Freeport Herald Leader

Freeport

HERALD Leader

Village honors class of 2020

Strong Island gives to Freeport

masks available at Village Hall

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Vol. 85 No. 19

may 7 - 13, 2020

Celebrating a healthy 100th Village holds caravan for WWII vet who survived virus at nursing center

By RoNNy REyES rreyes@liherald.com

Ronny Reyes/Herald

a gift from moms Lauren Berger Franklin, right, one of the founders of the Moms Making Masks volunteer group, presented a basket filled with hundreds of face masks to the Freeport Police Department on Tuesday. Story, Page 3.

The Village of Freeport came together in a caravan to celebrate the 100th birthday of Walter Reed, a local World War II veteran who recovered from Covid19, on April 29.

Well-wishers gathered behind the Bayview Avenue School, where they met with village officials and members of the Freeport Fire Department who led the caravan to the South Shore Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, on West Merrick Road, where Reed is staying.

The caravan was a welcome

surprise to Reed, who waved happily to supporters from the front doors of the center as they honked and wished him a happy birthday.

“This adds 10 years to my life,” Reed said while holding up a sign that read, “Thank you family, friends + South Shore Staff for your support.”

Gilad Diamond, the administrator at the South Shore Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, said Reed’s family had reached out to the center and local veterans’ groups to help celebrate his birthday.

Reed’s daughter, Catherine Continued on page 4

District to remain closed for rest of school year

By RoNNy REyES rreyes@liherald.com

Freeport School District officials had long warned parents and guardians that the schools would most likely remain closed until summer. Last Friday those warnings came to be.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade and college will not return to their schools in New York for the rest of the 2019-20 school year and will instead continue with distance learning to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on May 1.

The announcement came

as Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths continued a steady decline, but the state was still seeing nearly a thousand new cases a day, which Cuomo said was unacceptably high.

The decision affects 4.2 million students statewide in 700 public school districts, 89 SUNY and CUNY colleges, and 100 private colleges.

“We held on to a bit of hope that the schools might be open by May 15, but deep down we knew this would happen,” said Maria Jordan Awalom, a Freeport School District Board of Education trustee.

Superintendent Kishore

W

e held on to a bit of hope that the schools might be open by May 15, but deep down we knew this would happen. maRIa JoRdaN aWalom

School board trustee Kuncham added that the district was for tunate enough to have rolled out its e-learning program ahead

of the closures to ensure students could continue their studies online.

The district recently launched the next phase of their e-learning program on April 29, for which teachers held live lectures for their students inside virtual classrooms. While Kuncham said some teachers had already been using Google Classroom to teach their students directly, the district’s new initiative allows classmates to listen to their teachers together and emulate a normal day in school.

Kuncham hoped this would help students on a social-emotional level during the pandemic.

“It helps them interact with their teachers and classmates while still following social distancing,” Kuncham said. “We’re working on all our digital resources to better serve our students for the rest of the school year.”

The live lectures are held for 30 minutes a day every morning.

Jordan Awalom said her two children were enjoying the live lectures as it brought about a semblance of normalcy to their days.

She added that once she broke the news to her children about schools continuContinued on page 7

They’re moms, dads, friends, neighbors.

And they’re the front line.

While the thousands of Mount Sinai South Nassau health care workers are fighting to save lives, you can give them what they need to keep going.

Back the front line now.

southnassau.org/donate

Mount Sinai Health System is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Photos by Ronny Reyes/Herald

Moms making masks for Freeport police

By RONNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com

Moms Making Masks, a Long Island-based group of volunteers who craft face masks for first responders, presented hundreds of homemade masks to the Freeport Police Department on May 5.

Jennifer Frank and Lauren Berger Franklin, the founders of Moms Making Masks, said the group got together over Facebook in order to do something for those on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the group handed over the masks to Freeport officers, Police Deputy Chief Mike Smith and Village Mayor Robert Kennedy expressed their gratitude to the volunteers for assisting local police.

“Thank you for all your efforts and for these masks to help ensure that our officers stay safe,” Smith said.

“Our officers will take advantage of these masks,” Kennedy added. “Our police officers have taken about 320 people to the hospital for Covid-19 related incidents.

These masks are greatly appreciated and cherished.”

Freeport Police typically assist paramedics who are tending to and transporting the sick. In order to protect themselves, officers wear masks, goggles, gloves and other protective clothing, and they keep track of their equipment from day to day in case they start running low on anything.

Smith said that the department went from responding to 18-15 calls a day regarding Covid-19 cases during the start of the pandemic to now only getting 1-2 calls a day.

He found the number reassuring and urged residents to continue to follow social distancing and self-quarantine policies to ensure everything could return to normal.

Until then, he added, police and first responders will gladly accept all the help they can get from local volunteers.

Moms Make Masks began more than 6 weeks ago when Frank, of East Rockaway, began making cotton masks with elastic ear straps out of her home.

After making several masks for first responders, Frank was running out of material and asked on Facebook if anyone could donate elastic.

Berger Franklin, of Lynbrook, who did not know Frank at the time, stepped up and helped bring in more people and more material to help the cause. The volunteers then came together on Facebook to coordinate their efforts.

The group now has members in about 20 towns in Nassau and Suffolk County, from Lynbrook to Commack.

FREEpORt MaYOR ROBERt Kennedy thanked Moms Making Masks for their generous donation.

They have a network of volunteers, who have their own specific jobs. Some wash the donations; others cut, some deliver masks or pickup materials and there are about 50 sewers. Overall, Berger Franklin said, they have about 150-200 active workers.

The group has donated more than 4,000 masks to police and fire departments, hospitals, nursing homes and supermarkets throughout Long Island.

“We’re not a factory,” Frank said. “We’re just sewing from home to try and help whoever we can.”

“It’s amazing how many people have stepped up to help and how many we’re helping in return,” Berger Franklin added.

Darwin Yanes contributed to this story.

FRaNk, Right, aNd Berger Franklin, of Moms Making Masks, donated hundreds of face masks to the Freeport Police Department on May 5.

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

JENNiFER FRaNk, lEFt, and Lauren Berger Franklin presented hundreds of free masks to local police. They were joined by Freeport Deputy Police Chief Mike Smith, Mayor Robert Kennedy and NYS Assemblywoman Judy Griffin.

Centenarian credits kindness for long life continued from front page Reed-Esposito, said her father had felt lonely during his time battling Covid-19, so she was grateful to those who came out to celebrate his birthday and recovery. Among those who drove to visit Reed was his long-time friend and fellow World War II veteran, Arthur Boné, 99.

Reed had actually been living an active, independent life in East Rockaway before the pandemic began. It was only after he went to the hospital for hip surgery in February that Reed arrived at the South Shore Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to recover.

Reed said that when he caught the coronavirus, he felt dazed and lost his sense of time. He had also developed pneumonia.

“He’s an amazing person,” Diamond said. “It’s not every day something like this happens, and it sends a positive message that there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel we’re in.”

Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said he was amazed to see nearly 250 people join the caravan ride on Merrick Road to visit Reed.

“As a fellow veteran, I wanted to thank everyone for coming out and visiting Walter Reed, an amazing man who’s still here today,” Kennedy said.

Diamond added that the event was not only uplifting for Reed, but also for all those at the South Shore Rehabilitation and Nursing Center amid the anxiety and fear over Covid-19.

It was that uplifting spirit of kindness that Reed said was most important in life, adding that it was the secret to his longevity.

“You be nice to your fellow man and treat him nice,” Reed said.

As the birthday caravan ended, he also urged residents to show others the kindness they had shown him.

Photos by Christina Daly/Herald

freeporters gathered to wish World War II veteran Walter Reed a happy 100th birthday on April 29 as he celebrated his recovery from Covid-19.

paraders, above left, paid tribute to Reed. arthur boné, 99, above, another World War II veteran, joined the caravan to wish his best friend a happy birthday. freeport’s first responders, left, led the caravan.

reed’s daughter, Catherine Reed-Esposito, wished her father well from a distance. and blew him a kiss.

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Northwell opening Syosset Hospital for elective surgery sbrinton@liherald.com

Covid-19 patients have dropped to low enough levels that Northwell Health is able to earmark Syosset Hospital as a “Covid-contained” medical center where certain elective surgeries will be performed.

That’s according to Dr. David Battinelli, Northwell’s senior vice president and chief medical officer. He spoke with video producer Rob Hoell last Thursday about how the hospital system, which has medical centers throughout the New York metropolitan area, has been coping with the “massive surge” of Covid-19 patients in recent weeks.

Northwell was forced to increase its total number of beds across its 23 hospitals by 2,000 at the height of the crisis, Battinelli said. “We were overwhelmed in the” intensive care units, he noted.

The hospital system redeployed some 1,500 workers in order to keep up with patient demand.

To date, the Northwell system has treated more than 40,000 Covid-19 patients, with 13,000 patients admitted to hospitals. “Nobody in the world has treated and seen more Covid patients than Northwell,” Battinelli said.

As a result, the hospital had to stop elective surgeries, which Battinelli called planned surgeries, meaning most elective surgeries must be done, but not

Facebook Live screenshot

Dr. DaviD Battinelli, Northwell Health’s chief medical officer, last Thursday spoke with video producer Rob Hoell about the “massive surge” of Covid-19 patients within the hospital system. immediately. Rather, they can be scheduled weeks or months in advance.

With elective surgeries put off for six to seven weeks now, many patients need them done, sooner rather than later. The need to resume planned surgeries, Battinelli said, has become “semi-urgent” — hence the opening of Syosset Hospital for the procedures.

Battinelli said Northwell could not guarantee with absolute certainty that Syosset would be entirely free of Covid19 patients. Rather, he called the hospital “Covid-contained,” meaning the hospital will be able to cordon off any coronavirus patients who might appear there.

Battinelli also spoke of the many clinical trials for Covid-19 treatments

that Northwell has undertaken. The system has an estimated 700 patients in trials, while on any given year, it might have a dozen in trials, he said.

Among the trials Northwell is conducting is for famotidine, the active ingredient in the heartburn medicine Pepcid. Doctors in Wuhan, China, noticed that patients who presented with Covid-19 and heartburn, and who were taking famotidine, exhibited less virulent symptoms than those who were not on the drug.

That anecdotal finding led to clinical trials around the world. It appears famotidine might inhibit the coronavirus’s ability to replicate, Battinelli said.

He also spoke of telemedicine as a saving grace of the crisis, allowing patients to communicate with their doctors without having to be seen in an office.

Telemedicine, Battinelli predicted, will grow rapidly after the pandemic has subsided because health care consumers will want it because of its convenience. Patients can dial up their doctors, and then wait at home to be seen virtually.

“It is absolutely the way of the future,” Battinelli said.

He added that he believes social distancing is here to stay for at least the next year. It will be, he said, the “new norm” until a Covid-19 vaccine is discovered.

Antibody treatment offers ray of hope at MSSN

By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com

People have been pinning up homemade signs thanking the many workers at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside on chain-link fence that blocks off a construction project full of big dirt mounds outside the hospital.

It was, one could say, a fitting site for a recent Facebook Live session in which three hospital officials offered a glimmer of hope amid the coronavirus crisis, speaking at length about an “innovative” treatment called convalescent plasma that, for some at least, might help cure Covid-19.

Joe Calderone, MSSN’s senior vice president for communications, led the talk on April 17 with Dr. Aaron Glatt, the hospital’s chief of infectious diseases and chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Dr. Adhi Sharma, its chief medical officer and vice president for clinical and professional affairs.

Sharma noted that convalescent plasma is an investigational treatment, not yet fully approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

It works like this, according to Glatt: Patients develop antibodies when fighting off Covid-19, as they do with other viruses. Those antibodies can be extracted from a recovering patient with a high level of them through a blood draw. The plasma can then be injected into someone who is still fighting off the coronavirus, which should help the patient battle the illness.

As of April 17, doctors at the hospital had given plasma to 15 patients, and in those preliminary cases, the procedure had demonstrated “promising” results, according to Sharma.

Ideally, Glatt said, antibodies are extracted from patients three weeks after the onset of Covid-19 symp-

Facebook Live screenshot

Dr. aaron Glatt, Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital’s chief of infectious diseases, spoke recently of an “innovative” treatment for Covid-19 called convalescent plasma. toms. At that point, he said, a patient is most likely to have a sufficient number of antibodies for extraction.

Antibodies, he said, can be counted and quantified.

There is no risk to patients who are donating plasma and no indication the procedure would deplete their antibody stores, potentially leaving them susceptible to future infection, the doctors said.

The treatment is most often given to a patient who is or will likely become “deathly ill,” Glatt said.

Plasma is removed at the New York Blood Center in New York City. Patients must make an appointment to donate. Appointments can be made through Mount Sinai Doctors Five Towns in Hewlett. Donation is a multi-stage procedure that does require time, Glatt said.

Treatment is carried out with patient consent only.

It is unclear, Glatt and Sharma said, to what degree Covid-19 antibodies protect a patient from the disease, and for how long. It could be weeks, months or years.

There is insufficient data on reinfection to know, they said.

Glatt and Sharma each said social distancing is key to ensuring that infection rates do not spike again over the coming weeks and months. They worry that people will ease up on the precautions they have been taking recently now that the weather is warming and more people are heading outside. They also pointed out that Governor Cuomo would likely allow businesses to start returning to normal operations in a phased reopening after May 15.

Without continued social distancing, those two factors could lead again to a surge in hospitalizations, which nearly overran hospitals like MSSN in April. The hospital normally sees about 300 patients total, but at the peak of infection, MSSN was seeing 500 patients, 40 percent more than normal.

The MSSN officials said patients were housed in tents and hospital corridors to accommodate them all.

“The staff went well above and beyond to maintain a hospital of 500 patients,” Sharma said, adding that MSSN could not sustain itself for long with that number of patients.

Until “we totally clear [Covid-19] from the population,” Sharma said, people should continue social distancing. It will only be eradicated, he said, with a proven vaccine, which is 12 to 18 months away.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

By Scott Brinton

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Watch out for new mothers this Mother’s Day

May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Mother’s Day is usually a day of celebration and joy for new mothers, but with New York still on lockdown this year, it may be a tough time for those with postpartum depression.

The condition affects one in five new mothers, according to Pauline Walfisch, a therapist at Helping Hands Psychotherapy in Rockville Centre who lives in Franklin Square, and the depression may be masked as Covid-19 anxiety.

In fact, Sonya Murdock, the founder of the Postpartum Resource Center of New “that grandparent experience they were York, said it has received a greater numlooking forward to.” ber of phone calls during the pandemic, “It’s easy to focus on the things you’ve and has increased its helpline lost,” she said, and suggested services to seven days a week. new mothers spend their The helpline provides free Mother’s Day: and confidential support to mothers who are in domestic ■ Connecting with family violence situations, those and friends virtually. who need supplies for their ■ Making a craft they baby, mothers who may be could keep for years. having suicidal thoughts and those who are diagnosed with ■ Getting a little “me Covid-19. time” if there is someone else The outbreak, Murdock in the house who could take pauline walfisch said, has “amplified these care of the baby for a few issues.” minutes.

Making it worse, Walfisch said, is the fact that many new mothers ■ Brightening up their space with flowhave an idealized vision of their first ers from their gardens.

Mother’s Day, but cannot go out to dinner Everyone else, Walfisch said, should this year or perhaps even receive flowers. check on their friends and family memAdditionally, they may feel guilty that bers with new babies. their parents will not be able to have

The Postpartum Resource Center of New York Hotline

(855) 631-0001 postpartumnY.org

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

HempStead town SuperviSor Donald Clavin was one of 13 Long Island supervisors who took part in a discussion on how the proceed with the summer season, when people flock to Long Island’s beaches and parks.

SuperviSorS diScuSSed How to convey social distancing guidelines to the public, and when to open and close town facilities, including beaches and parks.

Christina Daly/Herald

Town supervisors plan for summer recreation

By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com

Thirteen town supervisors gathered Friday to begin planning coordination of the summer season on Long Island, when tourists from across the state and country descend on the Island’s beaches, in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The supervisors focused on parks and recreation in their discussion, officials said. Supervisor Rich Schaffer, of the Town of Babylon, organized the talk.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin said, “The theme of our discussion was that the Covid-19 pandemic does not follow town borders, and it’s necessary to collaborate on our best practices and strategies for summer programs and services. Working together as a team and maintaining communication will be key to providing the safest environment.”

At press time, it was unclear precisely what would be open for the summer, including the beaches.

The supervisors discussed how to convey social distancing guidelines to the public, and when to open and close town facilities, including beaches and parks. Supervisors said they wanted to ensure the closure of any one facility was done in coordination with other towns to make certain no one town was overrun by beach and park attendees.

“The uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic requires us to consider all possible scenarios,” Clavin said.

“Though we wish that all of our residents can enjoy the summers of the past, we accept that this is a ‘new normal,’ at least for this year.”

In addition to Schaffer and Clavin, other supervisors taking part in the talks included: Edward Romaine, of Brookhaven; Judi Bosworth, of North Hempstead; Joseph Saladino, of Oyster Bay; Peter Van Scoyoc, of East Hampton; Chad Lupinacci, of Huntington; Angie Carpenter, of Islip; Yvette Aguiar, of Riverhead; Gerard Siller, of Shelter Island; Edward Wehrheim, of Smithtown; Jay Schneiderman, of Southampton; and Scott Russell, of Southold.

News brief Bill would keep firefighters benefits intact State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Demo- port and appreciation now more than crat from Long Beach, has introduced ever, not an unfair practice that penalizlegislation that would ensure volunteer es them for following safety procefirefighters are able to maintain their dures,” Kaminsky stated in a news active status during the Covid-19 pan- release. The proposed law “would cordemic, when required trainrect this problem and give ing exercises have been them the benefits they interrupted by the virus. deserve.”

Maintaing active service Kaminsky said volunteers is required in order for firea t t h e Wo o d m e r e F i r e fighters to accrue funds Department informed him toward their state pensions. of the issue. “Thank you to Firefighters must attain 50 Senator Kaminsky for his points per year by being on leadership and advocacy on call, responding to emergenbehalf of our volunteer firecies and taking part in trainfighters,” Woodmere Fire ing sessions.

C o m m i s s i o n e r s Ro n n a todd Kaminsky Kaminsky, who re preRubenstein and Israel Max sents several South Shore said in a joint statement in fire departments, said the the release. “This bill will measure would allow active volunteers make sure these brave men and women to earn up to five points per month dur- retain their benefits while forced to stay ing the Covid-19 pandemic and give home because of the pandemic.” departments the ability to set different It was unclear at press time when the emergency response requirements for State Senate would discuss the bill. The certain members. Firefighters would Assembly and Senate passed a resoluthen only have to respond to the mini- tion in late March enabling virtual conmum number of emergency calls they ferencing and voting among firefighters. are assigned.

“First responders deserve our sup–Jeffrey Bessen and Scott Brinton

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Courtesy Freeport Public Schools

Columbus Avenue teACher Madeline Game greeted Jean Caidor, a nurse and the father of one of her students, while donating blood.

Christina Daly/Herald

Freeport heroes encounter each other on the front lines District officials begin

While distriCt buildings remain open, classes will not reconvene in Freeport until after the school year ends.

Madeline Game, a kindergarten teacher at Columbus Avenue School, received a serendipitous surprise on April 15 when she went out to donate blood and discovered that the nurse helping her was the parent of one of her students.

Jean Caidor, who has been working in the medical field for 19 years, is the father of kindergartner Millianie Caid-

or, who attends Game’s Dual Language program at Columbus.

Both Caidor and Game said the meeting was a welcomed surprised and thanked each other for their selflessness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, the New York Blood Center urged residents throughout the state to donate blood amid a shortage caused by the pandemic.

Courtesy Chris Cruz

Chris Cruz, seCond from right, and his daughters dropped off 200 face masks and meals to the Freeport Police Department on April 22.

Strong Island gives to Freeport Police Department Strong Island Car Parade 4 Kids, a Long Island-based group who host caravan birthday parties for residents amid the Covid-19 pandemic, donated meals and about 200 face masks to the Freeport Police Department on April 22.

Chris Cruz, Strong Island’s treasurer and a manager at the Tropix on the Mile restaurant in Freeport, said the group wanted to give back to communities that have been especially impacted by the coronavirus. Freeport remains the third-hardest hit commu-

nity in Nassau County by Covid-19, with 1,138 positive cases as of April 22.

“Freeport is hurting, so we bought food from Montana Brothers and donated a bunch of masks to do what we can to help the community and our first responders,” Cruz said.

Cruz oversees the GoFundMe page for Strong Island, which helps the group donate to local families, groups and organizations. To donate to Strong Island, visit: https://www. gofundme.com/f/strong-island-carparades-funding.

work on re-entry plan continued from front page

ing to be closed, her family got together to create a daily schedule for the kids to follow.

“It’ll be hard to keep them busy for the remainder of the school year since a lot of places are closed,” Jordan Awalom said.

Despite the challenges a longer closure might cause, education officials agreed with the governor’s orders. Andy Pallotta, the president of the New York State United Teachers union, said the state’s primary concern should be the health and safety of students and teachers.

“Keeping school buildings and colleges closed for the rest of this academic year is the smart choice,” Pallotta said. “We will work with Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa and state education and health officials on planning a safe and gradual reopening.

We also will continue advocating that summer school programming should be voluntary, with decisions on what is right for students made at the local level.”

Cuomo said in his May 1 order that colleges and school districts across New York must begin developing reopening plans, which must be approved by state

officials. The governor added there was no determination yet whether there would be summer school. That announcement would be made in the coming weeks.

As they wait for further information from the state, Kuncham said district officials were working together to come up with a reopening strategy that would work for Freeport. One idea that has been floated around would be to hold staggered school days, where half the students would attend school online while the other half attend in person, rotating every other day.

Kuncham said that while this strategy might work for densely populated districts like Freeport, where more than 2,000 students alone attend Freeport High School, the district would weigh each of its options and adhere to the policies coming from the State Education Department.

Kuncham added that the district was also prepared to offer a comprehensive, virtual summer school program for students in the district.

“It’s definitely been a challenge,” he said, “ and we’ll have to see if students and parents want this, especially after months of E-learning.”

News brief School elections set for June 9 By executive order last Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reset the school budget and trustees election statewide to Tuesday, June 9. Voters will receive absentee ballots and postage-paid envelopes in which to return them.

The order eliminates the traditional requirement that Board of Education candidates collect a sufficient number of petition signatures, but candidates

must file their petitions 30 days before the election; that is, by May 10.

Also, any village election that was scheduled for March through June will be held Sept. 15. And any special district election other than fire, library, sewer or water will also take place that date.

–Scott Brinton

May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Families begin Ramadan fast — from afar

By TIMOTHY DENTON tdenton@liherald.com

With the sighting of the crescent moon on the evening of April 23, the month of Ramadan officially began.

This year, however, the traditional gatherings before sunrise and after sunset have been suspended at Masjid Al-Baqi in Bethpage and at the Islamic Center of Long Island in Woodbury, as they have been across the country and around the world.

The month is holy not only to the thousands of Muslims in Nassau County, but also to the more than 1.8 billion worldwide and is observed with 30 days of daily dawn-to-dusk fasts. The fast is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is obligatory, or fard for all whose health would not be jeopardized. Women who are breast feeding or menstruating, diabetics and the chronically ill are also specifically exempted from the fast.

The month culminates in the feast of Eid-al-Fitr, one of the two great feasts of the Islamic calendar.

Both communities will hold classes and services online, via various streaming media. At Masjid-Al-Baqi, Mufti Mohammad Farhan will give daily commentary on passages from the Quran after fajr, the first of the five daily prayers prescribed by the Quran. Live streaming of tafseer, or interpretation of the Quran, will take place every evening at 9:30.

Online education will continue via Zoom videoconferencing.

Ramadan is from a root Arabic word meaning God. Traditionally, families and communities gather after sunset for a communal meal, called iftar.

In addition to fasting, devout Muslims also abstain from tobacco products and sex. Charitable deeds, another of the Five Pillars, are also traditionally increased during the holy month. Many carry out extra good works during the month, such as alms giving, participating in blood drives or feeding the hungry. Masjid AlBaqi is providing free groceries for the elderly, the chronically ill and the financially distressed, according to the community’s website.

The Islamic Center is offering similar programs, with guidance by Sheikh Ibrahim Negm, adviser to the

Herald file photo

UsUallY a MONTH of communal contemplation, fasting and prayer, families will observe this year’s Ramadan in the home, as Muslims follow the pattern set by other religions and move to electronic formats.

Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar in Cairo — one of the world’s earliest universities — and by Farhan, as well as twicenightly recitations by Hafiz Dr. Assad Baig and Hafiz Tanweer Ahmed.

For further information, contact Masjid Al-Baqi (516) 433-4141, or online at masjidalbaqi.org; or the Islamic Center of Long Island, at (516) 333-3495, or at icily.org.

aN ExaMplE Of a simple Ramadan iftar, or evening meal.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

L.I. congressional reps unite behind small businesses By laUra laNE llane@liherald.com

The Small Business Administration, Treasury Department and banks should be held accountable if lending institutions focus only on larger businesses when approving Payroll Protection Program loans, said a bipartisan group of Long Island congressional leaders on April 24. Meeting on the video conferencing platform Zoom, they said that priority should be given to “small” small businesses seeking loans of less than $150,000.

“There are a lot of smaller small businesses in the U.S. and most have less than 20 employees,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from Glen Cove. “We have to send a clear message to the banks that we’re watching. They need to help the mom-and-pop shops, the plumber, electrician, doctor and dentist. And we need the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration to help get that message across.”

President Trump signed a new stimulus bill on April 23 that includes more than $300 billion in federal guarantees for

PPP loans, which must be used to keep told her that they are worried they will employees on the payrolls of small busi- not survive.

One of Trump’s vocal supporters, U.S. nesses. The SBA would forgive the loans if all employees are kept on the pay- Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican from Sufroll for eight weeks and the loan money is folk County, said the government needs to step up to help the smaller used for payroll, rent, mortbusinesses. “To my colgage interest or utilities. A leagues who think there is new stimulus bill was needed nothing left to do, this isn’t because the initial of $349 the time to walk away and billion for the program ran declare bankruptcy,” he said, out. referring to a suggestion Suozzi said that the avermade by Senate Majority age loan amount from the Leader Mitch McConnell. first stimulus package at the “We need to make sure the 15 larger banks was $515,000, state and local governments meaning the big borrowers get through this.” received the loans and not Big banks should focus the smaller business. their attention on the smallU.S. Rep. Peter King, a THOMas sUOzzI est of businesses, said U.S. Republican, said the smaller U.S. representative, Rep. Gregory Meeks, a Demobusinesses need relief now. crat, noting he is working to “Or there won’t be any small Fourth District make sure they do. “Despite businesses left,” he said. who is in the cue, if you see a “This is a natural disaster.

We have to stand together on this as New small business with 20 or less employees, push them up,” he said. “We earmarked Yorkers.”

U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice, a Democrat, $60 billion to go to community banks and agreed, adding that local retailers have credit unions because they have the pulse

W

e will get through this if Democrats and Republicans are united like we are here.

of small business to make sure they can apply for loans.”

Of the roughly 67,000 loan applications, 27,000 had been approved as of April 24. Rice said non-partisan oversight was needed moving forward.

Then Zeldin warned businesses that do not need the loan to not apply, adding that they will be shamed if they do. “If you are flush with cash, if you are an individual who is sitting comfortably and wealthy — this is not a moment in time for you to be asking what your country can do for you to get through the pandemic,” he said.

Payment of the loans should be flexible, Suozzi said. He predicted that when restaurants reopen, they would probably only see 30 percent of their business return. “They will need flexibility on paying back the loan,” he said. “Can we make money available with a much lower interest rate at maybe 0 or 1 percent?”

The congressional leaders are 100 percent united on these issues, Suozzi said, and “want to fight for the little guy — the smallest businesses. We will get through this if Democrats and Republicans are united like we are here.”

9

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

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Free masks for Freeporters Vi l l a g e o f F r e e p o r t o f f i c i a l s announced that free face masks are available for the public to pick up at Village Hall, at 40 N Ocean Avenue.

Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said the village stocked up on spare masks a f t e r G o ve r n o r A n d r e w C u o m o issued that all New Yorkers wear masks in public spaces starting on April 18.

“Some people just can’t afford the

masks or might not have access to them, so we want to make sure we can provide them to as many people as we can,” Kennedy said.

All essential workers are required to wear masks. While people do not have to wear masks while walking alone in the street, they must do so when entering busy locations and while riding public transportation.

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

LFRE1 0507

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS: FREEPORT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT EXTERIOR MASONRY WALL RECONSTRUCTION AT THE COLUMBUS AVENUE SCHOOL Notice is hereby given that SEALED PROPOSALS for: FREEPORT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT EXTERIOR MASONRY WALL RECONSTRUCTION AT THE COLUMBUS AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SED NO:28-02-09-03-0-009-0 26 CONTRACT G – GENERAL CONSTRUCTION Will be received until 11:00 am prevailing time on May 21, 2020 at the Freeport Business Office for Freeport Union Free School District, attention: Dr. Beth Rella, Assistant Superintendent for Business, located at 235 N. Ocean Ave Freeport, New York 11520. Note, the bid opening will be streamed online in lieu of an inperson meeting. The meeting invite and login information is as follows: Dr. Beth Rella is inviting you to a scheduled Google meet.

Join Google Meet https://meet.google.com/ vha-niuv-esf Join by phone: 1 904-323-0269 (PIN: 842172326) Complete digital sets of plans, specifications, instructions for bidders, proposal and contract documents may be obtained online as a download for a nonrefundable fee of forty-nine dollars ($49.00) at the following website: w w w. r e v p l a n s . c o m beginning on or about May 7, 2020. Complete sets of hard copy plans, specifications, instructions for bidders, proposal and contract documents may be obtained from REV, 330 route 17a, Suite #2, Goshen, New York 10924 tel: 1-877- 272-0216, upon depositing the sum of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each paper set furnished.

Make deposit check payable to the FREEPORT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT. Bidder’s deposit will be refunded if the set is returned in good condition within thirty (30) days following the award of the contract or the rejection of the bids covered by such plans and specifications. Nonbidders shall receive partial reimbursement, in an amount equal to the amount of the deposit, less the actual cost of reproduction of the documents if the set is returned in good condition within thirty (30) days following the

PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.mypublicnotices.com

award of the contract or the rejection of the bids covered by such plans and specifications. Any bidder requiring documents to be shipped shall make arrangements with the printer and pay for all packaging and shipping costs.

Bids must be made in the standard proposal form in the manner designated therein and as required by the specifications that must be enclosed in sealed envelopes bearing the name of the job and name and address of the bidder on the outside, addressed to: FREEPORT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, clearly marked on the outside: Bid For: EXTERIOR MASONRY WALL RECONSTRUCTION at Columbus Elementary School.

Each proposal submitted must be accompanied by a certified check or bid bond, made payable to the FREEPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total amount of the bid, as a commitment by the bidder that, if its bid is accepted, it will enter into a contract to perform the work and will execute such further security as may be required for the faithful performance of the contract. Certification of bonding company is required for this bid, see Instructions for Bidders section. Each bidder shall agree to hold his/her bid price for sixty (60) days after the formal bid opening.

A pre-bid meeting and walk through will be held by appointment. This meeting is not mandatory. To schedule a walk-through, contact Kevin Randazzo; Director of Facilities at (516) 867-5222 or krandazzo@freeportschoo ls.org Although not mandatory, it is highly recommended that all potential bidders attend a walkthrough. It is the Board’s intention to award the contract to the lowest qualified bidder providing the required security who can meet the experience, technical and budget requirements.

The Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive any informality and to accept such bid which, in the opinion of the Board, is in the best interests of the School District.

Freeport Union Free School District Board of Education 235 N. Ocean Ave Freeport, New York 11520 121732

PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.mypublicnotices.com TO PLACE AND AD CALL 516-569-4000 x 232

LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the orders of the Governor of New York, all Zoning Board of Appeals meetings of the Incorporated Village of Freeport HAVE BEEN CANCELLED until further notice.

BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Pamela Walsh Boening, Village Clerk 121756

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF ANNUAL DISTRICT ELECTION, BUDGET HEARING AND VOTE OF BALDWIN UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU STATE OF NEW YORK, TO BE HELD ON June 9, 2020 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the budget hearing of the qualified voters of the Baldwin Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, will be held remotely on June 9, 2020 for the transaction of such business as is authorized by law including the following purposes: 1.

Presentation and discussion of the budget for the operation of the district schools for the school year beginning July 1, 2020.

2.

Presentation and discussion of the budget for operation of the Baldwin Public Library for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020.

3.

Transactions of such other business as is authorized by law.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the vote upon the appropriation of necessary funds to meet the necessary expenditures for the school year 2020-2021, the library appropriation, and on all propositions duly filed with the Board of Education, to fill one vacancy for Trustee on the Board of Education, and to fill one vacancy and the balance of an unexpired term on the Board of Trustees of the Baldwin Public Library, shall be conducted exclusively by absentee ballot voting.

The qualified voters will fill the following vacancies: a. The office of Karyn Reid, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board of Education, which term expires on June 30, 2020, for a new term commencing July 1, 2020, and expiring June 30, 2023; b. The office of Kerry Schwenker, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Baldwin Public Library, which term expires on June 30, 2020, for a new term commencing July 1, 2020, and expiring June 30, 2025;

c. The balance of an unexpired term of the office of Joseph Carroll on the Board of Trustees of the Baldwin Public Library, which term commences on May 19, 2020 and expires on June 30, 2024; and to vote on the following propositions: PROPOSITION NO. 1 RESOLVED, that the proposed Budget of the Baldwin Union Free School District of the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, for the fiscal year 2020-2021 be adopted, and that an amount to be determined be raised by tax upon the taxable property of the School District after first deducting the monies available from State Aid and other sources.

PROPOSITION NO. 2 RESOLVED, that the proposed Budget of the Baldwin Public Library for the fiscal year 2020-2021 be adopted, and that an amount to be determined be raised by tax upon the taxable property of the School District after first deducting the monies available from State Aid and other sources.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the condensed form of the budget proposition and the text of all other propositions to appear on the absentee ballot and a detailed statement in writing of the amount of money which will be required for the school year 2020-2021 for school purposes, specifying the purposes and the amount for each will be prepared and copies thereof will be made available on the District’s website during the period of fourteen days immediately preceding said election of June 9, 2020, and at such annual election.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the nominations for the office of members of the Board of Education and office of member of the Library Board, unless otherwise provided by law, shall be made by petition and filed in the office of the Clerk of the District by 5:00 PM on June 9, 2020.

Such petition shall state the name and residence of the candidates.

Candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected to their respective offices. Where terms are of different length, the candidate receiving the highest vote shall be elected to the longest term. A nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his

PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.mypublicnotices.com TO PLACE AND AD CALL 516-569-4000 x 232

unwillingness to serve.

Nominating petitions filed by email, fax or mail will be accepted. The District Clerk’s email address is hobbsm@baldwinschools. org. There is no minimum number of signatures required on the nominating petition.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any proposition or question to be placed on the ballot shall be submitted in writing by petition subscribed by at least 73 qualified voters of the District and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the District between the hours of 9:00AM and 5:00PM, not later than the 30th day preceding the meeting or election at which such question or proposition shall be voted upon, except that this rule shall not apply to those questions or propositions which are required to be stated in the published or posted notice of the meeting or to those propositions or questions which the Board of Education has authority by law to present at any annual or special meeting of the District.

PLEASE TAKE FUTHER NOTICE that any resident of the school district who wishes to be a registered voter for this election may register with the board of elections by submitting an on-line application for voter registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles at https://dmv.ny.gov/morei n f o / e l e c t r o n i c - v o t e rregistration-application.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the District Clerk will mail an absentee ballot to every identified qualified voter by no later than six (6) days before the vote. The absentee ballot must be filed with the District Clerk by no later than 5:00 PM on June 9, 2020.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the school district. Military voters who are qualified voters of the school district may submit an application for a military ballot. Military voters may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail in their request for such registration, ballot application or ballot.

Military voter registration forms and military ballot application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 14, 2020. No military ballot will be canvassed unless it is received by the office of the District Clerk by no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day.

Search for notices online at: www.mypublicnotices.com

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that this Board shall convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot to declare the results of the vote.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a Real Property Tax Exemption Report prepared in accordance with Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law will be annexed to any tentative/preliminary budget as well as the final adopted budget of which it will form a part; and shall be posted on the District’s website.

Dated: May 4, 2020

BY ORDER OF Baldwin, NY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BALDWIN UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK Mary Hobbs, District Clerk 121757 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING FREEPORT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT Nassau County, N. Y. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Freeport Union Free School District, Nassau County, New York, shall conduct its Annual Budget Vote and Trustees Election on June 9, 2020. The vote will be exclusively by absentee ballot voting.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the following matters will be submitted to the registered voters of the Freeport School District: (1) To vote on the annual school budget as set forth in Proposition No. 1 below: Proposition No. 1 SCHOOL BUDGET RESOLVED that the Annual School Budget be adopted and the necessary amount be raised by a tax upon the taxable property located in Freeport Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, Freeport, New York, for the School Year 2020-2021.

(2) To vote on the annual library budget as set forth in Proposition No. 2 below: Proposition No. 2 FREEPORT MEMORIAL LIBRARY BUDGET RESOLVED, that the Freeport Memorial Library Budget be adopted and the necessary amount be raised by a tax upon the taxable property located in Freeport Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, Freeport, New York, for the Freeport Memorial Library for the year 2020-2021.

(3) To vote on the expenditure of funds from the Capital Reserve Fund established on May 19, 2009 and the Capital Reserve Fund established on May 16, 2017 as set forth in Proposition No. 3 below:

Proposition No. 3 BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Education shall present to the qualified voters of the Freeport Union Free School District at the annual meeting to be held on June 9, 2020 the following proposition in substantially the following form: SHALL the Board of Education of the Freeport Union Free School District be authorized to expend: (a) $1,500,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund established on May 19th, 2009 and (b) $2,500,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund established on May 16th, 2017 for the purpose of performing the following projects: Window replacement – Dodd Middle School, Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School & District-Wide; E x t e r i o r Improvements/Renovatio ns – Dodd Middle School & District-Wide; Air Conditioning – DistrictWide; Security Upgrades District-Wide; Entry Vestibules – Caroline G. Atkinson School, Bayview Avenue School, Columbus Avenue School, New Visions School & DistrictWide; Classroom Renovations including flooring/ lighting– District-Wide; Science room renovations – Freeport High School & Atkinson Intermediate School; Bathroom renovations – DistrictW i d e ; Hallway/Corridor/Stairwel l/Classroom Ceiling Tile, Lighting and Flooring Replacements - DistrictWide; ADA Interior & Exterior Doors & Hardware – District-Wide; Roofs, Grounds, Steps, Foundations, Sidewalks, Parking Lots – DistrictWide; Masonry Restoration, Exterior Brick Repointing & Replacement and Waterproofing – Columbus Avenue School, Locker Room, Replacement/Renovation HVAC & Drainage – Freeport High School; Bleachers Replacement – Freeport High School; Press Box – Freeport High School.

(4)The election of two (2) School Trustees of the Board of Education. The terms shall be for a full term of three years beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2023.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any resident of the school district who is not already a registered voter and wishes to be a registered voter for this election may register with the board of elections by submitting an on-line application for voter registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles at https://dmv.ny.gov/morei n f o / e l e c t r o n i c - v o t e rregistration-application.

To place a notice here call us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com

Absentee ballots will be available for the election of School Board Members and the Budget Vote.

Absentee ballots will be accepted in the Office of the Clerk of the school district no later than 5:00 P.M. on the day of the vote; any ballot received after that time will not be counted.

Candidates for the Office of School Board Trustee must be nominated by a petition with no minimum number of signatures. The petition shall state name and residence of the candidate.

Candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected to their respective offices.

Where terms are of different length, the candidate receiving the highest vote shall be elected to the longest term.

However, a nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his unwillingness to serve.

Petitions shall be filed by 5:00 PM no later than May 11, 2020 at the Office of the District Clerk.

Nominating petitions which are emailed, faxed or mailed to the District Clerk will be accepted.

A statement of the amount of money which will be required for the School Year 2020-2021 will be available to the taxpayers on the District’s website not later than fourteen (14) days before the vote.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a Real Property Tax Exemption Report prepared in accordance with Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law will be annexed to any tentative/preliminary budget as well as the final adopted budget of which it will form a part, and shall be posted on the District’s website.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a budget hearing will be held remotely on May 27,2020 at 7:30 PM for the purpose of discussing the expenditures of funds and budgeting thereof.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a proposition in writing by petition of least forty (40) signatures of qualified voters of the District is required to place a proposition on the ballot which is not required by law to be included in the notice of the annual meeting. The petition must be filed in the Office of the District Clerk on or before 5:00 P.M. o’clock (local time) May 11, 2020. The Board of Education reserves the right to edit or amend any proposition without changing the intent thereof.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR VOTING 1. A person shall be a citizen of the United States.

2.

Eighteen or more years of age.

13

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Honoring the Class of 2020

Courtesy Freeport Public Schools

The FreeporT School District paid homage to the Class of 2020 on May 1.

Residents from all over Freeport joined the nation in honoring the Class of 2020 as they took part in lighting their homes and buildings on May 1, at precisely 8:20 p.m., which is 20:20 in military time.

As residents put up signs and special lights around their streets in celebration of high school seniors whose regular festivities were put on hold due to Covid-19, the Freeport School District lit the lights at the high school football field and scoreboard for 20 minutes and 20 seconds.

“Lighting up the scoreboard for our Class of 2020 is one way we can let them know they are still in our hearts and minds,” Superintendent Kishore Kuncham said. “We are enormously proud of the hard work they have demonstrated for years to reach this momentous time in their lives. This is the first of several events we have planned to honor our seniors.”

Courtesy Anna Ellis

SeniorS, above, celebraTed the event with their classmates. local reSidenTS celebraTed the event themselves, left, and put up signs and lights around their houses.

Courtesy Freeport Public Schools

Public Notices

Courtesy Anna Ellis

The Scoreboard, FarleFT, was lit for 20 minutes and 20 seconds.

LFRE2 57

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LEGAL NOTICE A Notice is hereby given that a license, number 1324064 has been applied for by the undersigned to sell

LEGAL NOTICE Sprint is proposing to modify an existing w i r e l e s s telecommunications facility on an existing

water tank tower located at 150 Lakeview Avenue, Freeport, Nassau County, New York (N40° 39’ 50.5” W73° 34’ 16.4”).

Sprint invites comments from any interested party on the impact the proposed undertaking may have on any districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering, or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places

under National Historic Preservation Act Section 106. Comments may be sent to Environmental Corporation of America, ATTN: Megan Gomez, 1375 Union Hill Industrial Court, Suite A, Alpharetta, GA 30004 or via email to publicnotice@ecausa.com. Ms. Gomez can be reached at (770) 667-2040 x 405 during normal business hours. Comments must be received within 30 days of the date of this notice.

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3. A resident of the District for a period of thirty days or more preceding the election at which he or she offers to vote.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION Ernest Kight, Jr. Benjamin Roberts President District Clerk 121766

HERALD

Employment

CLASSIFIED

Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail you ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.

To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5

Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify and ad.

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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15

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Place Homes HERALD Market •

HERALD

Installing shingles HERALDStuff in wet weather • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Q. Lately, now that it’s spring, I’m seeing roofers putting on new shingles and assume people are getting leaks that must be making them a little desperate, because roofers are working on wet roofs or in cold weather or when it’s drizzling. Can roof shingles be put on in wet weather? I Ask The was taught by my father, a carpenter who was Architect extremely careful with everything he did. I learned what to do (and not to do) from him, and he never would have allowed this. Is there something about today’s products that allows them to be put on in wet or cold weather that I don’t know about?

A. Shingles aren’t the

Monte Leeper

only things being “put on.” Wet weather and construction don’t mix. Homeowners are being misled by people they hired to do the right job.

One of the first lessons in architecture is the detailed understanding of how water and movement affect buildings. Your observation is correct that installing materials in wet conditions should generally be avoided. In the case of putting shingles over shingles, there’s an assumption that the heat of a hot, sunny day will dry everything out eventually, but the slowly developing damage has already begun, hidden from sight.

It’s generally not the first thing people think of, but the world we live in exists in multiple levels of scale, from nanoparticles to cells to larger molecules and visible materials. In other words, seeing may be believing, but what you can’t see is still there, and what you can’t see happening is still happening. If we only think of water as big droplets, forgetting about gas (vapor) and solid (expanding ice), or that many materials allow water vapor to squeeze between their molecular structures, then it will be harder to understand the level of permeability or penetration of a material, like the wood sheathing below the shingles — or that a thousand nails were just driven through the vapor barrier sheeting below the shingles.

For installers, it becomes a gamble, a game of risk, to someone else’s cherished property through a bunch of assumptions: that water won’t get through, or won’t be locked in, heated by the sun, forced by pressure like a thousand little boiling tea kettles to push moisture around the nails and into the wood sheathing, or to cause the semi-rigid shingles to be forced by expanding frost to keep flexing and contracting, shortening their useful lifespan of protecting the inside of the house. Once this occurs, the materials have made accommodation for vapor and have slightly expanded, but after expanding, they don’t immediately contract again.

They now have a much greater flexibility, and all because the moisture crowbarred its way in.

I often wonder if those installers would leave their windows down in a car wash. They have little to lose, because if the shingles fail prematurely, they’ll be back sooner.

© 2020 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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17

opinions

T

he coronavirus pandemic sweeping our nation has highlighted critical gaps in our ability to beat back such threats. It’s quite a wake-up call for America.

There is total consensus in the international medical community that Covid19 originated in Wuhan, China. It likely began as a virus that jumped from animals to humans in one of that city’s notorio u s “ we t m a rkets,” where all sorts of live animals — including live bats known to carry coronavirusalfonse es — are slaughtered and offered d’amaTo for sale for human consumption.

According to U.S. intelligence reports, it is also ever more likely that a Chinese governmentsponsored laboratory in that city — the Wuhan Institute of Virology — was experimenting with the virus, and that because of careless handling by its scientists, the virus might have escaped from the lab and triggered the pandemic.

The Chinese communist government has predictably obfuscated on this disaster, locking down information from Wuhan and concealing the extent of the

pandemic in China. Instead of cooperating with the rest of the world to help scientists fully understand the origin and spread of the disease, Chinese authorities have lowered a cloak of secrecy and unleashed a propaganda campaign, even going so far as to make the preposterous claim that the virus was somehow imported into China by the U.S. military.

All of this would be more than bad enough if not for the fact that the virus has painfully demonstrated just how dependent the U.S. has become on China and other countries for all manner of medical supplies and critical medicines. America imports vast amounts of medical masks, gowns and other protective equipment. Much of our pharmaceutical industry, which was once located in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, has shifted to Asia over the past few decades.

America today is in the extraordinarily dangerous position of fighting a pandemic caused largely by the Chinese government’s carelessness and malfeasance with medical supplies from China. That must change, and quickly. It’s time for America to see China for the adversary it is, not the partner we might wish it to be.

That will mean making some very fundamental changes in U.S. industrial and

i

trade policies in the future. We must bring critical manufacturing capability back to this country, especially for important medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.

By way of example, for years America had a robust pharmaceutical industry in Puerto Rico.

That industry was given tax incentives that were shortsightedly allowed to lapse, driving production to other nations, where it was welcomed with significant host-government support.

Congress and the administration should reinstate those tax incentives to bring back pharmaceutical production.

There are a number of other steps Washington should consider to help rebuild our manufacturing base.

For years we have allowed China and other countries to game international bodies like the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, which gave special treatment to those countries as “developing nations.”

But today its laughable to consider China a developing nation that can take advantage of WTO polices to dump manufactured goods in America and WHO policies that allow it to shirk its international responsibilities. How can it be right for China to run a trade surplus

t has painfully demonstrated just how dependent the U.S. has become on China.

with the U.S. of a half trillion dollars a year at the same time that it contributes less than one-tenth of what the U.S. has contributed to the WHO? China gives the WHO less than $50 million a year, while the U.S. gives it over $500 million for international health care initiatives, because the WHO considers China a “developing nation.”

What nonsense! President Trump was right to suspend further U.S. financial support for the WHO until this glaring inequity is corrected. At the very least, China must make up the hundreds of millions of dollars it should have contributed to the WHO to match what the U.S. has already so generously contributed.

Over the next few years, in the aftermath of this international health and economic disaster, America must rebuild its industrial might. We cannot lead the world with just the strength of our ideals or our arms, great as they may be. And we must demand that countries like China treat the rest of the world fairly, and shoulder their share of the responsibility to all humankind.

It is not too late for America to wake up. But time is running out.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.

Have you heard the one about Clorox Chewables?

H

umor is serious business, so I felt much better when the pandemic jokes began popping up. For example: “If you need 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine, you probably should have been seeing a doctor long before Covid-19.” If we can joke about it, it can’t be as terrifying as it seems, right? Right?

Tracking the LOLs, it becomes evident that much coronavirus humor focuses on toilet paper and the shortages thereof. I guess the world started looking funny to us when we first put on our big boy and big girl pants.

I know some Randi readers think kReiss there’s nothing funny about Covid19, and really, those of us who find a laugh here and there don’t think it’s funny, either. We’re not making light of the disease, but of ourselves and our foibles.

Humor is an enormously successful defense mechanism. That’s not from me; it’s from, you know, the guy who knew about these things, Sigmund Freud. He

wrote that humor helps us cope with seemingly insurmountable tragedy. It eases the burden and gives us some sense of control.

Two photos online: The first is a picture of Quentin Tarantino. The second is a picture of a guy in full hazmat suit inside a tent. The caption is “Tentin Quarantino.” You can laugh, it’s OK. The psychologists say so.

Gregg Levoy wrote in Psychology Today, “It’s a curious thing. We’re in the midst of the worst global health crisis in over 100 years, and yet we’re overflowing with jokes, parodies, cartoons and gag videos.”

I’ve laughed a lot at talking-dog videos, especially that one with the Schnauzer giving advice to other dogs on how to behave during a pandemic, specifically identifying the no-sniff zones. Yeah, the humor is low, but so is my morale.

This is not to say that sharing humor is without risk. We’re isolated, so when we send friends jokes or cartoons, they can’t see our expressions and we can’t read theirs. The possibility of misunderstanding one another is real.

To be sure, there is safe humor, and much more edgy stuff. One does have to

W

exhibit a modicum of good taste. I don’t think humor goes into the ICU or to the gravesite. And it all depends on one’s own experience through this time of trouble.

Being sick, worrying about a loved one in trouble, suffering financial setbacks or just going crazy from the extended isolation all change our sense of what’s funny.

My family is notoriously dark when it comes to humor. Almost anything goes, and for us, it helps.

People are still tuning in to Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers because they make us laugh, despite the horrific news. All of them push the envelope.

Levoy says you can’t laugh and be scared at the same time, so while we’re laughing, we are momentarily forgetting the horrors of the pandemic. We are temporarily tuning out the map with the spread of the disease and the voiceovers with the daily totals of dead people and the news reports of refrigerator trucks holding the bodies of people’s mothers and fathers and children. After a while of consuming the bad news, we overload on horrific detail and actually shortcircuit. In that moment, if we can find

e’re not making light of the disease, but of ourselves and our foibles.

something to laugh about, it’s really OK. “Life does not cease to be funny when people die,” said George Bernard Shaw, “any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”

Here are a couple of mini ha-has: Has anyone let the Amish know what’s going on yet?

The World Health Organization has announced that dogs can’t contract Covid19. Dogs previously held in quarantine can now be released. Just to be clear, WHO let the dogs out.

Some of the humor coming my way targets Donald Trump and his disastrous incompetence before and during the pandemic. (Have you seen the ad for Clorox Chewables?)

Maher piled on: “Donald Trump had a meltdown about what a great temperament he has. It was like watching someone carve ‘I’m not a psycho’ into their arm.”

“If you are able to teach people to be more playful, to look at the absurdities of life as humorous, you see some increase in well-being,” said Stanford psychologist Andrea Samson.

I’m all for vaccines — the sooner the better — but let’s not inoculate ourselves against laughter.

Copyright 2020 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Covid-19 is a wake-up call for America

18

Herald editorial

Freeport

HERALD May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

Leader

Established 1935 Incorporating the Freeport Leader

Ronny Reyes Editor Michelle AuclAiR Advertising Account Executive

office 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Web: www.liherald.com E-mail: freeporteditor@liherald.com Copyright © 2020 Richner Communications, Inc.

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Schools: focus on students first, then learning

l

ast Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally offered students and teachers certainty about the rest of the 2019-20 school year when he canceled in-person classes through June to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Thank you, Mr. Cuomo.

For weeks, pupils and educators in New York’s schools were left in limbo, wondering whether they should devote themselves entirely to the new online model or wait for classes to resume as normal.

Moving to online teaching and learning was a shock to our education system that left all involved in a state of frenzied confusion. In just weeks, teachers had to move to a system in which most had little to no training or experience. Students, many of whom depend on their teachers, coaches, guidance counselors and administrators for social and emotional support, suddenly lost that network, leaving many full of anxiety at a time of widespread despair.

What most young people repeatedly hear now are stories of job loss and death.

Many children and young adults, without the life experience to understand that the nation will emerge from this crisis, remain in a semi-daze, incapable of focusing on their schoolwork as they did two months ago.

Worse, many students are hurting because their parents have lost their jobs, or fear losing them. Worst still, some students have lost parents or grandparents to Covid-19.

Teachers and administrators should, first and foremost, pay close attention to

■

JeffRey negRin Creative Director cRAig WhiTe Production Coordinator cRAig cARDone Art Director ■ DiAnne RAMDAss Circulation Director ■

heRAlD coMMuniTy neWsPAPeRs Baldwin Herald Bellmore Herald Life East Meadow Herald Franklin Square/Elmont Herald Freeport Leader Long Beach Herald Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald Malverne/West Hempstead Herald Merrick Herald Life Nassau Herald Oceanside/Island Park Herald Oyster Bay Herald Guardian Rockaway Journal Rockville Centre Herald South Shore Record Valley Stream Herald Wantagh Herald Citizen Seaford Herald Citizen MeMbeR: Local Media Association New York Press Association Published by Richner communications, inc.

2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 (516) 569-4000

letters The virus is tough, but Long Islanders are tougher To the Editor: Communities all over the world have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but have pressed on and adapted to the “new normal” of social distancing, homeschooling and teleworking. Although the virus has ravaged communities and businesses, Long Islanders have shown our strength once again by coming together even when we are kept physically apart.

Long Island is home to heroic first responders who risk illness and injury to help others in times of crisis. During Hurricane Sandy and after the Sept. 11 attacks, firefighters, police officers, health care workers and volunteers worked around the clock, without returning home to their own families for weeks on end, to heroically help our families and fellow New Yorkers. The same has been true during this pandemic.

their students’ psychological health during this precarious time, and secondarily to their schoolwork.

The period between now and mid-June will be a time of survival for many people, and no less for students. Expectations of learning must be tempered by the premise that, above all else, our young people must emerge from this time unscathed — psychologically unharmed, in a sound mental state.

The State Education Department canceled all major exams, including the Regents, for a good reason: The normal process of learning has been interrupted, and will not resume for some time.

The nation is at war with an invisible killer. Right now, students’ grades matter less than during ordinary times. What matters is sending a clear message to our young people: We adults will keep you safe.

One day soon, we will return to normal, and when we do, we will redouble our efforts to ensure that you learn all that’s necessary to know. Now, however, is not that time.

That is not to say that we should forgo learning, or not expect students to do their work. Rather, we must understand and acknowledge how they are feeling before we can get down to whatever work is possible.

With that said, we offer these suggestions to our schools: ■ If teachers are not already doing so, they should meet with their students in live sessions at least once a week, and pref-

erably twice a week. Students desperately need to see and speak with their teachers, but we have heard scattered reports that at least some teachers have not met live with their students for as long as six weeks.

■ Each district should decide on one online educational platform for all. Whether it’s Google Classroom or Edmodo, make it districtwide. Employing more than one platform will only sow confusion.

■ Students should be assigned homework according to a set schedule, at a given time on a given day, so they know what to expect. Consistency is key, so they can develop a routine.

■ Teachers should follow up on homework assignments with live Zoom sessions to explain the work, and not leave it to students to attend extra help sessions, particularly sessions conducted by email.

■ Students should not be videoed in class, with the images posted on YouTube, without student and parental consent.

■ All teachers in a district should have a single method of taking attendance, and grading rubrics should be provided to students and parents.

■ Students should be given opportunities to do extra-credit work to make up for missed work.

We will survive this crisis, and teachers and school administrators will play a key role in ensuring that we do, provided that every district adheres to a set of basic guidelines for online teaching.

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opInIons

was asked recently why university presidents aren’t speaking out about the state of affairs in our country. Of course, the issue of the moment is the lack of preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, even when knowledgeable people were forecasting it. After all, universities are supposed to be moral forces in society.

Who is in a better position to remind the public of what the 19thcentury English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said: “. . . the rule is absolute, the [nation] which robert a. does not value trained intelliscott gence is doomed”?

Yet the voices of university leaders are largely silent in the face of the most critical issue of our time, and trained intelligence is ignored when politically inconvenient.

Some argue that university leaders should not take stands on policy, that they should not be “political.” But what is political and what is polemical? Politics refers to the public affairs of a country. A

polemic is an aggressive attack on the opinions or principles of another. Surely academic leaders can comment on the public affairs of the country without resorting to aggressive attacks, even if those whose policies are being confronted want others to believe that such comments are inappropriate.

Therefore, when scientific leadership on policies related to health care, clean water, air pollution and product safety, among others, is being replaced by lobbyists for the regulated industries, university leaders should be among the strongest voices expressing concern. Should they not call out falsehoods and fabrications passing as truth?

Education is the foundation of a free and democratic society. In any country, the university is unique in its mission to create, curate and critique. Laboratories create new knowledge, museums and libraries preserve the past, and journalists examine social policy by asking “Why?” But only the university is responsible for all three roles.

In these ways, the university fulfills its historic mission not as a political force,

s

houldn’t they call out falsehoods and fabrications passing as truth?

Letters Although the enemy that first responders are battling is invisible, they continue to fight with valor, and give us all the confidence that this virus will be defeated. Public transportation workers, grocery clerks, truck drivers and countless other essential workers are all working on the front lines to provide us with services that our society could not function without.

With the apex of the pandemic hitting during the holy season, people of all denominations had to limit their celebrations to immediate family, and many, including me, opted for virtual gatherings via Zoom. While physically empty, churches, mosques and temples continue to play a tremendous part in keeping congregations full in their faiths and hopeful that an end to this crisis is near. Religious leaders and community members across creeds have maintained active charities to combat food insecurity and provide first responders and those in need with personal protective equipment and other supplies even though their own collection of these needed materials was dwindling.

T he County Le gislature has received more than 4,000 letters and drawings from children for our frontline heroes as part of our “Letters to our Heroes” drive. Donations of PPE and nightly displays of gratitude — drive-bys, horn honks and alarm sounding — have cheered up and cheer

but as an ethical voice. For example, the founders of Adelphi were advocates for the advancement of women, the abolition of slavery and improved instruments for world peace. They adopted as their motto, “The truth shall make us free.” Surely there were those who thought the new institution should only teach classes, believing that school was separate from society. But the president and supporters knew the power of ethical arguments and the need for ethical thinking.

The ethical perspective considers fairness, the degree of bias, the consistency of application, the factual basis for assertions and the justness of moral judgments and public laws. Women had no right to vote, slavery was legal and war ignored diplomacy as the “first resort of kings,” as the author Richard Arndt described it, yet the Adelphi leaders had the courage of conviction and a visionary voice.

They knew that their role was to educate students, and the public, to reflect on what they read and heard, assess actions and policies, form independent opinions, and express impartial concerns as indi-

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

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Should university presidents take ethical stands?

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viduals. In this way, the university teaches us all to distinguish among the three paths to finding truth — through facts, faith and fear — and helps to clarify each.

To state facts is not polemical. People wake-u The can have different opinions, but not difnation ferent facts. The university’s role is to 19 orig advance knowledge, both general and expert; skills such as writing and speaking with clarity and persuasion; abilities such as critical thinking and leadership; and values such as teamwork, respect for others and their opinions, and becoming active in society as citizens.

These are the missions of a university, and it is the university president who serves as the chief mission officer. If we do our jobs well, our graduates will be well prepared to see the results of political actions that ignore expert knowledge.

They will be able to analyze propaganda masquerading as principle, and discern facts from unfounded superstitions. They will be able to call out the misguided actions of those who ignore science, histo- U.S. in ry and the need to respect others. We will more l sponso have prepared graduates for political action when it is needed regardless of the Wuhan polemics surrounding them. And we will experi becaus have taken an ethical stand. tists, th the lab Robert A. Scott is president emeritus of The Adelphi University. has pr ter, lo Wuhan

Framework by Eric Dunetz

on our heroes.

I have worked with County Executive Laura Curran and my fellow legislators to approve emergency legislation allowing the county to spend $2.3 million on PPE, testing supplies and other critical tools to help keep workers and residents safe. Recently, I joined my colleagues to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to push back the property tax deadline to give relief to struggling businesses and residents.

Last month the governor answered our call and extended the deadline until June 1.

The pandemic has affected our lives in ways that we could noy have fathomed just a few months ago. Recovery will be difficult, but with our combined efforts, it is more than possible.

The coronavirus may be tough, but Long Islanders are tougher.

C. WILLIAm GAYLOR Nassau County legislator

Cuomo has a friend in Jerry Kremer To the Editor: I just had to respond to last week’s column by Jerry Kremer, “Cuomo puts the other guy from Queens to shame.” Kremer speaks in glowing terms about Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but

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toilet p probab long be it, it ca right? R Tra

The Blue Angels’ and Thunderbirds’ goosebump-inducing tribute to health care heroes — Queens

leaves out so many details — for example, that Cuomo has put the state in a $6 billion hole because of inept and careless spending, investing state money in ridiculous solar panel schemes and not allowing fracking that would not only increase state revenue, but lower all taxpayer energy bills. He is also eliminating the Indian Point power plant, which provides New York City with 25 percent of its power.

Where does Cuomo expect to make up that energy deficit? Windmills? Solar power? When the lights go out this summer

and in summers to follow, there will be only one person to blame, and that will be Cuomo.

Kremer obviously despises President Trump, but I must say that if it were not for Trump and his staff bailing out all theseof us w mismanaged states, this country would bedon’t th finished. The least Trump deserves is amaking thank-you from these blue state governorsselves a Hum for coming to their rescue. defense RICHARD HEEmANit’s from Valley Streamabout t

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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