HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2012 Long Islander Newspapers, LLC
Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com VOLUME FIFTEEN, ISSUE 19
N E W S P A P E R 2 SECTIONS, 36 PAGES
THURSDAY, JULY 26 , 2012
TOWN OF HUNTINGTON
Union Pickets Israel Campaign Kickoff In face of communication workers protest, congressman touts record on middle class Half Hollow Hills photos/Danny Schrafel
By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com
The kickoff celebration in Plainview for Congressman Steve Israel’s (D-Dix Hills) re-election campaign was met with protests from a telecommunications union angry at his stance on a pending telecommunications deal. Dressed in red, dozens of Communication Workers of America (CWA) members from Long Island and New York City were protesting Verizon’s offer to purchase spectrum from Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House Networks, which is pending FCC approval. Michael Gendron, executive vice president of the Communication Workers of America Local 1108, said that a specific portion of the deal will allow Verizon to stop building out its FIOS network and stifle competition between themselves and cable companies. “The impact on us for our jobs is going to be devastating. The impact for consumers will be devastating because you’re going to have a few companies controlling the industry,” he said. Gendron said the CWA asked Israel to add his name to a letter, which was signed by 32 House Democrats and sent to the FCC and Department of Justice on July 9 to object to the deal. Israel was not one of them, and the union said it was a betrayal of middle-class workers. (Continued on page A13)
At his campaign kickoff Sunday, Rep. Steve Israel found many friendly faces of supporters, including Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone and Councilwoman Susan Berland, above. But outside, Israel supporters mixed with Communication Workers of America protestors, right.
MELVILLE
Beams Arrive For Northern State Bridge State DOT says project ‘on schedule’ for 2013-2014 finish as tons of steel are delivered Half Hollow Hills photos/Danny Schrafel
The view of the new Northern State bridge, heading northbound toward Huntington Station Sunday.
By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com
Massive steel beams for the new Northern State Parkway bridge over Route 110 have arrived and are being put to use, state officials said last week. Getting the steel beams to Melville is a bit of a Herculean task, requiring coordination from multiple levels of government, DOT Public Information Officer Eileen Peters said. “They weigh 250 tons apiece and they have to be transported from out of state,” she explained. “They need police escorts. When they crossed the George Washington Bridge, they had New York City and State Troopers escorting them.” Two of the hulking beams arrived on Thursday. Another four made it to Melville on Friday, and the last four were to arrive on Monday. A planned Northern State westbound closure, which would have allowed for a project
to refresh the pavement markings on the entrances, was delayed to accommodate the deliveries. “We had to postpone it because it was a priority and rightfully so,” Peters said. Peters said the state is unable to commit to a new date for the pavement work, but it would be for just one night to refresh the pavement. The majority of the work, she added, will continue overnight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. “The closure for the pavement markings [will be] the only one we’ve had in months and months,” she said. The project remains on schedule and is going well, she said, in large part thanks to a temporary bridge installed next to the construction site. That allows the state to work on the bridge, but keeps traffic flowing. The New York State Department of Transportation is building a new bridge for the Northern State Parkway over Route 110 and reworking the Exit 40 (Continued on page A13)
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