause. Workplace stress can affect anyone, but research has shown that women must contend with their hormones on top of everyday stresses. In fact, 57 percent of women reported feeling burnout because of work stress, compared to 48 percent of men.

It’s important that companies work towards more inclusive workplaces that have a healthy work-life balance and manage employee stress by being transparent.

—Joy Organics

Compartmentalizing your daily tasks into urgency and importance levels will help manage your time and stress.

Chih-Shan Jason Chen, MD, PhD, FAAD Mohs Surgeon & Director of Dermatologic Surgery MSK

He Survived The ‘Widowmaker’

New oxygen treatment aids heart attack recovery

BY FRANK RIZZO editors@antonmediagroup.com

A widowmaker heart attack happens when you have a blockage in the biggest artery in your heart. That means blood can’t move through your left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which provides 50 percent of your heart muscle’s blood supply. Immediate treatment is crucial for a chance at survival.

—The Cleveland Clinic

Kevin Kapela of New Hyde Park has a favorite saying regarding our final passage.

“When they call your number, you go,” daughter Nicole, of Garden City, quoted her father. “So when I got up to the [hospital] room that night he said, ‘My number wasn’t called.’”

“Have you ever heard that word before, widowmaker?” she was asked.

“I did, but I didn’t hear good things,” she replied. “I never heard of a happy story on the other side.”

Thanks to some luck and skilled intervention at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Kapela, 64, had a happy ending.

March 21 was the day his number could have been called. What medical professionals call a “myocardial infarction” was far from his mind as he stood at the ninth tee at the Christopher Morley Park golf course in Roslyn. It was his first outing of the year and he wasn’t keeping score, just getting his golf game tuned up.

“I took it nice and easy the first eight holes,” he related, adding that, as usual, he walked the course. “I’m loosened up and I usually like to get my drive over the trees [on the ninth]. I said, ‘I’m going to swing for the stars.’ As soon as I took the swing I felt like lightning bolts coming down my arm.”

His first thoughts were that he had pulled

some muscles, but quickly realized that he was having a heart attack.

Kapela made the crucial decision to drive himself to nearby North Shore University Hospital. The first of what he called “the stars being aligned” in his favor came into play when he caught all green lights out of the park south on Searingtown Road to the LIE Service Road and past Shelter Rock Road to Community Drive, where the hospital was located,

En route, he called his wife Gina and told her, “Just come to the hospital. I think I’m having a heart attack.”

About five minutes after leaving the park—and keeping to the speed limit, he emphasized—he pulled into an ambulance bay at the ER entrance and an attendant came out to aid him.

Kapela said he was bent over in excruciating pain as he was helped out of his car.

“All I remember is the kid’s sneakers, he’s got beautiful sneakers,” he said, being unable to look up at the attendant.

The stricken man handed his license to an ER nurse and noted that he was already in the hospital’s records system, saving precious time. Within 20 minutes, he was in the cardiac catheterization lab for the life-saving stent procedure.

At an April 20 press conference, flanked by his wife and interventionist cardiologist Dr. Gaurav Rao, Kapela described his discomfort, imitating his moaning as he crossed his arms over his chest. On the proverbial pain scale of 1 to 10 he called it a “12.”

“The EKG was the first thing they did and they knew what I had immediately,” he said, hearing the scary word “widowmaker” being called out.

As he drifted in and out of what he called “a twilight zone” of consciousness, he also

Taking part in a press conference were, from left, Kevin Kapela, Gaurav Rao, MD, interventional cardiologist, and Rajiv Jauhar, MD, chief of cardiology, Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital. (Screen Capture)

(Contributed Photo)

heard the medical personnel ask, “How did this guy not have a stroke yet? How did this guy not have a blood clot?” Kapela described the immediate pain relief he felt when the stent cleared the blockage.

Afterward, Dr. Rao asked permission to perform a fairly new procedure, recently approved by the FDA—TherOx treatment. According to a press release, it “provided his own super oxygenated blood to the site of

the heart attack, helping prevent irreversible damage to the heart muscle and decreasing risk of long-term heart failure. Doctors liken the one-hour therapy as a hug for the heart because it brings oxygen-rich blood to millions of micro vessels in the organ and breaks up artery-clogging plaque in that area.”

North Shore is the only hospital in the state and one of the few in the Northeast to offer this therapy.

Kapela said he was “high-fiving” the medical personnel after the procedure, and when Nicole entered the room she was shocked for the second time that day—the first was when her mom informed her of the emergency.

“He looked amazing,” she related. “He was sitting up. His color was back in his face. He didn’t look like someone who had a massive heart attack.”

Nicole said Kevin was a very active grandfather with her four kids and said he stayed on top of his medical care.

“Ever think this would happen to you?” Kevin was asked.

“Never, not me,” he replied. “I didn’t have any symptoms. I felt great. I was walking with no sweat, no shortness of breath. I slept good. I don’t smoke, and I’m not a heavy drinker.”

Kapela is a semi-retired clothing

manufacturer with a factory in Los Angeles. He said he did well on a stress test when he was 50 and walked up to two miles per day and also played pickleball.

Wife Gina also detailed that scary day, praising the nurses for comforting her with the assurance that her husband was in good hands.

In an interview with Anton Media Group, Dr. Rao said of the new therapy, “[it helps] those cells on a cellular level stay alive. So what does that mean long term? It means that patients are going to have less scar, [which] means less hospitalizations for heart failure and less death. And when your heart is stronger, you’re able to do more things that you want to do and the quality of life stays high. You’ll be able to spend time with family and do all those things that you were able to do before because your heart function has improved.”

He added, “And that’s exactly what happened in Kevin’s case by the end of his hospitalization. His heart function had improved, [going from] 25 percent to 50 percent. Normal is about 55 to 60 percent.”

Gina, reflecting on her husband’s close shave, said, “We’re going to do everything now, enjoy the grandchildren [more]. He got a new lease on life, really.”

Left, Kevin Kapela celebrates a hole-in-one at Christopher Morley Park in 2022, site of his March 21 heart attack. At right, enjoying a post-operation vacation in Marco Island, Florida, with his wife Gina. Their daughter Nicole and grandchildren also joined them.

I didn’t have any symptoms. I felt great. I was walking with no sweat, no shortness of breath. I slept good. I don’t smoke, and I’m not a heavy drinker.

—Kevin Kapela

Reducing Stroke Risk Starts With Education

BY DR. STEVEN ANGELO AND AMANDA REES specialsections@antonmediagroup.com

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, an important time to review the facts about strokes so you can better understand the risks—for you and for your loved ones.

About 795,000 people have a stroke every year, including thousands of people in New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The good news is up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable and if one occurs, it is possible to treat and recover if caught early.

Getting smarter about strokes is crucial as time is a major factor in preventing disability or death. Understanding the symptoms of stroke and risk factors can help you get help fast and reduce your risks.

A stroke is a medical emergency caused by the interruption of the flow of blood to the brain as a result of a clot or internal bleeding. Our brains require a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients. If blood flow stops, brain cells start to die in just a few minutes.

Because of this, a stroke can have a serious impact on many functions of your body, including speech, respiration,

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

Eat

movement, cognition, and bladder control. Strokes reduce mobility in more than half of stroke survivors 65 and over. In fact, stroke causes more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease, according to the National Institute on Aging. Individuals who survive strokes often need physical, speech, occupational therapy and other medical care.

Older adults are at an increased risk of having a stroke. However, there are several ways you can help reduce those risks, including:

THE DUX ® DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

• Make exercise part of your daily routine. Many people don’t know that many

Medicare Advantage health plans include fitness benefits. For example, UnitedHealthcare’s Renew Active program offers free gym memberships, personalized fitness plans, workout videos, and group fitness classes.

• Maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider is an important part of managing chronic conditions like hypertension that can lead to stroke.

• Quit smoking, which increases your risk of a stroke, disease, and death. Talk to your

• Eat healthy foods, like those low in cholesterol and saturated fat, plus lots of fruits and vegetables

If you know the signs and symptoms of a stroke and act quickly, it can mean the difference between life or death, major disability or a better quality of life. If you experience the sudden onset of any of these symptoms, seek medical care immediately:

• Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg—especially on one side of the body

• Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding

• Problems seeing in one eye or both eyes

• Dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or trouble walking

• Severe headache with no known cause

Every year strokes take a toll on far too many of us. Reducing the risks of this too-often devastating condition starts with educating ourselves about stroke and taking small steps to improve our overall wellbeing.

—Dr. Steven Angelo is the chief medical

THE DUX ® DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

THE DUX DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

THE DUX DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

THE DUX DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

THE

DUX ® DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

THE DUX ® DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

THE DUX ® DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of rejuvenating, healing, and growing. The DUX® Bed’s unique, customizable component system provides unrivaled ergonomic support to help you experience significantly higher quality sleep.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

The DUX Dynamic combines the best that a traditional DUX bed has to offer, with the added advantage of adjustability. Not only can you customize each side of the bed for optimal support and comfort with our patented Pascal system of interchangeable cassettes, but now with a simple press of a button on a handheld controller you can choose a sleeping position separate from your partner.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

DUXIANA MANHASSET 1522 Northern Boulevard 516-869-1700 www.duxiana.com

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

DUXIANA MANHASSET 1522 Northern Boulevard 516-869-1700

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

www.duxiana.com

Resolve to invest in your health. Visit a DUXIANA® store near you and discover why The DUX Bed is more than just a bed, it’s the first step to a better, healthier way of living.

DUXIANA MANHASSET 1522 Northern Boulevard 516-869-1700 www.duxiana.com

DUXIANA MANHASSET 1522 Northern Boulevard 516-869-1700

www.duxiana.com

BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX DYNAMIC EVERYBODY CAN USE A LITTLE LIFT

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

THE DUX ® BED FROM SWEDEN

Q&A With New York City-Based Artist Yuko Kyutoku

Using her skills in art for healing

JENNIFER CORR

jcorr@antonmediagroup.com

The inspiration behind Yuko Kyutoku’s art spans from Japan to New York City.

Currently based in New York, she was born in Gifu and grew up in Aichi, Japan. According to her website, “Having grown up next to both nature with mountains and rivers, and urban areas, her love of nature and the outdoors grew tremendously. Throughout her life, Yuko has always been fascinated by images and how the world is represented through the eyes of others. Also, she was born into a doctor’s family that appreciates art, and her grandmother was also an artist who exhibited her works throughout Japan. Naturally, she was drawn to drawings and paintings.”

Her passion for art continued on into her young-adulthood. She completed her Associates degree in Visual Arts at Westchester Community College, and then her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art and Masters degree in Art Therapy at New York University in 2022.

Today, she works at a children’s hospital where she serves children with disabilities and provide various recreational therapy sessions for them to support their well-being and developmental needs. She provides four group sessions per day and documentation as well as preparing and creating other artworks to be displayed in the unit of the hospital. She did not provide the name of the hospital.

QLong Island Weekly: What inspires you so much about American culture? I also see that in your art, you like to infuse your Japanese background with American inspiration. Would you say that’s accurate?

AYuko Kyutoku: “I grew up watching American movies and listening to American music, including Elvis Presley, Madonna, Janis Joplin, and James Brown. I personally think the elements of free expression and authenticity speak to me the most. Each artist expresses their backgrounds, beliefs, and values authentically, and I really like that. It impacted me a lot during my teenage years. I would say

my art expresses more about myself than it focuses on cultural aspects. I am not really thinking about expressing or incorporating Japanese and/or American influences in my art, so much as these aspects come up naturally. As a Japanese person living in New York, it is natural that my work reflects both cultural aspects without my express intention. My work always reflects what I like, value, and believe at the time of its creation, so I would say my art reflects more about where I am in my life than it does my background. I see art as a personal journal or recording process that like snapshots reflect what I do and what my interests are in the individual moments of my life.”

QLong Island Weekly: What’s your favorite art form? How do you find time to do art when you’re a busy art therapist in New York City?

AKyutoku: “I enjoy painting and drawing the most. My art style is a combination of both painting and drawing. I use papers and create gouache paintings. I then use gel pens, markers, or pastels to create textures. I also enjoy exploring some pigments, such as marble powders and glitters. I regularly create art when I have time, and I also do visual journals where I process my experiences with my clients. As an art therapist, art making is required for my profession, however, it is also something that brings me

joy. Dedicating myself to visual journaling and an art-making practice help me to process, ground myself, and gather ideas and perspectives for upcoming sessions, thus I create art whenever I get the chance. I sometimes create art after I get home and on weekends. It is not only my professional practice but also one of my hobbies.”

QLong Island Weekly: What keeps you in New York City?

AKyutoku: “I enjoy being in New York City because of the various opportunities and the high quality of education that I can receive. I would say that I can receive great psychotherapy training and resources in New York City, which I enjoy the most. I am always eager to study something new and look for new therapy training to expand my skills. For instance, recently I took a sound bath workshop in the city, and it was an interesting experience that I will probably want to add it to my art therapy practice in the future.”

QLong Island Weekly: In what ways would you say art therapy helps people? How has it helped you?

AKyutoku: “Art therapy can address various issues, including PTSD, trauma, anxiety, family conflicts, and others. Art therapists use patients’ free-form art and creative expressions to encourage them to share and talk about

the artwork they made and to begin to look within themselves for meaning and insight. Art therapists use both creative expression and talk therapy and other modalities to help people deal with unresolved emotions, increase self-awareness and reflection, increase self-worth, and decrease stress and other emotional issues and disorders. I found art and creative expression helped clients work through strong emotions in a non-harmful way.”

QLong Island Weekly: Is it hard to leave home behind to live abroad? What do you miss most about your home in Japan? What were your favorite parts about growing up there?

AKyutoku: “Adjusting to American culture is of course challenging, and there are many things that one must learn in order to finish school and thrive at work. New York is similar to my hometown in Japan, which is why I like living here. I sometimes miss the Japanese food I grew up with... My favorite part about growing up is the many opportunities I’ve had to expand my skills and knowledge and grow as a person. Since New York is very diverse and I am able to meet people from so many different cultures, which is a life-changing experience, I definitely think that the diversity inspires me to think and live in richer ways.”

—To view Kyutoku’s art, visit www.yukokyutoku.com.

Painting by Yuko Kyutoku.

Yuko Kyutoku is a Japanese contemporary artist and art therapist in New York.

The Congregation That Cares

FRANK RIZZO

frizzo@antonmediagroup.com

Long Island Cares–The Harry Chapin Food Bank has a friend in the Parkway Community Church in Hicksville. President/CEO Paule Pachter stopped by the church recently to accept the annual donation raised by the congregation, singling out Richard Cardozo for his efforts.

Co-pastor Aric Balk, who shepherds the church along with wife Ellen, presented the check.

In expressing his gratitude, Pachter noted that “when it comes to food insecurity and hunger, we still have a lot of work to do. During the three years that all of us were

functioning under a cloud of global pandemic, we saw an additional 223,000 people coming to the food pantries for food and to support their families. That was on top of the 230,000 people that we already provide services to here in Nassau County and Suffolk County. It was extremely challenging. It was difficult. It was expensive. But we did get the job done. And we’re able to help people come through what many have said were their darkest hours. As we gather within the church this morning, there are still too many people who are struggling to put food on their table.”

Among these were 87,000 children and the approximately 2,000 seniors and 3,000 veterans served by the agency, the last two groups via home delivery.

“And that is the challenge we have—that in a region with such significant resources, there are so

many people that need [help],” he continued. “And it’s because of communities like this that we’re able to provide the support that so many people need. And so the contribution (holding up the

check) helps us do our work, but more importantly [is] your support of your fellow neighbors—you know who they are, you know who’s struggling in your community. And they need the support of

their neighbors, especially in the churches and synagogues. We in the faith-based community, we understand exactly what it is to be in need.”

Pachter declared himself fortunate to run an organization founded in 1980 by the late singer-songwriter, who unfortunately lost his life in 1981, before he saw his efforts come to fruition.

He praised his staff and volunteers, saying that without them, all the appreciated donations from individuals, governments, corporations and foundations would not help the organization reach its goals.

Pachter was joined at the service by Sheila Flythe, the agency relations assistant manager, and Sonia Pluchinotta, director of agency relations.

For more information visit www. licares.org.

Girl Scouts Of Nassau County Empowers Girls To Become Leaders Thanks To $75,000 Grant

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently announced that, since December 2022, more than 270 Girl Scouts have achieved patches as part of the Project C patch program, which was sponsored by National Grid as part of a $75,000 donation to help empower girls and provide them with the resources to excel as they pursue careers in STEM-related fields. The Project C patch program featured a series of activities for Girl Scouts that promoted environmental advocacy, social justice, workforce development and community engagement.

In addition to the patch program, National Grid’s generous contribution also helped fund the Girl Scouts’ efforts to plant 186 new trees throughout Nassau County, a series of storytelling workshops and the Girl Scouts’ Unapologetically Fearless Since 1912 event that gave Girl Scouts a platform to learn from inspirational women in a range of non-traditional industries.

“The Project C patch program is the epitome of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s mission to empower girls and help provide them with the resources to hone their leadership capabilities,”

said Randell Bynum, the CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County.

“Through the collaboration, we will continue to provide a number of opportunities to girls that will help boost their confidence and unlock their potential to make the world a better place by prioritizing environmental and sustainable changes in their communities.”

The Project C patch program features four distinct areas that Girl Scouts of Nassau County geared toward equipping girls with the tools to become leaders in tomorrow’s workforce and inspire positive, sustainable changes in their neighborhoods.

The patches, which represent the four pillars of the Project C program, are: clean energy and sustainability, environmental justice and social equity, neighborhood development and community engagement, and workforce development. Since the program’s launch on November 15, 2022, 78 earned the clean energy patch, 77 earned the community development patch, 78 earned the environment justice and social equity patch and 77 earned the community development patch.

Girls earned these patches by completing a rigorous curriculum that included activities such

as making a video message to bring awareness to environmental justice and social equity, brainstorming ways to use clean energy in their communities and inviting a woman from National Grid’s Women in Non-Traditional Roles (WiNTR) organization to speak to their troop.

In addition to the patch program, National Grid funded a successful event the Girl Scouts of Nassau County held in September at the Long Island Children’s Museum Entitled Unapologetically Fearless. Since 1912, seventh through twelfth-grade students learned about the experiences of female

professionals in non-traditional careers and trades. Through National Grid’s funding, girls also planted 186 new trees throughout their communities as part of GSUSA’s Tree Promise, which encourages Girl Scouts across the nation to plant 5 million trees in five years to contribute to overall environmental progression and to protect and honor new and existing trees. Lastly, National Grid funded a series of workshops called Telling Your Story, through which girls work with expert speakers and teachers to learn about public speaking and sharing their own stories in unique ways as a means to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of lifestyle differences.

“It’s inspiring to see how girls throughout Nassau County are prioritizing sustainability and environmental consciousness in their communities while developing their own business and career skills. We applaud the Girl Scouts of Nassau County for their efforts to empower Long Island’s youth,” said Kathy Wisnewski, the Director of Customer and Community Management of National Grid.

—Submitted by Girl Scouts Of Nassau County

Co-pastor Aric Balk presents a donation to Li Cares President/CEO Paule Pachter. (Photo by Frank Rizzo)

A Girl Scouts of Nassau County troop in Freeport recently joined with National Grid officials at a recent meeting for an activity on energy conservation and sustainability.

(Photo by Girl Scouts of Nassau County)

Long Island Author Releases New Novel

Kara Thomas has mesmerized critics and fans alike with her bestselling psychological thrillers for young adults—The Darkest Corners, Little Monsters, The Cheerleaders and That Weekend, a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick. Her expertly crafted novels of suspense featuring young adults have also led to significant cross-over appeal with adult readers.

Now, Thomas makes her adult novel debut with Out Of The Ashes, her darkest, grittiest, and most compelling work to date.

Having grown up on Long Island, a notorious hotbed of unsolved crimes and corrupt law enforcement, Thomas has been obsessed with unsolved mysteries and conspiracy theories. She became particularly transfixed by the tragic 1945 mystery of the Sodders, a family whose home burned while they were sleeping. While the parents and four children escaped, five other children were trapped and their remains were never found. Imagining what that kind of uncertainty would mean to a family member who survived the tragedy, Thomas created her own story, centering on a fatal fire

and a child whose body was never retrieved from the ashes.

In the novel, Samantha Newsom has rebuilt her life after a house fire killed her family twenty-two years ago. She’s certain it was murder, but the case went cold. Samantha returns to her hometown of Carney, NY when a prison inmate claims he saw someone leaving the property carrying her baby sister the night of the fire. What else did he see, and could Samantha’s sister really be alive? It’s up to her—with the help of investigator Travis Meacham—to determine what really happened that night.

Out Of The Ashes features all the juicy ingredients for an unputdownable cover to cover read. Thomas will be lauching her new

novel at The Next Chapter, 204 New York Ave. Huntington, NY on Thursday, May 18 at 7pm.

Visit kara-thomas.com to

purchase Out Of The Ashes and learn more about Thomas.

—Submitted by Thomas & Mercer Publishing

10 Million Handshakes Highlight Eastern New York’s Spring Season

The first round of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup playoffs has now ended. Much is going to be made of the fact that players and coaches line up in the sporting gesture of shaking hands at the conclusion of each hard-fought best-of-seven playoff series. There will be approximately 6,000 handshakes in total after the 15 playoff series.

But that pales in comparison to what is happening in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), where the ideals are sportsmanship, safety, fun and fundamentals. Our 100,000 players, both boys and girls from the East End of Long Island to the Canadian border, plus their coaches and match referees will participate in approximately 10 million handshakes during this Spring Season.

“Now that the pandemic has faded and youth soccer has returned to normalcy, it’s important that teams have started shaking hands and bumping fists after every game once again,” explained ENYYSA President Richard Christiano.

Shaking hands is not just a spring thing, as it occurs throughout the year. It is estimated that 25 million handshakes will happen after Eastern New York soccer games in 2023.

The non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 10 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer.

—Submitted by Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

Make the most of summer with the New York Baseball Academy.

Led by Hofstra Baseball head coach and 14-year MLB veteran Frank Catalanotto and his NCAA Division I staff, the New York Baseball Academy at Hofstra provides players with an opportunity to develop their skills through daily workshops, offensive and defensive technique instruction, and game play. With one through six weeks of instruction available, players can customize their camp experience around their schedules.

Learn more about the New York Baseball Academy at hofstra.edu/nyba

Young players in the and Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) shaking hands. (Photos by LIJSL)

Kara Thomas (Photo credit: Charles Santangelo)

Loss To Hurricanes Brings An End To Islanders Season

LAUREN FELDMAN

lfeldman@antonmediagroup.com

After a rousing and tense matchup, the Islanders lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in an overtime game by a score of 2-1 in Game 6 of their first playoff round, killing their chance at the Stanley Cup for the first time in two years. The loss came as an abrupt end to the efforts of a team who truly fought for a playoffs shot, with the final blow coming as a steep-angled side shot at 6 minutes into OT by Paul Stastny.

Things had been looking strong for the Islanders, who led the game by 1-0 by midway though the opening period. However, despite outshooting the Hurricanes 28-19, they were unable to build on their lead. This proved fatal as the third quarter saw the Hurricanes outshooting the Islanders 19-5, ultimately leading to the goal which tied up

the game. Big saves from goalie Ilya Sorokin kept the Islanders in the game well into the third period, though without another point, both teams headed into OT, where ultimately the Hurricanes came out victorious.

The loss was hard for the Islanders, particularly for Sorokin, who earned some extra good spirits from his teammates following the game. While the goal was an unusual one for Sorokin, his team is confident that they would not have made it so far without him.

“The goalies... we wouldn’t be here without them,” said Scott Mayfield, of Islanders defense, in a statement. “They know that. They know how special they are.” Defenseman Ryan Pulock concurred. “[Sorokin] was spectacular for us all season and all playoffs.”

Many members of the Islanders have played together for a long time, leading to not only a cohesive team but a brotherhood. While the end of the playoffs was disappointing, this was a large improvement from the 2022 season, in which the Islanders did not make the playoffs. Left wing Matt Martin is

disappointed, but hopeful for the future. “We put a lot of work into getting here and battled adversity throughout the year,” Martin said in a statement. “At the same time it hurts, it

hurts bad and we’ll sit on this one for a little while and then get ready for next season.”

Onwards and upwards for the Islanders next year!

Two Sacred Heart Academy Seniors Win $40,000 Scholarships From Amazon

Not all Amazon packages are created equal. Just ask Hilary Rojas Rosales, ‘23 and Shadia Suha, ’23, high school seniors at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, New York. Returning home from school one afternoon, both young women were surprised to open an Amazon package naming them as recipients of the 2023 Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship--a $40,000 tuition scholarship ($10,000/year) toward an undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science. As if that was not exciting news in and of itself, they also were offered a guaranteed, paid 12-week summer internship at Amazon after completing their freshman year of college. While working at Amazon, AFE interns work on a software or hardware engineering team and pair up with a co-intern, manager, and mentors to build projects that have a real impact on Amazon customers. Interns get to work on some of Amazon’s groundbreaking technologies and core platforms, like Alexa voice technology, Amazon Web Services, and the Amazon retail platform.

It is not at all surprising the Hilary and Shadia took the initiative to apply for this prestigious opportunity. Hilary, a Hempstead resident, has always had a passion for computer science so it is not surprising that she plans to attend SUNY Binghamton’s Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science in fall 2023. Aside from the challenging

science and research program, Hilary says that she has made new friends every single year and is quick to point out that she still finds time to take care of two parakeets, Bella, and Jacob. Shadia, a West Hempstead resident, also cites the lifelong friendships that she has made at Sacred Heart and says that the research she was able to do at SHA through the Brookhaven National Laboratories reinforced her passion for the study of medicine through engineering and robotics. Somehow, she also manages to play violin, piano and guitar just for fun.

Sister Jean Amore, CSJ, Ed. D, principal at Sacred Heart, shared that “Not only are Shadia and Hilary intelligent, hardworking young scholars, they lead with compassion, courage, and commitment. Sacred Heart Acad. is so proud of them.” Sister Jean Amore, CSJ, Ed.D. principal.

Sacred Heart Academy’s focus in science and math prepares students to apply their scientific knowledge to real-world

challenges. Both young women have spent a great deal of time in the Science Research Center at Sacred Heart Academy, a state-of-the-art facility, designed specifically for student-developed research projects.

Amazon Scholarship recipients applied

for the opportunity and were selected based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, community involvement, work experience, future goals, and financial need. Amazon surprised four hundred students with news of the award. We met with two of the recipients to learn what inspired them to study computer science. Besides their project work, Amazon Future Engineer interns get exposure to the Amazon business through fireside chats with senior leaders, deep dives from technology teams, and an annual Alexa skills-building hackathon.

“Every year, I continue to be inspired by our scholarship recipients’ academic achievements and drive to use their problem-solving abilities to build solutions for

their communities,” said Victor Reinoso, global director of Philanthropic Education Initiatives at Amazon. “With students from historically underrepresented and underserved communities representing only 18% of CS [computer science] bachelor’s degrees, we believe that connecting students to computer science education and opportunities helps create a more equitable and inclusive future, across all industries and sectors, for generations to come.”

The future is extremely bright for Hilary, Shadia, and their classmates, and the entire SHA community is very proud of all they have accomplished.

Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) is an all-girls Catholic college preparatory school sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Founded in 1949, SHA has over 12,000 alumnae who live and work around the world. Current students come from over forty school districts. Graduates go on to recognized top-tier colleges and universities, receiving significant academic and athletic scholarship offerings each year.

Sacred Heart Academy combines rigorous academics with leadership opportunities that foster the values of courage, commitment, and compassion. Lead with Heart is the essence of the Sacred Heart Academy experience.

—Submitted by Sacred Heart Academy

After a rousing game, the Islanders lost to the Hurricanes 2-1. (Photo courtesy of NHL.com : Cory Wright)

Shadia Suha, SHA ’23 and S. Jean Amore, Ed.D., CSJ, Principal of Sacred Heart Academy. (Photos by Sacred Heart Academy)

Hilary Rojas Rosales, SHA ’23 and S. Jean Amore, Ed.D., CSJ, Principal of Sacred Heart Academy.

Art In The Park Event Returns To Heckscher Park

Art League of Long Island is pleased to announce the upcoming Art in the Park event. After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Art League of Long Island’s 53rd Art in the Park Fine Art & Craft Fair is back with an eclectic variety of one-of-a-kind art and craft work made by the exhibitors at Huntington’s Heckscher Park. The fair takes place June 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the spacious grounds of the park, located at the intersection of Rt 25A and Sabbath Day Path. This exciting two-day event will be filled with fine art sales, music, food trucks, and art demonstrations. The event promises to be a fun-filled day for the whole family and is free to attend.

Art in the Park is an opportunity for local artists to showcase their talents and for art enthusiasts to purchase unique pieces of art. Booths will be judged by Long Island Museum’s Alexandria D’Auria Director of Advancement and Huntington Arts Council’s Executive Director Kieran Johnson on Saturday and ribbons will be awarded in the afternoon. Attendees will have the opportunity to view and purchase paintings, sculptures,

pottery, jewelry, and other forms of fine art.

The event will also feature live music performances by local musicians and food trucks offering a variety of delicious foods and beverages. Art demonstrations will also be available for those who are interested in learning more about different art forms.

The Art League is excited to bring back this

event for its 53rd year to Heckscher Park and to showcase the incredible talents of our local artists. Our hope is that the community will come out and enjoy a day filled with fine art, music, food, and fun.

Established in 1955, the Art League is a notfor-profit visual arts center whose mission is to provide a forum and showcase for artists

of all ages and ability levels, whether through art education in the studios or exhibition opportunities in the gallery and art fairs. Artwork on display in the gallery may be available for purchase. The Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery is open free of charge.

—Submitted by the Art League of Long Island

After A Decade, Charlee Miller Retires from the Art League

On January 2, 2013, Charlee Miller walked through the front doors of the Art League of Long Island as the newest Executive Director. Coming from 37 years in the banking industry, retiring as a Vice President for J.P. Morgan Chase, she was hired for her financial acumen and for her prior experience as Treasurer of the Dystrophic Epidermolysis of America, known as Debra of America. The thenboard of directors knew that the Art League would be in good hands...and little did they know how true that sentiment would be for the Long Island artist community.

Says Miller, “My favorite memories of working at the Art League include interacting everyday with students of all ages and abilities, talented teaching artists and a dynamic and creative staff. It was a privilege and honor to be part of Long Island’s creative class of artists, photographers, designers, and doers who infused every corner of the Art League’s amazing building with energy, innovation and excitement. The whole experience was unique, fulfilling and rewarding.”

During the quarantine, Charlee began major fundraising for the Art League, as classes were cancelled and students were owed credits for classes for which they had already enrolled. She jumped into action,

seeing the opportunity in the challenge.

“The pandemic was the most devastating event the Art League had to deal with financially, emotionally and spiritually. The health and safety of our employees, students and visitors was the number one concern. Shutting down for six months was tough on employees wondering when and where their next paycheck would come from and when and if we’d be able to reopen.

Thanks to government support, understanding creditors and our banks who

worked with us, we were optimistic. A tremendous amount of support came from donors, students, business partners and people who wanted to support us through the crisis! The pandemic meant business! And that meant change. The challenges were great and it required immediate changes to the business model, a reduction in operating hours and expenses and better use of the building space.” Miller acknowledges and appreciates everyone who stepped up, donated to the Art League, and made it possible for the Art League to begin

the road to recovery.

Once the Art League reopened, she then began to plan for her retirement, knowing a succession plan would be needed to hire a new Executive Director. The search took only a few months before the Art League moved forward with hiring Marianne Della Croce, who began in her current position in January 2022. Charlee then transitioned to Director of Development, bringing in much needed funds through capital grants, our Annual Appeal and partnering with other nonprofits for additional revenue streams.

Della Croce said, “If it wasn’t for the forethought of Charlee, the Art League would not be in such a secure place as it is now. I am honored to have her trust, and the support of Charlee as well as the board of directors, students and supporters to continue to make the Art League of Long Island the premiere visual arts organization that it is.”

Janette Simms, ALLI Board President, said, “We owe Charlee an immense debt of gratitude for her knowledgeable, experienced and determined leadership during a time of unprecedented challenge. Her tenure put the Art League on the path to a more sustainable future.”

—Submitted by the Art League of Long Island

Art In The Park 2022.

(Photo by the Art League Long Island)

Instructor Antonio Masi & Charlee Miller in the Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery.

(Photo by the Art League of Long Island)

WORD FIND

HOROSCOPES By Holiday

HOROSCOPES By

HOROSCOPES By Holiday Mathis

Holiday Mathis

Mathis

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have pleted the puzzle, there will be 31 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Repetition has its own kind of magic. Duplication is creation. Cells divide and multiply to make life. Words said time and again lose and gain meaning. Recurrent tasks become harder, then easier, then harder. e transformations of this week will be the result of echoed behaviors. Be careful what you repeat.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). e existence of original ideas has been long contested. From the ancient Greeks to Shakespeare and beyond, it’s suggested there’s nothing new under the sun. Nonconformity is often characterized by conforming to other nonconformists. Still, mix the old elements in novel ways, knowing there’s never been another you and there never will be.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the ever-hopeful Ophelia says, “We know what we are, but not what we may be.” While others around you may struggle with cynicism this week, you’ll shine a light on the truth. Everything changes including people, and often we can steer the change. Your positive views will be contagious.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). All are called to service, many will answer, and a few will uphold duty to the very end. For the ultra-responsible who live their loyalty, duty can, at times, feel like a curse. Work through such feelings without guilt. ey come with the territory. ere’s something beautiful on the other side.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). ere are things you’ve seen so often, your mind glosses over them, making it impossible to notice anything new about them. It will take a perspective shift to get back to really seeing, and this can only occur after going out into the world and gathering new experience. Consider this your invitation to change things up.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Life seems to be withholding information from you, but there’s an upside to this: You can focus on the task at hand without getting distracted by work that’s further down the line. Life is more exciting when you don’t know what to expect. Trust that there are delights in store.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Just because you’re not sure a thing will work doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it on. But when? Start with the work you have more con dence in. Getting a win or two under your belt will positively a ect your morale and keep you moving ever-forward. Momentum counts for a lot!

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your mind is even busier than usual this week, and the extra information oating around up there makes it harder to prioritize. Try talking to yourself out loud. Since you can only say one thing at a time, verbalizing imposes a linear order to your thoughts. e important points emerge -- ah, clarity!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Trust yourself and have faith in life’s process. It helps to be surrounded by positive people who focus on the right things, which is to say whatever moves it all forward. Don’t expect the whole picture to be revealed at once. More likely, you’ll handle step one and then step two will become clear.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You bring something special to projects -- talent, plus your big heart and an inclusive attitude that attracts people of di erent strengths. Some are clever and can see multiple angles. Some drive the action forward quickly. e combined power of your group will be greater than the sum of its parts.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You don’t love all of your habits, although even the ones you don’t prefer serve a purpose. Understanding that purpose will give you the keys to change if you want to. But regardless of what you decide, you can still fully accept yourself just as you are. Doing so will only make you more powerful.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll be well aware of the limited amount of time you have to get a thing done and just how important it is for you to stay on track. Distractions are costly. While you can’t control everything about your environment, certain obvious preventative measures around timing, laying social boundaries and setting digital limits will greatly bene t your productivity.

THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAYS

It will be a transformative year as you bring your bright intellect to your experiences. Because you’re curious and creative, you’ll come at topics from di erent angles, pursue interesting tangents and ask good questions. You quickly become a favorite of those with knowledge to impart. You’ll learn how to make things run better. Knowledge about processes will apply to relationships, too. You’ll simultaneously grow in many ways at once, including personally and professionally COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

INTERNATIONAL WORD FIND

INTERNATIONAL WORD FIND

INTERNATIONAL WORD FIND

Grafton’s glory

Solution: 31 Letters

WORD FIND

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 31 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Grafton’s glory

Solution: 31 Letters

Architecture Arts

Bridges

Cane field

Clarenza

Colour

Dairy

Drought Gallery

Gardens

Gwydir Heat

Architecture Arts

Gwydir Heat

Princess River

Highway Hospitality

Bridges

Cane field

Clarenza

Hotels

Colour

Houseboat

Dairy

Highway

Hospitality

Hotels

Houseboat Junction Hill Koolkhan

Junction Hill

Koolkhan

Drought Gallery Gardens

Nymboida

Parks

Nymboida Parks

Rural Southampton Street

Trails

Ulmarra

Princess River Rural Southampton Street Trails Ulmarra Vast Welcome

Vast

Welcome

FROM KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, 300 W. 57th STREET, 41st FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Solution: Having fun at the Jacaranda Festival

CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311 EXT. 236

Creators Syndicate 737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-337-7003 • info@creators.com

CONTRACT BRIDGE — BY STEVE BECKER

Date: 5/10/23

CONTRACT BRIDGE

Solution: Having fun at the Jacaranda Festival

FOR RELEASE SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2023

Creators Syndicate

By Steve Becker

Date: 5/10/23

The defense rests

737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-337-7003 • info@creators.com

mistically reached five diamonds on the sequence shown. Hayden’s oddlooking three-spade bid conventionally indicated a singleton spade and good diamond support.

The Italian West led the jack of clubs. East cashed the A-K and then erred by continuing with a third club. This was greeted like manna from heaven by Becker, who ruffed the club with the ten, led a heart to the ace, ruffed a heart and easily made the rest of the tricks after drawing trump.

At the time, it seemed that the Americans would gain substantially as a result of having made an “impossible” game. But there were also strange goings-on at the other table. With an Italian pair now North-South, the bidding went:

WestNorthEastSouth Pass1 ♥ Pass2 ♦

There are not many hands in world championship play where the defense slips so badly at both tables that each declarer is permitted to make an unmakeable game. But this rarity did in fact occur in the match between Italy and the United States in 1965.

At the first table, where Dorothy Hayden and B. Jay Becker were North-South for the U.S., they opti-

Tomorrow:

2 ♠ 3 ♦ 3 ♠ 3 NT

The American West, on lead against three notrump, chose a heart as his opening salvo. The grateful Italian declarer rose with the ace, cashed the king — felling East’s queen — and ran his diamonds to finish with 10 tricks. Had West led a club instead, South would have lost two clubs and six spades and gone down four!

© 2023 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

Weekly Sudoku Puzzle

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.

Answer to last issue’s Sudoku Puzzle

Answer to last issue’s Crossword Puzzle

ANNOUNCEMENTS EMPLOYMENT

***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highest$ Ca$h

Paid$. All Years/ Conditions! WE VISIT

YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct + Ca$h. DMV ID#1303199. Call LUKE 516-VAN-CARS. 516-297-2277

Drive Out Breast Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup - 24hr Response

Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

Wheels For Wishes benefiting MakeA-Wish® Northeast New York. Your Car Donations Matter NOW More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE. We Accept Most Vehicles Running or Not. 100%

Tax Deductible. Minimal To No Human Contact. Call: (877) 798-9474. Car Donation Foundation d/b/a Wheels For Wishes. www.wheelsforwishes.org.

Local Mineola business is looking for a PART TIME FACILITIES PERSON

Must be organized, dependable and able to handle some heavy items when needed. Tuesday and Wednesday are necessary days and we can be exible with remaining hours. Clean driving record and the ability to pass a background check is a must. Please send resume to: ipicone@antonmediagroup.com ne@antonmediagroup.com

HEALTH / WELLNESS

VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574

HOME SERVICES

Arborvitae 6-foot Reduced to $125/ each Free Installation, Free Delivery. Fast growing, High-quality Beautiful & Bushy! Order now to reserve for spring delivery. Lowcosttreefarm.com 518-536-1367

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

DIRECTV. New 2-Year Price Guarantee. The most live MLB games this season, 200+ channels and over 45,000 on-demand titles.

$84.99/mo for 24 months with CHOICE Package. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95

High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/31/24. 1-866-595-6967

Don’t Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 844-947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

BOOK

May

5

out of

Killer Actress Slayed Me

in Marketing.

$72925/year. Send your resume to New Energy Education Center, Inc., 227 Michael Dr, Syosset, NY 11791 or email newenergyedu@gmail.com

TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING!

Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

FINANCE

ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-869-5361

(Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST)

Equal Housing Opportunity

Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, familial status, age, marital status, sexual orientation or disability in connection with the rental, sale or financing of real estate. Nassau also prohibits source of income discrimination. Anton Community Newspapers does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination, call Long Island Housing Services’ Discrimination Complaint Line at 800660-6920. (Long Island Housing Services is the Fair Housing Agency of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.)

Get Into The Garden, No Green Thumb Required

AMANDA OLSEN

aolsen@antonmediagroup.com

After the resounding success of the previous three years, ReWild Long Island is again hosting the 2023 Summer Program. The program is run by an organizing team that includes ten student organizers from the 2022 program. Aimed at high school students and adult volunteers who are motivated to further biodiversity, climate resilience, and food security in North Shore communities, the program is scheduled to begin June 24 and continue through October 8.

When asked about the origins of the highly successful program, Raju Rajan, president of ReWild Long Island, credited the COVID-19 pandemic. “This program came out of COVID, because there was very little that we could do in indoor spaces. So we had a program in Port Washington where we partnered with Plant A Row For the Hungry, where they were collecting vegetables from people’s homes to donate to the food pantry, and that was not possible during COVID. So we have to completely rethink how we would support you know, the folks that are food insecure, while at the same time creating something about climate anxiety and biodiversity. And that’s really how the program was born.”

The Summer Program takes place at multiple locations throughout the Town of North Hempstead. Some of the areas covered are designing and presenting a sustainable garden with a team, organic and regenerative food production for local pantries, rewilding, sustainable landscaping, nature walks, bird banding and monarch butterflies release. All of the activities are outdoors and in-person.

Rajan stated that the program is designed to help interns and volunteers explore and broaden their environmental experience. “The cool thing about this program is we encourage students to rotate and do a little bit of everything because we don’t want them to just go and get a narrow perspective on sustainable landscaping. There’s so many different sustainable ways of building sustainability in our landscape. And we want our students to experience it all. At the same time, we realize that students have schedule issues and you know, they may be going away for a week. In summer, sometimes you don’t have

complete control of your schedule. So we allow them to sign up for things that maybe are closer to them.”

There are two things Rajan and the organizers are looking for from potential interns: passion and commitment. Rajan said, “you should fundamentally care about (something), whether it’s feeding hungry people or about earthworms or about butterflies or about plants or about climate change or something in the community.”

As far as the commitment goes, it should be something the individual is looking forward to, rather than another item to fit into their schedule. “If you’re scheduled and you have like a summer camp, and this, and that, and everything else, it’s very hard for you to put that time and effort. It becomes a chore. I don’t want it to be a chore; I want it to be a joy and a passion.” Rajan said.

Annie Yao of Great Neck, an intern from 2022 who has returned this year as an

organizer, certainly has that passion. She expressed her satisfaction in helping build community and seeing the results of her hard work. “(My favorite part) really has to be community, I think. Being around so many people who are also kind and welcoming. They care about the same things and are so willing to help you and teach you. I personally didn’t have a lot of experience gardening just because where I used to live was mostly urban. It was really cool to have everyone help you with hands on work. And especially seeing the literal and metaphorical fruits of your labor at the end of everything. It was so rewarding, especially when you’re planting it and then you’re harvesting it by hand and knowing that it goes to a good source after.”

Sisters Tiffany and Cynthia Zhang, also 2022 interns from Great Neck who have returned as organizers, were similarly imbued with a sense of accomplishment. Cynthia said that pulling out invasive morning glories was particularly satisfying for her. “It just felt like I was just saving the vegetables and new plants from like being strangled. And it was really fun, and I felt like I was doing something that was helping the garden too, even though it was a really small task.”

Tiffany also enjoyed weeding the garden, saying that it made her feel powerful. Another of her favorite experiences was helping to care for monarch butterfly caterpillars. “We had someone come in who helps, who kind of who takes the monarch butterfly eggs and takes care of them. They brought these monarch butterflies (in) and we saw three caterpillars become a chrysalis, and I thought that was really cool being able to see that with my own eyes.” Intern and volunteer applications opened April 1. Completed applications are due May 1. Interviews begin in early May. Students of all abilities are encouraged to apply. We seek to ensure diversity and representation across all categories, including gender, race, socio-economic status, and ability. You can apply to be a student intern or a student volunteer. Those selected to be interns must complete 60 hours of work, including training. They receive a $300 stipend and a certificate of completion. Volunteers must complete 30 hours of work, including training. There is no stipend for volunteers but they do receive a certificate of completion. This is a good option for those with limited availability.

For more information, visit https://www.rewildlongisland.org/ summer-program-2023.

For students and adults passionate about the environment, ReWild Long Island has a message: Interns and Volunteers wanted

Cynthia Zhang holding a box of harvested peppers and a Japanese Cucumber at the Plant A Row Garden at Helen Keller National Center.

Tiffany Zhang at Sandspoint Preserve after harvesting blackberries.

The ReWild Vegetable Garden at Dodge. (Photos by ReWild Long Island)

MINEOLA STUDENTS SERVE UP A PASTA FEAST FOR A GREAT CAUSE

The Mineola community recently came together for the annual “mINNeola Macaroni” fundraiser, an evening of food and friends that benefits Long Islanders in need.

This year’s event raised $2,400 for the Mary Brennan Inn, a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization that provides essential services to assist those challenged by hunger, homelessness and poverty on Long Island.

Mineola High School students served up a variety of pasta dishes, along with salad, beverages and desserts, all which were provided by Uncle Bacala’s Restaurant in Garden City Park. Guests included Mineola administration, faculty and students, as well as senior citizens from the community.

“mINNeola Macaroni” is an annual fundraising event organized by Mineola High School’s Student Service Center, which provides students the opportunity to volunteer and provide community support during and after school.

— Submitted by the Mineola School District Mineola High School students serving up plates of pasta for a great cause at the “mINNeola Macaroni” fundraiser.

In addition to delicious food, guests were treated to raffles with great prizes.

The only thing sweeter than the dessert table was raising $2,400 for the Mary Brennan Inn. (Courtesy of Mineola School District)

CARLE PLACE STUDENTS COME TOGETHER FOR EARTH DAY MINEOLA TEACHER RECOGNIZED AS MATH TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Carle Place students and staff gathered outside Cherry Lane School for their annual schoolwide Earth Day celebration on April 21. Organized by music teacher Emika Smith, the event was held by the school’s Friendship Garden which was in full bloom for spring.

During the celebration, 10 second-graders shared poems and facts about Earth Day. Ms. Smith also led the entire school in song as the classes raised their voices and sang songs related to nature. They concluded with “This Land is Your Land.”

Before returning to the building, Principal Lauren Moriarty challenged the students to think of ways that they could help make the planet better such as recycling and picking up litter. The event was a great way to bring the school together to celebrate the beautiful planet.

— Submitted by the Carle Place School District

Cherry

A Mineola teacher has been named Nassau County Mathematics Teacher of the Year by the Nassau County Math Teachers Association (NCMTA).

Kerry Ann D’Angelo is a seventh-grade math teacher at Mineola Middle School who has been with the district for nine years.

“Kerry Ann is a conscientious, kind and collaborative colleague,” said Mineola Middle School Principal Amy Trojanowski. “In the classroom, Kerry Ann’s commitment

to her students is evident. She fosters a culture of problem solving where students participate readily; sharing their thinking and are not afraid to make mistakes. Working with and learning alongside Kerry Ann is a privilege. She is professional, innovative, and her warmth is palpable.”

Ms. D’Angelo’s accomplishments as a math educator will be recognized at the annual NCMTA spring reception on May 11.

— Submitted by the Mineola School District

L-R: Instructional Leader Racquel Stephenson, Principal Amy Trojanowski, math teacher Melissa Fusco, math teacher and award recipient Kerry Ann D’Angelo, math teacher Lindsay Borges and Instructional Leader Steve Benner. (Courtesy of Mineola School District)

Lane kindergarteners in their Earth Day hats with Principal Lauren Moriarty (top left). (Courtesy of the Carle Place School District)

Second-graders Emilia Petti (left) and Penny Geddish (right) read Earth Day poems.

Cherry Lane music teacher Emika Smith (middle) and second-grade students led the entire school in song.

Students were among the guests showing support at “mINNeola Macaroni.”

Local seniors were invited to join the fun and enjoy a delicious dinner for a great cause.

Feds: Westbury Prof Was Wronged

FRANK RIZZO

editors@antonmediagroup.com

Dr. Arthur Dobrin of Westbury, 77, was vindicated, but feels like it’s only a partial victory.

The federal Economic Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled on March 28 that Hofstra University discriminated against the professor emeritus when it denied his request to teach remotely. The ruling charged the university with violating his rights because of his age and disability.

As the pandemic ravaged the country in the summer of 2020, Dobrin, who had spent 32 years at the university and had been retired from full-time teaching since 2013, was preparing his Media Ethics course for the fall semester. He had taught it every semester for seven years.

In his complaint to the EEOC the adjunct professor wrote, “I was informed that the course must be taught in-person. I proposed that my section be a distance learning class. That was rejected our of hand, although my spring class successfully had ended on Zoom. A medical accommodation was irrelevant. This is an unreasonable and unethical stance. My class was one of three sections

on media ethics and it could have presented as the section for those students who would choose not to return to campus.”

He added: “To its credit, Hofstra has worked hard to make the campus as safe as possible. However, it is not advisable for everyone to return. Faculty shouldn’t be given less considerations than that given to students.”

Dobrin’s attorney, Thomas F. Liotti, called it a “clear case of age discrimination for medical reasons. My client is highly qualified. There is no legal basis for Hofstra’s actions.”

Hofstra argued that Dobrin’s “request to teach remotely was denied because teaching an introductory level course in person is an essential function of his position” and “was unreasonable and could not be accommodated.” It added that the decision “had nothing to do with his age.”

The EEOC charged that Hofstra’s response “does not withstand scrutiny. [It] failed to engage in an interactive process and denied him an accommodation, in violation of the ADA.”

A spokesperson for the university provided the following response: “Hofstra is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and takes its obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities seriously. The university denies any wrongdoing. This case is still pending, and the university will not comment any further.”

SOME DECISIONS HAVEA VERY PROFOUND EFFECT.

According to the EEOC’s decision, “This determination is final. The statute requires that, if the Commission determines that there is reasonable cause to believe that violations have occurred, it shall endeavor to eliminate the alleged unlawful employment practices by informal methods of conference, conciliation, and persuasion. Having determined that there is reason to believe that violations have occurred, the Commission now invites [Hofstra] to join with it in an effort toward a just resolution of this matter. Enclosed is a letter outlining the proposed terms of conciliation.”

The letter of conciliation was not available for review.

“They have refused to [enter into conciliation],” Dobrin said. “So the next step is that we have to take them to [federal] court. Why Hofstra is doing this is beyond me. They’ve already hired an outside counsel [Farrell Fritz of Uniondale].”

Since the EEOC has no enforcement mechanisms, according to Liotti, Dobrin will seek relief in the federal courts. He will be represented by Harry Kutner Jr. of Garden City, who did not respond to requests for comment.

Observed Dobrin, “I don’t hold it against the university. I just think that the people who are doing this are being petty, stupid and vindictive. I don’t know who made that decision. Probably somebody in the legal department.”

Dobrin is unsure if he would return to part-time teaching if the university asked him. He got high marks from the site Rate My Professor, he said. Seventy respondents gave him the top score, a 5 (“Awesome”) and 84 percent would take his class again.

He noted that he had continued to be employed under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement as an adjunct, and “I had seniority in that department and for them not to ask me back every semester is a violation of my contract.”

MAKE ONE THAT BENEFITS YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY.

The effects of a single decision can ripple through a family for years... even generations. We’re experts on one of the most impactful decisions your family will face—preplanning your funeral. Knowing that everything is taken care of, you spare your family any stressful or confusing considerations. Preplanning is simple, and surprisingly, not something you have to pay for immediately. Preplanning... a decision that’s as easy to make as picking up the phone.

Donohue-Cecere.com

Arthur Dobrin of Westbury. (Contributed Photo)

Body Found Following Hempstead Fire Grand Larceny In Garden City

ANTON MEDIA GROUP STAFF

editors@antonmediagroup.com

Nassau County Police Department detectives are investigating a man’s death after his body was found by firefighters after extinguishing a blaze.

According to detectives, officers responded to a fire in a detached garage at 96 Albemable Avenue on Saturday, April 29 at 6:36 pm.

The Hempstead Fire Department responded to the fire, and extinguished it. Firefighters then discovered an unidentified adult male at the fire site, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It is a vacant property, so we had a neighbor state that he saw the fire and called the fire into us,” Hempstead Fire Department Chief James Joyce told ABC7 News.

Police or fire officials haven’t yet released a cause of death for the man. Homicide detectives’ investigation is currently ongoing.

Four Arrested For Stealing

$7000

In Macy’s Mechandise

The Nassau County Police Department Public Information Office reports four Arrests for a Grand Larceny that occurred on Saturday, April 29 at 4:13 PM in Garden City:

According to detectives, three suspects entered the Macy’s located in the Roosevelt Field Mall 630 Old Country Road and were observed by security placing selected merchandise into a white tote bag. The first suspect, carrying the white tote bag, passed all points of purchase and exited the store without paying for the merchandise. He proceeded to walk over to a silver-colored 2006 Honda Civic with a Texas registration that was occupied by a fourth male suspect. Suspect one entered the vehicle with the tote bag, at that time suspect four drove the vehicle to a different section of the parking lot where suspect one exited the vehicle without the bag and re-entered Macy’s. Suspect one gathered the merchandise selected by suspects two and three, placed

them into another tote bag and again exited the store without paying for the merchandise and went back to the Honda. At that time, suspects one and four were placed under arrest without incident by officers called to the scene. Suspects two and three selected and concealed additional merchandise, exited the store without paying and walked over to the same Honda Civic where both were also placed under arrest without incident.

All merchandise with proceeds totaling more than $7000.00 were recovered. The vehicle was impounded. Subsequent to the investigation a forged United States of America Permanent Resident Identification was recovered. The defendants were arraigned on multiple charges on Sunday, April 30, 2023 in First District Court 99 Main Street Hempstead.

— Via the Nassau County Police Department website

The Nassau County Police Department Third Squad reports the details of a grand larceny that occurred on Friday, April 28, at 12:38 p.m.

According to detectives, three females and a male entered the Louis Vuitton store, located at 630 Old Country Road, with boxcutters which they used to cut six different security wires that were holding purses in place. Seven purses, totaling approximately $23,000, were removed from the store while

passing all points of purchase without rendering payment. All four suspects reportedly fled the mall in a 2012 white Kia Sportage in an unknown direction. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives request anyone with information regarding the above listed crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or to call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.

— Via the Nassau County Police Department website

Garden City Police Department Updates

Highlights from the GCPD blotter April 26 to May 2

• Officers investigated a report where a male subject entered a Franklin Avenue office and removed money from a desk drawer.

• A male subject was seen on surveillance cameras taking packages from the porch of a 2nd Street residence.

• A vehicle parked in Nassau County Field #3 was reportedly damaged by a fallen sign.

• A victim’s identity was stolen and used in an attempt to open a virtual wallet.

• The Department is investigating a report of unauthorized dumping of rubbish on the grounds of the Cathedral of Incarnation.

• GCFD and GCPD responded to a residence for a CO alarm; the Firefighters’ meter readings were negative.

• Officers responded to two residences for burglary alarms and determined they were both activated by construction workers.

• Officers responded to the Middle School for alarm activations. The interior and exterior of the building were searched, and all appeared to be in order.

• Officers were assigned to traffic and safety details for the Race for a Cure.

• Officers responded to Franklin Avenue for a cellular SOS alarm and determined the cause to be an accidental activation.

• A victim was delivering food to an 11th Street residence when an acquaintance stole her vehicle and left the scene. Officers located the vehicle and subject in Parking Field #8, where he was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of an auto.

• GCFD and GCPD responded to two residences for fire calls and determined they were both false alarms.

• A Stewart Avenue truck driver was arrested for driving with 36 license suspensions and unsecured cargo.

• Garden City Detectives arrested a 37-year-old female for entering a local bank and withdrawing $106,000 from a victim’s account without authorization. She was charged with grand larceny.

• The Department received a report of the theft of loyalty points from a victim’s airline credit card account.

• A catalytic converter was reported stolen from a work van parked in Clinton Parking Field.

• Firefighters and Officers responded to a residential fire alarm and determined the cause to be construction on the premises.

A street view of 96 Albemable Avenue in Hempstead. (Image via Google Maps)

Lake Success Attorney Arraigned For Allegedly Stealing Client’s Insurance Settlement Funds

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Lake Success attorney was arraigned yesterday for allegedly stealing $60,000 from a woman he represented in a personal injury claim in January 2021.

Sean O’Leary, 64, who resides in Huntington, was arraigned Wednesday before Judge Norman Sammut on one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on April 26, 2023. If convicted, the defendant faces up to five to 15 years in prison.

“This defendant allegedly exploited his client at a vulnerable time, stealing tens of thousands of dollars that she received to settle a personal injury claim after a car accident,” said DA Donnelly. “Navigating the

difficult process of making an injury-related claim is eased for many by hiring a personal injury attorney. Clients should never have to worry that the attorney they hire may violate their trust and deceive them.”

District Attorney Donnelly said that according to the charges, the victim was injured in a car accident in May 2018 and hired the defendant to represent her as her attorney in a personal injury claim. The defendant’s company is titled Sean O’Leary & Associates, PLLC, and was situated in Lake Success.

The defendant negotiated a settlement with the other driver’s insurance company, and in January 2021, the defendant had the victim sign a release allowing a $90,000 settlement check to be issued to the defendant. The defendant was to keep $30,000, representing one-third of the settlement, as a legal fee, and forward the remaining funds to the victim.

The investigation showed that none of the funds were forwarded to the victim, despite multiple requests by the victim. Instead, the

defendant allegedly withdrew the funds from his account through domestic wires, checks written out to himself, and other withdrawals.

The defendant was disbarred by the Second Department on April 20, 2022.

This case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Lauren Littman of the Financial Crimes Bureau. The defendant is represented by the Legal Aid Society.

If you believe you have been the victim of Sean O’Leary, contact the District Attorney’s Criminal Complaint Bureau at 516-571-3505.

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.

—Submitted by the Office of the District Attorney of Nassau County

North Hempstead To Host Native Plant Rebates For Residents

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board are proud to announce that North Hempstead has received $15,000 from the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District to offer rebates to residents to encourage planting of native plants in their landscapes. The Town will be offering eligible residents up to $350 per household for the purchase of native plants to replace lawn grass or plant in an existing garden.

“We’re proud to once again partner with the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District on this great program,” Supervisor DeSena said. “The Town of North Hempstead has consistently prioritized preserving our environment, and this program will continue to play an important role in protecting our environment for future generations.”

“Native plant gardens have extensive root

systems that can absorb polluted stormwater, while their leaves absorb carbon dioxide and other air pollutants,” said Councilmember Veronica Lurvey. “These gardens provide an easy and beautiful way to help safeguard our surroundings. This initiative is in line with our goal for North Hempstead to serve as a model of sustainability and resiliency.”

For the past two years the program has been successful in creating over 40 new native plant gardens throughout the Town with funding from the Soil and Water District. These gardens provide food, shelter, and nesting resources for pollinators, birds, small mammals, and a variety of wildlife species.

These gardens are important in creating habitats for pollinators such as monarch butterflies. Their populations have been in decline in recent years, and they have been

declared endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Town has also taken the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge again this year and the native plant gardens are important in the effort to conserve this iconic species.

To qualify for the rebate program, residents will be required to complete an application that includes information about their proposed garden location, estimated budget, New York native plant species chosen, proposed garden size, photo(s) of proposed planting location, and a basic garden layout.

Funding is limited and applications that meet the requirements will be accepted on first-come first-served basis. For more information and details on how to apply, please call 311 or visit www.northhempsteadny. gov/sustainability.

—Submitted by the Town of North Hempstead

Ra Co-Hosts Successful Blood Drive Event With Collection Of 90 Units

Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) recently co-hosted a blood drive at the East Meadow Public Library with legislative colleagues Assemblyman John Mikulin (R,C-Bethpage), Sen. Steven Rhoads and Nassau County Legislator Thomas McKevitt.

“Thank you sincerely to everyone who made this event possible—my colleagues in Albany and down in Long Island, and especially to the East Meadow Public Library for hosting. Thank you, also, to each and every person who came to donate and support your community. Thanks to the incredible turnout, I’m happy to say that a total of 90 units were collected, which has the potential to save up to 270 lives,” said Assemblyman Ra.

“Life-saving blood is needed every day of the year. If you missed this event, it’s never too late to donate and make a difference. Look out for future blood drives hosted by my office or click here to find blood donation locations near you through the American Red Cross.”

—Submitted by the Office of Assemblyman Ra

Assemblyman Ed Ra (center left) pictured with Legislator McKevitt (left), Assemblyman Mikulin (center right) and Senator Rhoads (right) at a community blood drive at the East Meadow Public Library. (Contributed photo)

A butterfly perches on a native flower. (Courtesy of the Town of North Hempstead)

Manhasset Edges Out Garden City In 139th Woodstick Classic

ANTON MEDIA GROUP STAFF

editors@antonmediagroup.com

It all came down to overtime in the 139th Woodstick Classic lacrosse match between Garden City and Manhasset.

After a powerful season-to-date for both teams, Garden City held off Manhasset for much of the high-energy, slightly drizzly, back-and-forth Class B state championship game in Garden City, but Manhasset kept narrowing the gap until the regular clock ran out.

Once in overtime, Manhasset swooped in for a decisive final point that ended the game, with a final score of 9-8 Manhasset, just 12 seconds into overtime.

Last year, Garden City edged out Manhasset to win the 138th Classic in overtime as well, so both teams are no doubt already looking ahead to the 140th annual face-off next year.

Sewanhaka Girls’ Golf In Full Swing

Catholic Health And Smile Farms To Open Cooperative Garden

Congratulations to the Sewanhaka Central High School District Girls Golf team led by New Hyde Park student-athletes Victoria Guerrero, Faith Mathew, Alexa Rizzo, and Olivia Tomalska. The team recently won their 14th straight match, highlighted by their win over previously unbeaten Southside High School.

— New Hyde Park Athletics via Twitter

Through a partnership with Smile Farms, a cooperative garden is being started at Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic in Garden City. Smile Farms provides meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities to grow, sell, and donate plants, produce, and products in the community. Sponsored by the Harris Beach PLLC law firm with a $15,000 donation, this garden will be tended

by patients in the Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) Program who will receive job training and payment, provided by Smile Farms funding. The produce will be shared with food-insecure individuals at Mercy Hospital’s Family Care Center in Rockville Centre.

— Submitted by Smile Farms at Catholic Health

Leaders and local electeds cut the ribbon on a new cooperative garden.

(Submitted photo)

(Courtesy of New Hyde Park Athletics via Twitter)

(Credit: Pierce Archer)

What’s our greatest asset at The Bristal Assisted Living communities? It’s the lifetime of interests and experiences you bring to it. After all, that’s what makes you special. A caring team that spends the time getting to know you so you can continue nurturing, sharing and exploring those interests? Well, that’s what makes us special, too.

See for yourself. Explore all of our locations in the tri-state area.

thebristal.com