Franklin Square/Elmont Herald

Page 1

Franklin Square/Elmont

HERALD light show for a great cause

spring sports canceled

island Harvest provides food

Page 6

Page 9

Page 5

Vol. 22 no. 18

aPRil 30 - MaY 6, 2020

Elmont hit hard by Covid-19 Community to get new testing site and for whites it averaged about 9 percent. Elmont’s population is 45.5 Elmont remains one of Nas- percent black, 21.4 percent Latino sau County’s hardest-hit commu- and 14.8 percent white, according nities by the coronavirus — even to Data USA, while Franklin as the number of confirmed Square’s population is 60.7 percases in the state begins to cent white, 20.4 percent Latino decline — with 1,016 cases as of and 13.1 percent Asian-American. last Saturday, according to data Additionally, State Departfrom the Nassau County Depart- ment of Health Data released earment of Health. Only Hempstead, lier this month showed the fataliValley Stream and Freeport had ty rate among African-Americans more cases. was 17 percent statewide, despite Franklin Square, meanwhile, the fact that blacks making up had the 10th-highest number of only 9 percent of the state’s popucases, with 643 as of last Saturday, lation. And in Nassau County, behind Unionblacks, who repdale, Levittown, resent 13 percent Hicksville, East of the populaFor the latest Meadow and tion, made up figures, visit Glen Cove. another 17 perhttps://bit.ly/358rtXF Statewide, cent of the counthere were more ty’s fatalities. than 288,000 posiAs a result, t ive C ov i d - 1 9 Nassau County cases as of Saturday, with 34,522 Legislator Carrié Solages and confirmed cases in Nassau Coun- State Assemblywoman Michaelle ty since the outbreak began. Solages urged Gov. Andrew The figures correlate with Cuomo to set up more rapid teststate data that shows the corona- ing sites in communities with virus is disproportionately affect- large minority populations, such ing African-Americans and Lati- as Elmont, Valley Stream, Freenos. The state released a study of port and Inwood. These commu3,000 random New Yorkers last nities were facing a backlog in week that showed the infection testing at the time, Carrié wrote rate among African-Americans in a letter to the governor on and Latinos averaged 23 percent. April 8, “leaving many unable to For Asian-Americans, however, Continued on page 8 the rate averaged 11.7 percent,

By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com

Christina Daly/Herald

Courtesy Annie Tine

THeRe was a surprise vehicle parade for centenarian loReTTa DainTon celeBRaTeD her 99th Catherine Gallina, who turned 100 last Friday. birthday last year.

Celebrating centenarians

F.S. friends, neighbors spread birthday cheer

By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com

Two Franklin Square women were forced to self-isolate on their 100th birthdays last week, but that didn’t stop the community from celebrating their long lives. The first noteworthy day was April 24, when almost a dozen vehicles drove past Catherine Gallina’s James Street house, with neighbors and family members honking, holding up signs and wishing

her a happy birthday. “That’s very nice of them,” Gallina said after asking her 78-year-old daughter Josephine Langdon whether all of the passersby knew her. She hadn’t been happy to find out that she wouldn’t be able to see her three children, seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren on her birthday. “She usually has family from out-of-state flying in, but now they can’t due to the pandemic,” her granddaughter

Michele Langdon, 53, explained. “It’s sad [because] she doesn’t understand about the virus, and my mother doesn’t want to panic her.” Gallina has lived in Franklin Square since 1950, and is a congregant of Wesley United Methodist Church. In her free time, she visits the senior center on Martha Place, and goes to Resorts World Casino in Queens. But, Michele said, Gallina’s family is of the utmost Continued on page 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.