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Vol. 22 No. 16
THE LEADER IN PROPERTY TA X REDUCTION
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APRIl 16 - 22, 2020
Solageses: More rapid tests needed Coronavirus kills minorities at higher rates, studies show City as of April 9, despite accounting for only about 9 percent of the state’s population. As more and more data is In Nassau County, the data being released showing that the from the State Department of n ove l c o ro n av i r u s a f f e c t s Health shows, blacks, who minority communities at high- make up 13 percent of the popuer rates, Nassau County Legis- lation, had 17 percent of the lator Carrié Solages and State county’s fatalities. Assemblywoman Michaelle Cuomo announced on April S o l a g e s a r e u r g i n g G o v. 9 that he would open five new Andrew Cuomo to testing facilities set up more rapid in minority comtesting facilities in munities in New communities with York City, includlarge minority ing Brownsville populations, such and Flatbush, as Elmont, Valley Brooklyn; South Stream and Ozone Park, Inwood. Queens; the South “If we’re going Bronx; and to outsmart this Jamaica, Queens. disease, we have to “We are going see where it’s runto increase testning rampant,” ing and open new Carrié Solages, a MIChAelle testing sites to D e m o c r a t f r o m solAges collect more data Va l l e y S t r e a m , African-AmerState assemblywoman in said. ican and Latino Studies across communities,” the country, he noted, have Cuomo said, “so we can better shown that the virus is killing understand why this virus a higher percentage of African- kills and has higher fatality Americans than white people, rates in certain communities, and data from New York state and what we can do to address — the epicenter of the pandem- it.” ic — shows that African-AmerBoth Carrié and Michaelle icans had 17 percent of corona- Solages said that more needed virus cases outside New York Continued on page 12
By MelIssA KoeNIg mkoenig@liherald.com
l
Courtesy Christine Gangone
ChRIstINe gANgoNe, the unicorn, and Michele Hall, the hippo, joined the Easter Bunny at Rath Park last Saturday.
Celebrating Easter at a distance
Franklin Square residents spread holiday cheer By MelIssA KoeNIg mkoenig@liherald.com
The Easter Bunny may not have been able to visit everyone’s home this year — as she, too, needed to maintain social distancing to protect herself against the coronavirus — but that didn’t stop her from making several appearances in Franklin Square this year. It all started when Kristy Bourne-Jaime’s 5-year-old daughter asked her whether they would see the Easter
Bunny this year, like they normally do. Saddened by the question, and concer ned about all of the other children in Franklin Square who might miss out on Easter traditions this year, Bourne-Jaime, a co-president of the Polk Street School Parent Teacher Association, decided to spread holiday cheer. Last Friday she borrowed an Easter Bunny costume from a friend and posed for photos in front of all three Franklin Square elementary
schools, which she sent to the principals. She also posted on social media that she would be driving around town in the costume the following day, and residents who wanted her to pass by their homes could message her with a request. “Our message box got flooded,” she recounted, referring to PTA board members’ social media pages, with messages asking, “‘Can you stop here?’ and ‘Can you stop here?’” Continued on page 3
et’s get ahead of the game, and pour resources into these communities.