Floral Park Villager (9/20/24)

THE GATEWAY TO NASSAU COUNTY

SERVING FLORAL PARK, BELLEROSE AND STEWART MANOR

HOMECOMING 2024

H. Frank Carey High School celebrated Homecoming on September 14th. The Seahawks beat Glen Cove 40-21, much to the delight of the fans. See page 10

FPB School named School of Excellence

Floral Park-Bellerose School has been recognized as a 2023-2025 National PTA School of Excellence. This honor reflects the school’s commitment to fostering a welcoming, inclusive and empowering environment for all families, ensuring their active involvement in their children's educational success.

According to PTA President Susan Saint-Joy, “Our journey to achieving this distinction was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Excellence Team, which worked closely with families, teachers, and community members. By holding regular

meetings, conducting surveys, and organizing community events, we ensured that the voices of our diverse community were heard and valued. Together, we have implemented initiatives that have strengthened our school culture and enhanced the educational experience for every student.”

Village Board: Stay safe this school year

BY RIKKI MASSAND

At the Tuesday, September 3rd meeting, the Floral Park Village Board of Trustees emphasized the importance of safety and awareness as more pedestrians, especially children, will be on the streets with the start of the school year. The Board urged residents to drive carefully and remain vigilant at intersections.

Trustee Jennifer Stewart wished Floral Park teachers and students a successful 2024-25 academic year. “Please be reminded that our children are walking and riding their bikes to school on these beautiful late summer and early fall days…leave early, leave yourself some extra time, pay attention and drive safely.”

Deputy Mayor Dr. Lynn Pombonyo reinforced Stewart’s message, reminding drivers of the village’s Speed Alert Radar Signs. These signs display vehicle speeds and send data to the Floral Park Police Department for speed enforcement.

“This equipment is positioned near schools where speeding has been a concern. It will help our police monitor traffic and direct patrols. Please drive safely, especially in our 20 mph school zones, to protect our children and teens,” she said.

Dr. Pombonyo also reported that in July 2024, Floral Park Police issued 202 traffic summonses.

“Some of the most frequent violations include failure to stop at stop signs; uninspected motor vehicles; unlicensed operators; inadequate headlights and tail lights; improper U-turns and other moving or equipment violations. The FPP Motor Carrier Detail recorded 11 truck stops in July, with 56 summonses issued…They included one truck towed for unsafe tires, four trucks placed out of service for safety violations, and one driver taken out of service due to the federal ban on his operation of a commercial motor vehicle,” she explained.

Municipal Notes

At the upcoming September 17th meeting (after this

See page 19

Former Floral Park resident pens first novel

BY GARY SIMEONE

John Noone, a former Floral Park resident, has been having dreams about his childhood home growing up on Nassau Street. The sixty year old, who now resides in Astoria, Queens, had vivid dreams about different areas of his childhood home, particularly up in the attic.

“It’s definitely been some crazy dreams and recollections over these past few years,” said Noone. “I’ve had times where I’ve been in my current house here in Queens, but felt like I was moving through my old house where I grew up in Floral Park.”

Noone had one particular vivid dream where he was searching for Christmas decorations in his old house with his mother, and stumbled across a giant nest up in the rafters.

“I woke up at three in the morning to sketch the image of the half human, half bird skeleton that was trapped in the nest in my dream,” said Noone. “I even called up my siblings to figure out the meaning behind the skeleton in the attic.”

That dream was his inspiration for his first book, entitled ‘The Plain Field,’ which shares the same name as a road in the village.

In the new book, which was officially released on August 16, a young boy finds the nest in the attic, and searches for its meaning in an American-Indian owned

florist in the village.

“He goes on to find out the history of Floral Park which traces its roots back to when it was called East Hinsdale in the late 1800’s. There were American Indian ties to the village and he discovers the true meaning of the skeleton. This half-human half bird creature existed long ago and was friendly with the Indians.”

Noone said there are other mysterious aspects in the book like a spooky neighbors house and the father’s secret connection to the Irish Mob up in Boston.

He added that the boy and his group of friends are the main characters in the book, who he loosely based off his own group of friends growing up.

“I worked a lot of my past experienc es into the story, like sneaking into the Belmont Racetrack at night and other things that we got into,” said Noone.

The new novel will be the first of a three-part trilogy under the ‘Plain Field’ name. His second book is entitled “Plain Field: Shadow Twins” and the third and final book is titled “Plain Field: Eyes and Ash.”

Noone, who works as a freelance art ist and an Uber driver, not only wrote the books but illustrated and designed the book covers.

Welcome Back John Lewis Childs School!

The JLCS PTA Executive Board welcomes everyone back to the 2024–2025 school year. As always we have exciting events planned this year for our students, and parents alike. We look forward to welcoming back Jared Campbell, Movie Night, and the Harvest Fair just to name a few!

Our Membership drive is open for the school year. Your membership is important to us. All of the funds we raise during the course of the year go

back to enriching the school experience for our children. Just a friendly reminder that you MUST be a PTA Member for the 24/25 school year to volunteer at any PTA event. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to jlcsptafp@gmail.com.

September Events

Friday. September 20-Movie Night

Thursday, September 26 - Mums

Pre-sale Pick up Date

Friday, September 27, 4 p.m.–7 p.m. - Harvest Fair

Attention students!

Graduated from school? Have an outstanding GPA? Made the honor roll or Dean’s List? Scored an internship or study abroad opportunity? We invite you to send details of any of these things and more, along with your name and contact info, to editor@gcnews.com for a chance to be seen in our paper!

The author will be holding a book signing and Q&A at the Floral Park library on Saturday, September 28, from 1–2 p.m.

Get rid of your unwanted items by placing an ad for them in our Classifieds!

We have reasonable rates, and you’ll have prompt results! Call our Garden City office at 294-8900 for rates and other info.

Floral Park Villager customers - $5 off

Author John Noone

Cover of "The Plain Field" by John F. Noone.

Schools seek members for district committees

Town to host Fall Finale Car Show

Medicare’sempowermenttonegotiatewithdrugcompaniestolowerprices. Drugcompanieswon’tbepreventedfromraisingMedicarepricesabovetheinflationratebutcompanieswho

The Floral Park-Bellerose School District is seeking members for its various District Committees. Descriptions of the committees can be found by scanning the QR code.

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In joining a District Committee, the District appreciates your full participation at all committee meetings across the year to help shape the academic experience of students. Your insights will contribute to maintaining a high standard of education that prepares students for future success. To ensure the effectiveness and continuity of committees, it's important that members are actively engaged. The District understands that schedules can be busy, but consistent participation is crucial for achieving its goals. Interested individuals should apply by September 30.

Whiletheseshowthecurrentpositivechanges,thereisuncertaintyonthe

Scan the QR code for information on each committee and to fill out the 2024–2025 committee participation form.

About to hit a milestone?

Share your life accomplishments with your neighbors! Put your engagement, wedding, or baby announcement in the paper. It's free of charge for subscribers! Email editor@gcnews.com

The Town of Hempstead invites residents to attend the 2024 Fall Finale Car Show on Sunday, September 29, at beautiful Town Park Point Lookout. Featuring a collection of stunning muscle cars, hot rods, foreign made, and much more, the event also includes great food, a beer garden, live music, vendors, activities for kids, Touch a Truck, and other fun activities. What’s more, some of the nation’s most famous car celebrities will be in attendance, including Joe Martin, Bill Carlton, Paul Teutul, Jr., and Chip Foose. The event, sponsored by Mount Sinai South Nassau and All County Towing, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with gates opening for registered vehicles at 7 a.m. Rain date is October 6.

“Whether you’re a classic car owner, a fan of the television shows, or simply want to check out Long Island’s hottest car scene, the Town of Hempstead Fall Finale 2024 Car Show is the place to be!”

said Town  Supervisor Don Clavin. “We invite residents of all ages to come on down to Town Park Point Lookout on September 29th.”

All years, makes, and models of cars, trucks, and motorcycles are welcome to join in this competitively judged show, as are bikes, trikes, slingshots, and even trucks! Registration is $25 in advance, $30 day-of.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available, including Event Sponsor, Reality TV Show Sponsor, Food/ Beverage Sponsor, Judge Sponsor, Entertainment Sponsor, Touch a Truck Sponsor, Kids Zone Sponsor, Trophy Sponsor, and Award Sponsor.

The town also thanks event media sponsors 104.7 WHLI, KJOY 98.3, and 103.1 MAX FM.

For registration, sponsorship, or other information, please visit townofhempsteadevents.com.

Are you a professional?

Our Professional Guide is sure to bring results. Call 294-8900 for rates and information.

impact to other areas of yourMedicare

BREAKING NEWS

2025 IMPACT OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT

The impacts to Medicare Beneficiaries will begin in January 2025 based on the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. If you are a Medicare Beneficiary, you need to understand these changes. The intent of the healthcare portion of the Act is to provide affordable treatments and financial relief to millions of people. BUT - How will this impact you and your coverage?

The impacts to Medicare Beneficiaries will begin in January 2025 based on the implementation of the Inflation ReductionAct.Ifyouare aMedicareBeneficiary,youneedtounderstandthesechanges.Theintentofthe healthcareportionoftheActistoprovideaffordabletreatmentsandfinancialrelieftomillionsofpeople. BUT -Howwillthisimpactyouandyourcoverage?

The healthcare changes Primary focus is on lowering prescription drug costs for those individuals utilizing high cost medications, expanding Medicare subsidies and making other healthcare improvements.

These changes will impact Medicare Beneficiaries in various ways. The law brings several positive changes.

Four key areas of impact include:

ThehealthcarechangesPrimaryfocusisonloweringprescriptiondrugcostsforthoseindividualsutilizinghigh costmedications,expandingMedicaresubsidiesandmakingotherhealthcareimprovements.

• Medicare’s empowerment to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices.

• Drug companies won’t be prevented from raising Medicare prices above the inflation rate but companies who do this will have to pay Medicare a rebate.

ThesechangeswillimpactMedicareBeneficiariesinvariousways.Thelawbringsseveralpositivechanges.

• A new cap on Medicare Beneficiaries annual cost for drugs. (Cap $2,000)

• $35 monthly cap on insulin cost-sharing.

While these show the current positive changes, there is uncertainty on the impact to other areas of your Medicare health plans. Will:

Fourkeyareasofimpactinclude:

•My Premiums rise?•My Co-Payments increase?

• All my current medications still be covered?

• This impact the development of new medications?

Medicare’sempowermenttonegotiatewithdrugcompaniestolowerprices. Drugcompanieswon’tbepreventedfromraisingMedicarepricesabovetheinflationratebutcompanieswho dothiswillhavetopayMedicarearebate.

As you can see there will be both positive and negative effects. So now more than ever, it’s importantto review your current plan to eliminate surprises in the future.

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STAY TUNED FOR PLAN CHANGES BEING ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 1, 2024

Whiletheseshowthecurrentpositivechanges,thereisuncertaintyontheimpacttootherareasofyourMedicare healthplans. Will: MyPremiumsrise?

Asyoucanseetherewillbebothpositiveandnegativeeffects.Sonow

MyCo-PaymentsIncrease?

Natl. Merit semif inalist at H. Frank Carey HS

H. Frank Carey High School senior Julian Santana has been selected as a semifinalist in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Students enter the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Approximately 16,000 students qualify as semifinalists due to their high scores on the test. A semifinalist must fulfill several additional requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition before being considered for a National Merit Scholarship.

H. Frank Carey High School senior Julian Santana (center) is pictured with Principal Jennifer Alaimo and school counselor Bethann Lestrange. Photo courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District

Do you have a ser vice to adver tise? Our Service Directory is sure to bring results. Call 516-294-8900 for rates and info.

Club Annual Craft Fair

The Floral Park Junior Woman’s Club Annual Craft Fair will be held on Sunday, September 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Memorial Park (Tulip and Plainfield Avenues — in front of Our Lady of Victory) in Floral Park. (Rain date — 10/6/24)

Let your voice be heard! Is there an issue in your community you want to discuss? Want to respond to something you saw in our paper? Then write a letter to our editor a nd bring it to everyone’s attention! Send your letter to editor@gcnews.com and we’ll publish it for you!

OCTOBER 5, 2024

Where: Covert Avenue Street Fair, 99 Covert Avenue

OCTOBER 6, 2024

For more information or to register as a volunteer, please call (516) 326-6328, visit our website at floralparkfd.org, or visit our building at 1 Floral Blvd in Floral Park.

Our Lady of Victory Harvest Fair

The OLV Rosary Altar Society will be holding its annual Harvest Fair on Saturday, October 19,  from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Memorial Hall at OLV School, 2 Bellmore Street, Floral Park.  Event will

feature lots of new vendors, home baked goods, raffle prizes and more.  There will be a costume parade at noon.

If you’d like to be a vendor for this event, please email janice123olv@gmail.com.

Floral Park Woman’s Club food drive

The Floral Park Woman’s Club will be holding a food drive Saturday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will take place in the parking lot behind Village Market. Food collected will be delivered to the Our Lady of Victory Food Pantry and The INN. The club is the oldest service organization in Floral Park. It was founded by Mrs. J. L. Childs over 125 years ago. Its main objective is to help local residents of

all ages. As part of a group of national and international women's clubs it also reaches out to support organizations that benefit children such as St. Jude’s and Operation Smile.

If you would like to hear more about this wonderful organization please come to our meetings. The next meeting will be Wednesday, September 18 at 12:30 at the FP Recreation Center.

Do you have a ser vice to adver tise?

Our Service Directory is sure to bring results. Call 516-294-8900 for rates and information.

Floral Park Junior Woman’s Club

The Floral Park Junior Woman’s Club will hold its next meeting on Thursday, October 3, at the Floral Park Recreation Center.

The club is a group of active, community spirited women of all ages, interests and backgrounds. They are your friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances. They are wives, mothers and single women, professionals, educators and business owners who donate their time and talents to the betterment of children, neighbors, the community and our world.

The club meets on the first Thursday of the month to conduct business at the Floral Park Recreation Center.

Meetings consist of a special month-

ly program, discussions of upcoming events, any immediate needs of the Floral Park community and how the club can be of assistance.

The club gives away over $3,000 in scholarships annually to local students. It sponsors special community events such as a Spring & Fall craft fair and the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting.

Junior Clubs are a critical part of The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC.org). The GFWC’ is an international women’s organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.

Love to write?

We’re looking for writers in our community to compose articles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even pieces of fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section.

Email submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 - 3,000 words. • Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

Floral Park-Bellerose honors staff at September board meeting

New staff members of Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District are pictured at the board of education meeting on Sept. 12.

Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District recognized both new and seasoned staff at the Board of Education meeting on Sept. 12.

Interim Superintendent Lisa Ruiz opened the presentations by unveiling the district’s new theme for this school year: “Hopes and Dreams for the Future.” Mrs. Ruiz then officially intro-

duced new administrators and teachers to the school community.

“We are here to support you and ensure your success as you join an outstanding school district and community,” Mrs. Ruiz said.

The new administrators are Meghan Dixon, assistant principal at John Lewis Childs School, and Michael Elka, assis-

Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District staff members who received certificates for years of service are pictured at the board of education meeting on Sept. 12.

tant principal at Floral Park-Bellerose School. The new teachers are Maria Endrich, Michelle Georgiadis, Mara Hornstein, Kelly Hurr, Meaghan Kemp, Lena Khouri, Lauren LaMagna, and Brit Schlude.

Following the welcoming of the new staff members, board members honored staff for years of service. Vincent Lanzone and Amy Sebber were recognized for 25 years of service. Olga Decker, Elizabeth Engelmann, John Lewis Childs School Principal Kristina Lynch and Barbara Nash were recognized for 20 years of service. Claudia

Cerrone, Joann Deeks, Tonina DelGiorno, Karen Leary, Danielle Malizia and Paula Tyrell were recognized for 15 years of service. Barbara Cunningham, Melissa Romano and Raymond Simeoli were recognized for 10 years of service. Carol Brzoza, Karen Crenshaw, Aileen Dominguez, Rubina Fraz, Arthur Kennedy, Alton Lawson, Pasquale Reale, Nadine Robinson, Maria Rosas and Sanjay Williams were recognized for five years of service.

Union Free School District

Hillcrest Civic Assn.

The first meeting of the Hillcrest Civic Association for the 2024–25 year will be Thursday, September 26, at the Floral Park Recreation Center. The Village trustees and the Floral Park Police Department will speak about issues affecting the Village. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served. A civic organization is a voluntary group of residents who come together to improve and maintain the quality of life in a community, while educating

the residents on local issues. It acts as a liaison between the community and the Village Board.

If you haven’t joined the Hillcrest Civic Association for the upcoming year, please consider doing so. A mailing will be sent shortly to all houses in the Hillcrest area. Members receive Hillcrest newsletters. Membership dues provide for civic events and scholarships to local students.

Photos courtesy of the Floral Park-Bellerose

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Carey HS celebrates homecoming with parade, football victory

H. Frank Carey High School’s varsity football team at the school’s homecoming celebration on Sept. 14.

H. Frank Carey High School held a spirited homecoming celebration on Sept. 14, kicking off with a vibrant parade. Led by the Franklin Square Fire Department and Nassau County Police, the parade featured the Carey marching band, cheerleaders and the Franklin Square Warriors, a local youth cheer squad. The event also showcased an imaginative video game-themed float, with the homecoming court arriving in style in convertible cars.

Students selected Carey’s athletic trainer, Ms. Lynn Wille, as this year’s grand marshal, honoring her contributions to the school and community. The parade concluded with the crowning of Homecoming King Mark Shrivastava and Queen Natalie

Osorio in the school’s courtyard.

The excitement carried through to the highly anticipated homecoming football game, where the Carey Seahawks faced off against Glen Cove High School. The Seahawks secured a commanding 40-21 victory, much to the delight of the packed stands.

Halftime entertainment featured electrifying performances by the Carey cheerleaders, the Pirettes dance team and the marching band. Fans enjoyed refreshments provided by the Carey Dads’ Club at their concession stand, adding to the festive atmosphere of the day.

Photos courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District

H. Frank Carey High School’s varsity cheerleaders cheered on the team and performed during halftime at the school’s homecoming celebration on Sept. 14.

H. Frank Carey High School homecoming king Mark Shrivastava and queen Natalie Osorio at the school’s homecoming celebration on Sept. 14.

H. Frank Carey High School’s Pirettes performed during halftime at the school’s homecoming celebration on Sept. 14.

Love to write?

H. Frank Carey High School kicked off the homecoming festivities with a parade on Sept. 14.

We’re looking for writers in our community to compose ar ticles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even pieces of fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section.

Email submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 - 3,000 words. • Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

Looking to Make Your Next Real Estate Move?

From living in Floral Park for almost 40 years, having her immediate family here and raising her family, to being a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson for 17+ years, to being the current President of the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, Marie has immersed herself into the fabric of the Floral Park community. It is her passion to help sellers obtain the highest price possible for their homes and to assist buyers to obtain their dream home in the well sought out desirable Village. Her level of expertise, professionalism and care are unmatched in the Floral Park Real Estate market.

*Low inventory continues to remain in Floral Park (and in most parts of Long Island and Queens).

*Seller’s market remains with a high Buyer demand still in play (Marie has many Buyers with little to no homes to sell).

If you are thinking of selling, Marie encourages you to do so now while your home will stand out with little competition. Reach out to Marie today for a confidential conversation as she is looking forward to helping you make your next move!

September 20, 2024

Native People’s Day on Oct. 14 and Native American Heritage Month in November Spark Interest in Indigenous Tourism

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

More and more people are finding comfort and wisdom in ancient ways and showing new respect and appreciation for indigenous culture and heritage, especially what they can teach us today about living sustainably and harmony with nature and each other.

“The interest in Indigenous culture and history has been on the rise for a number of years,” states Elena Junes, Director of Program Operations for Road Scholar, and a member of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. “It is consistent with the rise in eco/sustainable and cultural tourism. Worldwide, although Indigenous peoples make up less than 5% of the total human population, traditional indigenous territories encompass between 22-25% of the world’s land surface, and they coincide with areas that hold 80-90% of the planet’s biodiversity. As travelers seek out new places to visit that are in line with sustainable/experiential tourism, they will find that they are often traveling to traditional indigenous areas. As Road Scholar visits these places, we will always do our best to provide responsible, beneficial experiences with the local communities.

And there are more and more opportunities to embark on this journey of discovery as (colonial) governments are showing new sense of responsibility in making restitution, providing the resources for economic development – infrastructure development and marketing - to enable tribal communities preserve what is left of the heritage and culture.

Canada, which has made the most ambitious “Truth and Reconciliation” campaign with its indigenous com-

© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

munities, has excellent programs to link travelers to experiences. The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is a national non-profit Indigenous tourism industry organization established in 2015, tasked with growing and promoting the Indigenous tourism industry across the country. Inspired by a vision for a thriving Indigenous tourism economy sharing authentic, memorable and enriching experiences, ITAC develops relationships with groups and regions with similar mandates to enable collective support, product development, promotion and marketing of authentic Indigenous tourism businesses in a respectful protocol. (For information, visit www.destinationindigenous.ca)

“Sharing our stories and our history on cultural homeland is an integral part of the experience,” said Clyde Mansell, Tasmanian palawa

Aboriginal Elder and founder of wukalina Walk, which is part of Discover Aboriginal Experiences Australia. “It also allows us to increase employment, involve our young people and contribute to our self-determination, by creating more opportunities for the palawa community.

“We’ve had comments over the years where guests have said it’s changed their lives and their whole thinking about how they should relate to Aboriginal people,” Mansell added.

Here are just a sampling of the plethora of indigenous experiences available to travelers around the world:

Road Scholar Integrates Immersive Indigenous Experiences into Cultural Programs

Road Scholar, which provides

immersive, educational travel programs for seniors, has incorporated immersive indigenous cultural experiences in many of its programs.

“As an educational organization, Road Scholar strives to provide impactful experiences.... We choose to visit Indigenous communities and hear about their history and culture from the people who have the lived experience. Whenever possible, we include meals and activities with local community members as a way to encourage dialogue and enhance cultural discourse. When we visit archaeological sites, we include the voices of descendant communities as part of the educational content we provide. We recognize these sites not as “ruins” but as deeply personal and sacred spaces to the people whose ancestors resided there,” said Elena Junes, Director of Program Operations.

Here is a collection of programs with Native American themes, but this is just a sampling:

In  Oklahoma, Road Scholars visit Tahlequah, the capitol of the Cherokee Nation, for a presentation by a Cherokee artist, Traci Rabbit.

In New Mexico, visit the campus of the Institute of American Indian Arts, a congressionally chartered college for Native students, where a student shows Road Scholars around campus. They also take in a presentation by Louie Hena, from Tesuque Pueblo, and a traditional meal with his family.

In Wisconsin, visit Wisconsin Point Indian Burial Ground with a local tribal historian and environmental scientists who gives a presentation on the history and culture of the area.

In  Louisiana, visit the Chitimacha Museum to learn about the first inhab-

Continued on next page

The Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, the first state to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day, this year on October 14.

GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....

Native People’s Day on Oct. 14 and Native American Heritage Month in November Spark Interest in Indigenous Tourism

Continued from previous page

itants of the region through the study of artifacts and find out about the efforts to preserve their tribal language.

In British Columbia, participants visit the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler to learn from an Indigenous educator about First Nations history, customs, and traditions through dance, storytelling and artifacts.

In  Mexico, Road Scholars stop in a traditional village to get to know the traditions and lifestyle of the Mazahua indigenous people and learn how the women’s clothing helps them maintain their identity.

In  Guatemala, participants ferry to Santiago La Laguna village to delve into the way of life of the indigenous community on the shores of Lake Atitlan.

In  New Zealand, participants visit Te Puia, the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, to learn how young Maori train in the traditional Maori arts and crafts, and experience a hangi, the traditional Maori method of cooking food in the ground, accompanied by a Maori cultural performance that includes the “Haka” war dance.

Road Scholar www.roadscholar.org

Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day Where It was First Named a State Holiday: South Dakota

With Indigenous People’s Day fast approaching on Monday, October 14, there’s no better destination to honor and celebrate the holiday than in  South Dakota, home to the third-largest Native American population in the US across nine Tribal Nations and the first state to officially replace Columbus Day with Native Americans’ Day as a state holiday in 1990.

One of the most profound monuments in South Dakota is Crazy Horse Memorial which, it is amazing to learn, is

BY CHARLYN FARGO

Here’s happy news for coffee drinkers: Up to three cups a day may be beneficial for your heart. But there’s a catch -- if you’re adding sugar and cream, coffee’s benefits may be canceled out.

A recent study on middle-aged coffee drinkers without existing heart issues found that drinking up to three cups per day was associated with a lower risk for stroke or death over the next decade, along with better heart structure and function. Researchers at the Heart and Vascular Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, looked at a large,

still being carved by the third generation of its original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, and will soon be the largest mountain sculpture in the world (30x larger than neighboring Mount Rushmore). It was here that the first Native Americans’ Day celebration was held nearly 35 years ago. There is also a superb Museum of Native Americans of North and the studio/home of the sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski. (Crazy Horse Memorial, 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD, 605-6734681, crazyhorsememorial.org.)

Access + Education: Travel South Dakota’s  Great 8 for Native American Culture is an incredible itinerary to follow for indigenous tourism, with significant places including:  Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village, South Dakota›s only active archaeological site, and one of the most important in the Great Plains region according to the U.S. Department of the Interior; and Bear Butte State Park, Black Elk Peak and  Sica Hollow State Park, all sacred sites to Native Americans.  Other itineraries include the  Native American Attraction Trail,  and the Native American National and State Scenic Byway Powwows: While Powwows are available to find and attend throughout the state throughout the year, Rapid City is home to one of North America’s largest and premier Native American events, the Black Hills Powwow every October is where thousands of spectators engage with artisans, artists, championship singers and dancers, the  He Sapa Win pageant

Tour Companies:

Tatanka Rez Tours, based on the Pine Ridge Reservation, is the only Native American-owned tour company in South Dakota. Various tour packages give in-depth background on the Ogala Lakota Oyate tribe and provides an experience on the reservation that only those who live there can offer.

Black Hills Adventure tours teamed

up with  Tatanka Rez Tours to provide this nine-hour interactive cultural experience, where you listen to traditional stories and songs performed by Tatanka Rez Tours owners Guss, and Tianna and visit the Cultural Art Space, the Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Thunder Valley, Pine Ridge, and the Red Cloud Indian School. Also, a Black Hills Monument Package departs Rapid City at 8:30am, travels to Mount Rushmore where guests can hike around the monument then to Crazy Horse Memorial, finishing with exploring Custer State Park to see wildlife close up.

South Dakota’s  Guide to Tribal Nations: Oceti Sakowin Homelands, a joint effort between the South Dakota Department of Tourism and South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance, is a great resource featuring a map of tribal lands, brief history of each tribe, visitor etiquette suggestion, and educational opportunities.

TIME Names wukalina Walk in Tasmania, Australia to 2024 World’s Greatest Places List wukalina Walk, a member of Discover Aboriginal Experiences, has been named one of TIME’s 2024 World’s Greatest Places, an exclusive list of 100 extraordinary destinations to explore, stayand visit produced by its editors and correspondents around the world.

wukalina Walk is a multi-award winning Indigenous/palawa-owned tourism experience. Led by Aboriginal guides, the walk offers a rare window into Tasmania/ lutruwita’s Aboriginal culture.  For the first two nights, hikers sleep at the architecturally designed standing camp, krakani lumi (resting place), in domed-ceiling huts designed to reflect the shape of the palawa shelters that once lined the east coast of Tasmania/lutruwita. The third night is spent in a beautifully repurposed and restored lightkeeper’s cottage at the most northern end of larapuna (Bay of Fires).

More Discover Aboriginal Experiences:

Discover Aboriginal Experiences is a flagship suite of some 200 Australian Aboriginal-guided experiences from 48 businesses around Australia. Travelers learn about and connect with the diverse histories, cultures and languages of Aboriginal peoples, which date back more than 65,000 years. Here is a sampling:

Jarramali Rock Art Tours explores a 20,000-year-old outback museum of rock art.   The ‘Magnificent Gallery,’ in Quinkan Country near Laura, Far North Queensland, has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the 10 most significant rock-art sites in the world. Jarramali Rock Art Tours showcases the Quinkan rock art within the so-called ‘Magnificent Gallery’.

Kakadu National Park, in Kakadu, Northern Territory, is a World heritage-listed home to Aboriginal peoples for more than 65,000 years. It is about half the size of Switzerland and a habitat for approximately a third of all bird species in Australia. Travelers can experience the park at night with an indigenous guide on a new Stargazing Boat tour, which intertwines the ancient wisdom of Bininj knowledge with classical constellations. Alternatively, spend time with the local Indigenous community on the new Kakadu Billabong Safari Camp tour.

Wula Gura Nyinda’s 3 day World Heritage Walking Tour at Shark Bay, Western Australia, is a new walking tour of two national parks located in the Shark Bay World Heritage area – Francois Peron National Park and Dirk Hartog Island. Discover Aboriginal Experiences, discoveraboriginalexperiences.com

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com

observational study. The researchers examined data from the UK Biobank, which recruited 500,000 people ages 40 to 69 from across the United Kingdom. The average age was 56, and 56% were women.

Here’s the bottom line -- regular coffee consumption is safe, as even high daily intake was not associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality after a follow-up of 10 to 15 years.

I admit I love a good cup of coffee in the morning to start my day. If you’re like me and drop liquid creamer into your cup, try to wean yourself off the creamer. Start measuring how much creamer you use, try using a little less, and eventually

you’ll find you may prefer the bolder taste of your coffee.

In this study, most of the coffee drinkers (55%) drank instant coffee, followed by filtered/ground (23%), decaffeinated (20%) or other types (2%). Risk for stroke or heart failure didn’t significantly differ for different types of coffee drinkers.

What about drinking more than three cups a day? Researchers found heavy coffee drinkers also had more favorable cardiac findings and similar rates of stroke compared with nondrinkers. Additional benefit wasn’t seen from drinking more

Continued on page 6

The unofficial rules of being in a book club

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

It helps to know the “rules” of being a newcomer in a book club. By trial and error, I’ve found out that each group has its ways of doing things. Some book clubs have a moderator and that person guides the discussion - asks questions, moves from one person to another and helps keep the discussion on the subject at hand.

Other book clubs utilize their own members to take turns being the moderator and someone else gives a short summary of the author’s life and accomplishments. I’ve gone to a third type of book club where people show up at the appointed time and just start talking about what they liked and didn’t like about the book. It’s a rather impromptu way of doing things but it works.

I say that there are rules of being in a book club and if you are a newcomer to the group it helps to know them right away. I mention “rules” in a tongue in cheek type of way because there are no official rules but if you think about it, most groups have their rules and regulations and if you want your inclusion in the group to be a smooth and easy one, it helps to know what they are.

No shouting out. No crosstalk. Stay on topic because usually we meet for an hour, no more than that. No heated discussions about who is right or wrong in their opinions of the book or the author. Occasionally people can go off track and mention a side story but the speaker should be quick and to the point.

In the seven years since I’ve been retired, I’ve had the chance to attend different book club meetings. Each group is a bit different and each has its own personality. The “rules” can make it informal and chatty or on the other hand, the rules they abide by may be a bit more formal.

I’m still going to different places seeing which book clubs I like the best. The beauty of book clubs is you can go when you want and skip it if you have another commitment. And the advantage of being retired is I can set my own schedule and pace.

It turns out that book club meetings are held in various places - at senior centers, in the meeting rooms of public libraries, in people’s homes and I’ve even attended a couple of meetings sitting outdoors on the grass under a canopy of green leaves.

One thing I’ve noticed is that people who attend book clubs all tend to be bookworms. That’s a generalization, I know, but if there is a generalization to be had, it’s about book lovers, bookworms, and the men and women who enjoy going to book clubs.

When you stop and think about it, some bookworms like reading books and talking about them the next day at work or with their friends and relatives. They don’t feel compelled to go to a book club to discuss that particular book but everyone is different. I have to say there is a certain camaraderie in being in a circle of book lovers all discussing the most recent book we have read.

I’ve seen the joy and delight come into their eyes when they cite a certain passage from the book or recount the way a certain character responded in a particular situation. And whether the ending of the book worked or fell flat. We could spend a half hour alone debating about how the book ended. Was it good? Satisfying? Was it a cliffhanger? A disappointment? Kept us wanting a sequel to the book? Enjoyed reading that author so much that we get our hands on everything else that person wrote, that’s how good s/he was.

I’ve been guilty of getting carried away with the merits of a good or bad ending. I’ve engaged in some good debates with my fellow book club friends about endings that started out friendly then maybe got a little heated so we agreed to disagree on the subject.

A case in point is “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott. Some people were disappointed with the ending of the book. Some endings are a little too neat and pat and don’t realistically represent what choices the character would have made.

Another example is “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. Usually I like reading Atwood’s books but in this case the ending was so weak that I, the reader, wondered what ended up happening. It was a great book except for the ending.

Discussions abound about “Moby Dick,” the classic book by Herman Melville, and whether or not Capt. Ahab was right or wrong to order the Pequod steered into dangerous circumstances. These fellow book club members are a friendly bunch who by all accounts

appear to be outgoing but my guess is that if it came down to curling up on their couch with a good book and having a cup of coffee at hand or going out to dinner or a party, they would choose reading the good book. I could be wrong about that - maybe they would go out socializing then stay up late burning the midnight oil reading a good book. Who knows?

As a kid my sisters would kid me and call me a bookworm and I wore that nickname as a badge of honor. Many of my friends and classmates were bookworms, also, so I was in good company. We could have heady discussions about “Love Story” - Erich Segal’s book came out in 1970 when I was in high school in Rockville Centre. That’s the book that says, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

Most of the books we read at today’s book clubs are more modern. Usually they are on the bestsellers’ list and are in demand at libraries and bookstores. I’m looking forward to the next book club meeting and am now reading the assigned book. It’s a real page turner!

BY TOM MARGENAU

Foreign Pensions and Social Security

I’ve commented many times before that Social Security is a global phenomenon. Almost every country on the planet has a Social Security system in place for its citizens. (And many countries had social insurance plans long before we got around to implementing our program in 1935.)

In our global economy, it is not uncommon for people to have lived and worked in two or more countries, and thus potentially qualify for Social Security benefits from different countries. How a foreign pension may interact with U.S. Social Security benefits is the subject of today’s column.

Q: I have lived and worked in the United States for the past 15 years. But I was born in Great Britain and worked there for about 30 years before moving to the states. I am 67 years old and about to retire. I get a British Social Security pension and just applied for my American Social Security benefits. Before I did so, the estimates the Social Security Administration mailed me said I would get about $900 per month. But when I filed my claim, I learned I would only get about $450. A Social Security Administration phone rep I talked to said this is because I was double-dipping, and the law didn’t allow me to do this. I think this is totally unfair. I paid into both social insurance systems and think I should get full benefits from both programs. I plan to appeal. Can you help me?

A: You can appeal if you want. But you are not going to win your case. The SSA phone rep misled you by using the term “double-dipping.” That is not why your U.S. Social Security benefit will be reduced. It will be reduced because, without the reduction, you would be getting an unintended windfall in retirement benefits. And the law that applies to you is called the “windfall elimination provision,” or WEP.

To understand the reasoning behind the law, I’ve got to explain something about our Social Security retirement system. There are social goals that have been built into that system since the program began in 1935. One of those goals is to help raise the standard of living for poorer people when they retire. And the way that is done is with a retirement benefit formula skewed in their favor. That formula gives poorer people a better deal -- or more specifically, a higher rate of return -- than is paid to wealthier people. When I am talking about a “rate of return,” I am talking about comparing their Social Security benefit to their average preretirement income.

This formula can best be expressed in terms of percentages. A poor person could potentially get a Social Security benefit that represents up to 90% of his or her average preretirement wage. A well-to-do person will get significantly less -- maybe

in the 25% range. The rich person is still going to get a much higher Social Security benefit, because 25% of his or her income is way more than 90% of the poor person’s income. But still, the poor person gets a better deal out of Social Security.

The return rate payable to the average person, a typical middle-class worker, is in the 40% range: He or she can expect to get a Social Security retirement check that represents about 40% of his or her preretirement income.

Now, let’s discuss the “windfall” that you are getting. All Social Security retirement benefits are based on a 35-year base of earnings. You said you worked in this country for only 15 years. That means there are 20 years of “zero” earnings on your Social Security record. The SSA’s computers thought you were poor because of all those zero earning years. So they initially gave you a preretirement estimate intended for a poor person, with something close to the 90% return rate.

Those computers didn’t know that you are not really poor. They didn’t know that you spent all those years working in another country and earning a retirement pension from that country. But once you actually filed for benefits and told the Social Security people that you spent all those years working in England and earning a British retirement pension, they then used the windfall elimination provision formula to refigure your benefit.

In other words, that $900 monthly benefit rate you were quoted in the letters was based on the 90% rate of return. But again, you are not poor. You are a middle-class person and should get the same rate of return that all middle-class people in this country get. So that $450 monthly benefit you will receive was based on the WEP formula that gives you the same 40% return rate that all average Americans get.

Q: I am a Canadian citizen who moved to the United States in 2010. About two years ago, I married a woman who is a U.S. citizen. We are both age 66. She just filed for her Social Security and will get $2,800 per month. My Canadian Social Security pension is $3,200 per month. Am I able to claim husband’s benefits on my wife’s U.S. Social Security record? When my wife filed for her Social Security, the representative she talked to said no. But I know of other Canadians living here who do get spousal benefits from Social Security.

A: Obviously, I don’t know all the facts about your case. So there may be something I am missing. But based on what you told me, the Social Security agent misinformed you. You should be able to collect $1,400 per month in husband’s benefits on your wife’s Social Security record.

Having said that, I will make this point. I think our Social Security laws on this issue are wrong and need to be changed. I’ll use some examples to explain why.

Bill is a U.S. citizen who spent his life

paying into Social Security and now collects $2,600 per month in retirement benefits. His wife, Ann, gets her own Social Security check amounting to $1,800 per month. Bill can’t get any husband’s benefits on Ann’s Social Security record because his own retirement benefit offsets any spousal benefits. And for that matter, Ann can’t get any of Bill’s Social Security (at least before he dies) because her retirement benefit offsets any spousal benefits she would be due.

Continued on next page

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Lowering rates will not change the housing market

Those pundits believe that lowering rates will stimulate the housing market. This may only be true for those who have the financial wherewithal with the necessary income, credit, and debt/income to secure a mortgage and be able to purchase. This won’t make a huge difference for the mass majority as prices, although not increasing by double digits, are still rising due to the lack of inventory and current purchaser demand. For prices to decrease, demand would also need to slow down sufficiently enough to cause this to occur along with major increases in inventory.

By the time you read this column, Jerome Powell will have reduced Fed Funds rates by either 25 or maybe as much as 50 basis points. The U.S. government will be the biggest beneficiary of the lower rates as the interest on our National Debt of 35.3 trillion will be lower. However, we will still pay at least 1 trillion dollars in interest yearly if not more. I believe the number one reason for lower rates was to decrease the cost of that debt. The side benefit will allow a few more people to afford their home purchase.

Government figures show that inflation has been trending lower as prices are too. Energy prices contracted 3.2% in August, led by crude oil down 6.2% and natural gas down 4.1%. Nonenergy prices eased 1.9%. Food prices fell by 2.3%. Raw materials gained by 1.8%. However, some consumers may not agree with those figures and still feel the pinch of monthly costs in their pocketbooks. Those with high credit card debt are enduring the greatest impact as their costs aren’t going down, but are increasing. I have seen interest rates on credit card rates as high as 36% APR. In 2013 the average interest

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

rate on credit cards was 12.3%. So the doubling plus of rates today has a monumental impact on consumers. For those adding to their debt every month, purchasing a home is becoming an unreachable dream. To add insult to injury, those who have student debt combined with their credit debt will potentially never experience the prospect of buying their first home.

Interest rates were increased over the last 2 years, inflation slowly came down. Decreasing interest rates in turn may cause consumers to see the beneficial lowering of consumer prices as a good time to buy, and have the opposite effect by increasing inflation once again. Moreover, if the Fed continues to increase the money supply, or does any bailouts for banks or consumers going forward, as it has previously done, it will exacerbate increased inflation.

Jerome Powell is walking a very narrow tightrope and must not only choose his words carefully, but his actions could have a major effect on our economic outcome. Our economy has recovered faster and better than any other country. Accessing and viewing the macroeconomics it all looks excellent on the surface. But when you break it down via microeconomics and see the types of jobs that are being created, wages and salaries paid, personal and national debt, and layoffs that have and are occurring, things don’t look as rosy as they appear. One cannot judge everything by those making huge sums of money; but by the average middle-class American, whose

SOCIAL SECURITY AND YOU

Continued from previous page

There is something called the “government pension offset” law that usually prevents someone who is getting a non-Social Security retirement pension from getting Social Security dependent benefits from a spouse. But for some reason that I can’t explain, there is a loophole in that offset law for foreign pensions. You are going to be able to get your Canadian retirement pension and a full dependent husband’s benefit from the U.S. Social Security system. So go ahead and jump through that

big loophole. But I just don’t think it’s right.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon. com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

buying power has been diluted drastically by inflation over the last 10 years. Viewing the stock market isn’t necessarily the barometer of how everyone is doing today. If our inflation were 2% per year, then prices would double every 35 years; which lately hasn’t been the case as prices have increased dramatically over the last 4 years.

Unfortunately, those earning the U.S. standard minimum wage of $7.25 per hour will never become homeowners. Even in states where the minimum wage is as high as $17 per hour in Washington D.C. and $16 per hour in NYC, Long Island, and Westchester, the rest of the State is $15 per hour, which will never be sufficient to buy a home. Unless those earning hourly wages, have a second or even a third job and can save a substantial amount of money to make a huge downpayment; or someone gifting them the money, many families and individuals will not be able to purchase a home.

I don’t have an exact solution, but one must take certain calculated risks to become a business owner or at least have a side hustle to sock away money for your future purchase. Even today higher education doesn’t necessarily guarantee earning a sufficient living to buy a home unless you specialize in a field that pays an above-average income. However, student debt may hang over you for a lifetime, again not guaranteeing you the opportunity to buy. If you have an entrepreneurial mindset, taking certain risks to earn more money, might be the path to pursue. However, research and educate

yourself on what you want to pursue and have enough money to fund your passion and then go for it.

Philip A. Raices is the owner/ Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 42+ years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S.) and has earned his National Association of Realtors “Green Industry designation for eco-friendly low carbon footprint construction with 3-D printed foundations, Solar panels, Geo-thermal HVAC/Heat Pumps).

He will also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and his Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

He will provide you with “free” regular updates of what has gone under contract (pending), been sold (closed) and those homes that have been withdrawn/ released or expired (W/R) and all new listings of homes, HOA, Townhomes, Condos, and Coops in your town or go to https://www.Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” no obligation 15 minute consultation, as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached call him at (516) 647-4289.

Save his My New Electronic signature/Bio/Reviews to save to your contacts: https://onetapconnect.com/turnkeyrealestate-philraices

Groceries Got You Groaning? Here’s How to Save Without Starving

BY MARY HUNT

If your grocery bill feels more like a mortgage payment these days, you’re not imagining it. Even though inflation’s been slowing, grocery prices have climbed about 21% over the past few years. Unlike that fancy latte, groceries aren’t optional. But while we can’t control the prices, we can outsmart them with a few clever strategies.

REMEMBER THE COUPONS

Ah, the glory days of paper coupons! Back then, we were all about the huntclip-sort routine, saving those precious cents wherever possible. Now retired, Teri Gault and “The Grocery Game “ were game changers, helping us save 30% or more every week. But things have gone digital now -- no more Sunday papers, just apps and in-store scanning. While it’s more streamlined, it can feel like you’re playing a game of high-tech hide-and-seek.

Don’t worry, though, because Kiersten Torok is a new coupon queen on the scene. She started couponing in high school after her parents lost their jobs in 2008, and when the pandemic hit, she doubled down on her skills. Now, she’s sharing her secrets on social media, making paperless couponing accessible to everyone. Check out her tips at Torok Coupon Hunter to start saving like a pro. If you’re into tech, apps like Flipp let you browse coupons from all major grocery stores, and Ibotta offers cashback. It’s like having a digital wallet that pays you just for shopping.

BUDGET LIKE A BOSS

One of the best ways to control your grocery spending is to make a budget --

and stick to it. Start by taking a good look at what you’re currently spending. Those crumpled receipts? They’re goldmines of information. If you don’t have them, your bank statements will do. Add up your average spending and set a goal, whether it’s to shave off $20 a week or just to avoid hitting triple digits every time.

But a budget isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about being mindful of what you’re buying. Before heading out, do a quick inventory of your pantry and fridge. Apps like YNAB (You Need a Budget) recommend a full sweep so you know what you’ve got and don’t end up with a sixth jar of pickles you didn’t need. Planning meals around what you already have saves money and cuts down on food waste -- a win for your wallet and the planet.

PLAN YOUR MEALS, NOT JUST YOUR DAY

Speaking of meal planning, this isn’t just a strategy for fitness buffs or aspiring chefs. It’s a lifesaver for anyone looking to save a buck or two (or 20). Start by writing down what you plan to cook for the week or month. Get specific! Don’t just list “dinner.” Write “spaghetti with marinara, side salad.” This way, you’re shopping with purpose, not just wandering aimlessly down the pasta aisle.

And remember to plan for the unexpected. The grocery store can be a minefield of temptations -- chocolate-covered almonds, anyone? Allow yourself some wiggle room for treats or those spontaneous cravings. Make it a line item in your budget so you don’t feel guilty when you reach for that artisanal cheese.

Meal-planning apps like AnyList or Mealime can help streamline this process. They allow you to create grocery

lists based on your meal plans, reducing the chances you’ll forget something (and have to make a pricey second trip).

SHOP SMART, NOT HARD

If you’re prone to impulse buys -- guilty as charged -- consider shopping online and opting for curbside pickup. When you’re not wandering through the aisles, it’s much harder to fall victim to the lure of endcap displays or those “buy one, get one” deals on things you don’t need.

Plus, if you shop at multiple stores to catch the best deals, ordering online can save you both time and money. Compare prices, fill your cart and pick up everything in one go without the hassle of bouncing between locations.

For families, get everyone involved in the shopping process. Make it a game for the kids! Have them help scan coupons, pick produce or compare prices. It’s a great way to teach them about budgeting early on and makes grocery shopping a family affair.

GO BIG OR GO HOME

Buying in bulk isn’t just for big families or doomsday preppers. It’s a great way to save money, especially if you split the cost with friends or family. Not everything is a good bulk buy -- nobody needs a gallon of mustard -- but nonperishables like pasta, rice or canned goods can be wise choices.

And for perishables, consider splitting purchases with a neighbor or friend. If you both love strawberries but can’t finish a giant carton before they go bad, share the love (and the cost).

Food-sharing apps like Olio and Too Good to Go connect people in the community to share surplus food or buy surplus groceries from local businesses at a discount. It’s a win-win: You save money

Heart-healthy Coffee

and help reduce food waste.

A FINAL THOUGHT

Groceries are a necessary evil, but they don’t have to drain your wallet. You can take the sting out of that weekly grocery run with a little strategy -- think digital coupons, smart budgeting, meal planning and bulk buying. So go forth and conquer the aisles, fellow savvy shoppers. For more info, resources and links, meet me at EverydayCheapskate.com/ groceryapps.

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “DebtProof Living.”

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

Continued from page 2

than three cups.

Just what is there about coffee that’s beneficial when coffee and caffeine are often considered to be bad for the heart

because people associate them with palpitations and high blood pressure?

Coffee is chock-full of substances that may help guard against conditions like dementia and heart disease. Coffee contains antioxidants and other active substances that may reduce internal inflammation and protect against disease.

So, skip the mocha or the latte. Enjoy your coffee in moderation as part of an overall heart-healthy dietary pattern with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy products that is also low in sodium, saturated fat and added sugars.

Q and A

Q: What is a refined grain?

A: Refining grain strips away the fibrous bran and nutrient-rich germ, leaving only the starchy endosperm. Without the fiber, the remaining carbohydrates are rapidly digested and absorbed, which

can cause spikes in blood sugar. White flour and the many products made from it, including white bread, desserts, pastries, many cereals and crackers, white rice and rice flour are examples of refined grain foods. Whole grains include barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, farro, freekeh, oats, quinoa, spelt, wheatberries and minimally processed products made from these and other grains.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

We are looking for writers to compose articles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, & even fiction to be featured in our Discovery magazine section. E-mail submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article & any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 - 3,000 words.

• Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of September 22-28, 2024

Scientific discovery is a funny thing. Sometimes it occurs quite accidentally, sometimes after a conscious search. A perfect example of the latter is the discovery of the planet Neptune.

Astronomers stumbled upon Neptune only after the planet Uranus -- which William Herschel had found 65 years earlier -- was determined to exhibit some weird orbital behavior. Specifically, Uranus wasn’t keeping precisely to the path that astronomers had computed.

A young English astronomer named John Couch Adams calculated that this odd behavior could be explained if there was another planet beyond tugging gravitationally on it. He even figured out where this new planet might be found; unfortunately, no one in England ever bothered to look for it.

Meanwhile, across the English Channel, the Frenchman Urbain Le Verrier was making his own calculations. Again, no one seemed to care, but Le Verrier didn’t let that stop him. He took them to the German astronomer Johann Gottfried, who aimed his telescope skyward and found the new planet -- on his very first night of searching! That was in 1846, and ever since, few beginning stargazers have even looked for this distant world, let alone found it. It’s a challenge, no doubt about it, but

STARGAZERS

Desperately Seeing Neptune

now’s as good a time as any to search because this week Neptune reaches its opposition point when it not only lies at its nearest to Earth -- about 2.69 billion miles -- but also shines at its brightest.

Finding Neptune among the faint stars of Aquarius isn’t easy, however, and since this distant world is invisible to the unaided eye, you’ll need to use “star-hopping” techniques, as well as have a dark rural sky, binoculars and lots of patience, to spot it.

If you’re up for the challenge, the best way to locate it right now is to find Saturn, the brightest starlike object low in the southeastern sky just after dark. With binoculars, “walk” about two and a half fields of view to the lower left of Saturn and see if you can find the star pattern shown in the accompanying graphic. For a more detailed finder chart for the planet, visit theskylive. com and click on “Neptune” in the “Highlights” section.

I know, the stars there are very faint, but that’s where Neptune happens to lie right now. To quote engineer Scotty on “Star Trek”: “Aah caahhn’t chehnge the laws of physics!”

With binoculars you might spot Neptune as a faint bluish “star,” but a small telescope aimed in this direction will show a tiny bluish-green disk that distinguishes it from neighboring stars.

If you’re not sure you’ve found it, sketch the area, being careful to mark every star in its exact position. Then,

a week or two later, check this same celestial region and see which of these faint objects has changed its position. That’s Neptune!

Once you find it, keep this fact in mind: ever since Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, Neptune has been known as the farthest planet from the sun.

And, as challenging as Neptune might be to locate, there’s something really special about seeing with our own eyes the most distant planet of our solar system!

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com.

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I, Robot Vacuum

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

At 1 a.m. on a Sunday, I woke up to hear the new robot vacuum vacuuming. The next night I heard it whirring around again at 1 a.m., then Tuesday it was the same thing.

“What the heck is going on with that thing?” asked my husband as we heard the vacuum banging on our bedroom door to get in.

“Obviously, it wants to clean in here,” I said, half asleep.

“Yes, I understand that,” he said. “But why does it want to clean in here at one in the morning?”

“I dunno. Maybe it prefers to clean by moonlight?”

I decided that either my vacuum was possessed, or I fed it after midnight and it turned into a Gremlin. I opened the bedroom door, and the vacuum rushed in to deal with what it thought was a late-night dog hair emergency. I hit the

“off” button, and the vacuum let out two beeps to let me know how disappointed it was not to be allowed to take care of our fictitious cleaning crisis.

The fact that it was even turning itself on at all was a surprise to me. I hadn’t realized the vacuum could actually be set to run itself. But when I Googled this phenomenon the next day, I found out that if I had actually read the manual, I would have learned the robot vacuum could not only run itself when I’m not home but also let me know when it was done. It wouldn’t, however, feed or walk the dog, make dinner or pick up my dry cleaning, so honestly, I’m not really sure why I was bothering with it at all.

But anyway, the only way to set the vacuum up to do vacuum things was to download a vacuum app, which would let me control all the vacuum settings. If I didn’t do this, it defaulted to its factory settings, which made it deep-clean our

floors at 1 a.m., for some reason.

After I downloaded the app, I set the vacuum to clean at 10 a.m. each day but not to notify me when it was done, when it encountered a foreign object in its way, or when it couldn’t finish the job because it had fallen off a cliff (the vacuum’s words, not mine). There were myriad notifications I could opt to get if I so opted, but I didn’t because, really, I had better things to do than be at the beck and call of my robotic vacuum all day.

Confident that I was now fully robot vacuum-literate and would no longer be bothered by late-night cleanings or egregious notifications, I went on with my life.

But then one day while I was at lunch, my phone pinged, and when I looked at it, I saw that I had an urgent notification, so I clicked on it.

It was my robot vacuum.

It wanted me to know that it was its

birthday.

I was floored. I had not seen this particular notification in the settings, which meant it was either factory-programmed to let me know this information, or it was just taking it upon itself to tell me.

Realizing this was something I only had to worry about once a year, I decided to let this one go and focus on the more important issue:

If I got the vacuum cleaner a birthday cake and it left crumbs on the floor, would it be too much to ask it to clean up after itself?

Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www. tracybeckerman.com.

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EMPLOYMENT

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Caring, Honest & Reliable woman with 10 years experience available to care for your elderly loved one. Personal grooming, dispense medications, cooking, cleaning. Checkable references. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 516-383-7150

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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ANNOUNCEMENTS NOVENAS/PRAYERS

3 DAY NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days:

Oh Most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity.

Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother.

Oh Holy Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power.

Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (say three times).

Holy Mary I place this prayer in your hands (say three times). Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. Amen. When request is granted, the novena must be published. (MAK)

BECOME A GARDEN CITY PD CROSSING GUARD

The Garden City Police Department is currently seeking

Part-time Crossing Guards for assignments throughout Garden City

All interested candidates meeting the qualifications for a GCPD Crossing Guard may obtain an application by going to the link below or by visiting the Garden City Police Department at 349 Stewart Avenue, Garden City. Qualifications are:

• Discourage children from behaving unsafely near traffic, such as darting into the street without looking or crossing against a traffic signal. A guard can encourage safe behavior by all pedestrians at the school crossing.

• Use existing gaps in traffic to help students cross safely. When the natural traffic flow does not allow enough time for children to safely cross a street, a guard may need to create gaps by stopping traffic temporarily. The guard stops traffic with hand signals or a STOP paddle, then verbally directs children to cross the street. A guard is always the first person in the street and the last person out of the street.

• Alert motorists that pedestrians are in the process of using the school crossing.

• Observe and report any incidents or conditions that present a potential safety hazard to the school children or the guard.

• Candidates must be able to withstand inclement weather and meet minimum medical and physical requirements.

• Candidates must have a High School diploma or G.E.D.

** Starting salary for this position is $44.50 per diem.

Go to https://gardencitypolice.net/school-crossing-guards scroll to the bottom and click on the link for the Crossing Guard Application. All interested candidates meeting the above-stated criteria may also obtain an application at the Garden City Police Department.

CLASSIFIEDS

MARKETPLACE

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Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed till 6) Saturday 12-4

Shop Our Online Store ATStewartExchange.org

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Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange.org

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INVITED SALES

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MARKETPLACE

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Saturday, September 28 9am to 3pm

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Household items, lots of Christmas, jewelry, books, clothes and much more!

AUTOMOTIVE

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REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

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Beautiful pre-war 2BR / 1BA apartment available to rent on the desirable 7th Street in Garden City. Walk to all stores, restaurants, LIRR. Apartment is on first floor with high ceilings, new stainless steel appliances, hard wood floors. If interested, please email: alid222@me.com for more details, price and a tour of what could be your next home!

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We’re looking for writers in our community to compose articles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even pieces of fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section. Love to write?

Email submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 – 3,000 words.

• Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

Gooey waffles for breakfast or dessert

Kentucky ‘Nanner Foster Waffles

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

Topping:

1⁄4 cup butter

1⁄4 cup brown sugar, packed

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1) Preheat a waffle iron, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 170 F.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3) In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon, and whisk.

4) Add the wet mixture to the dry, and whisk until there are no lumps.

5) Scoop 1⁄2 cup batter onto the waffle iron, close the lid, and let cook until golden brown and crispy. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

6) Put the waffles on a sheet pan and place in preheated oven.

Waffles can be enjoyed any time of the day. While traditionally breakfast fare, waffles can be a sweet or savory dessert as well.

When waffles are paired with the flavors of a traditional Banana Foster dessert, they can be a decadent breakfast or impressive evening treat. Enjoy this recipe for “Kentucky ‘Nanners Foster Waffles” from “Lord Honey Traditional Southern Recipes with a Country Bling Twist” (Pelican Publishing) by Chef Jason Smith. Serves 4 to 6

1 1⁄2 cups milk, any variety 1⁄2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons vanilla 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 bananas, sliced thick

3 teaspoons bourbon Favorite vanilla ice cream

7) To make the topping, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute.

8) Add the sliced bananas and cook for a few seconds. Add the bourbon (or apple juice, instead), and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often with a light hand so the bananas do not break up.

9) Meanwhile, place 1 to 2 waffles on a plate and top with a scoop of ice cream. Once banana sauce has thickened, spoon over ice cream and waffles. Repeat with remaining waffles.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS...

Each week,

Litmor Publications publishes the ads of providers in our Classifieds, Professional Guide and Service Directory. A 6-week agreement brings your specialty or service to the attention of the community in a public service format.

LET US BEGIN LISTING YOU IN OUR NEXT ISSUE.

For More Information and Rates, Call Nancy 516.294.8900

Email:

Nancy@gcnews.com

Include name, daytime phone number, address and email.

Deadline for Professional Guide or Service Directory is Monday, 12 Noon. Deadline for Classified is Tuesday, 1pm

Advertising in the Professional Guide is only open to N.Y.S. Licensed Professionals.

Share your accomplishments with our readership! Put your engagement, wedding, baby announcement, or more in our paper. It's free of charge for subscribers! Email editor@gcnews.com

Wellness program at Floral Park Public Library

Photos by Children's Librarian Kathy Guidal

Save the Date: St. Anne’s Spirit Day

St. Anne’s Spirit Day is a little over 4 weeks away!  The St. Anne’s Spirit Day Planning Committee is hard at work on the 21st Annual Spirit Day Celebration happening on Saturday, October 5.

The informal kick-off to Spirit Day planning happened earlier this summer with the opening of sales for the Spirit Day Raffle tickets to parishioners.  The cost of a single raffle ticket is $100 with a maximum of 1,000 tickets to be sold.  Funds from the Spirit Day Raffle will allow St. Anne’s to continue to offer religious, educational, social, service, scouting and athletic activities for the young persons of our faith community.  The grand prize winner receives 25% of the total raised and five additional lucky winners receive 5% of the total.  If tickets sell out, as they have in past years, the grand prize winner receives $25,000 and the five second prize winners will receive $5,000!  Winners do not need to be present to win but no one wants to miss the exciting moment of that drawing at 9:00 p.m.  It’s an incredibly positive

way to end a fun and beautiful day for the entire parish family.

Spirit Day itself includes “something for everyone” -  Respite Games for the special needs community of St. Anne’s, rides and games for kids of all ages, a robust craft fair, the beautiful MOM’s mums sale, delicious food and drink options, a “Night at the Races”, music and uplifting outdoor Mass.  All are welcome to this celebration of faith, family, fun and community.

The Church of St. Anne in Garden City hosts its 21st annual Spirit Day on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 1:00–9:00 p.m. with rides, games and music all day and evening.  The day is highlighted with a beautiful celebration of Mass outdoors at 5 p.m. and the exciting Spirit Day Raffle drawing at 9:00 p.m.  Raffle ticket applications can be found on the St. Anne’s website as well as information on sponsorship opportunities and registration for the craft fair. Please call the St. Anne’s Rectory at (516) 352-5904 or visit www.stannesgc.org for more information.

Youth Group sells candy to eager youth. See the popular inflatable rock wall, one of many rides and games available at Spirit Day, in the background.

Attention students!

Graduated from school? Have an outstanding GPA? Made the honor roll or Dean’s List? Scored an internship or study abroad opportunity? We invite you to send details of any of these things and more, along with your name and contact info, to editor@gcnews.com for a chance to be seen in our paper!

The children’s choir share their talents led by St. Anne’s Music Director Tim Brown.

First aid tent volunteers happily pitch in.

FPHS student named Long Island Scholar Artist

Floral Park Memorial High School student Fiona So has been recognized as a Long Island Scholar Artist in the category of Visual Arts for the 2024–25 school year.

The honor is given by the Long Island Arts Alliance, who developed the program to present outstanding high school-age artists to the public in monthly profiles that appear in Newsday in print and online.

Plant terrarium workshop at FP Public Library

On Tuesday, September 10, patrons of the Floral Park Public Library enjoyed a succulent plant terrarium workshop facilitated by

Fourteen participants enjoyed getting their hands dirty to create these living masterpieces!

So is among 20 students on Long Island that will be featured this school year. A proud

Participants in the workshop enjoyed creating their own terrariums.

Floral Park Memorial High School student Fiona So (center) is pictured with art teacher Natasha Santana and Principal Alicia Calabrese.

Photo courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District

Another beautiful project!

Giul Forlino of Birch Plants.

Photos by Library Trainee Danielle O'Grady

Earlier this year you sent me to Washington to try to fix things. So I am working with anyone of goodwill, regardless of party, to bring common sense solutions to secure the border, reinstate the SALT deduction, bring federal money back to Long Island and help heal the divide in Congress. If you send me back to Congress I will continue to fight for bipartisan common sense solutions.

Floral Park Library Outdoor Movie Night

Attendees at the movie night on September 5 watched Mark Wahlberg in “Arthur the King.”

Movie nights on the Library lawn are fun for the whole family.

Floral Park Public Library Director Pat Erens and Assistant to the Library Director Linda Sartini get ready for movie night.

Freshly popped popcorn was available for patrons. Photos by YA Librarian Jane Zuckerman

“The Adventure of Books” at FP Public Library

Friends of the Library member and volunteer Kathy Tyson undertook a summer project to create an amazing book art exhibit "The Adventure of Books."

Photos by Children's Librarian Kathy Guidal

Village Board: Stay safe this school year

issue went to press), the Board planned to vote on the appointment of Jaclyn Battaglia as Deputy Village Treasurer, effective September 23rd, with an annual salary of $105,000, pending Nassau County Civil Service Commission approval.

At the September 3rd Board meeting the trustees approved a budget transfer of $6,000 from the village’s Personnel Services account into its account listed as “Finance - Clerk/Treasurer Contractual.”

Another item on the September 17th agenda was the promotion of Eileen Stephens to full-time Neighborhood Aide in the Floral Park Police Department, with an annual salary of $41,922, subject to Civil Service approval and medical screenings. The Board also planned to approve a $97,000 Fire Department Protection Services Agreement for the period of June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2025.

Building and Development News

Trustee Michael Longobardi report-

ed that a civic meeting to discuss the proposed development at Jericho Turnpike and South Tyson Avenue had been postponed, with no new date announced. He also noted that construction at 99 Covert Avenue would begin soon, and the Covert Avenue firehouse site was nearing final funding approval from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.

Additionally, an application for a subdivision at 155 Beech Street will likely be discussed at the Architectural

With

Stay

Review Board meeting on Wednesday, September 25th, at 8 p.m. at Floral Park Village Hall.

Longobardi also announced that the Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC) will meet on Monday, September 23rd, at the Town of Hempstead Hall. Residents can file noise complaints about air traffic by calling 1-800-225-1071 or visiting the Floral Park Village website for more information.

Celebrating reading at the Floral Park Public Library.

The artwork “Library Director on the Beach” brought smiles to patrons.

A tiny book garden was one of the artworks.

Floral Park Village

Floral Park Village

Floral Park Village

Floral Park Village

Floral