HERALD Nassau
Courtesy David Friedman
The Nexus robotics team and Daniel Duffey-Birkenstock, its new coach, right, demonstrated a robot for fifth-graders in Grant Park on Jan. 12.
Hewlett High creates fourth robotics team, named Nexus
By MELISSA BERMAN mberman@liherald.com
Hewlett High School’s newest robotics team, Nexus, may be small, but it is mighty.
Nexus is the school’s fourth robotics squad, joining Bionica — an all-female team — Innovo and Roboboogie.
Led by coach Daniel Duffey-Birkenstock, a special-education teacher at the high school, the team is made up of 15 students. Duffey-Birkenstock took over as coach last month, and has been enjoying every moment since, he said.
“I became the coach because of my ability
to stay organized,” he said. “It’s definitely a role that requires a lot of making sure permission slips are signed and purchase orders are in on time, because we have such a large club. I was offered the role because I think that it was manageable for somebody of my skill set.”
The school’s robotics teams are well known in the Hewlett and Woodmere communities for being committed and hardworking. There are more than 100 team members in all, and they meet every Friday from 3 to 9 p.m.
“I have no issue dedicating myself to somebody who’s dedicating themselves equally as
CoNTiNueD oN PaGe 16
Preserving a classical music legacy online
By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com
Renowned pianists Norman Horowitz and Melvin Stecher, who founded and directed the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts, in Cedarhurst, for almost 40 years, have now created a YouTube channel showcasing some of their best work, including performances on Long Island.
The pair gained prominence as a classical piano duo in the 1950s, performing in Europe, Japan, South America and across the United States. In 1960 they founded their performing arts school in Cedarhurst, which welcomed some 15,000 students.
S— summer festivals, morning series — and the people and student body and board of directors all really showed a lot of support, and it was a great place to have a school.”
After the school closed in 1999, the pair established the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, which has funded numerous scholarships and contests, such as the New York International Piano Competition, that have helped launch the careers of many young pianists.
omeone really has to make an effort to keep classical and piano music alive, and that is a part of our mission.
NORMAN HOROwItz Founder, Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts
“The school was really the cultural hub of the Five Towns, and really all of Nassau County,” Stecher, who, like his partner, is now in his 90s, said. “We started the first year with 40 students, and when we closed, we had about 500 per week. We performed many concerts there
Horowitz said that the foundation’s mission is to preserve classical music, and he believes that YouTube is a great way to do so with young people. “In today’s society, everything is instant gratification, with things like YouTube and TikTok,” he said. “Someone really has to make an effort to keep classical and piano music alive, and that is a part of our mission.”
Calum Pasqua, a former student at the Stecher and HorowCoNTiNueD oN PaGe 18
Hamas, Israel agree to ceasefire: hostage released, aid coming
By MELISSA BERMAN mberman@liherald.com
After a 15-month war in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Israel have reached a ceasefire agreement.
The agreement was announced on Jan. 15, and comes with the promise of 600 humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza, gradual IDF withdrawal from parts of Gaza, Israel to release 30 prisoners per every kidnapped civilian and the release 50 prisoners per every kidnapped female soldier along with the release of 33 Israeli hostages.
The ceasefire will last six weeks and negotiations will resume on the 16th day of the first stage to reach an agreement for the release of all remaining hostages in exchange for a complete end to the war.
The hostage release schedule in the agreement draft has — three released on Jan. 19, four released on the seventh day, three (women) released on the 14th day, three released on the 21st, 28th and 35th day and the final 14 in the sixth week.
The deal has to be confirmed by not only the Israeli cabinet and the Israeli ruling coalition but also petitioned to the Supreme Court and immediately implemented.
It was confirmed on Jan.19.
Lawrence village mayor, Samuel Nahmias, believes that this ceasefire is a vital step towards peace but prays for the safe return of all hostages.
“The imminent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is a vital step towards peace, but our focus must also be on the safe and immediate return of all hostages, ensuring that families are reunited and lasting security is established for all,” he wrote in a text. “It has been a dark period in time for Israel
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Woodmere Middle School (6-8)
1170 Peninsula Boulevard, Hewlett George W. Hewlett High School (9-12) 60 Everit Avenue, Hewlett
since the attacks that occurred on October 7th. Dr. King, once said, Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Israel will finally have some light!”
While Assemblyman Ari Brown thinks that it is a “ temporary and dan-
gerous illusion” and that we should look back to history.
“The so-called “ceasefire” being negotiated between Israel and Hamas is nothing more than a temporary and dangerous illusion,” he wrote in an email. History has shown us, with one exception — the peace agreement with Egypt — that terrorist groups like Hamas have never honored a ceasefire for long. These groups, backed by Iran and many Arab nations, do not seek peace. They openly call for the destruction of Israel, the Jewish people, and even the U.S.”
Brown believes that as Donald Trump is inaugurated into his second term as president, it will be a turning point.
“His leadership will take a firm stand against terrorism, securing hostages’ release without enabling more violence,” Brown wrote. “We must prioritize long-term security and stand strong against terror.”
Newly sworn in, Congresswoman Laura Gillen, released a statement about the ceasefire, and welcomed the announcement.
“This deal promises to bring the hostages home after 466 days in agonizing Hamas captivity, benefit Israel’s security and if upheld, could bring stability to the region,” she wrote. “We must make every effort to ensure the terrorist attacks of October 7th from ever happening again.”
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Parker Schug/Herald
Photographs of the hostages adorned chairs at the Chesed Center on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel.
Experts share tips to combat kidnap scam calls
By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com
In a time when information can be faked very easily and artificial intelligence can mimic the human voice, there has been a rise in scam phone calls, where unknown callers, sometimes using AI, falsely claim to have kidnapped a child and demand a ransom.
To address the growing problem and offer parents weapons in this battle, Michael Losco, the director of health, safety and security for the HewlettWoodmere school district and Charlie Sollin, a lieutenant with the Nassau County Police Department’s 4th precinct, spoke at Woodmere Middle School on Jan. 14.
Scammers often conduct extensive research on their targets before making a call, aiming to create as real of a scenario as possible. They gather personal details such as home addresses, school schedules, social media posts and even voicemail recordings.
Liraz Nizai, a school district resident, shared her experience dealing with a scam call.
Brian Norman/Herald
Michael Losco, the director of health, safety and security in the Hewlett-Woodmere school district, addressed the best ways to handle a child kidnapping scam call.
real chance it was artificial intelligence mimicking her daughter.. These hackers will do what we call ‘spoofing,’ a method where scammers manipulate phones to imitate real contacts or numbers.”
Losco, a former member of the New York City Police Department, said that 99.9 percent of the kidnapping calls he would receive are scam calls. Losco added that the asking price from the scammers would be his biggest tell on if it was a scam or not, because most of the time, these scammers are only trying to make a quick few thousand dollars off someone and move on.
Charlie Sollin has also dealt with many of these situations before, as a member of the Problem-Oriented Policing Unit, and shared how his team works to help Nassau County put an end to these situations.
“I got a phone call from a very aggressive man, right around the time my daughter goes to lunch,” she said. “He claimed to have taken her from outside the high school and threatened me, demanding money and warning me not to call anyone. I told him I was going to the bank, but instead, I went to the school for help. While I was talking to security, my daughter’s best friend walked by and said she was at school eating lunch. She called her, and I heard her voice, which finally calmed me down.”
thought it was a scam, but thought she heard her daughters voice in the background during the call. Losco, said this is often where AI can come into play.
Nizai said she had originally
“She heard crying in the background that sounded like her daughter’s voice,” Losco said. There’s a very
“There are three common ways that they ask for the money, asking for a check, gift cards, or the most common way we make arrests, sending someone to the location to pick up the money,” Sollin said. “We love when you guys call us for help, because if we can make an arrest on the middle man, who often doesn’t even know what he’s a part of, the callers will lose interest in that area and stop calling residents.”
Both Losco and Sollin said that should anyone receive such a call, they should call the police.
Student firm Tornado Watch takes business world by storm
By MELISSA BERMAN mberman@liherald.com
Lawrence High School’s Virtual Enterprise class, Tornado Watch, won big at the New York State Northeast Region Business Plan Competition and Trade Show, earning $137,000 in sales for their cyber security company and took home a silver award in the newsletter competition, demonstrating an ability to effectively communicate and engage with their audience.
VE is a college-level course, in its 14th year and simulates running a business. Students have to be recommended for the course and apply for the jobs such as accounting, CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, IT, human resources, marketing, social media marketing and sales.
“They fill out an application on Google Classroom, they meet with me and go through a brief interview and after a couple of days we announce the jobs to the class,” said VE teacher Mark Palladino. “Then, we start operations in October and the goal from a sales point of view is to generate sales from other firms from across Long Island and worldwide.”
Tornado Watch is one of 150 student firms in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
At Long Island University, Tornado Watch presented their business plan on Jan. 9 in front of judges for 10 minutes and held a five-minute question and answer period. By the end of this week,
they will know if they are moving on to the semi-finals.
“The students each have their own personal online checking account, they get paid twice a month and the accounting department has payroll registered,” Palladino said. “They use their net pay to make purchases throughout the virtual economy, that’s the fun component.”
At the competition, the team demonstrated excellence in both business strategy and innovative marketing, with standout achievements in sales and competition categories.
For the trade show portion, the students pitched products and services to students and guest at their booth. As an incentive for a purchase, hats were given to each buyer. The students handmade them in the class.
“That was influential in the $137,000 dollars in sales and the students use their phones for the point of sale,” Palladino added. “We are incredibly proud of Tornado Watch’s performance. Their hard work, dedication, and teamwork truly paid off and it was exciting to see their innovative cyber security solution receive such positive attention.”
Ava Abramov, CMO chose to take this class because her goal is to major in business and she spoke with her guidance counselor and the counselor believed this was the best option for her.
“The hats really attracted customers to our booths at the competition, for every purchase we made no matter the price we gave the hat as a reward,” Abramov said.
Eliel Morales, CEO was curious about the world of business and signed up for VE to learn business management and receive the college credits.
“Tornado Watch is a cyber security protection company and we sell personal protection plans for devices,” Morales said.
They mainly aim sell to school business administrators due to the high amount of cyber attacks.
“In the past four years, there were 29 attacks on Long Island, so we feel that it’s very important to charge students less than school business administrators,” Abramov added.
They are proud of their earnings at the competition and trade show, and now plan to reinvest into new technology, software and hire more employees.
“Even though we are a business, we act like a family and I’m so grateful that Palladino trusted me to be the top position,” Morales said. “I’m lucky to learn a lot about data information, the business world and help others with cyber security.”
Courtesy Lawrence school district
The Lawrence High School virtual enterprise class earned $137,000 in sales at the New York State Northeast Region Business Plan Competition and Trade Show, on Jan. 9.
“With
Bringing holiday joy to nearly 90 families
the End in Mind”
by Kathryn Mannix, M.D.
Subtitled Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial, Dr. Mannix’s book is a series of true stories allowing readers to “experience” what happens when people are approaching the end of their lives: how they cope; how they live; what matters most; how dying evolves; what a deathbed is like; how families react. She finds that there is little to fear and much to prepare for.
While many people imagine dying to be agonizing and undignified, Dr. Mannix reassures us that this is rarely the case. Instead, people gradually sleep more often until unconsciousness sets in. This was common knowledge when death took place in the home – until about 1900 when funeral homes first came into being. Knowing what to expect can be immensely comforting to the dying person and their supporters.
Palliative care specialists believe that enabling people to be architects of their own solutions is key to respecting their dignity. They are only in a new phase of life; they have not abdicated their personhood.
The author advocates reclaiming “death” and
“dead” from modern day euphemisms such as “passed away” and “lost” and further that despite a well-lived and contented life, we often say they “lost their battle” instead of that they simply died. These attitudes disable us from having straightforward, unambiguous conversations about death. The conspiracy of silence about death often leads to the heartbreak of the dying being unable to convey their hopes and wishes.
“The dreadful reality, told with honesty and compassion, allows patients and their families to make choices based on truth, instead of encouraging the misleading, hopeless quest for a medical miracle that promotes futile treatment, protracts dying and disallows goodbyes.”
There are only two days with fewer than 24 hours in each lifetime, one is celebrated every year, yet it is the other than makes us see living as precious. Dr. Mannix points the way to what we can become: beacons of compassion, living in the moment, looking backwards with gratitude and forgiveness, and focused on the simple things that really matter.
ETTINGER LAW FIRM
The St. John’s ICARE Foundation has concluded its 2024 Adopt-A-Family program, deeming it a success by providing holiday support to nearly 90 families and benefiting more than 300 individuals in the community.
“The holidays can be extremely stressful, especially when you’re wondering how you will purchase your gifts for your family,” Nancy Leghart, executive director of the St. John’s ICARE Foundation said in a news release. “Thanks to the generous support of our donors, more than 300 people from 90 families received gifts and enjoyed the holiday season.”
The annual program operates through a partnership between the foundation and social workers from St. John’s Episcopal Hospital’s outpatient behavioral health clinics, which help
identify patients in need. The foundation’s Adopt-a-Family subcommittee reviews patient referrals and matches families with donors.
This year’s donor group included diverse community partners: churches from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, Episcopal Health Services team members, corporations including Local Media Solutions and The Port Authority of NY and NJ, and local organizations such as the Kiwanis of The Rockaways.
Donors receive personalized wish lists and provide essential items including clothing and toys for children, as well as household necessities and clothing for parents, with many donors exceeding expectations to ensure families experience holiday joy.
— Melissa Berman
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NASSAU
Courtesy St. John’s ICARE Foundation
The St. John’s ICARE Foundation was overwhelmed by the generosity of its Adopt-AFamily donors.
Honoring 10 years of leadership at Young Israel of Woodmere
Rabbi Shay and Rebbetzin Rina Schachter will be honored by Young Israel of Woodmere for their decade of leadership at the congregation’s 64th annual dinner, on March 10.
Since joining YIW, Schachter has transformed the synagogue’s spiritual and educational landscape, serving a congregation of more than 1,200 families, according to shul leaders.
Beginning as head of the Beis Midrash, he developed an extensive educational platform that includes over 1,000 online Talmudic readers, reaching Jewish communities worldwide.
Schachter has become known for his guidance in Jewish law and support for both young families and established community members.
His leadership has been particularly notable, synagogue leaders said, coordinating support for families affected by the hostage crisis in Israel.
The synagogue has emerged as a
national model for community support, hosting former hostages, their families and prominent Israel-focused speakers.
Schachter has been instrumental in the synagogue’s growth, working alongside her husband in community building and providing essential support to both the rabbi and congregation members.
“The past 18 months have tested our community’s strength, but under Rabbi Schachter’s guidance, YIW has risen to meet these challenges,” synagogue officials said in a news release. “Both Rabbi and Rebbetzin Schachter have shown exceptional dedication to Torah leadership and community building.”
The annual dinner will support educational programming, community development, and various initiatives promoting Torah and Jewish values. Community members can RSVP for the celebration at YiWoodmere.org.
— Melissa Berman
Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick supports book drive
State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick is supporting a community-wide book drive intended to promote literacy and reading. The book drive is an opportunity for donors to give back to the community, the news release continued, and can help support reading and education across Nassau County.
“We know the power of a good book— it can inspire, educate, and open doors to new worlds,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said in a news release. “I encourage everyone to donate new or gently used
books and help us make a difference in the lives of others.”
Books can be donated at five public libraries in Nassau County — Lynbrook, Long Beach, Elmont, Lawrence and Malverne — until Feb. 7. All donations will go to Book Fairies, a Freeportbased nonprofit organization that distributes books to communities in need on Long Island.
For more information, call Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick’s office at (516) 766-8383.
— Renee DeLorenzo
Courtesy Young Israel of Woodmere
Rabbi Shay Schachter, right, and Rebbetzin Rina Schachter will be honored by Young Israel of Woodmere in March as they mark 10 years of leadership at the synagogue.
MAKAYLA DAUBE
Mepham Senior Basketball
A FIFTH-YEAR VARSITY basketball player, Daube accomplished two rare milestones this season while leading the Pirates to 10 wins in their first 13 games. Mepham’s 2025 Valedictorian, she reached both the 1,000point and 1,000-rebound plateaus. On Jan. 9, in a 54-40 victory over Herricks, she also became the program’s single-game scoring leader with 34 points. In the fall, Daube helped Mepham to its first-ever volleyball county title.
GAMES TO WATCH
Friday, Jan. 24
Boys Basketball: Uniondale at Hempstead 5 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Kennedy at Elmont 5 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Plainedge at V.S. North 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Wantagh at Mineola 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Long Beach at Baldwin 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Mepham at Carey 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Glen Cove at Sewanhaka 5 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Oceanside at Freeport 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Manhasset at Hewlett 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: South Side at Clarke 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25
Girls Basketball: Floral Park at Lynbrook 10 a.m.
Boys Basketball: North Shore at Seaford 12 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Island Trees at Malverne 12 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Mineola at Wantagh 12 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Clarke at V.S. North 12 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Seaford at North Shore 12 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Wheatley at West Hempstead 12 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Uniondale at Farmingdale 12 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 27
Girls Basketball: Freeport at Oceanside 6:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Kennedy at South Side 7 p.m.
Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”
High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a winter sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.
Hewlett approaching playoff status
By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com
Hewlett’s boys’ basketball team enters the closing stretch of the season well positioned for a playoff berth in Class AA.
A 58-52 win at Bethpage Jan. 16 improved the Bulldogs to 5-3 in Conference AA-V and 10-3 overall. With six league games remaining, Hewlett can punch its postseason ticket by finishing with a .500 or better record.
“As long as we hold serve we will be OK,” said second-year Hewlett head coach Andy DeBernardo. “We’re in a good spot.”
The Bulldogs were paced in the Bethpage win by a 21-point, eight rebound performance from senior Justin Ogilvie Senior Justin Ortiz also had 12 points in a game Hewlett led 30-24 at halftime.
DeBernardo said Ortiz and Ogilvie, who are both reigning All-County players, have been instrumental in leading Hewlett to close wins and playing competitive games against top teams in the conference, Roslyn, Elmont and South Side. The two standouts brings different skillsets to the table with Oritz a top-flight outside shooter and Ogilvie an elite slasher who can create points by driving to the hoop.
“Justin Ortiz got hot at the beginning of the season and Ogilvie has been carrying us the last couple of weeks,” DeBernardo said. “Any team could stop one guy, it’s hard to stop two guys, and they have very different games.”
Ogilvie and Ortiz combined for 47 points in a 71-62 win at Manhasset on Dec. 13 that helped Hewlett establish a strong start to league play. The duo was clutch down the stretch sinking nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
Hewlett has also gotten strong offensive and defensive contributions from 6-3 freshman center Gabe Bowery, who tallied nine points in a 56-46 loss to Hewlett on Jan. 13 in a game the Bulldogs led 25-23 at halftime against last year’s Class AA runnerup. He also registered 14 points in a 55-48 victory at Plainedge on Dec. 28.
Senior Daniel Lankri has also been pivotal to Hewlett’s solid start to the conference season as a lockdown defender who
is also progressing his offensive game.
“He is probably our best defender and he’s starting to score six or eight points a game which is going to make us that much better,” said DeBernardo of Lankri. “Over his career he has been a great defender and dives on the floor, taking charges, boxing out. Now he’s starting to score a little bit and it’s making him a really nice all around player.”
To prepare Hewlett for its crucial late season stretch, Lankri scheduled a tough non-league game against Class AAA
opponent Hempstead on Martin Luther King Day. The Bulldogs have a home rematch with Manhasset on tap for Friday night at 7 p.m. before a road test Monday at first place Roslyn, who defeated Hewlett 79-64 on Dec. 16 in what was a sixpoint game entering the fourth quarter.
“We’re looking to not settle and just beat the teams we should beat,” DeBernardo said. “Our goal is to make the playoffs and get a home game because if you get in the playoffs we’ll be battle tested already.”
Sue Grieco/Herald
Gabe Bowery, right, and the 10-win Bulldogs are within reach of punching their ticket to the Nassau Class AA playoffs.
LIRR record on-time rate isn’t whole story
By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
With New York City’s new congestion pricing system now in place, Gov. Kathy Hochul rode the rails to Syosset earlier this year, urging city-bound Long Island commuters to leave their cars at home and embrace “world-class” public transit.
On Long Island, the tolling program is expected to increase commuters’ reliance on the Long Island Rail Road. Weekday ridership climbed from about 77 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023 to roughly 80 percent last year.
Transit officials, meanwhile, are highlighting the improved service of the railway system, emphasizing a propublic transit message to court suburban commuters looking to avoid the $9 toll to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. LIRR President Rob Free boasted that a higher percentage of trains operated on time last year than ever before.
“Our 95.6 percent on-time performance in 2024 is our highest non-Covid year in the history that we’ve been tracking on-time performance,” Free said.
Three years of growth and growing pains
An analysis of LIRR data over the past three years, however, combined with riders’ firsthand accounts, paints a fuller — and undeniably more complicated — picture.
The number of late trains nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, from 8,691 to 17,064. The surge, Free contends, resulted from the increase in post-pandemic service over the last two years amid landmarks like the opening of Grand Central Madison terminal in 2023.
“We operated over 77,000 more trains in 2023 than in 2022,” Free said. “We’ve operated a little over 316,000 trains in 2024, compared to 302,000 trains in 2023. That’s a huge lift.”
The new service into Midtown Manhattan brought with it a complete overhaul of the system’s train schedules. Some service lines and connections were cut, while others added more frequent service.
By the end of November 2024, the number of late trains for the year dropped to 11,480, as disruptions eased — although the number of delays remained higher than in 2022.
LIRR’s own operations are main culprit for delays
Despite fears of commuter frustrations and confusion with the opening of the new terminal, the main cause of train delays in 2023 and 2024 wasn’t passenger-related interruptions. Instead, it was train operations — issues like scheduling conflicts, slow boarding and late departures. These were problems largely within the transit agency’s control that ate into the time passengers needed to board and disembark.
Other problems, like delays caused by train door malfunctions in an aging fleet, were up 79 percent in the first half of 2024, compared with the same period in 2023. And the much-needed upkeep of the LIRR’s ailing infrastructure, from
According to state data, while the LIRR achieved a record 95.6 percent on-time performance in 2024, the number of delays remain higher than in 2022 due to operational issues, infrastructure maintenance, and the impact of increased service volume.
Riders report overall satisfaction with their service but, complained about missed connections, and weren’t happy about the possibility of another fare increase.
signal repairs to track maintenance, has also been a major contributor to train delays over the past two years.
For his part, Free said that a “heightened focus on infrastructure maintenance” has helped, cutting switch failures by 31 percent in 2024, with further work focusing on improving safety and efficiency planned for this year — even if that means more delays.
Historic on-time rate, but average delays stay the same
LIRR trains are more punctual overall, but the average delay of a late train hasn’t gotten any shorter. Rather, wait times have held steady — between 11 and 12 minutes — over the past three years.
Given what he described as an “explosion” of service since the beginning of 2023, Free views this consistency in lateness as a sign of a functioning
system. In the nation’s largest transit system, with lines of service so “interconnected that one hiccup on one of our branches can have systemwide impacts on our total operation, the on-time performance we are achieving is nothing short of a miracle,” he said.
Still, critics point out that the data on train delays misses a key detail: the agency’s “on or close to schedule” standard allows for a grace period of up to six minutes. Delays under six minutes aren’t counted, masking a significant portion of minor setbacks that can still disrupt commuters’ plans.
Riders like Sasha Hanson, who commutes from Valley Stream to her interior design job at Stonehill Taylor in Manhattan, contends that these unofficial hold-ups can be just as vexing when they cause missed connections, particularly at Jamaica Station.
“It gets obnoxious, especially when transfer delays hit at the last minute— usually right as you’re getting off the train,” Hanson said. “It’s not like you can avoid it ahead of time on your commute.”
The “amount of trains that we operate through this terminal is a huge impediment to our operation,” admits Free. “We are looking to improve this situation by putting in higher speed switches, lengthening the platform, and installing a new signal system among other capacity improvements.”
Riders give LIRR high marks — but not for fares
Despite delays, last fall’s MTA survey found that 76 percent of nearly 22,000 commuters surveyed were satisfied overall with their service. Yet some commuters who speak well of the railway also balk at the idea of higher fares.
“I don’t think fares should increase, because it’s costing me a lot of money just to get to school,” said Raya Adiva, a Valley Stream resident and high school senior who depends on the LIRR to get to school in the city.
The specter of more expensive fares looms over commuters as the MTA Board approves a $19.9 billion budget for 2025, which includes plans for a potential 4 percent hike in fares and tolls.
“What’s important to keep in mind is that the price of a monthly ticket is still cheaper now than it was in 2019,” Free said. “The way we institute fares is predictable, so our customers know when it’s coming. We’ve done an incredible job of maintaining cost and giving people good value for their money.”
Data Wrapper Illustration by Juan Lasso/Herald
Tim Baker/Herald
LONG LIVE
Many ways to access great doctors? We have that. Simple mobile app? We have that, too. Convenient locations for primary, specialty and urgent care? Absolutely. On Long Island, you have options in health care. But at Catholic Health, we'd like to remind you to choose you first – because we did, too. Long Live You and Long Live Long Island™
MLK Tribute: Gospel on the Rock
Episcopal Health Services partnered with the Far Rockaway Community Church of the Nazarene to present the Gospel on the Rock event, recognizing the life and service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Jan. 16.
The event was hosted by Vanessa Nazario, the Chief Social Impact Officer at Episcopal Health Services and featured video clips from some of Dr. King’s most influential speeches in history.
Rev. Les Mullings, senior pastor of the Far Rockaway Community Church of the Nazarene, opened the event with a warm welcome, a prayer, and reflections on Dr. King’s enduring legacy.
Donald Morrish, the chief executive officer at Episcopal Health Services then followed with some opening remarks of his own, thanking the church for hosting the event and talking about
the power of local music from within the community.
The event was also filled with performance from many local dancing and choir groups. Some groups featured were the Challenge Charter middle and high school step teams, the BethEl Church of God in Christ Choir, The Challenge Charter High School Choir and the Far Rockaway Community Church of Nazarene Praise Team.
The event then closed with Michelle Burchette, a lead mammography technologist at EHS who performed a reading of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Pastor Asnel Valcin, the director of pastoral care and education with EHS, then performed a prayer to close the event.
— Brian Norman
The Challenge Charter Middle School Step Team opened up the program with two dance numbers.
Brian Norman/Herald photos
Residents gathered at the Far Rockaway Community Church of the Nazarene to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Challenge Charter High School Step team performed two dance routines as part of the finale.
Rev. Les Mullings welcome residents and lead them in prayer, while talking about the importance of celebrating Dr. King’s life and message.
The Far Rockaway Community Church of Nazarene Praise Team brought residents to their feet with two vocal performances.
Lawrence resident brings Zaberias to America
By BRIAN NORMAN
bnorman@liherald.com
Zaberias, a strategy-based war game developed by Benny Goldstein of Lawrence, is a popular board game in Israel and it is making its way to the United States.
Goldstein, originally from Israel, developed the game with his cousin Moshe Glueck and have sold over 10,000 copies to date. Goldstein says that he has always had a passion for board games and got the idea celebrating Shabbat with his family.
“I have three boys and during shabbat you aren’t allowed to be on your phone, so we would play a lot of board games,” Goldstein said. “So as time went on, we loved playing board games so much that we started inventing our own, and my nephew Moshe is an artist and also loves games he helped us to create Zaberias.”
there for five hours playing and it’s like how can you do all of this stuff,” Amitai said. “My passion for the game and why I loved making the videos was because I loved getting to play the game and obviously spend time with my father.”
Goldstein, who has lived in Lawrence for the past eight years, is looking to bring the popular board game to the United States, Goldstein said this game is important to for children to keep them off the screens and to bring the family together.
I magination has been taken away from children with these screens and I wanted this game to bring that back,
BeNNy GOldsteIN, Creator ZaBerIas
Released in 2008, Zaberias is a skirmish game that emphasizes strategy and education. Goldstein’s son Amitai, would make YouTube videos, describing how to play the game and give people tips on strategies and ways to play.
Amitai said that his passion for the game grew because of the love for his father and the time that they would spend together as a family playing it.
“In the beginning of the game when you get into it, you’re like what is going on here, there are so many pieces and things look the same, but once you start to get more and more into it you can be
“One of the main reasons why I wanted to make this game was to keep children away from the TV screens have taken away children’s imagination and I wanted this game to bring that back,” he said. “It also brings the family together, when you play this game with your kids and you see the excitement, they have for hours during the game it brings the family together.”
Goldstein has already began developing games in the United States with 2,000 copies set to hit stores soon. He said that he wants to bring the community together with his game as well, and has begun looking into venue to host board game nights with members of the community.
“I host board game night every week with my friends and family at my house where we have people come and play not just this game but other games as well,” Goldstein said. “I usually host but I have been considering renting a small venue to have more members of the community come and play games and connect.”
Courtesy Benny Goldstein
Benny Goldstein, left, and Moshe Glueck, the creators of Zaberias.
A modern approach to traditional values
‘Character Education’ has a new name: Social and Emotional Learning
Catholic education has always been unique because it is values-based, and places a high level of importance on personal and interpersonal skills. This difference has been realized through the expectation of certain kinds of conduct in a Catholic school that reflects a student’s self-respect, and respect for others. Responsibility, and accountability for one’s actions have always been part of the higher expectation in Catholic school.
After years of experimenting with the latest educational fads, schools of all types across the nation are recognizing that investing in the social and emotional management skills of students will have a greater effect on the trajectory of their lives. Public, private and Catholic schools have all shown greater interest in what is now known as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Catholic schools, because they have never lost sight of this, are further along in the development and implementation of SEL programs.
Catholic schools across the Diocese of Rockville Centre have maintained their focus on the ‘character education’ of students, even as more permissive educational models were being implemented elsewhere. While currentday Catholic school has embraced the integration of new educational technologies, personalized learning and new curriculum elements, the commitment to traditional values and religious tradition have never wavered. Catholic school has continued to teach biblical principles and traditional values, focusing imparting spirituali-
ty and self-discipline. In doing so, character education has systematically, yet seamlessly, been an integral part of the educational experience of generations of students.
Today, the heightened interest in SEL makes it clear that Catholic schools were on the right track all along.
Why Social Emotional Learning matters
Social Emotional Learning is viewed as attentiveness to the whole child’s needs. It is comprised of five major components: selfawareness, self-management, decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness.
Self-Awareness: A self-aware student will recognize how his or her thoughts, emotions, actions, and values impact their behavior.
Students are encouraged to embrace a growth mindset, recognizing that change is possible, and that they have the ability to become selfsufficient and confident.
Self-Management: Students are taught to regulate their own thoughts, emotions, and actions to align with their values. Selfmanagement emphasizes motivation, impulse control, organizational skills, and goal-setting.
Responsible Decision-Making: Students are encouraged to make responsible decisions within an ethical framework. Being a responsible decision maker requires problem identification, analysis, self-evaluation, and reflection.
Relationship Skills: Development of skills like communicating effectively, engaging in
appropriate social behavior, and participation in group and collaborative activities.
Social Awareness: The ability to empathize with others, including those with whom they disagree, as well as those from different moral, cultural, and ethical backgrounds.
As everyone who has attended Catholic school can attest, these five principles are traditional parts of a Catholic education. In fact, these characteristics are often the most easily
distinguishable differences in the way a young man or woman ‘carries themselves’ in their daily interactions with others. They are the characteristics that we subconsciously recognize and silently attribute to the student being ‘a Catholic school kid’.
Photo: Faith-based rigorous academics are enhanced by innovative teaching practices that prepare students for the modern tech-based world in which we live.
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The governor assesses the state of the state
By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Gov. Kathy Hochul kicked off her fourth year in office on Jan. 14 by outlining her proposed 2025 agenda in her State of the State address. That agenda includes more than 200 initiatives, many of which would have an impact on Long Island.
Here are some of the key proposals Hochul discussed.
Affordability
Unsurprisingly, Hochul began the address with the issue on every New Yorker’s mind: the cost of living. New Yorkers have seen rising prices in housing, food, utilities, transportation and health care. According to RentCafe, the cost of living in New York is 26 percent higher than the national average.
The governor proposed tax cuts, rebate checks and savings from free school lunches, an initiative that could save a family of five $5,000 a year.
“I’m calling for a sweeping middle-class income tax cut benefitting 8.3 million taxpayers making less than $323,000,” she said. “The tax cut I propose today and will fight for in the coming months will deliver the lowest tax rates in seven decades and save hardworking taxpayers $1 billion.
“But that’s just the start,” she added.
A proposed $3 billion in inflation relief rebates would provide one-time payments of $300 or $500 based on income level and tax filing status. The initiative would have to be approved by the State Legislature.
Hochul’s budget also includes expanding the state’s child tax credit. Under the proposal, families could see the credit increase by as much as three times the current amount — up to $1,000 per child under age 4, and
Tim Baker/Herald
Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her State of the State address on Jan. 14, discussing a wide range of policies. Above, the governor appeared at the Long Island Association’s State of the Region Breakfast on Jan. 10.
$500 for children ages 4 to 16. The changes would be phased in over two years.
She governor also proposed that households making up to $323,200 — roughly 77 percent of taxpayers — would be given an income tax break that could save households hundreds of dollars a year for roughly.
Education
Hochul unveiled a proposal that would offer free tuition to New Yorkers pursuing associate’s degrees in high-demand fields such as nursing, teaching, technology and engineering. The initiative would build on the state’s existing financial aid programs, and target residents between 25 and 55 seeking to learn new skills to look for jobs in essential industries.
Nearby states, including Massachusetts, have launched similar tuition-free college programs to address labor shortages and promote economic mobility.
Hochul also announced her support for universal free school meals. That would mean boosting state funds to expand an existing program that could reach 280,000 students who aren’t already covered.
Mental Health
Hochul, who is expected to seek re-election in 2026, took office in 2021 when residents statewide were grappling with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Many students faced — and continue to face — mental health challenges.
That has been a central focus throughout her administration. In her latest initiative, she aims to address concerns about random acts of violence committed by those with severe, untreated mental illness. Her agenda includes strengthening Kendra’s Law, which mandates outpatient treatment for certain people with mental illnesses who are not receiving care.
Additionally, Hochul is advocating for a Teen Mental Health First Aid program, to equip high school students with the skills to maintain their mental health and offer support to their peers. She also promoted mental health resources for after-school programs, to ensure students access to licensed health care facilities through state-funded programs.
Nexus team’s dual mission: robots, fundraising
hard,” Duffey-Birkenstock added. “It was a no-brainer to say yes. It’s a very special group of students.”
Community outreach is a big part of the teams’ activities, and Nexus had the chance to work with David Freidman, president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association, on Jan. 10.
“Our teams not only spend time in the workshop, they spend time in the community, giving back and sharing what they’re doing, especially with the younger generation,” Duffey-Birkenstock said.
Friedman arranged for some HWBA members to hear a pitch from Nexus about raising money for team sweatshirts and donating the proceeds to the Mary Brennan INN soup kitchen, in Hempstead.
“I’ve introduced team members to some local business owners who are making donations to raise $1,000 to be donated to a local charitable organization,” Friedman wrote in an email. “We agreed that The Inn/Mary Brennan Soup Kitchen would be an ideal recipient of funds raised.”
Community outreach members went to Ay! Caramba!, in Hewlett, to pitch their idea and invite feedback from community members. Friedman showed the students how to make a presentation on attracting sponsorship and raising money.
“The HWPS Endowment Fund and HWBA have been working with the HHS robotics club to mentor students,” Friedman wrote, referring to Hewlett Wood-
members of team nexus led a workshop with Hewlett Woodmere Business association members at ay! Caramba!, in Hewlett, to attract sponsors.
mere Public Schools, “assisting with shipments of STEM kits to schools in other states, team logo design, providing team sweatshirts, marketing and learning about practical applications of robotics in the fields of medicine, aerospace, law enforcement and manufacturing.”
Fifth-graders from the Hewlett and Ogden elementary schools had a skate night at Grant Park, in Hewlett, on Jan. 12.
Team Nexus presented a demo of its robot there, and spoke about the program, in the interest of recruiting for the middle school robotics team.
Team members demonstrated a midsized robot that can rotate 360 degrees and has a controllable arm that can pick
things up and function independently. It took them three months to build.
“Not only do they control the robot, but they program the light sensor, camera and distance sensors,” Duffey-Birkenstock explained.
Nexus presented the robot at a competition last weekend at Sewanhaka High School, in Elmont. In order to move on to the semifinals, the team needed to win either the first or second preliminary round, and was awaiting the results of those rounds this week.
Yeraz Melconian, a junior at the high school and the captain of Nexus, has been involved in robotics since she was a freshman, and helped created Team Nexus.
“At the end of last season, I contacted our previous adviser to make the new fourth robotics team, because there’s a lot of people joining Hewlett robotics each year,” Melconian said. “Especially with the number of recruits this year, there was no way we could accommodate to have a fair experience for all of them.”
Melconian transferred from Roboboogie to Nexus at the beginning of the school year.
Freshman community outreach lead Mahi Patel worked alongside Friedman on the outreach, because she’s new.
“A lot of people rejected us, and I asked Mr. Friedman if he could help team Nexus because we wanted hoodies, but not everyone on the team could pay for one,” Patel said. “Together we came up with an idea to get 10 sponsors, with each one giving $100 in exchange to showcase all of their logos and business names.”
The pitch went well, she said, and they secured all 10 sponsors.
Melconian lead the Grant Park robot demonstration, and said he hoped it would attract a few future members.
“It was really fun to see how all of the team members came together,” he said, “and we grew into a family really quickly, and everyone has their own unique role on the team.”
As a newcomer to robotics, Patel said she is grateful for people she has met and the new friends she has made. “I love that we goof around, have fun and act like a family,” she said.
Courtesy David Friedman
Arena Football team to call Coliseum home
By MICHELLE RABINOVICH sports@liherald.com
Arena Football is coming back to Nassau County, and this time it’s in a brand-new league in the form of the ENTFLA – the Entertainment Football Association.
Spearheaded by Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed, flanked by league owner Doug Freeman with a slight style different: other than the fact that it will be indoors, is that it will be on 7-on-7 format with a reduced play clock, along with the elimination of kicking on fourth down, leading to overall higher-scoring and higher-paced games.
Uniondale and Nassau Coliseum will be the home of one of four teams in the ENTFLA, with the other teams based in Morristown, NJ, Danbury, CT and Fitchburg, MA. The season is projected to run from June to August.
The emphasis of the new league in the land of Billy Joel and bagels was to bring professional sports to local, blue-collar families without breaking the bank, with an added emphasis on entertainment appropriate for the entire family while at a pro game, confirmed by its mission statement.
League advisor Tommy Benizio said the real purpose is to bring something that’s affordable, fun and entertaining, giving families in Long Island a place to come without driving hours and pay hundreds of dollars in tickets and parking passes to watch football live in an arena.
Plus, it’s meant to be fun.
“Between the players flying over the wall, landing in your lap and knocking your hotdog out of your hand, you catch a football you get to keep it, the cheerleaders, the mascot, the dancing and T-shirt canons, it is a fun and entertaining thing for three or four hours on Sat-
urday nights,” Benizio said. “So before you can come into the building we want live music and jumping castles for kids and a beer garden, it’s a party.”
With over 100 high school football teams on the island, the league’s owners hope for a close connection between the youth of Long Island growing in the sport they love, and the professionals engaged in it. Roosevelt High School football head coach Joe Vito is excited to see how a local pro football team will create an additional positive influence for his players.
“I’m excited to be able to have my team come here and see and maybe dream about maybe being this one day,” Vito said. “I try to expose our kids to a lot of things and coming to this is will be something they’ll be exposed to, so they’re excited to get the opportunity to come.”
Reed, the league commissioner, is key on the possibility of giving all types of NCAA football players another avenue to play the sport they love even if they don’t make it to the Show.
“We’re gonna be pulling kids from college, that pool, and a lot of these that are going to play in this league, when they play in this league, it’s another avenue for them to get to the Big Time,” Reed said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re at, if you’re good enough and display those attributes that a team might want, you can find somewhere to go and get a chance. We feel this league is about that.”
Each team will play 8 regular-season games.
“Anytime that we could have another opportunity to have more of our kids play professional football, is a great opportunity that we love as we coach the youth,” Vito said.
The nickname for the “Long Island” or “New York” franchise will be determined through a naming contest. Visit goentfla.com for more information.
Courtesy ENTFLA Buffalo Bills legend Andre Reed is commissioner of the new Entertainment Football Association, which debuts in June with four franchises including Long Island.
Stecher, Horowitz showcase piano artistry online
itz School who is now a music teacher in the Hewlett-Woodmere school district, said he uses the lessons he learned there in every class he teaches today.
“I take what they taught me with me every single day,” Pasqua said. “They would always make sure to be humanistic, because we were still kids, even if we took performing really seriously. They were able to express music to kids to understand it and understand the emotion behind it, and that is not an easy thing to do.”
Pasqua also talked about how important Stecher and Horowitz have been for classical music, saying that they were able to see the potential in every student, and help each one perform at a high level.
“They haven’t just kept it alive,” Pasqua said. “They have kept it alive, interesting, approachable, and kept it to a standard that I haven’t seen. They are top tier, not only as musicians, but in their ability to see how far a kid can go and help guide them to get there. I couldn’t do what they do.”
The YouTube channel will feature more than 30 videos of performances from Stecher and Horowitz tours as well as their
students’ concerts, some of which were recorded on Long Island. The two musicians have continued to create initiatives aimed at preserving classical music, such as their new $25,000 Gateway Prize for advancement in the arts.
Horowitz said that classical music has been a calling for him. He and his good friend would continue to promote the genre and help younger generations of musicians for as long as they can.
“We just now instituted five new awards that are going to be nationwide for teachers and students,” Horowitz said, “and now our foundation has just created a $25,000 grant for a faculty member who is leading a conservatory or university and contributing to music.”
Visit Stecher and Horowitz’s YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/user/StecherandHorowitz.
Photos courtesy Debra Kinzler
melvin Stecher, left, and norman Horowitz founded and directed the Stecher and Horowitz School of the arts, in Cedarhurst.
the Youtube Channel will feature recorded concert performances from all over the world, including many on Long island.
STEPPING OUT
Photos courtesy LICM
In the Orion spacecraft, future astronauts interact with buttons, levers and sounds as they learn facts about what it takes to bring humans to the Moon, and eventually to Mars.
Space explorers need to utilize limited resources on the moon to live and survive. At this work station, children transport objects to and from the surface using foam blocks.
for an out-of-this-world adventure
‘Moon to Mars’ touches down at Long Island Children’s Museum
By Danielle Schwab
Calling all future space explorers! It’s time to set course to the moon, and beyond, with opportunities for kids to fuel their imaginations and dream bigger — and farther — than ever before.
“Moon to Mars” has rocketed into Long Island Children’s Museum, on view through May 4. The traveling exhibit, — created by Omaha Children’s Museum and designed with support from NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems at Johnson Space Center — brings the wonders of space to life for young learners. Through six immersive play zones, future explorers get a first-hand look at current space technology and discover the possibilities of future missions.
“We have the resources to bring a really complex topic to life for children, where they can understand what makes a mission possible like what tools are used or why astronauts need to wear protective clothing,” says Ashley Niver, the museum’s director of education.
Inspired by the current realities and the future dreams of space travel, the exhibit’s connection to real NASA technology is what makes it so compelling. Kids can climb aboard the Orion Spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts on future Artemis missions — using buttons, levers and sounds — or take the wheel of the Lunar Rover to explore the moon’s rugged surface.
“With the recent advancements in space exploration, like the launch of the James Webb telescope and the evolution of SpaceX, it’s the perfect time to introduce an exhibit focused on the future Artemis Mission,” Niver says. “We have so many leaps in space exploration and so many new things on the horizon.”
Clearly, creating advanced space technology is no simple feat. It involves creativity, problem-solving and much trial and error on the part of a diverse team. Young space explorers have the chance to dive into that engineering process, designing and building their very own rockets, and then launching their creations across the room.
“There’s a lot of engineering components that come into this, involving critical thinking for kids. These people [the spacecraft systems developers] have an incredible amount of skill and knowledge about space and creating these structures, but there are still things that they might realize don’t work, and to solve the problem,” Niver adds.
“The exhibit offers children endless opportunities to nurture their curiosity through the most effective way we know they learn: play. It also provides a valuable opportunity for parents to discover ways to incorporate big concepts like space exploration, physics and engineering into play at home. Whether it’s building a Martian landscape with pillows or creating a rocket ship out of a cardboard box, these activities spark storytelling that encourages imagination and inspires the ‘big thinkers’ of tomorrow.”
After young “explorers” have landed at their destination, there’s still much to be discovered. Visitors can get geared up in a spacesuit and explore a new world.
Among the components, kids can construct a new base using pulleys and blocks at the Moon Base Builder to make the planet or moon inhabitable.
Once the base is complete, step through the lunar leaps and feel the changes in gravity as you walk — or jump.
• Now until May 4
• $18 museum admission, $16 seniors 65 and older
• View the LICM events calendar at licm.org for additional information or call (516) 224-5800
• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City
“You could take a leap and you have to work really hard to jump far on the moon. You wouldn’t have to do that because you don’t have the gravitational force pulling you as strong,” Niver explains.
Additional learning opportunities are found at the Space Academy Kiosk video display. It covers all things space exploration such as life in space, spacesuits, and real-life astronauts.
Each activity shows the boundless nature of space in kidfriendly fashion, perhaps even inspiring some future astronauts and space engineers.
“They can step into the role. It helps kids to connect to something that isn’t exactly what they know, they could put on a costume or a spacesuit and really embody that character. Hands-on play is a great way to engage them in content or topics that may be a little bit more foreign to them,” Niver says.
“The astronauts, at one point, were kids too. They dreamed of the same thing as you. You can understand the path that they went through that led them to their current career,” she adds.
As always, related programming enhances the exhibit experience. This time around, the museum is partnering with its Museum Row neighbor, Cradle of Aviation Museum.The Cradle’s portable, inflatable planetarium dome, the Digitalis Planetarium, will be in residence Feb. 17-21, for more space exploration. Families can discover the majesty of the stars and our universe during a 30-minute presentation led by a trained Cradle of Aviation educator. Four planetarium performances will be offered each day.
The LICM stage also gets in on the act with the futuristic production of “Interstellar Cinderella,” Feb. 7-March 21. Set in 3017, Cinderella is a space engineer who is looking to revolutionize space travel with her new invention.
While the exhibit is “in orbit” be sure to check out more related programming; information is on the museum’s website.
Acrobats of Cirque-tacular
Families will enjoy a new take on circus-style thrills when the Acrobats of Cirque-tacular visits the Landmark stage,. Cirque-tacular features one dazzling circus feat after another in a high-energy, family-friendly flurry of fun. Indulge your curiosity and celebrate your senses as this troupe of acrobats, aerialists and circus specialty artists bend, twist, flip, and fly into everyone’ hearts. Cirque-tacular’s performers — an ever-changing cast of elite aerialists, acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, specialty acts and world-record holders from Broadway and Las Vegas stages — are hailed as “mesmerizing”, “incredible”, and “truly impressive.” The performers are revered as cutting edge leaders of the new American vaudeville movement. Explosive music that complements the performance and act adds to the fun.
Saturday, Jan. 25, 2 p.m. $38. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at landmarkonmainstreet.org or (516) 767-6444.
‘Dancing with the Stars’
Dancing with the Stars is back on tour to heat up winter with a dazzling live production. See the ballroom brought to life in this new edition featuring everyone’s favorite Dancing with the Stars pros and special guests. They’ll perform glittering new numbers as well as some of the unbelievable showstoppers featured in season 33. The high-energy show puts the dancers in the spotlight, showcase their dynamic moves as seen during the series, along with some lively new twists. The tour delivers an unforgettable night of electrifying dance performances from worldrenowned dancers who topped the leaderboard.
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com, tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100.
Intergalatic adventures take flight.
Feb. 1
‘Easy come, easy go’ Queen-mania rocks on. Almost Queen returns to the Paramount stage with their homage to the beloved band, Saturday, Feb. 1 , 8 p.m. They don’t just pay tribute to the legendary band, Almost Queen transports you back in time to experience the magic and essence of Queen themselves. The band — featuring Joseph Russo as Freddie Mercury, Steve Leonard as Brian May, Randy Gregg as John Deacon, and John Cappadona as Roger Taylor — is “guaranteed to blow your mind” with iconic four-part harmonies and expertly executed musical interludes. dynamic live performance showcasing signature four-part harmonies and intricate musical interludes. The band’s authenticity shines through in their impeccable attention to detail and genuine costumes, while their live energy and precision captivates fans of all ages with an unforgettable concert experience. Almost Queen’s concerts are a true testament to the band’s love for Queen’s music.
The carefully curated setlist featuring Queen’s best-loved songs, like “Somebody to Love,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” and “Radio Ga Ga,” along with lesser known tracks. And of course, no Queen tribute concert would be complete without classics like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions!” It’s no wonder fans keep coming back for more. $79.50, $59.50, $49.50, $39.50, $34.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.
Cafe Europa
Congregation Beth Shalom and Marion & Aaron Gural JCC hosts Cafe Europa, Tuesdays, noon-2 p.m. Enjoy meeting new people with a little nosh, Yiddish humor, lectures, music and more. $5 fee. For more information, contact Judy Goldberg at judy.goldberg@guraljcc.org. Congregation Beth Shalom, 390 Broadway, Lawrence.
Senior Choir
Enjoy a musical morning with Marion & Aaron Gural JCC’s Golden Notes Social Choir, every Tuesday, 11 a.m.-noon. Come hear an hour of singing in several languages, led by Zvi Klein. Suggested donation is $5. For more information, contact Rachayle Deutsch at rachayle. deutsch@guraljcc.org. Gural JCC, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst.
Game Time
Peninsula Public Library invites all to game time, Mondays and Thursdays, in the Bentley Room. Come play canasta, mah jongg, and scrabble. Seating is limited; first come, first served. Call Roxanne Spodek to confirm the program the day before at (516) 967-5777. 280 Central Ave., Lawrence.
Comic showcase
Plaza Theatricals’ rolls into 2025 with the latest edition of the 50+ Comedy Tour, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2:30 p.m. Laugh along with an all new lineup of some of the funniest comedians on the scene. And they all have one thing in common: they’re all over age 50!
Hosted by Long Island Comedy Festival’s Paul Anthony, the lineup includes “Banjo” Les Bayer and Chris Monty. $40, $35 seniors. Get in on the fun at Plaza’s stage at Elmont Memorial Library, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical. com.
Rockville Centre Choral Society Recruitment
Like to sing? The Rockville Centre Choral Society wants you! The non-sectarian chorus sings in Lynbrook and around the South Shore. New members are welcome. The chorus sings a variety of genres: pop, folk, showtunes, light classical and standards. All voices are welcome. No experience necessary. RCCS meets Wednesdays, 7:45-9:30 p.m., and performs two concerts yearly. Rehearsals are held at St. James United Methodist Church, 11 St. James Place, Lynbrook. For more information, email rvcchorus@ gmail.com or call (516) 599-5705.
Lunar New Year
Welcome the Year of the Snake at Long Island Children’s Museum, Saturday and Sunday, Jan 25-26, noon-4 p.m. Stop by to learn all about the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival and learn about this special year, which is believed to bring an abundance of opportunities and fortune. everyone.
Enjoy dance and musical performances, on the LICM stage, view live artisan demonstrations and create themed take-home crafts. For ages 3 and up. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or licm.org.
Breakfast Connect
Want to network your business?
Attend the Breakfast Connect group’s get together every Wednesday, 8-9 a.m. The breakfast meeting is free and open to everyone in the community. Hewlett Fire Department at the Benjamin J. Moleno Hall, 25 Franklin Ave., Hewlett. For more information call or text Andrew Leibowitz at (516) 790-4829.
Long Island Choral Society auditions
Long Island Choral Society, under the Direction of Michael C. Haigler, holds auditions for new members for the final concert of their 96th Season. Auditions are by appointment only and will be held Mondays, continuing Jan. 27, also Feb. 3 and 10, at Garden City Community Church. The Berlioz Requiem is a piece known for its power and beauty that offers a rare musical performance opportunity while bringing the Choral Society’s 24-25 concert season to an exciting close.
If you love to sing consider auditioning to be part of this treasured Long Island tradition. Those interested can schedule an audition by calling (516) 6526878 or via e-mail at audition. info@lics.org. 245 Stewart Ave., Garden City.
Winter Concert
Lawrence Elementary School 6th graders perform in the band, chorus and orchestra at their winter concert, Thursday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m., in the auditorium at the Lawrence Elementary School, 195 Broadway, Lawrence.
Having an event?
Chesed Center Benefit
Get ready to jam out to rock classics from the 1960s and 70s at the Israel Chesed Center benefit, Saturday, Jan. 25, 8-10:30 p.m. at Creative Corner in West Hempstead. All proceeds go towards the Chesed Center’s effort to transport critical gear into Israel. A $10 donation is suggested. Contact allanspielman@ gmail.com for more information. 482 Hempstead Ave., West Hempstead.
Ice Skating and Karaoke Fun
Woodmere Middle School hosts the eighth grade Ice Skating and Karaoke Fun Night at Grant Park’s rink, Sunday, Jan. 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m. $25 to enter and rent skates. $20 to enter without rental; $10 non-skaters. To register your child, visit wms8th-grade-ice-skating-2025. cheddarup.com. Broadway and Sheridan Avenue, Hewlett.
Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.
On Exhibit
Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, the original “Deco at 100” coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) which publicly launched the movement. The direct followup to the well-received 2023 exhibit, “Our Gilded Age,” it comparably links the period’s signature innovation in the decorative arts, Art Deco, to the fine arts. The exhibit encompasses significant cultural advancements during Long Island’s Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age movement, including votes, jobs, and the automobile for women, the beginnings of suburbia with commutation for work, and planned residential communities, which all defined the era, while the following decade brought economic reversals and the WPA program. Works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Fernand Léger, Guy Pène du Bois, Gaston Lachaise, Elie Nadelman, and Reginald Marsh, among others, along with art deco stylists of poster art and graphics, and photography will convey the Art Deco spirit along with its furniture, decorative arts, and fashion.
Like “Our Gilded Age,” the social scene of Long Island’s Gold Coast, and its personalities — both upstairs and downstairs — will be portrayed, along with the ongoing relationship with the immediate urban context of New York with its skyscrapers and deco-styled architecture. On view through June 15. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum. org.
Hempstead House tour
Feb. 16
Sands Point Preserve is the backdrop to explore the elegant Gold Coast home that’s the centerpiece of the estate, Sunday, Feb. 16, noon-1 p.m. and 2-3 p.m. Visit the grand rooms inside the massive 50,000-square-foot Tudor-style mansion, the former summer residence of Gilded Age financier Howard Gould and later Daniel and Florence Guggenheim. Tours are limited in size and tend to sell out. Arrive early to purchase tickets. $10. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901.
*MEET THE 2025 HONOREES*
EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Michael T. Puntillo
Managing Partner PX4 Development
TOP ENGINEER
Stephen A. Hayduk, P.E.
Senior Principal Hayduk Engineering LLC
INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
IMEG
EXCELLENCE IN RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY CITIZENSHIP
Christopher Capece
President Heatherwood Luxury Rentals
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AWARD
David Orwasher
Chief Development Officer Breslin Realty
PIONEER IN RESTORATION & RECOVERY
Jeremy Longo
General Manager Belfor Property Restoration
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP
Sheldon L. Shrenkel
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director Nassau County IDA
TOP MORTGAGE BROKER OF THE YEAR
Nicholas Ceccarini
President Weatherstone Mortgage Corp
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Willy Zambrano, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB
Founder & Design Principal in Charge Zambrano Architectural Design LLC
INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP & IMPACT
Patricia Oliva
Chief Executive Officer Consumer Direct Title
EXCELLENCE IN REAL ESTATE FINANCE
Vito Giannola
Executive Vice President & Chief Banking Officer Provident Bank
KITCHEN AND BATH DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
John Starck
President & Chief Executive Officer Showcase Kitchens
EXCELLENCE IN REAL ESTATE & TITLE
LAW
Paula Parrino, Esq
Chief Administrative Officer & Vice President of Operations
FATHER/SON
Stanley H & Kenneth Schuckman
Founder / President Schuckman Realty
Public Notices
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU.
RBS CITIZENS, NA F/K/A CHARTER ONE BANK, Plaintiff -against- LAVERN BECKFORD AND NEVILLE
LEWIS, et al Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated September 26, 2018, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at (CCP) Calendar Control Part Court Room of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Dr., Mineola, NY on February 3, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. premises situate, lying and being at Valley Stream, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, bounded and described as follows:
BEGINNING at a point on the Southerly side of Cedarhurst Street, distant 537.35 feet Westerly and Southwesterly as measured along the southerly and Southeasterly side of Duston Road from the extreme Westerly end of the arc of a curve which connects the Southerly side of Duston Road with the Westerly side of Oakleigh Road; being a plot 129.43 feet by 10.89 feet by 121.28 feet by 112.71 feet by 37.82 feet. Section: 39 Block: 549 Lot: 41. Said premises known as 1069 DUSTON ROAD, NORTH WOODMERE, NY 11581
Approximate amount of lien $717,014.19 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Index Number 011136/2014.
RALPH MADALENA, ESQ., Referee
David A. Gallo & Associates LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 47 Hillside Avenue, 2nd Floor, Manhasset, NY 11030 File# 5025.2735 {* NASSAU HER, NEWSDAY NA*} 150496
LEGAL NOTICE
INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF HEWLETT HARBOR PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Zoning Appeals of the Incorporated Village of Hewlett Harbor will hold a public hearing at Village Hall on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 7:00PM. A ZOOM link to the meeting is available on our website at www.hewlettharbor.gov. All interested parties will be given the opportunity to be heard on the following applications for variance relief:
Robbie and Tracey Friedman – 1154 Harbor Road Hewlett Harbor, NY 11557 – are requesting a change of occupancy to an existing structure. This dwelling is in a residential B district. Applicants request relief from:
A Restrictive Covenant Declaration made March 25, 2012 which states, in part, that the fixture located on the property known as the “Gazebo” shall not be used as a residence or for automobile garage residence or for automobile storage Zoning Code 145-19 states the minimum for side yard setback is 35 ft aggregate; applicant is requesting 27.9 ft. Zoning Code 17-49 states no change of occupancy or use shall be made in a building hereafter constructed or altered that is not consistent with the last issued certificate of occupancy for such building, unless a permit is secured
Zoning Code 17-22 states… it shall be unlawful to construct, alter, repair, remove or demolish or to commence the construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition of a building or structure, and in addition, it shall be unlawful to alter, change, add to or remove within 100 feet of any property line any soil or other material which will result in any deviation from the original grade of the property without first filing with the Building Inspector an application in writing and obtaining a permit therefore
Zoning Code 145-19 states the maximum lot coverage is 30%; applicant is requesting 52%
Jeremy Danziger and Ilana Ajzenman – 369 Pepperidge Road Hewlett Harbor, NY 11557 - are requesting to construct 2nd story addition over remaining portion of existing house. Applicants also requesting to remove portion of house not in compliance with FEMA Regulations and replace at correct elevation. This dwelling is in a residential B district. Applicants request relief from the Village Zoning Codes:
Zoning Code 145.10.A (1) states the height of a residential dwelling with a pitched roof shall not exceed 33 feet. Applicant requesting 35.9 feet (on overage of 2.9ft)
Zoning Code 145-19 states the side-yard setback is 35 total; applicant requesting 31.3 ft. (3.7 ft short)
Zoning Code 145-2:
Applicant requests to violate east and west side yard elevation height/setback plane. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF ZONING
APPEALS
DR. JULIO NOVELLO, CHAIRMAN ZONING
BOARD
Peter Lynch - Building
Superintendent Dated: Hewlett Harbor, New York January 6, 2025 150996
LEGAL NOTICE INC PUEBLO DE HEWLETT BAY PARK AVISO DE ELECCION
ANUAL TENGA EN CUENTA que en las elecciones generals de la aldea que se celebraran en la Villa ge de Hewlett Neck el 17, 20 y 25 de junio, se llenaran las siguientes oficinas para los terminus indicados: Dos (2) Fideicomisarios, por periodos de dos (2) anos cada uno
Las personas elegibles que deseen votar en dicha eleccion deben estar registradas en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau al menos diez antes de dicha eleccion.
Michelle Blandino, Secretaria del Pueblo January 24, 2025 151161
LEGAL NOTICE INC VILLAGE OF HEWLETT BAY PARK NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that at the general village election to be held in the Village of HEWLETT BAY PARK on June 17, 2025, the following offices are to be filled for the terms indicated: Two (2) Trustees, for terms of two (2) years each Eligible persons wishing to vote in the said election must be registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections at least ten days prior to the said election.
Michelle Blandino, Village Clerk January 24, 2025 151160
LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be held as to the following matters: Agency: Board of Trustees, Village of Hewlett Bay Park Date: February 25, 2025 Time: 5:30 PM Place: Village Hall, 30 Piermont Avenue, Hewlett, New York
Subject:
Bill HBP 2409D A local law to amend the Code of the Village of Hewlett Bay Park Chapter 146 in relation to carports At the said time and place, all interested persons may be heard with respect to the foregoing matters. The proposed law is an Unlisted Action under SEQRA, as to which no environmental determination has been made by the Board of Trustees
Any person having a disability which would inhibit attendance at or participation in the hearing should notify the Village Clerk at least
three business days prior to the hearing, so that reasonable efforts may be made to facilitate such attendance and participation. All relevant documents may be inspected at the office of the Village Clerk, 30 Piermont Avenue, Hewlett, New York, during regular business hours.
Dated: January 16, 2025 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Michelle Blandino, Village Clerk 151157
LEGAL NOTICE INC VILLAGE OF WOODSBURGH
NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that at the general village election to be held in the Village of WOODSBURGH on June 17, 2025, the following offices are to be filled for the terms indicated:
One (1) Mayor, for a term of one (1) year Two (2) Trustees, for terms of two (2) years each Eligible persons wishing to vote in the said election must be registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections at least ten days prior to the said election.
Michelle Blandino, Village Clerk January 24, 2025 151164
LEGAL NOTICE INC PUEBLO DE HEWLETT NECK AVISO DE ELECCION ANUAL TENGA EN CUENTA que en las elecciones generals de la aldea que se celebraran en la Villa ge de Hewlett Neck el 17, 20 y 25 de junio, se llenaran las siguientes oficinas para los terminus indicados: Dos (2) Fideicomisarios, por periodos de dos (2) anos cada uno Las personas elegibles que deseen votar en dicha eleccion deben estar registradas en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau al menos diez antes de dicha eleccion.
Michelle Blandino, Secretaria del Pueblo January 24, 2025 151167
LEGAL NOTICE INC VILLAGE OF HEWLETT NECK NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that at the general village election to be held in the Village of HEWLETT NECK on June 17, 2025, the following offices are to be filled for the terms indicated: Two (2) Trustees, for terms of two (2) years each
Eligible persons wishing to vote in the said election must be registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections at least ten days prior to the said election.
Michelle Blandino, Village
Clerk January 24, 2025 151166
LEGAL NOTICE INC PUEBLO DE WOODSBURGH AVISO DE ELECCION ANUAL
TENGA EN CUENTA que en las elecciones generals de la aldea que se celebraran en la Villa ge de Woodsburgh el 17, 20 y 25 de junio, se llenaran las siguientes oficinas para los terminus indicados:
Un (1) alcalde, por un period de dos (2) anos Dos 92) Fideicomisarios, por periodos de dos (2) anos cada uno Las personas elegibles que deseen votar en dicha eleccion deben estar registradas en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau al menos diez antes de dicha eleccion.
Michelle Blandino, Secretaria del Pueblo January 24, 2025 151165
LEGAL NOTICE AVISO DE ELECCIÓN ANUAL
POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA que en la elección general de la Villa que se llevará a cabo en la Villa de Lawrence el 17 de junio de 2025, se ocuparán los siguientes cargos por los términos indicados:
Oficina Termino
Fideicomisario Dos (2) Años
Fideicomisario Dos (2) Años
Las personas elegibles que deseen votar en dicha elección deben estar registradas en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau al menos diez días antes de dicha elección.
Gerry Castro, Administrador de la Villa de Lawrence RESOLUCIÓN QUE DESIGNA EL LUGAR Y EL HORARIO DE LAS VOTACIONES POR CUANTO, de conformidad con la Ley Electoral, la Junta de Fideicomisarios debe designar el lugar de las votaciones para las elecciones de la Villa que se llevarán a cabo el 17 de junio de 2025, y el horario de elección, AHORA, POR LO TANTO, SE RESUELVE, que el lugar de votación para la elección de la Villa que se llevará a cabo el 17 de junio de 2025 será el Lawrence Yacht & Country Club, 101 Causeway, Lawrence, Nueva York, y además SE RESUELVE, que el horario de dicha elección de Villa será de 7 am a 9 pm inclusive. 151156
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution, the provisions of the Town Law and Municipal Home Rule of the State of New York, both as amended, a
public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the 4th day of February, 2025, at 10:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day to consider the enactment of a local law to amend Section 197-5 of the code of the Town of Hempstead to INCLUDE “ARTERIAL STOPS” at the following location: INWOOD
ROCKAWAY TURNPIKE (TH 267(B)/24) - STOPAll traveling west bound on Plaza Road, shall come to a full stop.
ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid.
Dated: January 21, 2025 Hempstead, New York BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD
DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR. Supervisor KATE MURRAY Town Clerk 151101
LEGAL NOTICE
VILLAGE OF LAWRENCE
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Board of the Incorporated Village of Lawrence will hold a work session beginning at 6:45 P.M. followed by a public meeting on Thursday, February 6,, 2025 at the Lawrence Village Hall located at 196 Central Ave., Lawrence New York 11559 beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The Village of Lawrence of 196 Central Avenue, Lawrence (Section 40 Block 188 Lot 12) for the subdivision of the property into three lots and (Section 40 Block 188 Lot 12) for the subdivision of the property on two lots. The application and accompanying exhibits are on file and may be inspected at the Village Office during normal business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If anyone needs special accommodations for a disability, such person should contact the Village Clerk at least 5 days before the hearing. All interested parties will have the opportunity to be heard.
By Order of the Planning Board
Michael Pinter Chairman
Dated January 9, 2025 151152
LEGAL NOTICE A nonprofit organization in Nassau County is seeking sealed bids for sales and installation of security related enhancements. This project includes: surveillance equipment and systems, access controls, security lighting and communications, impact resistant doors, secured fencing, shatter resistant windows, cybersecurity, and
security personnel. Selection criteria will be based on knowledge of surveillance and security, adherence to work schedule, prior experience, references, and cost. Specifications and bid requirements can be obtained by contacting us at grants@yaazoru.org and referencing “RFPCSOIW”.
All interested firms may be required to sign for the proposal documents. Bids will be accepted until February 26, 2025 151151
LEGAL NOTICE
VILLAGE OF LAWRENCE
Notice of meeting to hear complaints Grievance Day
Please take notice that the assessment roll of the Incorporated Village of Lawrence for the year 2025 has been prepared and filed with the Village Clerk pursuant to Section 1406, Subdivision 1 of the Real Property Tax Law, where it may be seen and examined by any person at all times during business hours until February 18, 2025 (the third Tuesday in February) and on the 18th day of February, the Board of Trustees will hold a meeting pursuant to Section 1408 Subdivision 1 of the Real Property Tax Law at the Village Hall, 196 Central Ave, Lawrence, NY between the hours of 12 PM and 4 PM for the purpose of hearing and determining complaints in relation thereto and the application of any person aggrieved thereby.
Lina Fusco
Village Clerk/Treasurer
Dated: January 14, 2025 151153
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that at the general Village election to be held in the Village of Lawrence on June 17, 2025, the following offices are to be filled for the terms indicated: Office Term
Trustee Two (2) Years
Trustee Two (2) Years
Eligible persons wishing to vote in the said election must be registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections at least ten days prior to the said election. Gerry Castro, Village Administrator Village of Lawrence RESOLUTION DESIGNATING POLLING PLACE AND HOURS WHEREAS, pursuant to the Election Law, the Board of Trustees is required, to designate the polling place for the village election to be held on June 17, 2025, and the hours of election, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the polling place for the Village election to be held on June 17, 2025 shall be the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club, 101
Causeway, Lawrence, New York, and it is further RESOLVED, that the hours of the said Village election shall be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., inclusive. 151155
LEGAL NOTICE VILLAGE OF ATLANTIC BEACH ELECTION DAY
At the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Atlantic Beach held on January 13, 2025, the following resolution was offered by Trustee Livreri and seconded by Trustee Etrog, who moved its adoption and it was duly carried unanimously, 1-that the General Election of the Village of Atlantic Beach shall be held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 and that the office to be filled and the terms thereof are as follows: 1- (2) Two Trustees for two year terms; (1) One Village Court Justice for four year term; 2- that the Village Clerk is ordered and directed to cause a copy of this Resolution to be published in the Nassau Herald; 3- that this Resolution shall take effect immediately. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES EMILY SINISCALCHI, VILLAGE CLERK DATED: JANUARY 13, 2025 151154
LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE OF NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER’S SALE OF TAX LIENS ON REAL ESTATE Notice is hereby given that commencing on February 18th, 2025, will sell at public on-line auction the tax liens on certain real estate, unless the owner, mortgagee, occupant of or any other party in interest in such real estate shall have paid to the County Treasurer by February 13th, 2025 the total amount of such unpaid taxes or assessments with the interest, penalties and other expenses and charges against the property. Such tax liens will be sold at the lowest rate of interest, not exceeding 10 percent per six-month period, for which any person or persons shall offer to take the total amount of such unpaid taxes as defined in Section 5-37.0 of the Nassau County Administrative Code. Effective with the February 2019 lien sale Ordinance No. 175-2015 requires a $175.00 per day registration fee for each person who intends to bid at the tax lien sale. Ordinance No. 175-2015 also requires that upon the issuance of the Lien Certificate there is due from the lien buyer a Tax Certificate Issue Fee of $20.00 per lien purchased. Pursuant to the provisions of the
January 23,
Public Notices
Nassau County Administrative Code at the discretion of the Nassau County Treasurer the auction will be conducted online. Further information concerning the procedures for the auction is available at the website of the Nassau County Treasurer at: https://www.nassaucount yny.gov/526/CountyTreasurer
Should the Treasurer determine that an inperson auction shall be held, same will commence on the 18th day of February 2025 at the Office of The County Treasurer 1 West Street, Mineola or at some other location to be determined by the Treasurer.
A list of all real estate in Nassau County on which tax liens are to be sold is available at the website of the Nassau County Treasurer at: https://www.nassaucount yny.gov/527/Annual-TaxLien-Sale
A list of local properties upon which tax liens are to be sold will be advertised in this publication on or before February 06th, 2025. Nassau County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, accommodations such as those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to participate in all services, programs, activities and public hearings and events conducted by the Treasurer’s Office. Upon request, information can be made available in Braille, large print, audiotape or other alternative formats. For additional information, please call (516) 571-2090 ext. 1-3715.
Dated: January 23, 2025 THE NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER Mineola, NewYork
TERMS OF SALE
Such tax liens shall be sold subject to any and all superior tax liens of sovereignties and other municipalities and to all claims of record which the County may have thereon and subject to the provisions of the Federal and State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts.
However, such tax liens shall have priority over the County’s Differential Interest Lien, representing the excess, if any, of the interest and penalty borne at the maximum rate over the interest and penalty borne at the rate at which the lien is purchased.
The Purchaser acknowledges that the tax lien(s) sold pursuant to these Terms of Sale may be subject to pending bankruptcy proceedings and/or may
become subject to such proceedings which may be commenced during the period in which a tax lien is held by a successful bidder or the assignee of same, which may modify a Purchaser’s rights with respect to the lien(s) and the property securing same. Such bankruptcy proceedings shall not affect the validity of the tax lien. In addition to being subject to pending bankruptcy proceedings and/or the Federal and State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts, said purchaser’s right of foreclosure may be affected by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act(FIRREA),12 U.S.C. ss 1811 et.seq., with regard to real property under Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation(FDIC) receivership.
The County Treasurer reserves the right, without further notice and at any time, to withdraw from sale any of the parcels of land or premises herein listed.
The Nassau County Treasurer reserves the right to intervene in any bankruptcy case/litigation where the property affected by the tax liens sold by the Treasurer is part of the bankruptcy estate. However, it is the sole responsibility of all tax lien purchasers to protect their legal interests in any bankruptcy case affecting their purchased tax lien, including but not limited to the filing of a proof of claim on their behalf, covering their investment in said tax lien. The Nassau County Treasurer and Nassau County and its agencies, assumes no responsibility for any legal representation of any tax lien purchaser in any legal proceeding including but not limited to a bankruptcy case where the purchased tax lien is at risk.
The rate of interest and penalty at which any person purchases the tax lien shall be established by his bid. Each purchaser, immediately after the sale thereof, shall pay to the County Treasurer ten per cent of the amount for which the tax liens have been sold and the remaining ninety per cent within thirty days after such sale. If the purchaser at the tax sale shall fail to pay the remaining ninety per cent within ten days after he has been notified by the County Treasurer that the certificates of sale are ready for delivery, then all amounts deposited with the County Treasurer including but not limited to the ten per cent theretofore paid by him shall, without further notice or demand, be irrevocably forfeited by the purchaser and shall be retained by the County Treasurer as liquidated damages and the
agreement to purchase shall be of no further effect. Time is of the essence in this sale. This sale is held pursuant to the Nassau County Administrative Code and interested parties are referred to such Code for additional information as to terms of the sale, rights of purchasers, maximum rates of interest and other legal incidents of the sale. Furthermore, as to the bidding,
1. The bidder(s) agree that they will not work with any other bidder(s) to increase, maintain or stabilize interest rates or collaborate with any other bidder(s) to gain an unfair competitive advantage in the random number generator in the event of a tie bid(s) on a tax certificate. Bidder(s) further agree not to employ any bidding strategy designed to create an unfair competitive advantage in the tiebreaking process in the upcoming tax sale nor work with any other bidder(s) to engage in any bidding strategy that will result in a rotational award of tax certificates.
2. The tax certificate(s) the Bidder will bid upon, and the interest rate(s) bid, will be arrived at independently and without direct or indirect consultation, communication or agreement with any other bidder and that the tax certificate(s) the Bidder will bid upon, and the interest rate(s) to be bid, have not been disclosed, directly or indirectly, to any other bidder, and will not be disclosed, directly or indirectly, to any other bidder prior to the close of bidding. No attempt has been made or will be made to, directly or indirectly, induce any other bidder to refrain from bidding on any tax certificate, to submit complementary bids, or to submit bids at specific interest rates.
3. The bids to be placed by the Bidder will be made in good faith and not pursuant to any direct or indirect, agreement or discussion with, or inducement from, any other bidder to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive bid.
4. If it is determined that the bidder(s) have violated any of these bid requirements then their bid shall be voided and if they were the successful bidder the lien and any deposits made in connection with said bid shall be forfeited.
Dated: January 23, 2025
THE NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER Mineola, New York 151098
LEGAL NOTICE INC. VILLAGE OF HEWLETT BAY PARK LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF COLLECTION OF TAXES TAKE NOTICE that I the
undersigned Clerk of the Village of Hewlett Bay Park have received the tax roll and Warrant for the collection of taxes for the forthcoming fiscal year, March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026, and that I will attend to my office from March 1st to April 1st, from 8 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock in the afternoon, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays for the purpose of receiving such taxes; during which period taxes may be paid to me without additional charge. Checks for the payment of taxes will be received at the Village Office, 30 Piermont Avenue, Hewlett, New York 11557.
TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that on all such taxes remaining unpaid after April 1st, 2025, five per centum (5%) will be added for the first month. Thereafter, the rate will be that percentage determined by the Commissioner of Taxation and Finance of the State of New York and will be added for each month or fraction thereof thereafter until paid.
MICHELLE BLANDINO VILLAGE CLERK
Inc. Village of Hewlett Bay Park
Dated: January 23,2025 151158
LEGAL NOTICE INC. VILLAGE OF WOODSBURGH
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF COLLECTION OF TAXES
TAKE NOTICE that I the undersigned Clerk of the Village of Woodsburgh have received the tax roll and Warrant for the collection of taxes for the forthcoming fiscal year, March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026, and that I will attend to my office from March 1st to April 1st, from 8 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock in the afternoon, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays for the purpose of receiving such taxes; during which period taxes may be paid to me without additional charge. Checks for the payment of taxes will be received at the Village Office, 30 Piermont Avenue, Hewlett, New York 11557.
TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that on all such taxes remaining unpaid after April 1st, 2025 five per centum (5%) will be added for the first month. Thereafter, the rate will be that percentage determined by the Commissioner of Taxation and Finance of the State of New York and will be added for each month or fraction thereof thereafter until paid.
MICHELLE BLANDINO VILLAGE CLERK Inc. Village of Woodsburgh
The Board of Education honored multiple student academic achievements from this past year and looked forward to the year ahead.
Board of Education honors student achievements
The Hewlett Woodmere Board of Education honored multiple student academic achievements at their last meeting on Jan. 15.
Emily Smukler, a Hewlett High School senior, was honored for her nomination as a semifinalist in the Regeneron national science research competition. Smukler is now eligible to go to Washington D.C. for one week and present her research to some of the top scientist in the country.
Students who earned county achievements in Art were recognized at the meeting and will have their art on display at the Gallery One showcase at Woodmere Elementary School on Jan. 27.
Several math students were also honored for earning placements on the American Mathematics Competition. The district had multiple students finish in the top three on both the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 exams.
— Brian Norman
Emily Smukler was among the students honored, for her recent placement as a semifinalist in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition
Public Notices
Dated: January 23, 2025 151162 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION OF ABANDONED VEHICLE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst will offer for sale at a public auction that will be on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM, the below listed abandoned vehicle to the highest bidder for cash, consistent with the terms of sale set forth below: Year Make Identification Number
Terms and Conditions of Sale
1. The sale shall be conducted by the Village Clerk or by any person designated by him.
2. The vehicles are being sold “as is”. No warranties or guarantees will be offered or given by the Village.
3. All prospective purchasers may personally inspect the vehicles at 5 Hanlon Drive, Cedarhurst, New York 11516. Inspections will be by appointment, Monday thru Friday from 8:00AM - 2:00 PM. Please contact Guy Marino at (516) 295-5770 or village@cedarhurst.gov to make an appointment.
further legal and equitable remedies as the Village may have.
4. At the time of the sale, the purchaser shall deposit the entire purchase price with the Village Clerk. If the purchaser fails to take title and possession of the vehicle purchased within ten (10) days of the date of purchase, the Village Board may declare the sale to be void, may retain all monies paid thereunder as liquidated damages, and may resell said property or pursue such other and
5. The Village reserves the right to reject all bids and shall not be obligated to accept any bids.
6. No employee, agent or officer has any authority to waive, modify or amend any of these terms and conditions of sale.
7. Pursuant to Chapter 247 of the Village Code Salvatore Evola Village Clerk-Treasurer Village of Cedarhurst 151174
Brian Norman/Herald
Courtesy Terrence Bissoondial
LONG B EACH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DRIVING INSTRUCTOR
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CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE
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Part Time & Full Time. The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. Salary range is from $20K to $45K To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to jbessen@liherald.com
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Paradoxical Lucidity in Severe Dementia: A Mixed Method Prospective Study
NYU Langone Health is recruiting participants for an exciting new study exploring why and how some people with dementia experience a return of mental clarity as they approach the end of life.
NYU Langone Health is recruiting participants for an exciting new study exploring why and how some people with dementia experience a return of mental clarity as they approach the end of life.
These episodes are known as paradoxical lucidity. If you have a loved one suffering from advanced dementia, they may eligible for this study.
These episodes are known as paradoxical lucidity. If you have a loved one suffering from advanced dementia, they may eligible for this study.
If interested, please contact the Parnia Lab research team at 917-227-0932 or pl@nyulangone.org
If interested, please contact the Parnia Lab research team at 917-227-0932 or pl@nyulangone.org Paradoxical
The fires in L.A. got us wondering
Cozy Cape: Your Dream Home
Q. I, like many others, am upset about the terrible fires happening in California. We were discussing it the other day, and are wondering what your opinion is about how these fires spread so quickly, considering that we were also having high winds at the same time. Are our homes safe? Do we have better building regulations? Could the same thing happen to us that’s happening in California? What can we do to prevent this and what do you think California should do?
A. It can happen here. We must all listen, observe and learn from this tragedy to avoid repeating it in our own communities. I have often written about the beginnings of rules and regulations, which began after the great fire of London in 1666 and, in this country, after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. It took many decades and many lives lost to recognize that building codes were needed, however.
Unfortunately, the typical response, historically, is to immediately express horror, but as time goes on, become complacent that something that bad couldn’t happen here. Yes, it can happen anywhere, and certainly in communities where the buildings are closer together. So we need to listen when we’re told that it could happen, and realize why fire could burn down any community where nature’s forces work against our best planning.
We have seen the devastation, and some of us realize the many elements that contribute to disaster, such as drought, high winds, finish materials that combust and lack of ability to escape, to name a few. Our building codes are focused on life safety and limiting fire spread. At the right temperature, nearly everything burns.
California has similar codes, but many buildings were constructed prior to the newest, more stringent codes and did not have safety requirements for one- or two-hour resistive surface materials, interior sprinklers or opening protective devices like special shutters that drop to enclose spaces and reduce fire spread. Our roofs, siding, fences and interior materials, just like California’s, can ignite readily when hot embers land on them.
Rebuilding in California will have to include interior sprinklers, non-combustible exterior materials and community training in what to take, when to evacuate and how to do so safely without blocking the path of emergency responders. I expect that we will see greater distances between dwellings and backyard structures, less vegetation, cannons mounted on utility poles to shoot fire-retardant and fire break walls that can lift out of the ground to separate buildings. There are products on the market to do all of these things, though most have been developed for flood prevention or highly flammable building conditions. More people will choose cement board siding that mimics everything from stone to wood siding to preserve styles that are consistent with the building shape, and metal, cement or ceramic tile roofs that will not combust if a hot ember or coat lands on it, and metal window frames. Remember to choose safe materials. Good luck!
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T“he Sopranos” revolutionized television entertainment when it made its debut on HBO in 1999, and continued through 2007. On the surface, it was an organized-crime story centered on a mob guy in New Jersey named Tony Soprano. Below the surface, however, “The Sopranos” explored new levels of the complexity of human nature.
Yes, Tony Soprano was a monster capable of vicious brutality. But he was also an uppermiddle-income family man living in suburbia with a wife, Carmela, and two children he truly loved. Sure, he had his goomba, but he genuinely cared about and provided for Carmela, and would say hardly a bad word about her. He was a doting father who would take his daughter, Meadow, to visit prospective college campuses while taking time out along the way to murder
opinions
‘Woke up this morning . . .’
someone who had crossed him. All in a day’s work.
Then there was Tony’s mother, who had also plotted to kill him. Underlying all these contradictions was the reality that this vaunted tough guy and super stud was in therapy with Dr. Melfi, who treated him for anxiety and depression.
There was also a supporting cast of rogues and characters that would cause anyone anxiety. Big
TPussy was Tony’s loyal friend, who turned out to be an FBI informer — a “rat.” Tony killed him, and dumped his body off the family boat so he could swim with the fishes. Bobby Bocola was an overweight killer who could play Santa Claus, and got himself shot to death in Trainland, the model train store on Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook.
Uncle Junior was an aging mob leader and family patriarch who was capable of casual cruelty.
hree of the stars of ‘The Sopranos’ offer their takes on what made the show special.
Recently, my wife, Rosemary, and I went to the historic Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts to see “In Conversation With the Sopranos,” with Steve Schirripa (Bobby Bocola), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy), who reminisced about their experiences on the show and answered questions from the capacity crowd. The audience was made up of real people — middle-income Long Island families, many of whom, no doubt, had moved out here from New York City. Listening to the questions they asked, you’d conclude that they must have watched and rewatched every “Sopranos” episode.
discussing how they got their parts and their opinions of the other actors. James Gandolfini — Tony Soprano — was the glue that made “The Sopranos” work so well, and was extremely generous and always supportive. Dominick Chianese (Uncle Junior) was an exceptional actor and a totally mild-mannered gentleman off screen. Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Walnuts, was a psycho on and off screen but a loyal friend.
Christopher, Tony’s young protégé, killed his girlfriend, Adriana, when he found out that she, too, was an informer. Paulie Walnuts smothered his mother’s friend to death with a pillow when she caught him stealing her money.
Schirripa is a good friend and a truly great guy, totally down to earth. I’d met Imperioli and Pastore when they did a similar show with Steve about six years ago in Westbury. Both are very talented but regular guys. The show was terrific, with the trio
Particularly funny was Pastore’s story about how a real-life mob-connected restaurant in the Bronx had proudly displayed his framed photo on the wall — but because the show depicted him as a “rat,” the picture was taken off the wall and destroyed. Their presentations were terrific, as was the question-and-answer session. They had a great rapport with the audience. After the show I met briefly with them, and told them “The Sopranos” would never grow old. Schirripa and I said we’d connect again soon. I’m looking forward to it.
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.
When was the last time you read a book?
iam a minority in so many ways that I never realized I’m part of a shrinking population of people who read books for fun. We read because we want to. We read because, for some of us, there’s no better way to spend our time. We read because there’s no other human experience that can transport us to another time and place, completely immersing us in the joys and tribulations of people who are the invention of a writer’s mind. I’ve known for some time that young people aren’t choosing to read books when the competition is TV or social media. I don’t need studies to tell me that, head to head, when it’s reading vs. streaming, reading loses with most teens most of the time.
The Atlantic recently ran a piece by Rose Horowitch revealing that at some of the country’s “elite” colleges, many students are neither willing nor able to read the books they’re assigned for classes. They say they just can’t do it — can’t concentrate for so long, can’t stay
with a narrative. Classes that once required some 10 books for the year now assign “excerpts.”
The students aren’t failing to perform. We have failed in preparing them to read properly.
When Horowitch investigated further, she discovered that the problem begins in high school. In recent years, with the ascendance of social media and smartphones, there has been a parallel decline in reading. More disturbing, many teachers are accommodating the change by dumbing down the curriculum, assigning summaries or chapters instead of whole books.
GPT to see what AI could do with the assignment.
Damn good is the answer. Plot summary, excellent. Discussion of themes, better than I could do. Analysis of language, good enough.
A re parents of young kids reading to them, or are they, too,distracted by phones?
Last week I began teaching a book group for adults. We do a book a week for eight weeks; they’ve had the syllabus since May, so there has been ample time to prepare. These folks are in the class for the pure joy and intellectual stretch of abandoning themselves to a narrative imagined by someone else.
I realize that high school and college kids can probably get by with ChatGPT to find summaries and analyses of the books they’re assigned in class. So, after I had reread the first book for my class and completed my notes, I went to Chat-
But what is missing entirely is any discussion of the emotional component of reading. The summaries can inform you, but they can’t make you feel. I’m remembering reading “Sophie’s Choice” in 1982, my heart twisted around the character as she chose which of her children would live. I’m talking about reading “Beloved” as a teen and perceiving racism in a profoundly new way. When I discovered “Lonesome Dove,” I disappeared for days into the Old West, way past the clichés of cowboys and cattle drives.
This isn’t just a woe-is-me essay. There’s an answer to the problem, and it is to limit or ban smartphone use and social media for children and young teenagers. We limited cigarette smoking and we demanded seat belts. Enlightened and committed leaders can do this. Informed parents can do this.
Kids read before they could Google. They picked up books before they could stream. Living in a world where high
school and college students don’t or can’t find the intellectual bandwidth to read a book is tragic for them personally and for our country. I wonder if parents of young children are regularly reading to them and introducing books, or if they, too, are distracted by phones.
Children who don’t read books grow up to be adults who don’t read, and never learn the subtleties of language and the possibilities of lives and worlds other than their own.
As we begin a new year, here are the books that I’m teaching. Maybe you’ll read one or two. If you do, write to me and we can share our impressions.
“Migrations,” by Charlotte McConaughy; “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” by Oscar Wilde; “Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You,” by Alice Munro; “The Matrix,” by Lauren Groff; “Slow Horses,” by Mick Herron; “The Wren, the Wren,” by Anne Enright; “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama,” by Nathan Thrall; “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck.
We worry about the rise of book banning in today’s America. Remember the horrific dystopia of “1984”? The irony is that book banning and book burning aren’t necessary in a culture that doesn’t read books.
Copyright 2025 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
RAnDi KREiss
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editorial
Serve the constituents, not the parties
arlier this month, those who were elected and re-elected in November took their oaths of office.
Long after the last ballot is counted, and as soon as the oaths are administered, the most important chapter begins — the work of governing. And now that Gov. Kathy Hochul has delivered her State of the State address and the legislative session is underway, New York’s elected officials face an urgent challenge: to move beyond partisan rhetoric to deliver for the people who entrusted them with power. While the election season is often defined by fiery speeches and ideological divides, the responsibilities of governing require cooperation, compromise and a steadfast focus on serving the taxpayers.
Hochul laid out her vision for the year in her address last week, touching on issues that transcend party lines, including affordable housing, public safety, economic growth and climate adaptability.
These are not Democratic or Republican issues; they are New York issues, and they demand solutions from leaders on both sides of the aisle. Yet the immediate responses to Hochul’s proposals
letters
Peter King walks a tightrope with Trump
To the Editor:
showed how entrenched partisanship can overshadow a shared commitment to progress.
Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but some of the reactions to the State of the State were all too predictable, either filled with vitriol for Hochul’s policies or unquestioningly agreeing with everything she said.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of divisiveness. The political climate in New York, as in much of the country, is polarized, with both parties often more focused on scoring points than solving problems. But taxpayers deserve better. They expect their representatives to work together — less as Democrats and Republicans than as public servants dedicated to improving the quality of life in their communities.
Addressing housing affordability, for example, isn’t merely a policy discussion — it’s a pressing issue for families struggling to make ends meet. Likewise, public safety can’t be reduced to talking points; it affects the lives of residents of cities, towns and villages across the state. And economic growth isn’t about partisanship — it’s about creating jobs, supporting small businesses and helping communities thrive. These priori-
Re Peter King’s column “Once again, there’s a New Yorker in the White House” (Jan. 9-15): King should be commended for his once again skilled sleight of hand when it comes to comments about President Donald Trump. King managed to call him an “overlord” while at the same time showering him with praise for his supposedly singlehanded eradication of MS-13 on Long Island. King can certainly walk the tightrope very well. Lest we forget, Trump’s focus on the gang was a convenient opportunity for him to launch his narrative that all migrants are criminals, murderers or rapists. The FBI, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and, most important, Long Island law enforcement should be praised for their diligent, exhausting work on this scourge. And any child could see through Trump’s blatant politicization last year of Officer Jonathan Diller’s murder. Really, Peter. How amusing that King chooses to focus on Trump’s New York roots, his beginnings in Queens and King’s memory of a smiling Trump appreciating King’s New York accent. As if these things could overshadow our new president’s slew of bankruptcies, criminal indictments, multiple accusations of sexual abuse and documented perpetration of fraud on the public via Trump University and the Trump Foundation. King also
ties require collaboration, creativity and the willingness to engage in tough but constructive dialogue.
The stakes are high. Trust in government is fragile, and elected officials must demonstrate that they can deliver results. That means setting aside political differences to focus on what unites us: a shared desire for a prosperous, safe and equitable New York. It means finding common ground on key issues while respecting differing perspectives.
As the state’s leaders embark on this legislative session, they must remember that their duty is not to a political party, but to the people they represent. Voters have made it clear time and again that they don’t want endless gridlock or partisan posturing; they want solutions. They want leaders who prioritize progress over politics.
The work of governing is not glamorous, and most of the time it doesn’t make headlines. But it is the foundation of a functioning democracy. Now that the campaigns, the election and the swearing-in ceremonies are behind us, it’s time for the winners to roll up their sleeves, put the rhetoric aside and get to work. The future of our state — and the trust of its people — depend on it.
notes that Trump has made friends with County Executive Bruce Blakeman, former Congressman Lee Zeldin and county Republican Party Chairman Joe Cairo — MAGA supporters all. Birds of a feather flock together.
Of course, King is afraid that he and all the other Long Island MAGA tools that
Trump used while campaigning will be discarded in his junk heap of no-longeruseful sycophants now that the election is over. King is genuflecting to Trump again in an attempt to garner favor for New York in light of Trump’s continuing belligerent rhetoric about blue states and big cities. Most importantly, Long Islanders need a
opinions Rubbing elbows with three great men
Columnists generally like to write about happy things, or at least not dwell on the subject of death. But over the past few weeks, three very significant people have died, and in some or many ways, I had direct contact with all of them. I refer to the late President Jimmy Carter, Chuck Dolan and Dick Parsons.
I don’t claim to have been a buddy of President Carter’s, but I had one interesting experience with him that is still fresh in my memory. During my years in the Assembly leadership, there was a custom that all potential Democratic candidates for president be introduced to the members of both houses of the Legislature. It was the job of an assigned member to escort the potential candidate around the Capitol for the meet-and-greet.
Apparently, nobody in the leadership offered to take then Governor Carter to
meet the elected members. Almost by default, I raised my hand and offered to do the escort work. My first task was to meet Carter at the Albany airport. At the stroke of noon, he arrived in the waiting area, looking to find his good shepherd. I greeted him and drove him to the Capitol so he could make his pitch for why New York should support his candidacy.
it was the White House operator, and to my surprise, President Jimmy Carter was calling.
During the following three hours, Carter made his case for being the next president. Late that afternoon, we returned to the airport, and I wished him the best of luck. He wasn’t convinced that he could win over doubting Democrats, but he was determined to go to all of the key delegate-rich states to convince the doubters that he was the man for the job.
Two years later, the modest and humble Georgian was the president. On a February afternoon, our home phone rang, and the woman calling said she was the White House operator. Despite being skeptical, I took the call, and to my surprise it was Carter calling.
Letters
repeal of the state and local tax write-off cap imposed as punishment by Trump during his first term. Former Congressman Anthony D’Esposito promised to get that done, but caved in the end. Maybe the recent visit to Mar-a-Lago by Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Nick Lalota, Mike Lawler and the rest was enough to satiate Trump’s need for sucking up from his MAGA crew, and we’ll see a lifting of the SALT cap.
New Yorkers don’t need to “work to find common ground with the president” to become great again. We are one of the most beautiful and economically stable states in the country, with resources and opportunities not available in any other part of the nation. Do we have problems to be addressed? Sure we do. But we’re still great.
ELIzABETH MuRPHY Franklin Square
Town hikes taxes, and mailers, ads keep coming
To the Editor:
Nassau Republican officials at every level shamelessly waste taxpayer money on mailers and op-ed pieces that are purely partisan attacks on Democrats, and they cite one-party rule in Albany, overlooking the stark reality that Nassau County, its cities, towns and most villages, is currently ruled by a single-party GOP machine, as it has been for most of
He told me that he would be making a number of public-works grants on Long Island, and asked if I had any preferences for a grantee. I recommended my hometown of Long Beach as the recipient of federal dollars — but I never heard from Carter again.
On a note closer to home, I was one of thousands of people who had a chance to know Charles Dolan, who created Cablevision and countless other innovations. He was a giant in the communications industry, but he was just plain Chuck in private.
I had the good fortune to be invited to his Christmas receptions and his famous July Fourth parties. On every occasion, he had the ability to make you feel like you were the only person at the event.
One August, Chuck invited my wife and daughters to the Hampton Classic, a major event for equine aficionados. Chuck had acquired a new camera and took pictures of my family, which I used on our family holiday card that year. I credited him as the photographer, and I got a call from him, thanking me for giv-
ing him the recognition. At all times, Charles, the titan of the industry, was just plain Chuck.
My last tribute is to the late Dick Parsons, a giant in so many businesses who was known for his great negotiating skills. I met him in the late 1960s, when he was a counsel to Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. He eventually went into the private sector, as chairman of the Dime Community Bank and Time Warner.
I still fondly remember a lunch appointment of ours on the afternoon of the O.J. Simpson trial verdict. We spent an hour discussing how Simpson could avoid a conviction, but at all times he was just Dick Parsons, a regular guy talking about a world of issues.
After decades of meeting great people, I very much miss those who were humble and gracious, never making a big deal of the power and influence they were lucky to possess. There aren’t many of those people left on this planet.
Jerry Kremer was an assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.
Framework by Tim Baker
our lives.
We all suffer from the Nassau and Town of Hempstead GOP’s relentless crusade to stay in power by gerrymandering, doling out patronage and perks to friends and family in the town’s employ, spending millions of taxpayer dollars on partisan mailers and television ads while imposing double-digit tax increases and fees on beleaguered taxpayers.
While Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin gave generous raises to his inner circle, again, he and his Town Board socked every town homeowner with a double-digit tax increase, sneaking in a 12.1 percent tax hike in December and over $850,000 in raises this month without mentioning it in any of the town’s famous and constant mailers. And this year the town refuses to post the names of those receiving raises. What are they hiding?
The town’s devious attempt to hide this nepotistic, self-serving resolution to give themselves, their families and friends substantial raises epitomizes Clavin’s resolve to hide the truth from voters. Or is this just a way to avoid recusing themselves from voting on raises to relatives?
It’s time for this charade to end. Clavin must stop raising our taxes in years he isn’t running, and then sending out tax-paid mailers at $80,000 a pop, claiming he is freezing taxes in an election year.
DAvE DENENBERG Merrick
In last week’s brief “Gillen sworn in as a Congresswoman,” a few of the people in the accompanying photograph were misidentified. Those in the photo included Owen Finegan, Myles
The view from the Nassau University Medical Center — East Meadow
JerrY kremer
Finegan, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Chris Finegan, u.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, Austen Finegan and Laine Finegan. The date of Gillen’s swearing-in was Jan. 3.
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