A Broadway hit that floats above the rest
The Baldwin High School Playhouse presented ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’ from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23. Story, additional photos, Page 10.
Baldwin schools receive recognition Champions of Change award honors district’s programs
By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
The New York State School Boards Association has recognized the Baldwin School District with two Champions of Change awards — for its Baldwin Schools Wellness Center and the Brookside Shark Tank Project.
The state recognition highlights school districts’ programs and initiatives that provide positive change for the students and community within those districts.
“Every once in a while, it is nice to get a pat on the back, especially when the recognition is unexpected,” Robert S. Schneider, NYSSBA executive director, wrote in a news release. “NYSS-
BA initiated a program, which we call the Champions of Change, in order to do just that.”
The wellness center, officially launched during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 21, is a partnership with New Hyde Park based PM Pediatric Care, an urgent-care provider specializing in pediatric and adolescent health. The in house center at Baldwin Middle School offers a comprehensive range of services focused on both emotional and academic wellness. On-site counselors, therapists and behavioral specialists are available to support students through individual counseling sessions, as well as art and play therapy.
The center was funded, in part, courtesy of
Assisting the ‘boys’ in red
Baldwin crew joins fight against upstate Jennings Creek fire
By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Baldwin Fire Department Chief Anthony Hopkins and a crew of 20 firefighters headed to unfamiliar territory in Orange County, New York, on the New Jersey border, two weeks ago to help fight the Jennings Creek Wildfire near Greenwood Lake. The blaze had already scorched 4,400 acres three days after it began on Nov. 10.
The fire started near hiking trails in nearby Sterling Forest State Park, and spread rapidly in drought conditions. Many volunteer fire departments on Long Island responded, their efforts coordinated by the Nassau County’s fire marshal’s office, to battle one of the region’s most significant wildfires since 2008.
that they had currently and ultimately coming up with a plan for whatever we needed to do to support the residents up there and ultimately extra relief for the first responders,” Hopkins said.
Crew members were brought up to speed on the spreading fire by reports including a video uploaded to X by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 13.
lost track of the goal and the mission.
When asked if members were fearful about the mission, Hopkins said that staying informed was crucial.
“I think for us, updating ourselves on the conditions
The first crew of a dozen Baldwin firefighters, including two chiefs, left at 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 15. They were accompanied by members of other county departments, and others left on Nov. 18.
“First responders have been there for such a long time, trying to battle this fire that was out of control,” Hopkins said of the local firefighters of Orange County. “We all knew that we were being called up, and had to grind out and do everything that we needed to support.”
One of the crew’s first tasks, Hopkins said, was communi -
Continued on page 4
Tim Baker/Herald
Brookside Shark Tank Project part of Baldwin 2035
former Congresswoman Kathleen Rice, who secured more than $3 million for the school district’s social and emotional programs as part of $15 million in Community Project Funding, one of her final acts in Congress in 2022. Assemblywoman Judy Griffin secured $450,000 for the initiative during her first term in Albany that same year.
A second center is in the works at the high school, according to officials.
In the other district initiative, which took place at Brookside Elementary School, students stepped into the “tank” this past February to pitch their ideas to district officials, much like contestants on the popular TV show “Shark Tank.”
Calling themselves “Second Aide Entrepreneurs,” students raised more than $1,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national charity dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research. The students pitched their business ideas to Baldwin officials, including Superintendent Shari Camhi, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Anthony Mignella, Brookside Principal Anne Marie Squicciarini and PTA President Raquel Stephenson, who acted as “sharks.”
“It is an honor to see Brookside recognized by the NYSSBA with the Champions of Change award for our second grade Shark Tank experience,” Squicciarini wrote. “By donating their funds to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, they learned that their voices make a difference and that children can be valuable contributions to the global community.”
Events like the Shark Tank project are part of Baldwin 2035, a school district initiative tackling future-focused learning and hands on, creative-based instruction.
“These programs were hand-selected by the NYSSBA awards committee for their innovative nature and how much we care for our students and their families,” Camhi wrote. “This is what we strive for every day in Baldwin schools.”
Courtesy Baldwin School District
the new York State School Boards association honored the Baldwin School district with two Champions of Change awards, for the Baldwin Schools Wellness Center and the Brookside Shark tank project.
LuminoCity brings ‘Sweet Dreams’ to Eisenhower Park
By JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO jdalessandro@liherald.com
LuminoCity returned to Eisenhower Park for its third annual Holiday Lights Festival with a sprawling, glowing, sugary dreamland on Nov. 7. The attraction also features food and drink vendors and a gift shop and will remain open through Jan. 5.
“This is 14 acres of wonder,” LuminoCity Project Manager John Baiata said. “Our job here is to make sure that when people leave here, they’ve rekindled the sense of wonder that they grew up with.”
The Holiday Lights Festival is LuminoCity’s annual flagship event. The festival’s theme changes annually, and it takes months of production to plan and construct all the displays. The production team of about 40 members worked on 2,750 handmade displays.
Xiaoyi Chen, the founder and chief executive of LuminoCity, was inspired to create the company based on her memories of growing up with traditional Chinese lantern festivals. She came to New York and created her business to spread a sense of awe and wonder with familyfriendly attractions — and inspire the next generation of young artists along the way.
“By combining the heartwarming spirit of the holidays with the unique visions and creativity of the winners of Lumi’s Utopia, our event will bring the local community together and create lasting memories for all attendees,” Chen said in a news release.
This year’s festival partnered with the Long Island Children’s Museum to bring children’s artistic ideas to life. Children created drawings in the Lumi’s Utopia workshop, where the museum’s judges selected drawings to be made into light sculptures.
“Earlier this year, we were able to host a contest where many Long Island children came in and they made confection drawings of their sweet dreams,” Aimee Terzulli, vice president of program and visitor experience for the Long Island Children’s Museum said.. “We had the hard job of having our internal judges pick only 10 out of hundreds and hundreds of young people that got to learn about the lantern process and the cultural aspects of this beautiful art form.”
The children’s art was adapted into vibrant pieces such as singing ice cream cones, ballet dancers, chocolate covered strawberries and singing candy bowls. These children and their families were able to see their art come to life for the first time on the night of the festival’s opening.
Wantagh resident Dominic Recher, 6, is one of the young artists whose work — a field of ice cream cones — was turned into a light display.
“I feel very excited, and I feel very happy,” Dominic Recher said of his art being included.
“I’m really excited that my son won — he worked really hard, and I’m really proud that he put all his time and detail into his work,” his mother, Jessica Rech-
er, said. “He makes me a proud mom.” Festivals like LuminoCity help the community bond and boosts the county’s.
“We want to have things that are exciting, vibrant, new and family oriented, and this light festival checks all the boxes,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said. “We’re extremely happy to have this beautiful exhibition here. It’s nice to bundle up and get into the Christmas and Hanukkah spirit here in Eisenhower Park.”
The festival connects several luminescent holidays at once: Diwali’s theme of light overcoming darkness, Hanukkah’s lit candles and Christmas’ decorations,
Blakeman added.
Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips applauded Chen’s contribution to the local economy.
“Businesses drive our budget,” Phillips said. “When small businesses, large businesses, do well here in Nassau County, we do well as taxpayers.”
To learn more about the festival, where to park in Eisenhower, and how to reserve tickets, visit LumincoCityFestival. com.
Tim Baker/Herald Photos
LuminoCity has returned to East Meadow for the third annual Holiday Lights Festival, with a new theme: Sweet Dreams.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman cut the ribbon to open the attraction, encouraging support for local vendors.
Dominic Recher, 6, of Wantagh, came to see his ‘Ice Cream Man’ drawing come to life with his family.
Mia Panetta and Jolie Doerbecker of Massapequa came to see the Holiday Lights Festival’s colorful and surreal light sculptures.
Fire was finally fully contained last Friday
cating with the local firefighters in the area. And the most significant challenge that his and other Long Island crews faced was the rocky terrain, which they’re not accustomed to. Many houses in the area were built on cliffs.
“That was probably the biggest adjustment,” Hopkins said. “We’re used to being on roofs that are semi-peaked and have flat surfaces — not the rocky terrains with mountains and cliffs.
“Putting out a fire, (and) at the same time dodge boulders and tree stumps (were difficult),” he added. “It was a lot, physically, on my members, but they never lost track of the goal and the mission.”
Crew members divided the work, with two to three people actively fighting the fire, another looking out for any hazards such as rocks, trees or a change in wind direction, and another on the radio, staying informed on any updates so the crew could move if needed.
By the time a second crew arrived on Nov. 18, the fire was 88 percent contained. Another crew from Baldwin was called in the following day, but by Nov. 20, no further assistance was needed.
In a news release last Friday, Hochul announced that the fire was fully contained.
“For two weeks, firefighting crews and staff responded from around the
It is remarkable to us how many people we meet who have amassed signifcant wealth beyond their needs, yet have little or no inclination to share their good fortune with others, even their immediate families. It seems to us that the only value that any asset has is in its use — those who have assets they are unable to utilize are really no better off than those who don’t.
How much richer and happier many lives would be if only we learned to share more. Studies in psychology and neuroscience have demonstrated that acts of generosity trigger a release of endorphins, referred to as the “helper’s high”, leading to increased feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
Generous acts involve considering the needs of others, expanding one’s empathy and leading to deeper connections with others and a more meaningful and fulflling life. This may explain why those least able to give are sometimes the most generous. Generosity has less to do with what one has than the way one thinks.
more than 20 members of the Baldwin f ire department helped battle the Jennings Creek Wildfire,
burned for nearly two weeks.
state to battle the Jennings Creek wildfire, and today, they were successful in fully containing the fire,” she stated. “I thank all of them for their hard work, spending time away from their families and working tirelessly every day to keep New Yorkers safe.”
According to the release, the fire
“A fght is going on inside me,” said an old man to his son. “It is a terrible fght between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fght is going on inside you.”
The son thought for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf will win?”
The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.”
— Wendy Mass
Generosity may also involve giving of your time and attention. As theologian John Wesley put it three hundred years ago:
“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, To all the people you can, As long as you ever can.”
x117 or email info@trustlaw.com
burned a total of 5,304 acres.
Hopkins said this was the first time in his four years as chief that he had been called for so far away for support, and added that he felt a sense of pride in assisting firefighters upstate.
“Being able to support them and gather, you know, 20 of my members to
go up there to support, it was a good feeling,” he said, “knowing that members were willing to take off from work, leave their families to drive to unknown work and come back home and go back to reality.”
Courtesy Jerry Brown
which began on nov. 10 and
NASA astronaut returns to Baldwin schools
Students and staff at Baldwin school district were thrilled to welcome back one of their own, Jasmin Moghbeli, a NASA astronaut and Baldwin alumna, after her six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
Moghbeli, who calls Baldwin home, credits the school district with playing a pivotal role in her journey to becoming an astronaut. Her most recent visit comes shortly after she had communicated live from space with Baldwin students in October 2023 during a “In-Flight Education Downlink” event, an opportunity selected through a district-wide application process.
Baldwin Middle School
Moghbeli’s first stop was Baldwin Middle School, where she met with students Mia Jones and Nickael Forbes. She presented them with official NASA certificates in recognition of the special items they had given her to take to space.
Baldwin High School
Moghbeli traveled to Baldwin High School, where she addressed more than 100 physics students and science teachers. Joined by her mother, she shared stories and exclusive footage from her sixmonth mission aboard the International Space Station. Her presentation provided insights into the life of an astronaut and included a Q&A session, where students—many of whom dream of careers in astrophysics, astronomy, and other
STEM fields—asked questions and looked to Moghbeli for inspiration.
Lenox Elementary School
Moghbeli who told the Herald in an interview at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale that it was at Lenox where her love of space and science was first sparked, and she has since maintained a strong connection with the school. During her visit, she returned several items that Lenox had sent with her on her mission, including a purple bracelet from the PTA inscribed with “We Are Baldwin,” as well as NASA certificates.
The students in grades 3 through 5 participated in a hands-on learning experience with Moghbeli, where they acted as aerospace engineers in a paper airplane design challenge. Using principles of aerodynamics—such as lift, thrust, and gravity—students competed to see whose airplane could soar the farthest across the gymnasium. The challenge was part of the “Ultimate Space Glider” activity, which helped the students connect scientific concepts to real-life space exploration. The visit concluded with Moghbeli reading “If I Were an Astronaut (Dream Big)” by Eric Braun to younger students in kindergarten through second grade.
— Hernesto Galdamez
Hernesto Galdamez/Herald
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, who was raised in Baldwin, returned to Long Island earlier this month, first making a trip to the Cradle of Aviation Museum and eventually the Baldwin school district.
Local leaders reject regionalization plan
By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, other local elected officials, school district superintendents and school board trustees gathered in the Nassau County executive building on Nov. 21 to oppose the recent State Education Department Regionalization Plan.
The plan, introduced as an emergency rule on Sept. 25, directs school districts to pool resources, programs and services, which critics say threatens the independence of local districts. State Sen. Jack Martins, one of the plan’s main opponents, talked about fighting to preserve local control of districts.
“Long Island schools are regularly ranked among the very best in New York state,” Martins said. “That fact is due in large part to our local control and educational structure, which prioritizes our students’ success. We join our local communities in opposing any effort to force regionalization and fight to preserve local control.”
Blakeman echoed Martins’s sentiments, saying the plan was an attack on suburban school districts, and that he and others would continue to fight to keep power in the hands of the districts.
“Isn’t it interesting that cities such as Yonkers, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester and New York City are all excluded from their plan?” Blakeman said. “This is just
Sen. Jack Martins, along with other local elected officials, challenged the NYSED’s Regionalization Plan at a news conference on Nov. 21.
another attack on the suburbs by state government, which is completely controlled by left-wing politicians, and we will not stand by and let the Department of Education gut our school districts.”
Many opponents of the plan are questioning the decision to make it an emergency measure. State Sen. Steve Rhoads called it a rushed, and added that the language contained in it could lead to local districts’ complete loss of control of their operations.
“The State Education Department’s self-created emergency regionalization
mandate is vague and can lead to a complete usurpation of local control of schools budgets, tax dollars, and educational opportunities and resources vested in local boards of education,” Rhoads said. “Long Islanders pay some of the highest school taxes in the state, and their local and state officials should and must have a voice in where those dollars are being spent, and that voice is being jeopardized with the SED’s rushed, topdown regionalization plan.”
Sschool districts across Nassau and Suffolk counties are preparing to chal -
lenge the plan. Roslyn school board President Meryl Waxman encouraged other districts to join the fight.
“Superintendents including mine have been told that this is a great big nothing, but what one says and what one does have to align,” Waxman said. “If you take the time to read the regulations and see what they say, they should be self-explanatory. These are emergency regulations, but what was the emergency? Roslyn wasn’t having an emergency until they created one.”
Nonetheless, many people believe that the plan can be beneficial for Long Island school districts. Responding to a rally against the plan on Oct. 31 at Locust Valley High School, Assemblyman Chuck Lavine said that districts can voluntarily participate in shared services, and that the protest was nothing more than political theater.
“The State Education Department website makes it perfectly explicit that any district desiring to engage in shared services with any other district can do so completely voluntarily,” Lavine said. “Held on Halloween, the Oct. 31 rally was nothing more . . . than political theater designed to frighten the public.”
Under the plan, school districts are required to submit surveys to the state by Dec. 6, identifying areas for collaboration. There will also be a comment period before the plan becomes final in January.
Brian Norman/Herald
Liberty Water replacing water main in Baldwin
Liberty New York Water has begun a project to replace 1,100 feet of cast iron water main in Baldwin to reduce the risk of future breaks. The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will help reduce discolored water, enhance water pressure, and improve fire service capabilities in the area.
Over time, mains can accumulate minerals on the inner walls, narrowing the pipe’s diameter. The new water mains will be made of 20-inch cement-lined ductile iron pipe, a stronger and more durable material that resists corrosion and has a longer lifespan. The pipes will also be wrapped in protective polyethylene to further prevent corrosion and leaks, especially important given the high groundwater levels in Baldwin.
“We are committed to providing the best water service possible, and this infrastructure improvement is anticipated to significantly enhance water service for Baldwin residents,” Deborah Franco, president of Liberty New York Water wrote in a news release. “Our customers have been patient as we planned this project, and we are pleased to deliver on our promise to upgrade the system. This area in Baldwin was clearly in need of an infrastructure upgrade.”
The existing water main, which has been in place for more than 70 years, has reached the end of its useful life, officials say.
The water main replacement is taking place along Winona Road, from Foxhurst Road to Anderson Street, and on Anderson Street, from Cheshire Drive to Remsen Street. Phase II of the project is scheduled for 2025, which will continue the main replacement on Anderson Street.
“We thank the Baldwin residents for their cooperation and patience as we took the necessary time to plan and implement this important project,” Franco stated.
— Hernesto Galdamez
Courtesy Liberty Water
A main replacement project has begun in Baldwin to provide more reliable service and prevent main breaks.
BALDWIN HERALD — November 28, 2024
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The stars are dimmed by light pollution
With each passing year — especially in areas like Nassau County — we see less of the night
By NICOLE FORMISANO
Special to the Herald
As a child, Ken Spencer would wait until the sun sank below the ocean horizon, and then ride his bike down to the beach and lie in the sand, staring up into the sky as the final streaks of pink and orange slipped from view. Then quietly, one by one, billions of stars would wink into existence — diamond dust, he said, scattered across a sea of black velvet.
Now, at 82, the Sea Cliff resident is lucky if he can spot even the brightest stars amid a night sky that has, over the years, morphed into a wall of light-polluted gray.
Nassau County suffers some of the worst light pollution in the world. It’s harming local wildlife, damaging human health, and marring something as seemingly inviolable as the very sky above.
The word “pollution” often evokes clouds of smog, or continental landfills; little do we think of light itself as a form of pollution. But when we are irresponsible about how we artificially light the world around us, that additional light impacts everything it touches.
Summer nights on Long Island, for example, used to mean a world illuminated by fireflies. That likely won’t be the case for the next generation. The bioluminescent beetles can’t find potential mates amid an overlit world, and are becoming increasingly endangered.
Light pollution is increasing by 10 percent every year, according to DarkSky International, a nonprofit fighting to mitigate the problem. And we’re already suffering the effects.
Losing the night sky
“I know nothing with any certainty,”
Vincent Van Gogh once wrote, “but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
For as long as we have existed, humans have been linked inextricably to the stars. They served as beacons by which humanity navigated, charting new lands and waters; their movement led scholars to new mathematical and scientific discoveries; they have long captured the imaginations of philosophers, poets and artists; they encourage people of every age, race, class and ability to lift their eyes to the sky, wonder at the vast sea of the universe, and recognize the miracle it is to be alive.
“It feels primeval,” Spencer said of the night sky’s singular ability to pull our eyes upward. “It’s something within us.”
the sky. And little by little, it’s become harder and harder to see the Milky Way.”
More than 80 percent of people will not see the Milky Way in their lifetime, according to DarkSky International, and that number is climbing each year. We in Nassau County cannot see the Milky Way without traveling to the East End — and even that sight is a fading echo of what once was.
The amateur astronomer, originally from Milford, Connecticut, began studying the constellations with his daughter in 1989. He remembers looking at the constellation Hercules, identifying the globular cluster of 300,000 stars at the demigod’s side. He looked for that once-familiar sight recently, but the stars were simply impossible for him to see. He used to drive down to the Custer Institute and Observatory in Southold, which served as a refuge for starry skies on Long Island. But even that, he said, is slowly being encroached on.
“Over the years, now it’s all big-box stores,” Spencer said. “They’re all lit up, and they have big, giant lights in the parking lot, so that light bounces up into
The night sky is integral for interconnectedness, Susan Serven, a spokeswoman for DarkSky International, said. It helps us understand that we aren’t separate from the cosmos, but part of it.
“It’s just been the last generation or two where we’ve lost that privilege to view our starry skies,” Serven said. “If we lose the ability to go out under our night sky, we lose the awe and wonder that humanity has experienced for millennia.”
The health risks of light
When Valerie Giangrande, of Massapequa, says goodnight to her two teenage children, she sometimes has to ask, “Where are your glasses?” The teens will then put on what looks like orangetinted sunglasses before continuing to watch TV or scroll on their phone — sometimes with a sigh or an eye roll, but that’s OK with Giangrande. To the optometrist and applied quantum biology specialist, making sure her kids are shielded from the dangers of excess
sky
blue light is worth a bit of teenage ire.
“It’s one of the biggest health risks that nobody thinks about,” said Giangrande, who is an eye doctor at Optical Concepts offices in Bellmore, Freeport and Patchogue. “Light literally controls every aspect of our bodies, which is a pretty big statement to make, but it controls everything. We’re wired by light.”
Just about every function of our body runs on our circadian rhythm, a natural 24-hour clock, she explains. And that clock is controlled by the sun. When the photoreceptors in our eyes take in the long red wavelengths of morning sun, our bodies understand that it is morning and start slowly producing cortisol. As the sun climbs in the sky, it gives off more shorter-wave blue light, which heightens cortisol production and tells our bodies that it’s midday. And after sunset, when our photoreceptors recognize darkness, our brains get the signal to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, and go into repair mode.
These days, most of our natural clocks are running haywire. That’s because the vast majority of artificial light that contributes to light pollution — LEDs, phones, computers, televisions, billboards — emit blue light. Our bodies are constantly surrounded by signals that it is noon.
Overexposure to blue light is linked to what seems like every health risk under the sun, Giangrande said — insulin resistance and diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, insomnia and lower-quality sleep, and excess anxiety.
“Anyone who wakes up not refreshed, anyone who’s tired, anyone who can’t fall asleep, can’t stay asleep — blue light
Courtesy Ken Spencer
across the Long island Sound, the town of Clinton, Connecticut, illustrates just how much light is wasted by being projected straight into the air. it burdens taxpayers, contributes to energy waste and creates a visible sky glow that erases stars from the sky.
The more lights, the less we see of the sky
Continued from PreViouS Page
toxicity,” Giangrande said. “Say we eat dinner, and then an hour later we’re really hungry again. That’s blue light toxicity, hands down.”
Our digestive enzymes naturally go down at night, she explained. Often when we’re hungry at night, it’s because our blood sugar and insulin are still up because our body thinks it’s daytime.
There are some things people can do to reduce the harm done by light pollution, Giangrande said. To start your day, step outside — or even just open a window — to get exposure to the full light spectrum of the sun. Consider replacing blue-spectrum LEDs in your home with warmer, softer lighting. And perhaps most important, get 100 percent blue light-blocking glasses to use indoors after the sun has gone down.
“Light has to be regulated first before we do all the things,” Giangrande said. “Because there’s no supplement that can take over for the sunlight.”
Let there (not) be light
So, besides our screens, where is excess artificial light coming from? A few of the primary offenders in Nassau County are entire towns and villages using unshielded streetlamps; empty fields, gas stations and parking lots lit up all night by glaring spotlights; and homeowners who illuminate their — and, by extension, their neighbors’ — property with floodlights out of the erroneous belief that it discourages crime. Multiple studies have found that lighting has no effect on crime. In fact, it encourages crimes like vandalism and graffiti, and the glare from harsh lights at night actually makes it more difficult to spot hazards in the dark.
If overlighting accomplishes anything, it wastes money — more than $3 billion in the U.S. each year, according to DarkSky, or as much as $7 billion, according to another study.
Take the Meadowbrook Parkway, for example. The 869 streetlights that line the road are activated by photocells, which turns the lights on at dusk and off at dawn, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation said. However, observant drivers will notice that long swaths of the parkway are peppered with orange lights even in the middle of the day. The NYSDOT did not respond to the Herald to answer whether this was intentional or indicative of faulty photocells, and how much energy and money is wasted by the lights each day.
But light pollution and its energy waste can be mitigated relatively easily by local governments. The Village of Oyster Bay, for example, has a lighting ordinance stipulating that all outdoor lighting be fully shielded. But despite such ordinances being demonstrably energy-efficient and cost-effective, few towns and villages have adopted them.
“The best way we recommend our advocates getting involved in changing actually how their backyards and their cities are lit,” said Chris Peterson, engagement director of DarkSky Inter -
an illustration of how much of the night sky is lost, and how much light is wasted, when it is ineffectively shielded — and, inversely, how well-directed, and timed, lighting can preserve our views of the stars.
Courtesy LightPollutionMap.Info
this map, using data from naSa, observatories and the World alas 2015, shows light that is wasted, which is about 30 percent of all artificial light, darkSky international estimates.
national, “is to approach city councils, development offices, planning commissions, and propose an update to that lighting ordinance for the city.”
The nonprofit even provides a template for proposing such ordinances to local representatives, which illustrates the principles of responsible outdoor lighting. And if local reps are unswayed, individuals can still help by ensuring they are not overlighting their homes.
But if we don’t take action, we will soon live in a world where a starry night sky is a distant memory.
“It’s a terrible thing for children to not know the night sky,” Spencer said. “If you don’t know something, you don’t know what you’re missing.”
“The central core of me knows that night is important,” he said. “Important to us as a human species.”
Those looking to learn more can visit DarkSky.org.
Every man’s right
Amid skyscrapers and smartphones, what do we have in common with our ancestors? The answer is the stars; the vast swath of universe that serves as our celestial home address. When I look up and see Cygnus flying over me in the winter sky, I’m looking at the same stars as people halfway across the world, or from thousands of years ago, whose names I’ll never know. The night sky serves as a keystone of the human experience, and connects us across space and time in ways that would otherwise be impossible.
As the world around us charges forward unceasingly — always asking for bigger, better, more — we rarely think of the things we lose little by little, day by day. We may not even notice when the Little Dipper dims into oblivion; when each star of Orion’s belt blinks out, one by one; when, one day, even brilliant Jupiter is extinguished, and we are left with a lone moon in a gray sky. I’ll tell my grandkids stories of the firmament, how light traveled billions of light years to make its way to us, and all we had to do to see it was look up. I wonder if they’ll believe me.
I’m not ready to give up the night sky. Are you?
–Nicole Formisano
Courtesy DarkSky International
The Unsinkable Molly Brown comes to life
Baldwin High School Playhouse captivated audiences with its production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23.
The musical follows Molly Brown, a spirited woman from Colorado who rises from poverty to become an iconic figure. The story highlights her tenacity, wit, and sense of justice as she climbs the social ladder, capturing both her dramatic journey and humorous moments. It chronicles her survival, perseverance, and determination to defy society’s expectations.
In preparation for the production, Baldwin High School was one of the few schools in the state to receive the Unsinkable Molly Brown Grant, worth $10,000. The grant helped fund the production, including set and costume design and script rights.
— Hernesto Galdamez
Brandon
Tim Baker/Herald photos
Aaron Martin III as Vincenzo, a miner who escorts Molly to a mining company tea party.
Firth as JJ Brown, the husband of Molly Brown and mining engineer.
Mikayla Rodriguez as Molly Brown.
Brandon Firth and Mikayla Rodriguez gracing the stage.
News briefs
Detective honored for heroic efforts in harrowing child abuse case
During the Wednesday, Nov. 20 meeting of the Nassau County Legislature, Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé joined Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, the Nassau Detectives Association, and fellow lawmakers in honoring November’s “Top Cops” for their response to a case involving the sexual abuse of a child.
The case came to light on June 7, when the Nassau County Police Department’s Special Victims Squad was notified by the first squad about a report of a father sexually abusing his child.
The victim was transported to The Safe Center to ensure her protection, where she disclosed to detectives that her father had threatened to kill her other family members if she revealed the abuse.
After relocating the victim and her family to a safe house and securing an order of protection, Detectives Fabian Cardona, Aileen Newbold, and Detective Sergeant Juan Giron of the Nassau County Police Department took action.
Shortly after, while conducting surveillance, the man set fire to his own home in an apparent suicide attempt.
As heavy smoke and intense flames engulfed the house, the detectives kicked down the door, attempting to rescue him. However, the raging fire made it impossible to reach him.
Once emergency units arrived and extinguished the fire, the man was transported to the Nassau University Medical Center burn unit, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later.
“I cannot imagine the bravery that accompanied going into a home that is on fire – and to get out a person you know has done terrible things, but you want to save his life anyway,” Legislator Mulé said. “It really represents the best of your training and you as people and I admire you so much.”
On Nov. 11, they responded to the man’s residence. Discovering he was at a nearby gas station, they canvassed the area and learned he had seen them on his doorbell camera.
— Mohammad Rafiq
Courtesy Office of Debra Mulé Legislator Debra Mule, Detective Sergeant Juan Giron, and Detective Fabian Cardona.
BALDWIN HERALD — November 28, 2024
NUMC achieves safety grade improvement
By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
Nassau University Medical Center announced a significant milestone last week, achieving its first marked improvement in the Leapfrog Safety Grade in six years.
“This is a significant milestone for NUMC and a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff, physicians, and leadership in implementing effective management, financial, and operational reforms,” said Megan Ryan, interim president and chief executive of NUMC. “Over the past eleven months we’ve worked diligently to enhance the care and services we provide to our patients, and this improvement, while not our end goal, is a testament to those efforts.”
Wdelivery capabilities, along with leadership and teamwork training focused on fostering a culture of safety.
Ryan credited the hospital’s restructured Quality and Risk Department and newly established 2024 quality initiatives for driving the improvement. “While this grade represents progress, we remain committed to further elevating the standard of care and continuing our efforts to strengthen hospital operations for the benefit of our community,” Ryan said.
e’ve worked diligently to enhance the care and services we provide to our patients
MEg RyAN Interim president and chief executive, Nassau University Medical Center
The Leapfrog Hospital Survey assesses hospitals on various safety and quality metrics, including infection rates, surgical safety practices, intensive care unit staffing, and policies to prevent errors such as medication mistakes. It also evaluates cesarean-section rates, early elective deliveries, and high-risk
NUMC’s C rating places it ahead of New York’s other public benefit hospitals, Erie County Medical Center and Westchester Medical Center, both of which received D ratings.
The Leapfrog Safety Grade is one of many improvements NUMC has demonstrated this year. The hospital is Nassau County’s only public hospital, which serves all patients — regardless of their ability to pay for medical care.
The Nassau Health Care Corporation, which oversees the operations of NUMC and the A. Holly Paterson Extended Care Facility in Uniondale, has made significant strides in its finan-
Nassau University Medical Center recently achieved its first Leapfrog Grade Improvement in six years, a significant milestone for the hospital which has been making positive strides over the last year in its finances and operational reforms.
cial health over the last year, according to an audit conducted by Grant Thornton in June, a leading national public accounting firm.
The audit and related financial reports highlighted several positive trends for the health care corporation including: cash on hand increased from $23 million in January 2024 to $67 million in June; net patient service revenue rose by $76 million in 2023, from $460 million in 2022 to $536 million in 2023;
operating loss was reduced by $30 million in 2023; and overtime costs were reduced by $4 million from 2022 levels.
“This is just further confirmation of the great work being done under new management at NUMC,” Matthew Bruderman, chairman of the NHCC said of the Leapfrog Safety grade. “Meg and her team are not only on top of the finances, they are extending and improving care.”
For more on the hospital and the services offered, visit NUMC.edu.
STEPPING OUT
Don’t miss the beats, the energy and the vibe when Secret Agent 23 Skidoo launches the museum’s Musical Explorers! Concert series.
Acclaimed husband-and-wife duo Andrés and Christina’s — known as 123 Andrés — catchy songs and lively concerts impart the joy of music, movement and language.
Memories with melodies at Long Island Children’s Museum
Reach for the rhythm in you with a colorful spectrum of musical performance
By Danielle Schwab
After everyone polishes off the turkey, families can embark on a musical adventure to usher in the holiday season, courtesy of Long Island Children’s Museum. The stage is set for a new concert series, “Musical Explorers!,” which kicks off this weekend, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Young audiences are introduced to an excitingly diverse music scene, featuring an array of global sounds, culture, and artistic legends from the world of jazz, hip hop, Latin music, and more. Families will surely get in the groove at the museum’s inaugural series of concerts, which represent the vibrant genres of jazz, hip-hop and Latin music. Performers add their unique touch, blending imaginative storytelling into musical masterpieces.
“Music speaks to human nature, the human soul. Every culture has music. Everybody celebrates it. Everybody taps to the rhythm. So that’s what we’re looking to provide,” James Packard, the museum’s theater program director says. “Musical Explorers offers our audiences the opportunity to dive deeper into the many ways that music speaks to us.”
In curating the concerts, he selected Grammy-winning artists and top talents in family music so that a diverse range of genres reflecting the power of music are represented.
“We encourage families to use these performances to introduce their children to the rhythms of hip-hop, the soul of jazz, and the vibrant beats of contemporary Latin music,” he says.
The series begins this weekend with Grammy-winning hip-hop funk sensation Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. This dynamic three-person rap ensemble offers their young audience a fun and engaging introduction to hip-hop. Known for their electrifying blend of hip-hop with sci-fi-inspired storytelling and feel-good tunes, the band combines the raw energy of funk with the surreal magic of animation-inspired performance. Imagine a band with Jim Henson playing guitar or Shel Silverstein writing the bass lines and you’ve got Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Prepare to get up and dance with larger-than-life stories through upbeat songs.
“We just came out with an album in collaboration with the Asheville Symphony. We took folk tales from around the world from various cultures and turned them into hip-hop songs to tell these stories,” Joel “Cactus” Sullivan, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo’s lead singer, says.
Sullivan and his bandmates journey back thousands of years, drawing from the rich traditions of Japan, West Africa and Persia to tell timeless life lessons.
And, it wouldn’t be hip-hop without some creative freestyle — with the help of members from the audience, of course.
“We get words from the crowd and then make up a song on the spot right there. There’s something magical about the improvisation that can happen with hip hop,” Sullivan adds.
Heading into New Year, everyone can jive to some outstanding jazz grooves with the iconic Jazz at Lincoln Center Quintet, on Jan. 19 and 20. The top-flight musicians swing into the sound of America. Their performances explore the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance, examining the great Louis Armstrong’s journey from New Orleans to Chicago and New York — all from the museum’s intimate stage.
“Lincoln Center is a new connection for us,” Packard notes. “It will be a more traditional concert style, but geared at school-age kids, with interactivity and conversation going on between the musicians and the audience.”
Another performance to keep an eye (and an ear) out for is husband-and-wife duo 123 Andrés. The pair — Latin Grammy winners for Best Children’s Music Album earlier this year —
Dark Star Orchestra
• Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1
• $11 with museum admission; available online at licm.org/ theater or in person at the museum box office
• View the LICM events calendar at licm.org for additional information or call (516) 224-5800
• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City
will arrive in June with their interactive bilingual performance that speak to the joy, energy and cultural richness of Latin America.
They’ll be sure to get everyone singing, clapping and dancing along to rhythms from across the Latin music spectrum.
“Music is a universal language the world over. It is a part of who we are spiritually. And so it goes on all the time, a thing that goes into your soul,” Packard adds.
The concert series reinforces the museum’s mission to bring musicians into kid-accessible spaces. It’s an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in a world of rhythm, melody and cultural appreciation — all within the welcoming environment of the LICM Theater.
“Music is a form of social-emotional learning,” Packard continues. “You can let out happiness or sadness. Exposing children to different styles they might find, ‘Oh, I really like hip hop,’ or ‘I really like the Latin beat’, or ‘I really like the jazz,’ and that can have an impact where they go in life.”
The Grateful Dead have been resurrected in the form of Dark Star Orchestra. Formed in 1997, this tribute band came up with the novel idea of recreating complete sets from The Grateful Dead’s gigantic list of concerts. Over 3,100 shows later DSO continues the Grateful Dead live concert experience to acclaim. On any given night, the band performs based on a set list from the Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring or use their catalog to program a unique set list for the show. In this way DSO offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within the Dead’s musical canon. Honoring both the band and the fans, Dark Star Orchestra’s members seek out the unique style and sound of each era while simultaneously offering their own informed improvisations.
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30, 8 p.m. $99.50, $69.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny. com.
Long Island Ballet Theatre’s ‘The Nutcracker’
The holiday treat returns, Audiences will once again be transported by the Sugar Plum Fairy to The Land of Sweets in this familyfriendly classic, set to the music of Tchaikovsky. LIBT’s production opens “Nutcracker” season here, sparkling with a talented cast of adult professionals and aspiring young student dancers. This version is both narrated and abridged, to introduce youngster to the story of Clara, her magical nutcracker and her enchanting winter adventure..
Saturday, Nov. 30, noon and 4 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m. $37.50. Purchase tickets at liballettheatre. com or by phone at (631) 2714626. For more information, visit landmarkonmainstreet.org. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington.
Courtesy LICM
Courtesy Jazz at Lincoln Center
The Jazz at Lincoln Center quintet introduces young audiences to a cherished musical tradition.
Courtesy David Rugeles
THE Your Neighborhood
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening
Jason Bonham, son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer, visits the Paramount stage, Monday, dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. He showcases his musical journey and family legacy, celebrating his father’s legendary career, with a concert featuring hits from Led Zeppelin’s iconic albums, and highlighting Jason’s own notable contributions to rock history. Encompassing hits from the iconic band’s entire career, including albums “Led Zeppelin,” “Led Zeppelin II,” “Led Zeppelin IV,” and “Physical Graffiti,” the concert event is a dynamic tribute to Jason’s father, with “…a band that recreates Led Zeppelin’s music to such a degree that one can’t help but close their eyes and simply listen…” [-Classic Rock Revisited]. Jason displayed musical talent from a young age. By age five, he could skillfully play drums, and at 17, he joined the band Air Race. Over the years, he contributed to various musical projects, including a Led Zeppelin reunion in 1988, touring with Jimmy Page, and forming his band “Bonham.” He collaborated with notable artists, recorded successful albums, and participated in a Muddy Waters tribute that earned a Grammy nomination.
Throughout the years, Jason collaborated with different artists, recorded with Foreigner, and participated in the highly anticipated Led Zeppelin reunion in 2007 at London’s O2 arena. His musical journey showcases a blend of family legacy, collaborations with rock legends and a commitment to preserving and celebrating iconic rock history. Jason always finds himself at home behind the drumkit. From this spot, he has anchored the tempo for a myriad of the most legendary artists of all-time. It’s the place where he initially realized his destiny as a kid. It’s a triedand-true safe harbor for the expression of his purest emotions. Ultimately, Jason remains forever at home on the drums. $99.50, $89.50, $59.50, $49.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.
1863 Thanksgiving
Partake of Thanksgiving traditions from days gone by during Old Bethpage Village Restoration’s annual holiday event, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30dec.1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Journey back to the 19th century as oldfashioned wood burning stoves, beehive ovens and hearths are all fired up as “villagers” prepare a variety of foods and baked goods, using historical recipes. Of course, a fat turkey is spitted and roasted, along with pie making and a demonstration of food preservation methods.
Wirh fiddle music, entertainment and children’s activities, including storytelling, and more. $15, $12 children 5-12 and seniors. 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage. Visit oldbethpagevillagerestoration. org or call (516) 572-8409 for more information.
In concert
Plaza Theatricals’ welcomes everyone to a “Motown Holiday Dance Party,” Sunday, dec. 8, 4 p.m. Celebrate the holidays in true Motown style. Enjoy a sensational afternoon of soulful tunes, joyful dancing, and nostalgic vibes at the electrifying concert. Get ready to groove, spread the festive cheer and make unforgettable memories. See the show at 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $40, $35 seniors. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 5996870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.
Tea time
The festive season is underway at Old Westbury Gardens. Enjoy a cream tea (featuring scones, Devonshire cream, assorted sweets, and tea), then a guided tour of decorated Westbury House, Tuesday, dec. 3, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m.; Wednesday, dec. 4, 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.; Thursday, dec. 5, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m. Additiional dates available. $22.50 per person. Advance registration suggested. 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens.org.
Bird walk
See some birds with the South Shore Audubon Society. All are welcome to join members for the next in its series of bird walks, at Mill Pond Park in Wantagh, Sunday, dec. 1, starting at 9 a.m. The park is on the north side of Merrick Road, four blocks west of Wantagh State Parkway. The group meets at the gazebo. Walk leaders, other birders and nature enthusiasts are happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. Bring binoculars. To register, text your name and contact information to (516) 467-9498. Rain, snow or temperature below 25 degrees will cancel the bird walk. Text regarding questionable weather. For more information, visit SSAudubon.org.
Let’s Skate
Get ready to enjoy all the thrills of the snowy season, while staying warm and cozy as Long Island Children’s Museum’s popular “Snowflake Sock Skating rink returns, through Jan. 7. Slip on “sock skates” and take a spin on the indoor rink, made from a high-tech synthetic polymer surface that lets kids slide around without blades.
Kids can stretch, twirl and glide. As visitors step off the “ice” they can jump into winter dramatic play in Snowflake Village. Become a baker in the holiday sweet shop, step inside a giant snowman and serve up some hot cocoa, take a turn in the rink “ticket booth” and “warm up” around a rink side “fire pit.” Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or LICM.org.
Holiday Tales At The Hearth
Visit Sands Point Preserve’s Hempstead House and join in the holiday cheer, Sunday, Dec. 8, 1-4 p.m. The familyfriendly event includes activities for all ages. Meet and take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, enjoy jazz and holiday music with Port Jazz Project, along with seasonal crafts, Dreidel Corner, “nutty” holiday scavenger hunt, reading nook with holiday and winter stories, and puppet shows with Wonderspark Puppets at 2 and 3 p.m. 127 Middle Neck Road. Admission is $40/car, members; $45/ car nonmembers, includes parking. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901.
Having an event?
Art explorations
Converse, collaborate and create at Family Saturdays at Nassau County Museum of Art. A holiday themed program is offered Saturday, Dec. 7, noon-3 p.m. Inspired by the winter pines within the forest surrounding the museum, families will make winter trees to decorate with ribbon and beads, using the Nuno felting technique.
Kids and their adult partners connect while talking about and making art together. $40 adult, $35 child. Registration required. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. Visit NassauMuseum.org for more information and to register or call (516) 484-9337.
Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
The Baldwin Chamber of Commerce invites everyone to the festive Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Sunday Dec. 8, 3:30-5 p.m., at the Baldwin Historical Society. Enjoy live performances, pony rides, and a special visit from Santa! 1980 Grand Ave.
Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.
On exhibit
Nassau County Museum of Art ‘s latest exhibition
“Seeing Red: Renoir to Warhol,” reveals the many meanings, connotations, and associations of this powerful color in art. Evoking strong emotion, red can represent the human condition. Its myriad variations have come to signify authority as well as love, energy and beauty. Red warns us of peril and commands us to stop, but it can also indicate purity and good fortune. Red boldly represents political movements and religious identities. From the advent of our appreciation for this color in antiquity to its continued prominence in artistic and popular culture, this exhibition spans various world cultures through a range of media.
It features more than 70 artists, both established and emerging, ranging from the classical to the contemporary. American portraitists such as Gilbert Stuart imbued red in their stately paintings of prominent individuals to conjure authority. Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, and other major abstract painters displayed a deep fascination with red in their commanding compositions that evoke a sense of chromatic power. And, of course, Andy Warhol is known for his bold and imposing silkscreened portrait of Vladimir Lenin saturated in bright red to his signature Campbell’s Soup Cans. On view through Jan. 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.
Family theater
Long Island Children’s Museum welcomes families to its stage, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 5-6, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; also Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 10-12, 10:-15 a.m. and noon. Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day & Other Stories” celebrates the joy in the small moments of a child’s world. Experience the wonder of a fresh snowfall, the delight of whistling for the first time, and the awe of finding a special treasure. In this childhood adventure, Keats’ classic books come to life, featuring live actors and shadow puppets telling the stories of “The Snowy Day,” “Goggles!,” “Whistle for Willie,” and “A Letter to Amy.” $11 with museum admission ($9 members), $15 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or licm. org.
News briefs
Local veteran is honored
Hempstead Town Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby recognized Baldwin resident and United States Army veteran John Kenny during the Queen of the Holy Rosary Ladies Auxiliary Recognition of Veterans Event on Nov.17 in Roosevelt.
Public Notices
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU NATIONSTAR
MORTGAGE LLC D/B/A CHAMPION MORTGAGE
COMPANY, Plaintiff AGAINST JEAN RENE
DEVIS AKA JEAN-RENÉ
DEVIS, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 09, 2018, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on December 11, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 1844 Browning Street, Baldwin, NY 11510. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Baldwin, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 36, Block 413, Lot 364, 365. Approximate amount of judgment $442,503.81 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index #001531/2017. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will
cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Oscar Prieto, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 16-006526 82878 149791
Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No. 171801-2 149990
LEGAL NOTICE
14. All adoption fees will be waived for those who find new pets at the town’s animal shelter in Wantagh from Nov. 25 to Jan. 5.
Animals find homes for the holidays
By CHARLES SHAW
cshaw@liherald.com
For those looking to bring a pet home for the holidays, the Town of Hempstead recently launched a pet adoption initiative at its animal shelter in Wantagh. During the event, called Home for the Holidays, all fees will be waived for those who adopt animals from the facility from Nov. 25 to Jan. 5.
in the program. Nisita, who said she has always been a dog lover, contacted the shelter to propose the additional incentive for adoptions during the holidays.
“We’re always open to helping animals get adopted,” she said. “We love the animals — we want to do anything we can to help.”
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR MFRA TRUST 2014-2, Plaintiff, vs. MAUDLYN DIXON, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confrming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on August 31, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on December 17, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 764 Allwyn Street, Baldwin, NY 11510. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in Baldwin, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 54, Block 575 and Lot 11. Approximate amount of judgment is $400,108.55 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index #614087/2019. Mary Ellen Divone, Esq., Referee
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR LEHMAN XS TRUST MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-3, -againstMARIO MARROQUIN, ET AL.
NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Offce of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on November 8, 2023, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR LEHMAN XS TRUST MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-3 is the Plaintiff and MARIO MARROQUIN, ET AL. are the Defendant(s).
I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on December 17, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 678 BALDWIN AVENUE, BALDWIN, NY 11510; and the following tax map identifcation: 54-30-186. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT BALDWIN, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index No.: 608039/2017. Mark S. Ricciardi, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 149983
To Place A Notice Call 516-569-4000 x232 PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com TO PLACE AND AD CALL 516-569-4000 x 232
The Milleridge Inn restaurant, in Jericho, is partnering with the town for the event, offering $50 gift cards to the eatery for new pet owners. Butch Yamali, the restaurant’s owner and a member of the Baldwin, Freeport and Merrick chambers of commerce, said that he and his team were more than willing to help incentivize adoptions if it meant that animals in need of loving homes would find them.
“This is good for the community,” Yamali said. “It’s great because it gets these dogs into somebody’s house.”
TIn addition to gift cards, Nisita and the restaurant also donated pet food, toys, beds, water bowls and cleaning items to the shelter for the initiative. Promoting adoptions is important to Nisita, she said.
his is good for the community. It’s great because it gets these dogs into somebody’s
house.
BuTCH YAmALi Owner, Milleridge Inn
Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin announced the event’s kickoff at the Milleridge Inn on Nov. 14, joined by Councilman Dennis Dunne, Town Clerk Kate Murray, Yamali and employees of the restaurant and the shelter. In addition to the waived adoption fee and gift cards, Clavin said, the town will also offer free spaying and neutering, vaccinations and microchipping for the four-legged adoptees.
“It’s such a good nexus of creating an initiative to get these animals in loving homes, and making sure there’s no additional cost or burden on the taxpayers,” Clavin said, “but also finding a team like the Milleridge Inn that want to give back.”
Melissa Nisita, executive assistant at the restaurant, oversaw its involvement
Ashley Behrens, the shelter’s director, said she was “amazed” by the Milleridge Inn’s generosity. The adoption event, she added, helps spark interest in pet adoptions each year, thanks to the money it saves those who would like to have a pet but are dissuaded by the expense.
“There’s always costs involved in getting a pet — buying toys, buying food,” Behrens said, “so cutting the fees for the adoption really helps people, especially around the holidays, when they’re spending money on other things.”
She encourages people to do their research before adopting a pet. Shelter employees, she said, will discuss how much work a dog entails with potential adopters, and will try to help them make the best choice of breed.
“Just know what you’re getting into,” Behrens said. “We always try to find a right fit for a family.”
Yamali thanked the town and the shelter for organizing the initiative. He visited the shelter for the first time last month, he said, and was impressed by how clean and organized it was, and how well the animals were cared for. He added that he hoped to see them find homes during the holidays.
Courtesy Town of Hempstead
Charles Shaw/Herald photos
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin, joined by Councilman Dennis Dunne and Town Clerk Kate Murray, announced the Home for the Holidays pet adoption program at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho on Nov.
EMPLOYMENT
Help Wanted
CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE
Full Time/Part Time
Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Clerk in our busy Circulation Department.
Basic customer service and administrative responsibilities include: heavy computer work, answering phones, making phone calls, entering orders, faxing, filing, etc.
STRONG knowledge of EXCEL a must! Knowledge of DATABASE maintenance or postal regulations a big plus. Qualified Candidates must be computer literate, able to multitask, dependable, reliable, organized, energetic, detail oriented and able to work well under deadlines.
Salary Range is $16 per hour to $23 per hour. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com
Dental Assistant Needed
For Dental Specialty Office
Tuesday - Saturday
30+ Hours Per Week
$19.00/ Hour Negotiable Call 516-536-1700 Fax 516-536-1823
DRIVERS WANTED
Full Time and Part Time
Positions Available!
Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers.
Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience.
Hours Vary, Salary Ranges from $17 per hour to $21 per hour
Night Availability is a Must.
Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239
EDITOR/REPORTER
Part Time & Full Time. The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. Salary range is from $20K to $45K To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to jbessen@liherald.com
EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST
Herald Community Newspapers is seeking a motivated and knowledgeable Email Marketing Expert to join our team. If you have a passion for crafting effective email campaigns and a knack for data-driven decision-making, this role is for you!
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Q. We are buying a house and got an engineer’s report that said there are several problems, including the worst, a crack in the foundation wall. It is parallel to the floor of the basement, but there’s no crack on the outside, either because the outside wall was painted or because the crack is below ground. The engineer made it sound very serious, but it doesn’t look serious to us, just concerning. Do we get another engineer or architect — is there a difference? What should we do to decide if the house is worth the hassle? We really want the house, and made a commitment, since there are several offers and ours is the highest — above the asking price.
A. I have dealt with this problem more lately than at any other time in my career, because it’s being used a lot as a bargaining tool, since house prices are in the stratosphere. In most cases, the wording from the home inspector makes it sound extremely dire.
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I make two observations when reading these reports or hearing about the problem: 1) The report wording or buyer’s explanation is often not specific, but recommends a structural engineer, not an architect, and 2) the problem, when I review it, is most often not as serious as it is made out to be. By that I mean that except for about one out of every thousand cases, the wall is not imminently going to fail, and the person who wrote the report is not a licensed engineer or architect. They generally lack the structural training and testing, and therefore the credentials, to represent themselves as qualified to make specific recommendations, only to bring the condition to your attention, although you may already have noticed it.
As for whether you choose an architect or engineer, they both have training and credentials in this area of expertise. The engineer, if he or she is specifically a “structural” engineer, is more qualified for much more specialized and sophisticated structural design, but an architect must have formal structural training and testing in order to be licensed and registered. You can verify the licensure by searching the office of professions at op. nysed.gov and inserting their name and the field of practice. I often do this for clients, and have discovered that many home inspectors aren’t “engineers,” but do have home inspection credentials.
Again, in most cases, whether in or out of a flood zone, I have seen this condition, and the repair is often, but not always, to remove broken or exposed areas around the cracking and to inject structural repair epoxy specifically formulated for masonry or concrete repair. You most definitely should get qualified licensed professionals to look at the wall, since anyone else could not legally call themselves licensed to take responsibility for carrying out the work or its lasting result, and could be held liable for costs if a failure occurs, and you certainly want to avoid failure. Good luck!
© 2024 Monte Leeper
Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
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look forward to representing you again
erving New York’s 4th Congressional District has been an honor. Indeed, being entrusted with the sacred honor of representing my Long Island neighbors on Capitol Hill is a duty I have taken extraordinarily seriously every day. I am grateful to the people of this district for placing their faith in me, and look forward to representing you again. It has certainly been a consequential and active 118th Congress, and I am proud of the accomplishments I was able to achieve on behalf of the 4th District. As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I worked tirelessly to help pass House Republicans’ signature H.R. 2 border security legislation — a sweeping plan to end the border security crisis, which is in stark contrast to the disaster Democrats have allowed to fester along America’s southern border.
Dear
Before the presidential election, the Herald published an editorial explaining why the familyowned newspapers would not be endorsing political candidates.
If I had read the piece in a vacuum, I would agree with it entirely. It states, in part, “Our focus is not on swaying voters toward a particular candidate, but on delivering comprehensive and unbiased information about the issues that matter most to Long Islanders. We are not here to tell our readers how to vote for political candidates; rather, we are here to arm readers with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions at the ballot box.”
Sounds perfect. But we are living through an unprecedented and exceedingly imperfect time in our nation’s history. This year, not endorsing meant keeping silent when silence may have implied that both presidential candidates met minimal standards for serving in the nation’s highest office. By any standard, that is not true of President-elect Donald Trump.
Media across our country have some-
What’s more, I was proud that the House passed legislation I introduced to formally condemn the antisemitic chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is used by antisemitic actors to call for the destruction of Israel. My commitment to combating antisemitism also extends to my tenure as a member of the Holocaust Memorial Museum board and my work to help found the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group — a panel created to foster stronger ties between the U.S. House of Representatives and Israel’s legislature, the Knesset. As a retired New York City Police Department detective, I also endeavored to support law enforcement professionals across the country with such legislation as my Police Our Border Act, which passed in the House and will help law enforcement agencies across the country better respond to the ongoing border crisis.
I’m proud of everything I accomplished in Congress, from bills to committee work.
hours of committee work I engaged in through my seats on the House Homeland Security, Transportation & Infrastructure, and House Administration committees. What’s more, my leadership role as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology allowed me to conduct important oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency — an organization that is extraordinarily important to South Shore communities that are prone to flooding emergencies, like many in our district.
Governing is difficult, and requires coalition building, compromise, and a willingness to reach across the aisle — a fact I understand after being named the 11th-most bipartisan member of Congress and serving as a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.
These are only a few of the 37 pieces of legislation I introduced, the 448 bills I co-sponsored and the thousands of
In addition to my legislative and committee work, I successfully secured over $20 million in direct funding for community projects across the 4th District to benefit our neighbors. These secured federal resources funded a new Nassau County Police Department training village, important flood-mitigation infrastructure in the Village of Floral Park, technology upgrades for the Freeport, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre police departments, and more.
readers, we can’t keep it in
how made it seem as if a convicted felon with a rich history of lying and a refusal to take on the serious issues of governance is a reasonable choice. But in our president-elect, we have an aspiring autocrat, a morally bankrupt man with a vengeful heart.
He has already begun fulfilling his promise to dismantle the government by selecting big donors, MAGA loyalists and inexperienced toadies for his new cabinet. None of this is a surprise. He said he would do it, and he is. Whether they get confirmed is dependent on the ever-weakening backbone of Republican senators, who live and die, politically, at the whim of the man they follow.
tarian government.
D onald Trump did not meet the presidency’s minimal standards.
We are in the beginning days of DJT’s revenge tour, fulfilling his promise to punish those who opposed him, challenged him and tried to bring him to justice. He wants people at the table whose loyalty is to him. Their expertise and leadership qualities seem incidental to the main qualification: unquestioning obeisance to the leader.
So the idea of not endorsing candidates, this extraordinary year in particular, does not sit well. The fallout from the coming Trump presidency could be a catastrophic shift toward an authori-
My successor, Laura Gillen, will need to navigate these challenges while serving in the House Democratic minority, which will prove difficult. Indeed, the fact that Gillen will be in the minority lends itself well to being a vocal partisan critic of the House Republican majority and the incoming Trump administration, because both will be working in overdrive to correct the many mistakes of the Biden administration and Democrats across the country who forced Americans to endure crippling inflation and a border crisis. Gillen’s position in the House minority does not lend itself well to delivering for 4th District neighbors like I was able to do by leveraging my position in the majority.
Gillen made bold, empty promises, and now it is time for her to deliver. Voters will be watching.
Anthony D’Esposito is completing his term in the 118th Congress.
neutral
I understand the dilemmas. Do endorsements really affect voters’ choices? Historians, psychologists and journalists bat the question around, with no clear answer. Do endorsements alienate too many readers? In the world of newspapers, these issues loom much larger on the local level than with big newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, which also declined to endorse this year.
Local papers live in the community. They have responsibilities to their readers, to the truth and to the realities of just staying in business. With local newspapers closing every week across the country, conflicting interests must be reconciled, very carefully.
I started at the Nassau Herald more than 30 years ago, and for many years it did endorse candidates, from local officials to the presidency. Leatrice Spanierman, my mentor and colleague and the Heralds’ longtime executive editor, interviewed candidates every fall and wrote endorsements. The candidates, including member of the U.S. House and Senate, came to her office; they knew the value of local newspapers’ endorsement. The Heralds had a voice, and used
it as a means of informing readers. The editorial in the Oct. 31-Nov. 6 issue, explaining why the Heralds were not offering endorsements, stated that “the one place where you might see opinions about local and national political candidates … is in columns in our editorial pages, like those written by Randi Kreiss and Peter King. These essays are distinguished from Herald news content by featuring photos of the authors, making it clear that they reflect the writers’ perspectives and not the views of the Herald.”
I understand the need to create distance. I like the distance, too. I don’t speak for the Heralds. No one high on the masthead has ever tried to influence what I write or don’t write. The paper stays above the fray by giving King and me platforms for different points of view. I would be fine with any newspaper’s no-endorsement policy if this election had been like any other in America’s long history. But it was not. Nothing about this race was normal. The times demanded speaking up for democracy. For the immediate future and for as long as it can, the press must use its voice to call out the bad guys and amplify justice. This Thanksgiving, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my views. Our free press never seemed so precious.
Copyright 2024 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
AnTHonY D’ESpoSITo
RAnDI KREISS
Hernesto Galdamez
2
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A season for giving back on Long Island
With the holiday season upon us, our minds turn to traditions — Thanksgiving meals filled with comfort and gratitude, and other gatherings of family and friends over the coming weeks.
These moments of celebration are precious, but they also give us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to give back. Thanksgiving, rooted in the idea of gratitude, serves as a poignant reminder of our privilege and the responsibility to extend a hand to others. Here on Long Island, where vibrant communities thrive amid significant challenges, there is no shortage of causes deserving our time, attention and generosity.
Friendsgiving, a relatively recent tradition, embodies the spirit of connection by bringing friends together to share a meal and express their appreciation for one another. It can also be an occasion to unite for a greater purpose. By turning these gatherings into opportunities to collect donations or volunteer, we can channel collective energy into tangible support for those in need. Whether it’s hosting a food drive or organizing a group to serve at a local soup kitchen, Friendsgiving can be a powerful reminder of the broader community we’re all a part of.
On Long Island, the contrast between abundance and need is striking. While many of us prepare for feasts, thousands struggle to put food on the table. Nearly 284,000 people will suffer from hunger on Long Island at some point this year, according to Community Solidarity, a nonprofit that provides groceries, fresh produce and warm vegan meals to lowincome communities.
Organizations like Island Harvest and Long Island Cares work tirelessly to combat food insecurity in our neighborhoods. A donation of non-perishable items, a financial contribution, or volunteering for a few hours can make a profound difference to families facing hun-
letters
Where is this ship of state sailing?
To the Editor:
Re Peter King’s column last week, “Trump makes the comeback of all comebacks”: It’s fair for Mr. King to celebrate Donald Trump’s “comeback,” and to take his share of reflected glory for strongly supporting him. But, weeks into the transition, is there no trepidation over what is being wrought?
Mr. King long served honorably
Organizations that welcome your help
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island: BBBsli.org
Citizens Campaign for the Environment: CitizensCampaign.org
Community Solidarity: CommunitySolidarity.org
Family & Children’s Association: FCAli.org
Interfaith Nutrition Network: The-Inn.org
Island Harvest: Island Harvest.org
Long Island Cares: LICares.org
Save the Great South Bay: SaveTheGreatsouthbay.org
ger this season.
Beyond food insecurity — limited or uncertain access to adequate food — there are numerous other causes that need our support. The holiday season can be especially difficult for those without homes. Groups like the Interfaith Nutrition Network, in Hempstead, provide shelter, meals and supportive services to help the unhoused regain some sense of stability. Contributing to these efforts — whether through monetary donations, clothing drives, or simply offering your time — can help others who are less fortunate experience the warmth of the season.
At this time of year, we also highlight the importance of supporting our local youth. Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island and the Family & Children’s Association offer mentorships and resources to empower young people. By donating to these programs or
in a Congress that will now be directed to self-emasculate. There are threats of courts-martial, military-assisted deportations, even gender tests for House members. Furors will multiply over staff, from cabinet positions on down. Promises are made of $2 trillion in budget cuts. Mr. King’s experience-based thoughts might be useful.
We sail soon into heavy seas aboard the USS “Caine Mutiny,” with Captain Queeg in command.
BRIAN
KELLY Rockville Centre
becoming a mentor yourself, you can have a lasting impact on a young person’s life.
And let’s not forget our environment, which sustains us all. As we celebrate the bounty of the land, consider supporting groups like Citizens Campaign for the Environment or Save the Great South Bay. Their work to protect Long Island’s natural beauty ensures that future generations can enjoy the landscapes and waterways we too often take for granted.
Of course, there’s also local news, which continues to face economic headwinds. Organizations like the Empire State Local News Coalition help sustain New York’s local news organizations — like the Herald — so reporters can tell the important stories about your friends and families, and shine a light on all of the issues mentioned here.
The beauty of giving back is that it doesn’t always have to be monetary — your time and skills can be just as valuable. Many local nonprofits, shelters and community centers are in dire need of extra hands during the holidays. A few hours spent wrapping gifts for underprivileged children, serving meals to veterans, or taking part in a community cleanup can ripple outward in meaningful ways.
Finally, don’t forget Dec. 3, Giving Tuesday, the annual nationwide day of charitable giving. For more information on this growing grass-roots effort, go to givingtuesday.org.
As we gather around dinner tables this season, let’s remember that gratitude is most powerful when it inspires action. Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving remind us of our interconnectedness — our shared humanity and the strength of our communities. Together we can ensure that everyone, in every corner of Long Island, feels the gratitude of the holidays. Each of us has the power to make the season brighter for others. This year, let’s not just celebrate; let’s give.
opinions
Why do we still doubt a woman’s ability to lead?
acouple of weeks ago, I was sitting in the waiting room of a car repair shop with my dad, minding my own business, as one does while waiting to pick up a car that’s being worked on. There were a few other customers there, most of them quiet and keeping to themselves, but one man, sitting to my right, was running his mouth about politics. obviously happy that Donald Trump had won the presidential election, the man said something along the lines of, “It’s a good thing kamala harris didn’t win, because no one would ever respect her” — due simply to the fact that she’s a woman.
If I’d been in the mood for an argument, I probably would’ve said something like, “I sure hope you don’t have any daughters or a wife at home who’d love to hear you say that.” But alas, I didn’t want to get into a conflict with a stranger, so I kept my mouth shut, and
on the way out the door a few minutes later, my dad and I laughed to ourselves about how ridiculous the guy sounded.
Like everyone else, I had my thoughts going into this election cycle, and truthfully, it doesn’t matter whom I voted for, because it’s a done deal at this point.
Sure, there are men, like the one we encountered, who have their misogynistic beliefs that women are unfit for office. But I’ve found that it’s not just men who are dismissing the ability of a likely qualified and certainly accomplished woman to run a country.
ier, many aunts and lots of cousins, who are successful and honest and righteous people.
It’s a shame, I think, that somewhere along the way, the man at the shop and the women who are reinforcing such a negative, internal bias didn’t have that same guidance. And if they did, then something else has failed them.
’ve heard too many women say that they could never vote for a woman for president.
It’s women, just like me, who have serious doubts about their own gender. I’ve seen and heard from many of them, “I’m a woman, and I could never vote for a woman.”
I’m seldom at a loss of words, but that has stumped me. I am extraordinarily thankful that my sister and I grew up in a household in which we were told that we could accomplish anything, so long as we set our minds to it and put in the work. I am so thankful to be surrounded by extraordinary women, like my mother, my grandmoth-
Letters
The Sands proposal: nothing but trouble
To the Editor:
The Las Vegas Sands proposal to spend $6 billion — that’s billion with a B, folks — had me wondering from where Sands expected to recover their investment plus the daily cost of operations and the profit from the project. It wasn’t really a wonder, more of a fact, given all the expected losses the gambling public would be leaving behind.
A real concern is the draining of huge amounts of our underground aquifer to feed this unnecessary beast, a waste of our local water supply.
The proposal is now also offering an expansion of lanes on the Meadowbrook Parkway from three to four. All this would accomplish would be the removal of the mature trees and greenery along that stretch of parkway, leaving no shoulder.
Yes, it’s a parkway, meaning there are no commercial vehicles. So without an adjacent commercial highway, all the daily delivery trucks that would be needed to supply this property would be feeding off the Long Island Expressway, the only commercial road, for miles through our local streets. That would be an unneeded burden on our local streets and neighborhoods, 24/7.
We do not need this disaster in the making.
Lastly, the Sands has been spending a
lot of money locally on public relations, newspapers inserts, etc., to make the proposal sound appealing. Don’t believe the wizardry, which, when you look behind the curtain, is really a corporate giant taking local amenities and infiltrating our local environment, all in the name of a profit to feed its own goals.
MIchAEL LEfkoWITz Accountants + Advisors East Meadow
How about sharing a holiday meal at a diner?
To the Editor:
This holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, if you’re too tired to cook, consider sharing a meal with family, friends or neighbors and patronize your local diner or restaurant. for decades I have enjoyed many excellent meals at many local diners.
Diners have been part of my life since I was a teenager. Eating out is a periodic ritual, and their portions are generous. Between the soup, salad, rolls, coleslaw and pickles, along with the main course, diner dinners satisfy the heartiest appetites. Who’s never taken a doggie bag home with leftovers to eat the next day? Many times we’ve bagged our desserts to go.
Many Long Island neighborhoods have seen changes over the years. New immigrant groups sometimes favor
My entire life, I’ve been inspired by the people around me, as well as the women — the trailblazers — who are making our world a better, more inclusive place. And it really is a shame that a large chunk of our population still believes that someone who’s deserving of a prestigious role, like the presidency, should be denied that simply because she’s a woman.
If you voted for Donald Trump because you believe in his policies and his vision for America, that’s fine — and that’s your right as an American. But if you voted for him simply because you found yourself unable to support a woman, for whatever reason, then, boy, are we in serious trouble. That’s an insult to every woman who’s come
before you — every woman who’s willed her way through glass ceilings, and endured hardship after hardship, solely on the basis of sex.
I’m a big reader and thinker, and I implore anyone who thinks so negatively about the abilities and strength of women to pick up a book. Read “The Nightingale,” by kristin hannah, and be blown away by a tale of courage. Read “The Dressmakers of Auschwitz,” by Lucy Adlington, and learn a true story of sewing for survival. Read “The handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, and think about what life could be like if we let misogyny win.
In a world where the impossible can become possible, little girls should know that they can be whoever they want to be, career women, moms, a blend of both — or the top candidate on a presidential ticket.
The election results aside, women soldier on. We must actively challenge the biases, in ourselves and others, that continue to hold us back. only then can we create a future in which every woman knows that her voice matters and her potential has no limits.
Jordan Vallone is a senior editor of the Herald Community Newspapers. Comments? jvallone@liherald.com.
Framework by Francine Berman
their own ethnic foods and restaurants. Diners have also lost customers over time to fast-food restaurants. Remember, these people are our neighbors. our local entrepreneurs who own and operate diners have continued to invest in our communities, creating new employment opportunities without the assistance of federally funded taxpayers’ stimulus dollars. They work long hours, pay taxes and provide local
employment. If we don’t patronize our local restaurants, these workers don’t eat, either.
Why not honor the fond memories of some our favorite diners that have come and gone by continuing to patronize those that remain? h ere’s hoping that diners don’t go the way of the dinosaurs.
LARRY PENNER Great Neck
At the ‘Wicked’ Experience — Universal Orlando Resort
JorDan VaLLone
Giving Birth? Look No Further than the South Shore’s Only High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care
Mothers looking for a hospital at which to give birth should consider the quality indicators used by U.S. News & World Report ® to determine institutions deemed High Performing for Maternity care.
Mount Sinai South Nassau is the only South Shore hospital to earn the rating of High Performing based on eight key measures:
• Reduced C-section delivery rates
• Low early elective delivery rates
• Low overall unexpected newborn complication rates
• Increased routine VBAC rates
• Increased exclusive human milk feeding rates
• Low episiotomy rates
• Routine birthing-friendly practices
• Transparency on racial/ethnic disparities
If you want the best birthing experience for you and for your baby, look no further than Mount Sinai South Nassau.
Learn more at southnassau.org/maternity, or call 877-SOUTH-NASSAU.