Ynm #4(16) mf web by Erin Donohue

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Bellmore • Merrick IN PRINT & ONLINE

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 4

Neil Yeoman

Peter Ray

Betty Lippai

Mary Pallotta

William Wilgus

Vincent Montera

JANUARY 2015

KENNEDY GARNERS FOUR INTEL SEMIFINALISTS

BELLMORE HISTORICAL SOCIET Y DISSOLVED

Recipients of

Community HONORS

ANGIE CULLIN RETIRES FROM PUBLIC OFFICE

Your NewsMag

NEWS Grieve Your Property Taxes – and Save Money

housands of county taxpayers may once again experience high property tax increases in their bills this October – at the same time those who aggrieved their property taxes will get reductions. But you can bring those high bills down by grieving your property taxes to the Nassau County Assessment Review Commission by Monday, March 2. Local attorney Jeffrey Gold, former Nassau County Assessment Review Commissioner and former member of the Nassau County Board of Assessors, is giving free tutorials about how to grieve property taxes with the Assessment Review Commission. Gold says that substantial reductions in the equalization rates/level of assessment (uniform percent of value) over the last four years by the county, for those who do grieve their assessment, make it necessary for all homeowners to continue to file grievances. If they don’t grieve

they will foot the bill in higher taxes for those who do grieve and get continual reductions. He said it’s difficult to gauge when or if the county could reduce the equalization rate/level of assessment further, giving those who grieve more relief while increasing the taxes of those who don’t grieve. “So, you must grieve your taxes” to take advantage of the lower equalization rates if they are offered. He said that reducing the tax rate of your home could also help when selling it. “It will increase the value of your home because there are fewer taxes to pay.” He said the county reduced the equalization rate yet again last year, as a simple of way of resolving the more than 100,000 tax grievances that were filed. Gold said it makes no sense for those who don’t grieve to have a level of assessment of .0025 and those that do grieve to have a level of assessment of only .0018 – a dif-

ference of more than 25% - and yet the county creates that inequity for the sake of expediency. A change of a home’s level assessment from .0025 to .0018 for the average home generally means a savings of more than $2000 to the homeowner that filed the grievance. Homeowners that failed to grieve ultimately pay higher taxes, and all homeowners pay higher tax rates, to compensate for the homes that grieved and received an automatic reduction in value. Gold believes that the county will reduce the level of assessment once again for every homeowner that files a grievance with ARC prior to the Monday, March 2 deadline. Gold explains to attendees that the county states on the tentative assessments mailed out by the county the “level of assessment” is .00025, just has it has been for the past six years, but then he showed that last year that “level of assessment was reduced to .180 for

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those who grieved.” He said it left those who didn’t grieve to foot the bill for those who did. 100% of those that grieved their tax assessment saw a reduction in their level of assessment last year, and this results in lowered taxes, even if the value of their home stayed the same. In each of the four previous years, the county lowered the “level of assessment” for every homeowner that grieved. Gold believes this is grossly unfair, and penalizes those that trust the county assessor’s valuation of their homes. Gold said “The county discourages homeowners from grieving by claiming that it is not increasing home values annually,” but then very quietly reduces the “level of assessment” for everyone that does file a grievance.

SAVE MONEY, FILE YOURSELF

He told people that it’s simple to file a grievance on your own, and that if you hire a firm, it will “take

January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

50% of what your reduction is.” There is no cost to residents to challenge their assessments and receive the entire reduction, much of which is guaranteed, he inferred. The deadline is Monday, March 2, to get the application in to lower property taxes for the 2016-17 year (2015-16 tax rolls will be finalized by April 1). Gold will speak at two additional sessions sponsored by the Bellmore Moms and Dads Group (a Facebook group) on Monday, January 26, and Thursday, January 29, at the Bellmore Memorial Library, beginning at 7 p.m. If you are interested in attending, contact the group administrators through Facebook. Jeff Gold has also established a Facebook Group: Nassau - Grieve Your Tax Assessment On Your Own – Free, where he offers tips on grieving your assessment, and answers questions. All are welcome to join.

NEWS

№4 Vol.2 | January 2015

Merrick Stop & Shop Opens to Fanfare

he Merrick Stop & Shop at 2160 South Merrick Mall in Merrick reopened Friday, January 9, at 8 a.m. to fanfare after a nearly a four-month renovation that saw the store increase from roughly 16,000 square feet to 24, 000 square feet to include an 80% increase in its produce section, a greatly improved Kosher food section and widely expanded organic and natural food sections, among many new improvements. “With this remodel, our customers will find the everyday savings and value from Stop & Shop, along with an expanded product assortment and customer service including full-service deli, meat and seafood,” said Rob Altenburger, store manager of the Merrick location. “We thank our customers for waiting and hope they are as excited as we about an improved shopping experience in our store.” Debbie Ventura of Merrick, among the first to enter the store at 8 a.m. to begin her shopping at the newly refurbished supermarket, told Your NewsMag, “I love it, I couldn’t wait for it to reopen,” she said. It’s a more comfortable store, she added.

Your NewsMag

James Hickey of Merrick noted that the aisles are much wider, making his cart easier to push around without bumping into anyone. At the checkout counter with a basketful of groceries after quickly doing her shopping, Isabel Katz of Merrick said the store “Is beautiful, I’m certainly happy with the new store.” A long-time Stop & Shop shopper, she had been going to the Freeport Stop & Shop while renovations were underway. She said she has always liked the selections, and was attracted to the economy the store offered.

Rabbi Shimon Kramer of the Chabad of Merrick, Bellmore and Wantagh, said he was excited to have a whole new selection of kosher foods now available. “We missed Stop & Shop, but we now find a fuller selection of Kosher foods,” he said. Barbara Crisci of Bellmore, who was also at the counter checking out after quickly making her rounds and finding everything she needed, said “It’s a wonderful new store, I’ve been waiting for it to open.” In addition to the store’s value for the price, she likes Stop & Shop for its produce and expanded selection of organic foods.

Margaret Beigelman, member of the Merrick Chamber of Commerce and incoming president of the chamber, said “It’s a beautiful store on the outside. It will be a great addition to the community.” Barry Fox, president of the Merrick Park Home Owners Association, instrumental in pushing for a renovation, said in a prepared statement, that, “The more closely we monitor the Merrick Mall and downtown Merrick, including Stop & Shop, the better they will do.” He hopes the supermarket will step up to help continue to beautify the surrounding area. Merrick Chamber of Commerce Past President, and current board member Marian Fraker-Gutin noted the floors looked more like warehouse floors. Altenburger explained the floors were designed that way to create a new look. “And, more importantly, they are slipproof,” adding to a better shopping experience.

WHAT’S NEW

New to the Merrick store is SCAN IT! technology where a handheld scanner will help customers simplify their shopping ex-

perience by allowing them to scan and bag groceries while they shop. The device keeps a running tally of the total bill, which allows customers to price-check and manage their budgets as they shop. SCAN IT! Mobile offers a mobile, in-store shopping experience in which customers can shop, tally and check out through their mobile phones. With SCAN IT! shopping is affordable, fun and helps customers save time and money. Deli Vision is another new technology tool for making deli shopping easier and faster at the store. Customers select what they want, get a printout of their choices and cost and then pick up their order at the deli when they’re ready to go. With an eye on energy conservation, LED lighting was newly installed in many areas of the store, including overhead track lights, spotlights on specialty areas and displays, and in the frozen food cases. LED lights are longer-lasting and are expected to reduce wattage by half. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com or www.facebook.com/stopandshop. DF

P.C. Richards to Start Construction on New Store; Will Sell Mattresses

ew construction will begin no later than the end of January on a new P.C. Richards store on Sunrise Highway in Bellmore that has been planned for years, Your NewsMag has learned. Tom Pohlmer, chief financial officer of P.C. Richards, told this magazine that top-selling appliances and other items will be displayed at its smaller P.C. Richards building - just to the east of the main building - for the next eight months while the old store is increased in capacity to 27,000 square feet. The smaller building used to sell P.C. Richards high-end designer kitchen appliances. Pohlmer said the old South Shore Buick car dealership building next door to P.C. Richards

the last two years the company has refurbished or rebuilt two stores in Greenvale and Patchogue, purchasing additional property around the stores to expand them.

A HISTORY

would be torn down to make way for a new parking lot that will serve the new store. “We’re looking to take parking off the street and out of traffic” with the new parking lot, Pohlmer said. He noted that the new store, while not increasing to two stories as once planned, would feature a mezzanine to display mattresses. “Our customers all tell us they have such a good experience when pur-

chasing from us, that we decided they don’t need to go anywhere else to buy a mattress either,” he continued. The mezzanine would give the new store an atrium look, in which customers could look up to the mezzanine to see mattresses. “Building the new store will provide a much better way to merchandise our products,” Pohlmer said. He noted that over

In 2008 the company filed several application permits with the Town of Hempstead’s zoning Board of Appeals to rebuild its 24,000 square-foot facility into a two-story, nearly 40,000 squarefoot building. It was granted time extensions on those applications, only to let them all lapse. It let them lapse even after resistance from neighbors in 2008 forced it to negotiate with them to purchase a home and keep it residential, agree to no egresses/in-

gresses into neighboring streets and to provide certain types of fencing. In 2010 Tom Pohmer explained that the economy was preventing P.C. Richards from rebuilding due to the “great recession,” even after securing the variances. However, Your NewsMag learned that last April 2 P.C. Richards again applied for – and was granted - an extension on a reapplication to secure building permits to once more attempt to rebuild its Sunrise Highway store. Tom Pantelis, P.C. Richard’s attorney, said that an extension was indeed granted until October to secure building permits – to try yet again. “Plans are to begin construction in the new year, beginning in 2015,” he told this magazine.

January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

Your NewsMag

☞ TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGES 2-9: NEWS Grieve your property taxes – and save money; Merrick Stop & Shop reopens to fanfare; P.C. Richards to start new construction, add mattresses to inventory; North Merrick veteran gets recognition; Bellmore Historical Society calls it quits.

PAGE 10: FEATURE STORY

Kennedy Students Shine Large as Intel Semifinalists Jayson Chojar found a fairer way for juries to consider eyewitness testimony; Beatrice Brown discovered a quicker way to warn Long Island of hurricanes hitting its shores ; Samuel Epstein zeroed in on genetic markers that could help people live longer; and Justin Shapiro wrote of corporations plying their budgets that could help mitigate climate change – to help them survive.

PAGE 16: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE BELLMORES The Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores holds its annual installation dinner, and honors retired Colonel Vincent Montera, Peter Ray, Mary Pallotta and William Wilgus as it installs its new slate of officers.

PAGE 18: MERRICK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Meanwhile, the Merrick Chamber of Commerce chose Neil Yeoman its Merrick Man of the Year and Betty Lippai as its Merrick Woman of the Year while it installed a new slate of officers.

PAGE 22: MILESTONES

Councilwoman Angie Cullin Leaves Public Office Popular Hempstead Town Councilwoman of the Fifth Councilmanic District in Bellmore and Merrick officially retired from office, with the town appointing Erin King Sweeney of Wantagh - U.S. Congressman Peter King’s daughter - to the seat until a new election can be held.

ALSO: What’s new in the neighborhood, Bellcrest Kosher Deli closes after 49 years, Merrick Library offers up MakerBot Day, a Mepham High School graduate collects canes and crutches to help those less fortunate, and drinking wine for the SuperBowl?

WHO’S WHO AT YOUR NEWSMAG Advertising and Publishing Jill Bromberg

Online

Editing Doug Finlay

Reporting

Erin Donohue

Linda Delmonico Prussen Doug Finlay

Phone: 516-633-8590 P.O. Box 15, Bellmore, New York 11710

Bellmore • Merrick

Where Did 2014 Go? 2015 Brings Many Exciting Changes

ach time I write the date I can’t believe it is now 2015. It seems that every other month has a holiday or event to look forward to that makes time seem to pass so quickly. My husband Marc, who grew up in Bellmore, is always sharing his memories of things as they were when he was a young boy. What South Bellmore looked like when the homes were first being developed, how kids used to ride their bikes to see friends, and buy candy and treats at local stores such as Robinhood on Sunrise Highway, which is now the Verizon store. There were no cell phones, no video games but there were various places to hang out and go to with his friends that he remembers fondly. Since many people that grow up in the Bellmores and the Merricks seem to come home to start their own families and lives, many of you may remember some of his favorite haunts, such as Bellmore Itch, now the Bellmore Movies and Show Place on Petitt Avenue; or the East Bay Diner, now the home of Panera Bread, or the Merrokee Bowling Alley, now the grand location of La Piazza restaurant and catering hall. How many of you remember Bart’s soda shop and candy store at the corner of Merrick Road and Newbridge Road? Fond childhood memories. The photo on the cover was given to Marc by one of his customers who knew how much he appreciates the history of our towns. The picture on the cover, a very early general store in Bellmore, became Albert Brothers hardware store owned by Marc’s customers’ family many, many years back, even before Weinman hardware opened its doors, and is the current location of CVS on Bellmore Avenue. The historical society preserves these kinds of artifacts, and records them for future generations. Read more inside about the Bellmore Historical Society, and changes to come. History is in the making as our neighborhood businesses come, go, grow and change. Shop & Shop has reopened with a fabulous new superstore in Merrick, P.C. Richards makes changes on Sunrise Highway in Bellmore, the Chabad Center in Merrick is under construction. Recently closed businesses include Jade Dynasty in Merrick and Bellcrest Kosher Deli in Bellmore. What doesn’t seem to change is the talented and brightest students that come from our community. Look inside to learn about the Intel semifinalist students and their very fabulous research! January is the month when members of our local chambers of commerce are sworn into office and celebrate by honoring those that have given back to the community in so many ways. The faces of these honorees are on the cover of this issue of Your NewsMag. Read more about them beginning on page 16 and it will be clear to you why they are the recipients of these community honors.

HERE’S THE WHO’S WHO

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE BELLMORES Chamber Person of the Year: Vincent J. Montera of the Bellmore VFW Community Person of the Year: Mary Pallotta of the Guardian Brain Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award: William Wilgus of WAW Construction Board Member of the Year: Peter Ray of AG Electrical Supply MERRICK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Woman of the Year: Betty Liappai Man of the Year: Neil Yeoman Congratulations to all of the honorees and my fellow 2015 board members of the chambers who volunteer to make the Bellmores and the Merricks the places we all enjoy. Ms. New York Senior America is looking for women to enter the 2015 pageant. Merokian, Jane Rubenstein, the 2014 Queen, is ready to pass her crown to the next candidate. How great would it be to have another Ms. New York Senior America from our area! Look inside to learn more, perhaps you or someone you know would be a good candidate. Who is the First Newborn Baby of 2015 in the Merricks and the Bellmores? The community wants to know. Several local businesses have approached Your NewsMag wondering if we would have a First Newborn Baby Contest. Businesses have donated prizes to the First Newborn Baby of 2015 that lives in either the Merricks or the Bellmores. How wonderful! Many prizes have been collected valued at almost $1000. If you or someone you know had a baby in 2015 and live in the Bellmores or the Merricks, please let us know. If you would like to collect prizes donated from the local businesses and be featured as the First Newborn Baby of 2015 in Your NewsMag, email the date of birth, time, address and photo of the newest resident and hopeful 2015 First Newborn Baby of the Merricks and Bellmores. Your NewsMag is delivered to every home in Merrick and Bellmore free of charge because you live here and are residents of the communities. Advertising support pays for Your NewsMag, so please support participating businesses by shopping locally. If you know something that is newsworthy please let us know. If your business is having an anniversary or someone in your family is celebrating a special occasion, we want to know. After all, your news is our news. Please join us on Facebook and visit www.YourNewsMag. com for updates throughout the month. I hope you enjoy the January issue of Your NewsMag. A Happy and Healthy New Year To All! JILL BROMBERG publisher Jill@YourNewsMag.com

NEWS

№4 Vol.2 | January 2015

In and Around … WHAT DO YOU GEEK? The Merrick Public Library will hold its Merrick MakerDay on Sunday, January 25, from 1-to-4 p.m., as part of the What Do You Geek program running throughout the libraries of Merricks and the Bellmores. Events include making and printing your own 3D objects to keep, such as buttons, magnets, jewelry and more. Visit the children’s room for face painting, music and crafts, or dress up as a favorite “Frozen” character. The multipurpose room will host refreshments, games and more, and you can enter for a chance to win your own 3Doodler 3D pen. Or stop by the teen desk for more crafts. The library is located at 2279 Merrick Avenue. Call 3776112 for information…CHARITY STARTS AT HOME: 2014 Mepham High School graduate Amreen Ghazi has collected hundreds of canes, crutches and some fourwheel wheelchairs. She is working with Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad to distribute to less-fortunate families in Africa and the Middle East, she told Your NewsMag recently. “When I was younger and visited Pakistan, I saw how adults walked with only sticks to help them, and they walked on dirt roads.” It inspired her to think of one day being able to

Your NewsMag

help them by collecting crutches, canes and other helpful walking implements to give to the people she saw. By contacting nearly 600 people, she now has an office-sized room full of walking implements she hopes to ship out soon. She is an assistant to college financial advisor Barry Fox …BELLCREST KOSHER DELI CLOSES: After 49 years of service to the Bellmores, the Merricks, Wantagh, Seaford, Levittown and East Meadow, to name a few communities, Bellcrest Kosher Deli at 2793 Merrick Road in Bellmore has closed its doors for good. Jodi Tolmich, owner of the kosher deli, told Your NewsMag that costs for supplies became prohibitive, leading to the closure. Bellcrest Kosher Deli first opened its door in March 1966. In 1992 Jodi’s father Jack purchased the deli, running it until retiring in 1999. Jodi then bought it from her dad. The kosher deli had scores of regular customers and Frank, the chef, now 74, had worked at the deli since it opened in 1966. The deli delivered regularly to residents in the Bellmores and the Merricks, Wantagh, Seaford, East Meadow, Massapequa and North Massapequa, and was well-known for its kosher deli platters and holiday packages for Hannukah and Passover. “The steadily increasing costs of food supplies are driving the closure of kosher delis within the area,” concluded Tolmich.

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NEWS

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North Merrick Veteran Receives Recognition

ordon Lewis, an Army veteran from North Merrick who served in Panama as an MP during the ’60s, was recipient of the 2014 Veterans Appreciation Program sponsored by Ms. New York Senior America. The program recognizes veterans and the vital work they do to keep the U.S. strong and safe at home, and its citizens safe when abroad. “This is fantastic,” the normally subdued Lewis told this magazine at his home on Meadowbrook Road in North Merrick. “I live alone and this is terrific socialization for me,” he said. Merokian Jane Rubinstein, Ms. New York Senior America Queen for 2014, and two members of the Ms. NY Senior America organization – C.J. Marie of North Bellmore, co-editor of the organization’s Courier newsletter; and Pat Tropea, vice-president of children and youth for American Legion 1282 in Merrick – presented Lewis with several gifts this holiday season.

They include a new cell phone sporting three months of calls, a shirt, candy, a T-shirt, socks and other gifts. Lewis is a lifelong resident of Merrick, having lived on Elsie Avenue and attended Smith Street School – now Chatterton, Merrick Avenue Junior High School and Calhoun High School. He was in the first graduating class at the then-new school. He served in Panama from 1965-67 as a Military Policeman in the 534 MP Company, returning to Merrick after an honorable discharge.

IN THE NEWS

Lewis made headlines two years ago when he was one the first residents attacked by a fearsome pit

bull that terrorized the normally quiet community of North Merrick for days. While the pit bull received headlines for attacking and seriously injuring a jogger in broad daylight as she jogged at the Brookside School track, Lewis was the first person attacked by the dog at 2 a.m. as he rode his bicycle. He told Your NewsMag he spent many days in hospital after the attack because “the attack tore up my leg.” He said that while it was a female dog that attacked him, a male pit bull bit into and damaged the metal structure on his bicycle. Lewis was chosen as recipient of the recognition with the help of Pat Yngstrom, former county commissioner for Veterans affairs and past-commander of the North Bellmore American Legion Post 1746. Paul Pocius, who rents the downstairs of his home on Meadowbrook Road to Lewis, said he was approached by Paul Zydor, a commander of an American Legion post in Freeport, after Zydor had re-

January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

ceived a call from Yngstrom inquiring about Lewis’s whereabouts. “I knew Gordon from Temple Beth-Am,” said Pocius. Lewis was a custodian at the temple for five years. Subsequently, Pocius rented out the downstairs to Lewis. Of course, Lewis was an easy find by this time.

LOOKING FOR CONTESTANTS

The Ms. New York Senior America Pageant, held annually, spotlights and honors senior women. It celebrates women of achievement, age 60 and over whom, with their talent, abilities and positive projection of aging, best exemplify what senior women can and do accomplish, says its website. The lady crowned Ms. New York Senior America goes on to represent the state in the national Ms. Senior America Pageant. During her reign she travels throughout the state as role model of the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all senior Americans. 2014 Queen Rubinstein said she and the organization speak and perform showcases at several venues, including VA hospitals, senior centers and libraries, and participate in the

Town of Hempstead’s GLO program – among many events, in which they promote the grace and values of women over the age of 60, and promote positive views on aging. Many, such as Tropea and Marie, are Seasoned Steppers, a dance troupe that models itself after the Rockettes, the famous kick line dance troupe. Indeed, Tropea is also director of the annual Pageant. Marleen Schuss is director of Ms. New York Senior America, co-ordinating all activities and scheduling for the organization. Ms. New York Senior America is looking for women to enter its 2015 pageant, which will be held May, 3, at Hofstra University. If you want to change your life, and be part of an amazing organization that promotes the value, talent and vitality of women over the age of 60, gives you lasting friendships and volunteering opportunities, this is for you. Please contact the director, Marleen Schuss at 678-3242. It will make 2015 the best year of your life. For information on the Ms. New York Senior America organization, visit www.newyorksenioramerica.org.

The Nassau County of Chambers of Commerce Urges You To

The Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce www.ncchambers.org

Contact the NCCC for information about your local Chamber of Commerce 516-248-1112 • president@www.NCChambers.org

Please support your local businesses so that they will continue to support you

Keep Your Community Vibrant, Shop Locally!

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№4 Vol.2 | January 2015

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January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

NEWS

№4 Vol.2 | January 2015

Bellmore Historical Society Calls it Quits

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“I

’ve lived in Bellmore my whole life, and I have always been interested in Bellmore’s history,” he told this magazine after hearing the Bellmore Historical Society of the Bellmores had dissolved the name and entity. He had been a long-time member of the society because “they did some pretty decent things for the community.” Society curator Bill Wood said, “So far as I know, all the membership was told” the society would dissolve if no one else could be found to run the organization on a voluntary basis. So after decades as the Bellmores’ record-keeping guardian of the town’s rich and storied past, the Bellmore Historical Society formally dissolved as of January 1. In a letter dated January 5 to the membership, – it noted that President Clarence Anspake, Jr., Vice-President Ron Nelson and Secretary/Treasurer Grace R. Anspake would not seek re-election to any posts in the society for a two-year term ending December 31, 2016. “At the final meeting of the society on December 16, 2014, it was decided that since there was no one willing to take the reins of the society, it was voted that the society would cease to exist on Decem-

ber 31, 2014, at midnight,” said the letter. The letter also requested all correspondence to its post office box be closed.

WHAT TO DO?

The discussion now turns on what to do with the thousands of artifacts, documents and other historical items in the society’s possession, as archived by member Bill Wood. “We could see if there is interest in consolidating the Merrick, Bellmore and Wantagh societies,” for example, he told this magazine. But Your NewsMag has learned there are other interested parties within the community who would like to keep the historical society intact, and perhaps even increase its visibility. In a phone call to Your NewMag, Martha DeVittorio of the Bellmore Memorial Library which received a grant to record the stories of many of the Bellmores’ first residents - expressed interest in developing interactive historical displays, and also developing programs that would bring elementary schoolchildren into the library displays to learn of Bellmore’s history. Visit www.yournewsmag.com for updates on this continually developing story.

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FEATURE

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January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

Kennedy Students Shine Large as Intel Semifinalists F Douglas Finlay

our Kennedy High School seniors received prestigious 2015 Intel Science Research contest honors announced earlier this month. One student, who has since left the school district and moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, was still recognized for his research work while at Kennedy. The honors mark 38 awards the school has garnered for the district’s Advanced Science Research class first brought to prominence in 2004. Robert Sole, chairman of the school’s Science Department, told Your NewsMag he was both pleased and proud of the accomplishments of the latest Intel Semifinal winners, calling them all “pure young scientists” within our midst. Barbara Franklin and Barbi Frank, the teachers responsible for the success of the students within the ASR program at Kennedy High School, wrote in a prepared statement to this magazine that “… as their teachers, we have the opportunity to watch these young scientists develop as they follow their passion and study any topic that they choose.” The statement also discussed the teachers’ thrill to have four semifinalists, and spoke of their pride at 15 ASR seniors who applied this year for status regarding their graduate-level science research projects

A FAIRER OUTCOME

A lover of rhetoric and debate, senior Jayson Chojar “watched a lot of Court TV” and enjoys a good debate. “When you debate someone, you learn something,” he said. “In an argument, you have a point of view” and are trying to advance an idea. He was particularly fascinated with how jurors come to their judgments based on the evidence they see. In 10th grade Jayson sought out a well-known distinguished professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. “He had just received a grant to work on a new type of jury instruction called the New Jersey

From left are ASR teacher Barbara Franklin, Justin Shapiro, Beatrice Brown, Samuel Epstein and ASR teacher Barbi Frank. Henderson Instructions,” and asked Jayson to study the grant to see if he would like to participate, as his class project. The professor also gave Jayson articles the professor had written on his studies and insights as to what makes jurors think the way they do when coming to conclusions in the context of eyewitness testimony. From his new-formed relationship with the professor came the paper “Effects of Evidence Evaluation Placement on Juror Sensitization to Non-Case Specific New Jersey Henderson Instructions.” “The new instructions were first drafted in 2012 during the case of New Jersey v. Henderson,” Jayson told Your NewsMag. The new instructions were drafted to replace the Telfaire instructions given to juries to help them determine the guilt or innocence of a person in a criminal trial based upon available evidence. During the summer between 10th and 11th grades Jayson went to John Jay College and studied both sets of instructions, doing data entry to test the effectiveness in getting accurate conclusions at trials based upon eyewitness testimony. During his studies it became evident there may be something amiss with the Telfaire instructions in getting accurate convictions, that in fact the instructions could increase the probability of getting

false convictions, whether for innocence or guilt. In criminal law “there are system variables, those we can control, and extender variables” such as what actually took place at a crime scene, said Jayson. With system variables, there is control, such as law administrators verbally rewarding an eyewitness when he or she picks someone out of a lineup. This sets in motion a more comfortable psychological situation for the eyewitness, for example. Yet, while eyewitness identification is one variable to identify an alleged perpetrator, other variables necessary to more fairly assess what actually happened also include how far away the eyewitness is from the perpetrator, how good is his or her eyesight and what is the lighting when the eyewitness saw the perpetrator, as examples. Gathering eyewitness testimony indeed requires quality of material gathered, as well. Similarly, the Telefaire instructions to juries may not necessarily instruct on all the variables needed to be considered to get the fairest outcome possible – whether complete guilt or innocence, but could instruct on the most immediate variable needed to gain a conviction or innocence. That is, there was the possibility of unintended bias in the instructions themselves.

During Jayson’s 11th grade he created a mock trial and then applied the New Jersey Henderson instructions, instructions that attempt to bring all the variables into play when instructing the jury what to consider. In mathematical terms, A or not A (A or -A). In the Telfaire instructions, the variables were deemed simple A. In the New Jersey Henderson instructions, there was A, but also the distinct possibility of –A. After writing a mock trial, mock jury participants read the trial transcript, completed a questionnaire based on the instructions that highlighted all factors that affect eyewitness testimony (not simply those they admit to during law administration after the crime), and rendered verdicts either before or after the questionnaire. What Jayson’s research revealed during the summer of 11th-into12th- grade studies was that the New Jersey Henderson instructions that included A or the possibility of –A, alerted juries to the quality of eyewitness testimony and how to regard the quality of the evidence as shaped by the more accurate instructions, in order to come to a more accurate verdict. Jayson’s family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, over the summer, but Jayson remains close with his classmates, visiting regularly. Without missing a beat, Kennedy Principal Lorraine Poppe claims Jayson as “one of ours!” Into the future, after graduating as a student in Greenwich, Jayson wishes to pursue a business education at a top-tier university, and study undergraduate history. He had been a member of the school’s Future Business Leader of America, and has a second-degree black belt in karate, earned at the Red Dragon Karate School in Bellmore, and run by sensei Chris Babel. He also played alto saxophone, and played Kennedy soccer.

SAVING A COMMUNITY

Beatrice Brown remembered the destruction of her home in Merrick to both Hurricane Irene

and superstorm Sandy to inspire her work on studying how to more effectively warn a seaside community in advance of a pending hurricane, as a means of preparing it more appropriately. “We had half-a-foot of water in our house from Hurricane Irene,” Beatrice told this magazine recently, “and four-and-a-half feet of water from Hurricane Sandy.” She lived in a bedroom of her aunt’s house for some time until her house could be reconstructed. “It made a good project, I thought,” she continued, “to learn what not to go through again within the community.” She titled her paper “Forecasting Hurricane Hazards for the Long Island Area.” After entering the ASR class in 10th grade armed with her subject, she contacted a professor at the University of North Florida’s Taylor Engineering Research Institute, who came up to visit both her and her teachers to discuss the project. During the summer from 10th-to-11th grade she studied factors that influenced flooding risks in the Long Island area, which included sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation patterns. The initial study led Beatrice to become a finalist for the Young Naturalist Awards presented by the American Museum of Natural History. She further used this initial study to go to the LISEF Science Engineering Fair. In her initial study she was questioning why both Irene and Sandy occurred right after one another, believing that such occurrences of major storms a year after one another had to, somehow, be an anomaly. “But, these aren’t such fluke accidents,” she found, “it was not as rare as thought.” During the summer between 11th and 12 grades she researched sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation patterns that went back to the 1900s, finding to her delight there were indeed correlations between the two that had contributed significantly to earlier storms [CONT. ON PAGE 12]

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[CONT. FROM PAGE 10] in both the Atlantic and along the Eastern seaboard. “I used this past data to predict the storms that had actually happened,” she said. But, while such agencies as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the American Meteorological Society put out predictions of how many storms the Atlantic basin may get each year, Beatrice was interested in focusing on the Long Island region, a much narrower and, more difficult, hypothesis to prove, when in fact hurricanes develop elsewhere. “Well,” she answered, “ my probability of predicting a storm went to a probability of one,” or, the study predicted with great accuracy when a hurricane could indeed strike Long Island. As the 2015 Kennedy Valedictorian, and recognized district-wide for her flute work in the All-National Honor Concert Band, she explained to Your NewsMag that the study shows that, while hurricanes do indeed form elsewhere in the Atlantic – such as off the coast of Af-

rica, if the sea surface temperatures are right, in correlation to atmospheric circulatory patterns, then those significant factors will lead to the hurricane being able to come to the shores of Long Island to create mayhem. And her model suggests that the Long Island area is indeed at increased risk for hurricane activity, based on these factors. Armed with this information, communities could plan much more in advance for such a storm, and take better precautions against its destructive forces. Once graduating from high school, she wants to study both music and something science related as a dual-major. She has been accepted to Yale, but remains uncommitted at the moment. In addition to all of her musical wins and activities, she is a member of the school’s National, Science and Tri-am Music Honor Societies, as well as the MuAlpha Theta Society.

LIVING LONGER

Samuel Epstein has always been interested in genetics. “In 10th grade, when I entered the ASR

January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

class, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I liked genetics.” After discussions with his teachers, Sam approached an assistant professor of biology at Long Island University/Post campus, and decided on a study to determine longevity of an organism based on genetic TOR pathways. The paper is called “The Effects of Modulation of TOR Signaling and Microbial Exposure of Feeding Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.” For eight weeks, at 60 hours a week over two summers, Sam committed to studying fruit flies’ (drosophila melanogaster) Target Of Rapamycin (TOR) pathways at LIU/Post because, he said, a fruit fly’s genetic makeup was vastly similar in many ways to human genetic makeup. During the summer from 10thto-11th grade he studied mainly fruit fly eating habits, to get a reading of their TOR-pathway signaling, or expression. What he discovered was that high food intake was associated with TOR pathway expression. That is, the higher the fly’s food intake, the higher the

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not studying the lifespan-to- TOR. With this information, he began introducing microbes, such as beneficial organisms and pathogens to learn if interactions with the TOR signaling could change outcomes, or expressions. What he discovered was that by introducing beneficial microbes to high TOR signaling increased the food intake, as it was beneficial to the signaling. When he introduced [CONT. ON PAGE 14]

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[CONT. FROM PAGE 12] pathogens, or bad microbes, it “masked” the expression, or brought the high TOR signaling to “normalcy.” “As high TOR signaling signals to eat, when high TOR pathogens are introduced, it masked the genetic expression, or action on the TOR signaling,” he said. Or, a high TOR under pathogenic influence brought the TOR down, and could affect longevity. Low TOR studies weren’t considered because low TOR was already deemed to be beneficial. A summary of his work explained that “Data suggests that altering the genetic expression of the TOR pathway directly impacts feeding, and that this effect is influenced by the presence of specific micro-organisms. This research will provide insight into determining the factors that play vital roles in slowing the aging process.” Sam looks to get into a top-flight university, with his sites on becoming a chemistry or biochemistry researcher at a prestigious educational facility. Additionally, he has been involved in just about every school activity there is, said his teachers.

CORPORATIONS AS CLIMATE MITIGATORS?

Perhaps corporations are people too because they comprise people, Justin Shapiro might want us to believe. He didn’t deny it when asked. Indeed, his paper, “An Analysis of Corporate Response to Climate Change” explains how corporations do in fact act as living organisms because they, too, wish to survive in an ever-changing world of accelerating climate change. But how is what he set out to prove. “Since sixth-grade I’ve known I wanted to do a project on climate change,” said Justin, “but from “political and business perspectives,” he told this magazine. While in 10th grade he reached out to potential mentors, it wasn’t until the 11th grade he finally made contact with a mentor at Harvard while he developed his own methodologies and data to help with his project. Justin studied the top Fortune 50 companies and came away with an understanding that these businesses were indeed putting resources into battling, or mitigating,

climate change in the coming years. Even the oil companies had committed resources for the future to mitigate the impending changes to the climate in the future. “They, like every other business and every other person, want to survive in the future and so they have to plan for the future.” He said that “corporations have some sense of a business plan to mitigate climate change in the future.” He defined mitigation as the conscious act of slowing down and possibly reversing the ongoing and ever-increasing changes taking place within the environment, which climate scientists say are increasingly responsible for changing weather patterns and rising ocean shorelines. In looking at annual reports from the fiscal year 2013, he first looked for a correlation between revenues and commitment to climate change.” The annual report is a representation of the business’s plan that it presents to the shareholders,” he said. He maintained that the resources they put into the business plan as a means of miti-

January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

gating climate change was a way to actually determine their future behavior. “Follow the money,” he said, and you will understand what they know about, and how they plan to act toward mitigating, climate change. He said that oil companies are the most committed to climate change, but only to a “certain extent.” “Oil companies want a model of survivability that will help them continue as companies long after the oil has disappeared,” Justin said. He did note that oil companies were investing more in renewal energy sources such as wind, solar and hydro-electric because their budgets were revealing it. “They are also agreeing with international treaties on climate change,” and, in so doing, are showing their investors they are trying to maintain a business model for the future. Justin used statistical analysis and linear and other regressions to determine a correlation between revenues and investments toward climate control mitigation in the future. “Statistically, there wasn’t a strong correlation,” he admitted. But, he noted,

through his studies it could be determined that “businesses are beginning to develop a longer-term mindset toward mitigating climate change” in their lifetimes. He believes that the actions of these companies in the future could be important markers for policy makers in the future. While Justin plays the saxophone and clarinet in the school’s jazz band, is in the National, Science, Music and Spanish Honor Societies with honors, and plans to study history at a top-tier university while minoring in government or international relations, he wanted to discuss his work on the Climate Reality Project. “In the summer of 2013 I was accepted to a training program with former Vice President Al Gore,” he said proudly. He has so far given 14 presentations on climate change within the Bellmore-Merrick communities, and he will give another presentation on climate change to the South Shore Audubon Society at the Freeport Library on Tuesday, February 10. All are welcome to attend.

№4 Vol.2 | January 2015

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Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores

January 2015 | Vol.2 №4

Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores Holds Annual Installation Dinner

he Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores will hold its annual Installation Dinner on Saturday, January 24, at the Woodbury Country Club in Woodbury. The chamber will usher in its new honorees and a slate of new officers by dancing the night away with feathers, beads and masks, beginning first with cocktails at 7 p.m. and then being whisked away with a reception that lasts until midnight! The 2015 list of Installation Dinner Honorees reads like a who’s who of Bellmore, with Chamber Person of the Year being Vincent J. Montera of the Bellmore VFW, and Community Person of the Year being Mary Pallotta of the Guardian Brain Foundation. The 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award goes to William Wilgus of WAW Construction; and the Board Member of the Year is Peter Ray of AG Electrical Supply.

ENT J. MONTERA (VINCENT), COLONEL, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): CHAMBER PERSON OF THE YEAR

Colonel Montera was born in Brooklyn, and raised in Baldwin. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served on both active and reserve duty. Shortly after his discharge from active duty, Vince joined the New York City Police Department, where he served in

various assignments that culminated as a community affairs officer. In 1986, he retired from the NYPD and returned to active military duty as a Captain in the U.S. Army. During his active duty tours, he served as the senior fulltime military officer overseeing two reserve Military Police companies and a battalion headquarters. When he was promoted to major, Vince was reassigned as an assistant professor of military science (ROTC) at Hofstra University. Upon completion of this assignment, he reverted to reserve military duty and accepted a civilian position as dean of graduate admissions at Hofstra. After almost two years at Hofstra, he accepted a position at the College of Aeronautics as director of admissions. He remained at the college for five years. Fortunately for Vince, he was offered the opportunity to once again work for the Army that he loves, and accepted a position as civilian in-charge of education services for the New York City Recruiting Battalion, at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. On Christmas Day 2002 Vince was called back to active military duty in support of Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom. As a lieutenant colonel, Military Police battalion commander, he and his unit were deployed to Iraq, where they were assigned a primary mission to reestablish the Iraqi Police and Correction System in South Central Iraq. As the war progressed, his missions expanded and he eventually assumed command of Camp Bucca, the largest Enemy Prisoner of War Internment Facility in Iraq, overseeing over 3000 military and civilian personnel as well as over 4000 enemy combatants and prisoners. He and his unit successfully completed their mission and returned to the United States in March 2004.

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After his return from Iraq, Vince was promoted to colonel and was assigned as the deputy chief of staff of the 77th Regional Support Command and on June 14, 2006, after 38 years of military service, Colonel Montera retired from the Army. He presently is a military consultant to St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue and Brooklyn, and is involved with many organizations, most notably: the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where he serves as the commander of Bellmore Post 2770; Bellmore American Legion Post 948; the Kiwanis Club of LaGuardia Airport, where he served as distinguished president; the Bellmore Knights of Columbus; the Association of the United States Army; the Military Officers Association and the Reserve Officers Association of the United States, where he served as president of both the Nassau County Chapter and the Department of New York. Colonel Montera is also a proud member of the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce. Vince and his wife Carolyn have lived in Bellmore for over 46 years, and have two children, Vincent III and Kathleen. They also have five grandchildren, Timothy, Matthew, Hailey, Melissa and Eli.

Mark Menzies Overview Computer Services

MARY PALLOTTA: COMMUNITY PERSON OF THE YEAR

NEW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFICERS FOR 2015 The new slate of officers for 2015 are as follows: President Debby Izzo The Dirty Dawg Vice President Peter Ray A G Electric Supply Treasurer Dan Yngstrom VWVA Recording Secretary Joe Verdi Income Tax Plus Directors Jill Bromberg Your News Mag Bruce Detzel Stop & Shop Hector Granados Bedford Deli Gene Judd Island Greenery

Jimmy Moniodes Nancy, the Cupcake Lady Michael Pittakas Computer Works Solutions INC. Billy Polara Polara Jewelers Jim Spohrer Bellmore Automotive William Wilgus WAW Creative Construction

After raising her family, Mary Pallotta went back to school to study nonprofit organizations.

She took seven classes at CW Post (now LIU/Post) and Hofstra. After graduating, she became a member of American fundraising professionals. After receiving her certification, she created The Guardian Brain Foundation (GBF) in loving memory of her brother Dennis, who lost a battle to a cancerous brain tumor, glioblastoma, and of her father to CJD, a brain-wasting disease. For over 12 years she has grown GBF through a core of volunteers and medical advisors. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those afflicted, and to provide compassion. This is accomplished by providing support services to children and adults with brain cancer tumors and traumatic brain injuries. The Guardian Brain Foundation is quickly reaching into communities beyond its Bellmore roots. Mary enjoys working with the community and public. She volunteered her time and donated her original artwork to many causes and charities, as well as find homes for stray animals. The Town of Hempstead honored her with the Women’s History Month Pathfinder Award for her commitment and volunteering through for the GBF. Mary recently celebrated her 35th anniversary with her husband, boy-next-door Michael. They have two fully grown children, Maria and Michael, and are blessed with two grandsons, Jonathan and James. Mary says, “Life is about making choices and that is why we make a difference. I feel like I hit the lotto. It’s all about caring, sharing and truly making a difference in this fragile world. You never know where life takes you. I am blessed to know so many wonderful people, Some who have passed through my life briefly yet inspired me so deeply.”

№4 Vol.2 | January 2015

WILLIAM WILGUS: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

He lives in Wantagh, in the family’s old house. He attended the Seaford School District system, graduating in 1969. And he began work in his father’s family business, Bellmore Concrete Products of Royle Street in Bellmore, at the young age of 15 years old. Attending the State University of New York at Farmingdale from 1969 to 1971, Bill received an Associate Degree in Construction Technology. He was a member of the Farmingdale Alumni Association board from 1984 to 1992, where he helped run its annual homecoming. He started work in the survey field as a crew rodman. Over the years, he worked his way up to party crew chief, and later added utility location. In 1972, he joined the International Union of Operating Engineers, working on projects such as housing and condo development, parkways, expressways, thruways and bridges. Other notable projects he has worked on include the Nassau County sewer infrastructure layout, JFK Airport Improvements, high-rise apartments, the original World Trade Center Twin Towers, shopping malls and office complexes. He started W.A.W. Creative Construction in 1984 as a general contracting business. At first, he would get small jobs other large contractors would turn away. His business grew from there into home repairs, handyman work, office remodels and store fronts. Bill joined the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmore’s in 1989. Within two years, he was on the Board of Directors. He served as vice-president for 11 years, from 1998 to 2005, and again from 2011 to 2013. In 2002 he was named Bellmore’s Smallbusiness Person of the Year. Over the years, he has served in many capacities. These have included Street Fair Craft coordinator for many years, a sign maker, maintenance, care and expansion of Sunrise Highway chamber sign, and maintaining the Bellmore Village shadow boxes. He has also built two menorahs for the chamber.

Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores As a member of the Chamber’s 9/11 committee, he helped design and inspect the menorah construction, and still maintains the site. Further, he participates in various chamber events. Among the events he can be seen at are the Easter Parade, Family Street Festival, Halloween Parade, Santa visit (he has been the elf or wooden soldier several times), the annual Christmas Extravaganza - where he plays the role as trolley conductor, the Menorah lighting and many ribbon-cutting events. Bill has made many friends in business, the chamber and the community. Bill believes that doing something you like will, indeed, give you back rewards and help others.

PETER RAY: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE BELLMORES BOARD MEMBER OF THE YEAR

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