Oceanside/Island Park Herald

Oceanside/Island Park

HERALD Coffee company brews positivity

longtime o’side resident dies

Dean Skelos to be released

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Vol. 55 no. 18

APRil 30 - MAY 6, 2020

OSD’s $160M budget tweaks programs

By BRiAnA Bonfiglio bbonfiglio@liherald.com

Christina Daly/Herald

A delicious donation The Island Park village board partnered with DaVinci’s Pizzeria to deliver food to front-line workers at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital last Saturday. Lou and Lana Delgado, above, unpacked the food. Story, more photos, Page 3.

The lost sports season Players, coaches lament spring cancellations

By Mike SMollinS msmollins@liherald.com

After Jonathan Gamarra and three teammates set an Oceanside High School track and field record in the 4 x 400-meter relay last season, Gamarra said he looked forward to seeing what they could accomplish this spring. He will always have to wonder what might have been.

Gamarra, Eric Maisch, Christopher Figat and Benjamin Sanchez finished the relay in 3 minutes, 23.62 seconds at the Section VIII state qualifier at North Shore High School last June, but

with spring sports canceled this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, they won’t have the chance to build on last year’s success.

“It was very disappointing and heartbreaking,” Gamarra said. “We accomplished a lot last year, and I was really looking forward to having a final season with my teammates, but all I can do now is wait for next season.”

For Gamarra, next season will come at Harvard University, where he will compete for the track and field team and study biology on a pre-med track.

Last season, Gamarra and Maisch were juniors, and Figat and Sanchez were sophomores, so Gamarra said he wanted to see what they could do in their final year together in 2020.

When they set the relay record, Gamarra ran the last leg.

He also set an individual school record for an indoor 300-meter race, finishing in 34.86 seconds at the Stanner Games at the Armory in Manhattan in January.

Gamarra said he believed the decision to cancel the season Continued on page 6

The Oceanside School District’s elementary school-level programs, including Project Extra, Makerspace, mental health and wellness and coding/STEM, would be restructured this fall under the district’s proposed 2020-21 budget.

The Board of Education adopted the proposed $160 million budget during a virtual meeting on April 22. The spending plan includes a tax levy, or total revenue raised from taxpayers, of $130 million, a 3.3 percent increase from the 201920 school year.

School officials crafted the budget “conservatively,” said Jerel Cokley, the district’s assistant superintendent of business, based on a decrease in state aid and 13 retirements in the district. Projected state aid dropped about $800,000 from the 2019-20 school year, from $23.1 million to $22.3 million.

“We have very responsibly taken in that information in terms of what it means financially, but also what opportunities it might present to us as a district,” Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Harrington said on the video call. “We recognize these are trying times, and we still

feel very strongly that it is our primary responsibility to move the district forward.”

Several elementary school programs, including Project Extra, would be restructured in the 2020-21 school year because of teacher retirements and to meet state mandates for new curricula in computer science and coding, Diane Provvido, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and research, explained.

The retirements of Project Extra teacher Angela Abend, as well as one STEM teacher and three music teachers in the elementary schools, presented opportunities to restructure programs.

Project Extra is the district’s gifted and enrichment program for fourth through sixth grades, which traditionally saw children leave their home schools once a week to engage in specialized activities. The activities nurture children and provide them with opportunities to learn that are commensurate with their abilities.

The program normally ran for half a day once a week and included students from all elementary-level buildings in one program. Some students took buses to another school. Starting Continued on page 6

Molloy College housing medical workers

By Jill Nossa jnossa@liherald

In support of Long Island’s efforts to combat the coronavirus, Molloy College will begin housing visiting health care workers currently employed by Mercy Medical Center.

Roughly 40 health care workers, including some of Mercy’s staff, will be housed in the college’s Maria Regina Hall in Rockville Centre.

Molloy will make this temporary housing available at least through May 31.

“Molloy is proud to be able to help both Mercy Medical Center and the health care workers who are on the front lines in the fight against this deadly virus,” said Janine Biscari, Molloy’s vice president of student affairs. “As one of the leading providers of health care education in the country, we want to do whatever we can to help health care workers.”

“We are glad that Mercy and Molloy could come together to assist the Mercy staff and the community in battling this horrific pandemic,” said Peter Scaminaci, president of Mercy Medical Center.

“We believe this housing availability will be a valuable asset not just for the visiting nurses but also for Mercy staff members who may want to keep their families separated from their daily challenges.”

‘When I called Molloy Vice President Ed Thompson to ask for help,” said Jeff Mulhall, president of the Friends of Mercy, “the answer was an immediate yes. We believe this is a model interaction between two great neighbors who are an asset to the community.”

Herald (Q) 04/30/2020

Courtesy Molloy College

VisitiNg health care workers assisting at Mercy Medical Center will be housed at Molloy College’s Maria Regina Hall beginning this weekend.

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April 30, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Andean Mountain brews ‘coffee for a cause’

By Briana Bonfiglio bbonfiglio@liherald.com

Photos by Christina Daly/Herald

iSland Park Mayor Michael McGinty and the village board teamed with DaVinci’s Pizzeria to deliver food to Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital on Saturday.

I.P. board, DaVinci’s partner for MSSN food donation

By Mike SMollinS msmollins@liherald.com

Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty and the board of trustees partnered with DaVinci’s Pizzeria to make a delicious delivery to front-line workers at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside on Saturday.

The delivery included individual lunches comprising baked ziti, chicken par mesan and eggplant par mesan.

DaVinci’s also donated individual servings of side salads and desserts.

The event helped show support to health care professionals who are working on the front lines to combat the coronavirus.

“On behalf of the village board and the residents of Island Park, I am extremely grateful to the health care workers at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital,” McGinty said. “I am very proud

of the heroic actions and the selfless dedication of these very special people. I also thank Davinci’s for their partnership in feeding our front-line heroes.”

Saturday’s delivery was the latest of many food donations to the hospital over the past few months. Earlier this month, Joe Calderone, MSSN’s vice president of corporate communications, said that the donations have meant a great deal to the staff.

“But really, it’s not about the food,” Calderone said. “It’s the message that it sends to the staff that people on the outside recognize what’s happening inside this hospital and the incredible challenge the front-line workers have faced during this pandemic, putting themselves and families at risk to care for often critically ill Covid patients. It sends a great morale boost.”

Oceansider George Franzese, owner of Andean Mountain Coffee Company, has been making his rounds to donate coffee to front-line workers and first responders during the coronavirus pandemic.

It started when he was speaking to a nurse who works at Mount Sinai South Nassau. “I found out she was working at the hospital a mile from my house and bringing her own coffee,” he recalled, “I know our coffee is superior and really thought they could use the great coffee that we have to get through the day.”

The company has donated to the Oceanside hospital, as well as Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre. Franzese also brews the coffee and delivers boxes to firehouses, senior centers and other places in need.

“With all the things these people are going through right now, the last thing they should have to worry about is a source of great coffee,” Franzese said. “A great cup of coffee makes everything a little better, and we’re hoping this is just one

small way we can help our fellow Long Islanders.”

At the same time, business has been down, so community members have bought his coffee to donate to front-line workers, Franzese said. “Say thank you to them or a loved one and help us out at the same time,” he offered in one of his videos.

Even before the pandemic, Andean Mountain had launched its “coffee for a cause” program. The company started selling in Manhattan in 2001, just five months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. After that, they began to pull toward helping others with their coffee wherever they could.

For about a year now, Andean Mountain Coffee has donated some of its proceeds to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports families of fallen first responders of 9/11 and, now, of Covid-19. The coffee company also has a partnership with Island Harvest. For every pound of coffee or set of K-Cups sold, Andean Mountain donates $1 to either organization.

For more information, visit andeanmountain.com.

Briana Bonfiglio contributed to this story.

Courtesy Andean Mountain Coffee

HealtH care workerS at Mount Sinai South Nassau showed gratitude for their bags of Andean Mountain Coffee. For every pound of coffee beans sold, Andean Mountain is donating $1 to either Tunnel to Towers or Island Harvest.

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lana delgado unPacked and prepared to serve the workers.

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

Osider’s coffee company fuels front-line workers

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April 30, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Courtesy North Shore Animal League America

norTh Shore animal League America’s campus in Port Washington is currently still doing, but pet-owner candidates must make an appointment to adopt.

North Shore Animal League still fostering adoptions

By Jennifer Corr jcorr@liherald.com

Tanner Callicutt of Manhattan had thought about getting a puppy for some time, but house-training one seemed daunting given his busy schedule as an actor and a restaurant host.

So when New York state shut down to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in mid-March, Callicutt thought, “‘When am I going to have six weeks of undivided attention to devote to training him and making sure that he’s house-broken?”

In December, Callicutt’s friend, Will Ganss, went through North Shore Animal League America, a no-kill animal rescue center in Port Washington, to get a puppy.

He noticed the amount of love a shelter pet can give, so he decided to go with North Shore Animal League for his new puppy.

Callicutt is not the only one to take advantage of the stay-at-home order to train and get to know a new pet.

“There are a lot, a lot of people who are inquiring about adopting animals,” Diane Johnson, North Shore Animal League’s vice president of shelter Operations, said. “Basically, all of the animals that we have on our website, someone has asked about, which is great because a lot of them are long-term animals that have been here a little bit longer.”

Because the animal rescue can no longer allow walkins, potential adoptees can look for adoptable cats and dogs on the organization’s website, www.animalleague. org. On the website, Callicut found a lab-mix puppy named Otis. “I saw his picture online and immediately fell in love,” Callicut said.

Callicutt then contacted North Shore Animal League and was able to filled out his adoption application over the phone and made an appointment. On April 3, he sat down with Otis at the rescue. “By the end of it, I was like ‘Yeah, he’s mine,’” he said. “I want to take him home.”

Johnson said now is a good time to adopt a pet. “People are home and they have the time to devote to an animal,” she said. “This is a great time for training and spending time with them. We had an outpouring, before this happened, of people who wanted to foster. So we have 40 animals in foster homes that are getting attention 24/7 rather than being here.”

Fostering has been the alternative option, Johnson said, for pets whose owners died from Covid-19. She said there were two cases that the shelter handled. In one, the animal was supposed to be housed at the shelter, but at the

Courtesy Tanner Callicutt

Tanner CalliCuTT adopTed his lab-mix puppy, Otis, from North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington. last minute a relative stepped up to take the animal in.

In another, a neighbor of an individual took in the animal as a foster pet. The neighbor is now working independently to have the animal adopted. “Rather than the animal coming to the shelter, where it’s new for them, and it’s scary, they’re with a foster in a safe and loving environment,” Johnson said.

North Shore Animal League could not name the foster owners for privacy reasons.

For animals that do currently live at the shelter, staff members and volunteers have provided care for them too.

Adoptable dogs are walked three to four times a day and are able to go outside and play. Volunteers have also been taking them to the beach.

“Our front line has been unwavering,” Johnson said.

“We’ve been here from the start. Our staff and volunteers are still here providing care and enrichment for the ani-

mals, and you can’t ask for more than that. Our staff is so dependable when it comes to the animals.”

Also dependable, Johnson said, has been the emergency veterinary service provided by North Shore Animal League’s Pet Health Centers, which are now doing a curbside service for which the animal is brought in and the owner stays in the car.

“Veterinary medicine has been deemed an essential service, so we have remained open to some degree,” Dr. Mark Verdino, a veterinarian with North Shore Animal League, said. “We have, at this point, closed what we would consider non-critical services. So we’re not doing annual exams for the most part. We’re not doing elective procedures, like if a dog needs dental cleaning...”

Verdino and his team have also worked to inform the public on the relationship between Covid-19 and companion animals. As of April 22, only two companion animals had tested positive for Covid-19, and the chances of humans spreading the disease to animals are low, officials said.

“There have been, globally, very few cases where they have tested animals in the home of Covid patients and they have gotten positive tests,” Verdino said. “Does that mean they are infected, or does that mean they are just picking it up on the test? That’s what we really don’t know.”

As of now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that those who are sick with Covid19 stay isolated from their pets, along with anyone else in their household. The CDC has also recommended keeping pets away from situations in which they could interact with other animals and humans outside the household.

However, Verdino said, people should not be paranoid.

He has heard of cases in other shelters and rescues in which people have tried to drop off their pets out of fear they could contract or spread coronavirus, or that owner would be unable to care for the pet if quarantined. This is has not happened at North Shore Animal League to date, however, he said.

“What we’re trying to do is tamper that paranoia out a little bit,” Verdino said. “Again, there’s no evidence that companion animals are playing any roles whatsoever in the transmission of this disease.”

Go to North Shore Animal League’s website at animalleague.org to browse adoptable pets and contact (516) 8837575 to become a pre-approved adopter. Adoptions are done by appointment. The organization is also accepting donations.

Letter from Covid-19 victim’s wife to the governor

Dear Governor Cuomo, I am writing to share the story of my husband, William Mantell, who died from Covid-related pneumonia on April 17.

Bill was a health care worker on the front lines. He wasn’t a nurse or physician working in a hospital, but a pharmacist at a small community pharmacy that he owned for 31 years, in Rochdale Village, N.Y. As you know, retail pharmacies are deemed essential businesses by New York state and are expected to remain open. Bill did as he was instructed. His exposure to the public was not optional, and he kept his pharmacy running to serve his patients and community.

Within the first week of this crisis, he sold out of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant sprays, masks, gloves, alcohol, thermometers and Tylenol.

There were no cleaning supplies left on the shelves, and it was becoming nearly impossible to replenish those items. Not only did Bill have limited product to sell to his patients and customers, but also there were very few supplies to clean the pharmacy with, and he had zero personal protective equipment to keep himself and his employees safe.

Bill was running a small business, and he wasn’t in a position to quickly install plastic barriers at cash registers and other protective measures throughout the store that large corporate pharmacies had the resources to do.

In the beginning of this crisis, I was glued to the news. I heard news stories about the nurses and physicians in hospitals who were begging for PPE to protect themselves. I listened to your news conferences in which you asked President Trump for help obtaining equipment and PPE for those on the front lines in hospitals. I don’t recall the push for PPE for the workers on the front lines who were not in hospitals: the retail pharmacists, delivery people, grocery store employees and workers in essential factories. If New York state was having difficulty procuring these items, how were small businesses supposed to? I feel like my husband was left to fend for himself. If Bill had the PPE earlier, would it have changed his outcome?

I want to bring to your attention the difficulty Bill went through to try to have a Covid-19 test scheduled. He called the testing hotline on March 28 and was told someone would get back to him within two days. Two days later he called again and was reassured he was “still on the list.” Three and a half weeks later, on April 22, the New York State Department of Health called to schedule a test. This was five days after he died.

Is it acceptable to have a person who is sick wait almost a month for a test? Why wasn’t his personal physician allowed to order a test? How did those waiting on lines at the drive-through sites have their tests scheduled? If Bill had been tested and treated earlier, would it have changed

his outcome?

It was extremely difficult for my family and me (and I am sure for every other family who has a sick loved one) to know that Bill was in the hospital suffering alone, with no family or friends by his side to support him. I understand the reasons why, and I understand that the nurses have such a high patient load that they are often unable to extend the extra human elements they normally give those in their care.

I know Bill was anxious, scared and exhausted trying to take care of his needs on his own. If even one family member was allowed at their own risk, gowned from head to toe, to be there with him, to ensure that he laid on his stomach, did his breathing exercises, helped with the side effects caused by his medications and let him know that he wasn’t alone, would it have changed his outcome?

My story is one of nearly 17,000 in New York state. I am helpless in a time when there is so much uncertainty in the world.

I have lost my best friend, and my daughters have lost their father. I am calling on you, Governor Cuomo, to continue leading our state through this challenging time. Small businesses on the front lines need PPE to safely serve people during this pandemic, and our loved ones need someone by their side to fight and survive.

In loving memory of my husband Bill, Carole Mantell

Island Harvest offering food across Nassau

Food bank partners with county to feed 1,000 families in need amid the pandemic

By BRIAN STIEGLITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com

“No one should have to question where their next meal is coming from,” wrote Nassau County Executive Laura Curran in a Facebook post on April 23. Her sentiment echoes the goal of Island Harvest Food Bank, with which the county recently partnered to distribute food at nine local sites.

In Curran’s social media post, she announced the county had joined with the Bethpage-based food bank to provide enough meals to feed roughly 1,000 families in one day.

This continues Island Harvest’s efforts to help the growing number of Long Island residents who were furloughed or lost their jobs because of business closures or stagnations.

The food bank first launched an emergency response program on March 9 to help residents who were financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This included its Emergency Contingency Business Plan to put in place specific measures to ensure the health and safety of its staff members, volunteers, clients and food.

Through its emergency response plan, the organization has purchased 50 percent more food than it usually does. Staff members surveyed 124 school districts and identified 32 that needed support providing meals to students. For such districts, staff members and volunteers created pop-up, drive-through food distribution centers.

It ran a mobile food pantry to distribute food to about 300 nonprofits, and delivered food to roughly 1,700 people who could not leave their homes, including seniors, veterans and the immunocompromised.

Brian Stieglitz/Herald

ISLANd HARvEST Food Bank partnered with Nassau County to distribute food at nine different county sites on April 23.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

Editor’s note: Carole Mantell recently lost her husband, Bill, to Covid-19. He was a pharmacist, working on the front lines.

Carol wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, urging him to provide protective equipment to essential employees like him to protect them from the virus.

“I needed to write a letter to Governor Cuomo regarding our family’s experience with Covid-19,” she said. “I want this to be a call to action to make changes in how this terrible disease is being handled.”

The Mantells lived for many years in Rockville Centre before moving four years ago to East Meadow.

Here is Carole’s letter to the governor:

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April 30, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Program shifts part of proposed OSD budget Previously, mental health and makerthis fall, if the budget plan is approved space programs were “push-in,” meanby voters, there would be one Project ing they cut into a teacher’s core Extra teacher per building, and the pro- instruction of English, math, history gram would take place during a “spe- and science. The restructuring would cials” period so students allow more time for core would not miss core instruction, school officials instruction or need to leave said. their buildings, Provvido Harrington noted that explained. without teacher retireThe selection process for ments, the new arrangethe Project Extra program ment of programs would would remain the same, as not be financially possible. well as the number of stuShe argued the plan is a dents in the program, but it sound solution to ongoing would be spread out across challenges of pushing in all elementary school buildnew instruction and interi n g s n o w, H a r r i n g t o n rupting core curriculum. added.

The district’s budget vote Students’ specials periwill also include a separate ods would shift as a result ballot measure about the of music teacher retireuse of capital reserve funds ments and a new state manfor renovations to Oceandate for coding lessons. side High School science Rather than two music dr. Phyllis labs, at a cost not to exceed classes in a six-day cycle, harrington $3.4 million, which would students would have one be at no additional cost to music class. To replace the Superintendent taxpayers. music class, students in The budget hearing via first through third grades would have a video conference is scheduled for May 6, makerspace/STEM/coding class. Stu- but is subject to change. The vote will dents in fourth through sixth grades take place at an unknown date in June would have a mental health and well- from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at School No. 6’s being lesson, taught by two new health Merle Avenue gymnasium. For updates and wellness teachers and one current on the budget vote, visit oceansideteacher who started this school year. schools.org.

contnued from front

W

e recognize these are trying times, and we still feel very strongly that it is our primary responsibility to move the district forward.

Christina Daly/Herald

the oceanside school District’s budget vote will take place in June, although the date has not yet been set by New York state. The vote will happen in the Oceanside School No. 6 Merle Avenue gymnasium.

2020-21 capital reserve fund proposition A proposition to complete renovation of all Oceanside High School science labs will be on the ballot for the 2020-21 school budget vote. Some labs date back decades.

The proposal is the first of five phases of the renovations, not to exceed $3.4 million at no additional cost to taxpayers. The cost is eligible

for up to 45 percent state building aid, which would provide additional revenue to the school district. The measure is on the ballot and requires voter approval in the June budget vote for the district to withdraw money from its capital reserve fund, which can only be used for capital projects such as this.

‘Heartbreaking’ cancellation of spring sports contnued from front

was made to ensure the health and safety of the student-athletes.

And, he added, he was excited about moving on to college. “I’m looking forward to training with very elite athletes who are faster than me so I can learn off them,” he said, “especially in the atmosphere that Harvard creates.”

Any hopes for even a modified spring season were dashed on April 21, when health and safety concerns led athletic administrators and school superintendents in Nassau and Suffolk counties to announce the cancellation.

“For the safety for our student-athletes, Section VIII has made the difficult decision to cancel spring sports for our high schools and middle schools,” Nassau County Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli said. “Long Island is one of the areas most affected by this terrible pandemic, so both Section VIII [Nassau] and Section XI [Suffolk] have made this very difficult decision.”

Oceanside School District Athletic Director Jeff Risener said it was a “heartbreaking” decision, but he understood the need to put students’ safety first.

“You can’t imagine what they must be feeling,” he said of the student-athletes.

“Kids go through their lifetimes in sports preparing for seasons, and they get themselves in physical shape, mental shape and get ready to be involved in an athletic season, and then to have this taken away, it’s just heartbreaking for them, and my

heart goes out to them.”

Administrators in Nassau and Suffolk met over a 24-hour span beginning April 20 and thought they should act quickly.

A week earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had extended New York state’s stay-athome policies through May 15, meaning that schools will be closed until at least that date. Even if public schools were to reopen, however, no practices and sporting events will be held.

Nassau County’s Athletic Council, which includes superintendents, principals and officials, met the night of April 20, and members were unanimous in their decision. Athletic directors met the following morning and agreed.

Catherine Stanford, a varsity softball player for the Sailors, said the decision set off a mass text chain among her and her teammates, who she said were devastated to discover they would not have one more year to play together. “It just hit me all at once,” she said. “I was really upset.”

Stanford started playing baseball with boys when she was 5, and then transitioned to softball, joining the varsity team in eighth grade. The cancellation was most upsetting her, she added, because she will be a member of the swim team next year at Penn State University, but will not play softball.

Stanford said it was also disappointing that the varsity team got to the Nassau County Class AA championship last season and lost to East Meadow, and now the girls will not have a chance to build on

Jeff Wilson/Herald

oceanside high girls’ varsity softball player Catherine Stanford said she was disappointed the team would be unable to build on its 2019 season this spring. their record.

“We knew this year was going to be our year,” she said. “. . . I’ll remember that everyone on the team was always supportive. Once you made a bad play or struck out, everyone was always there and had your back. We’re going to be sad for a while, but we have each others’ backs, just like during games.”

Mike Postilio, who has coached varsity baseball at Oceanside High since 2013, said he was most dismayed by his nine seniors not getting a chance to play their final season, especially those who have waited behind older players at key positions when they were younger and were

supposed to have finally received their shot as starters.

“We started working out in October for our season, which starts in March, so we put a lot of time in this offseason,” Postilio said. “It’s sad for them that they didn’t get a chance to compete with each other, but they created a lot of memories and bonds.”

Postilio said he hosted a Google Classroom discussion with his players after the announcement to tell them that he is there to support them. He has also used the platform to provide his players with safe offseason workouts that they can follow.

The Sailors had a memorable season in 2019, finishing 16-8 and making it to the Nassau County Class AA semifinals before losing to Port Washington. Unable to build on that this spring, Postilio said he hoped his players, the Oceanside community and all first responders and frontline workers remained healthy during the pandemic.

“We’re hoping they’re doing the right thing and staying safe and smart, and hopefully once all of this gets resolved and settled and under control, then we can get back to the things that we enjoy,” he said. “I think people took for granted going to practice every day or going to school, and now when they’re not able to, I’m sure they’ll look forward to that in the future.”

Tony Bellissimo contributed to this story.

Hempstead adds tax-collection sites for May sbrinton@liherald.com

The Town of Hempstead has set up three drive-thru tax-collection booths at points across the town, including one in front of Rock Hall, the stately, two-story 1767 mansion in Lawrence.

Supervisor Don Clavin and Tax Receiver Jeanine Driscoll came there Thursday to announce the new collection locations, which are intended to reduce traffic at the main collection office in Hempstead and reduce the risk of Covid19 infection for taxpayers and town employees.

The main collection office is at 200 North Franklin St., Hempstead.

Rock Hall is at 199 Broadway in Lawrence.

The two other new drive-thru sites are: ■ Echo Park, 399 Nassau Blvd., West Hempstead.

■ Seamans Neck Park, 2700 S. Seamans Neck Road, Seaford.

The next tax-collection deadline is June 1, said town spokesman Mike Caputo. The main drive-thru collection office in Hempstead will open May 1. The other three will open May 18 and remain open through June 1.

All sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, except for Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, when they will be closed. The sites only accept tax payments by check or money order.

“During this pandemic, we want to do everything that we can to reduce the

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

town SuperviSor DonalD Clavin and Tax Receiver Jeanine Driscoll came to Rock Hall in Lawrence to announce three additional drive-thru sites where town residents can pay their taxes. The sites will open May 18 and will remain open through June 1. stress and anxiety for our taxpayers,” said Town Councilman Bruce Blakeman, who joined Clavin and Driscoll at Town Hall for the announcement. “The establishment of additional drive-thru payment offices in communities some distance from the tax office in Hempstead will provide greater convenience for taxpayers who wish to pay their school taxes

in person.”

“Thousands of our residents prefer to pay their property taxes in person,” Driscoll said. “These drive-thru payment offices will accommodate our constituents in a safer manner.”

By executive order on Monday, Governor Cuomo pushed back the payment deadline for second-half 2019-20 school

taxes by three weeks to June 1. The deadline was previously May 11. Clavin said he was pleased the governor delayed the payment, a move that he had called for to provide taxpayer relief for those suffering amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the booths, property owners may pay their tax bills by credit or debit card or electronic check (e-check) online or by telephone.

To pay online, visit the Receiver’s Online Payment Portal at https://hempsteadny.gov/view-pay-tax-bills-online.

To pay by telephone, call (833) 378-1236 and follow the prompts.

Payments by credit card, debit card and e-check will incur a service fee, charged by eGov Strategies, the company that processes the transactions. Hempstead Town receives no portion of the service fees, officials noted.

To pay by mail, checks should be made payable to “Jeanine C. Driscoll, Receiver of Taxes,” signed and dated. Numerical and written amounts should agree, and school district, section, block and lot numbers should be written on the check.

Payment stubs should be enclosed with checks or money orders and sent to: Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes, 200 North Franklin St., Hempstead, N.Y. 11550.

Payments submitted by mail must have a U.S. Postal Service postmark dated no later than June 1 to avoid penalty.

Taxpayers who need help with property-tax matters should email the Hempstead Town Receiver’s Office at tohtaxquestions@tohmail.org or call (516) 812-3600.

Study: 1 in 6 L.I. residents infected by Covid-19

By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com

An estimated 16.7 percent of residents on Long Island, in Nassau and Suffolk counties, have been infected by the coronavirus. That translates to 1 in 6 people.

That’s according to a random statewide survey of 3,000 people conducted by New York state health officials, Governor Cuomo said Thursday.

Nassau and Suffolk had the second-highest infection rate after New York City in the state, according to Cuomo. The five boroughs of the city had an infection rate of 21.2 percent, or about 1 in 5 people.

Statewide, the rate averaged 13.9 percent, or 1 in 7 people.

That figure, however, was heavily skewed by the downstate totals. Outside of New York City and its surrounding counties, the infection rate was 3.6 percent, or 1 in 28 people, Cuomo said.

The antibody tests were conducted in public, at places like supermarkets and box stores, he said.

Thae infection rate was disproportionately high among African-Americans and Latinos, for whom the infection rate averaged 23 percent.

Among Asians, it was 11.7 percent, and whites, 9 percent.

According to the study, some 2.7 million New Yorkers have been infected by Covid-19, which translates to a death rate of .5 percent.

The death rate, however, does not accurately portray the toll the pandemic has taken on New York, the governor said, noting that 15,500 people have died in hospitals and nursing homes to date. That figure is expected to rise when at-home deaths are accounted for.

Additionally, the governor said, the coronavirus may have been in the United States, and New York, longer than thought, according to a new Northeastern University study. That means people may have died of the disease as early as January, but it was unknown at the time those people had the coronavirus.

Conducting the study was critical to developing the state’s plans to reopen the economy, the governor said. He spoke of a regional approach to reopening, based on the infection rate seen in different parts of the state.

“The facts should dictate the action,” he said, speaking of the regional approach.

He noted, however, that reopening must be wellcoordianted throughout the state to prevent any one region from being overwhelmed by people from other regions whose areas have not yet opened.

Courtesy Diana Robinson via Wikimedia Commons

roughly 1 in 6 Nassau County residents have been infected by the coronavirus, according to a new study undertaken by New York state, Governor Cuomo said Thursday.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

By Scott Brinton

7

Former Sen. Dean Skelos to be released

By Jill Nossa

jnossa@liherald.com

Former State Sen. Dean Skelos could be returning to his Rockville Centre home as early as this week, according to a court filing. Skelos tested positive for Covid-19, and is expected to be released to home confinement from federal prison in Otisville on or around April 30, according to officials from the Bureau of Prisons.

A letter sent to a federal judge overseeing Skelos’s case did not state the location of his new confinement, but traditionally prisoners are sent to their homes and are electronically monitored, with restrictions on leaving the premises.

His request for release had been in question last week because of a change in government policy.

Earlier this month, officials said that Skelos, 72, had been cleared for medical release and would likely return to his Rockville Centre home. On April 21, however, prosecutors said a recent shift in the Bureau of Prisons policy meant he was no longer eligible for compassionate release, which can be ordered by a judge for inmates facing extraordinary circumstances, including illness.

According to prosecutors, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons advised prison officials to revert to its pre-coronavirus policy that inmates are not eligible for home

release unless they had served 50 percent of their sentence. Skelos has more than two years, or around 30 percent, left on his 51-month sentence for extortion, wire fraud and bribery.

The federal prosecutors sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood, who is overseeing the case, saying the Bureau of Prisons had not yet decided whether to approve Skelos for furlough and home confinement. Skelos had reportedly been in quarantine for 10 days at the federal prison in Otisville, according to documents filed in federal court in Manhattan by Southern District prosecutors, and has been symptom-free since April 8.

Late last month, Skelos requested early release, citing fear of contracting the virus after another inmate tested positive. The motion, filed under seal, was opposed by federal prosecutors in papers filed publicly, stating an application for release must first be filed with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which can better assess his health situation. His medical condition was not made public at that point.

Skelos was convicted in July 2018 of using his political power to secure roughly $300,000 in jobs and fees for his son Adam, also of Rockville Centre.

They were each convicted on eight counts of conspiracy, extortion, and bribery. Adam Skelos was sentenced to four years in prison.

Herald file photo

Former state seN. Majority Leader Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre has tested positive for Covid-19 and is expected to be released early to home confinement.

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Oceanside resident Marvin Moelis died on April 12. He was 84.

Moelis was born in Brooklyn, where he met the love of his life, Marilyn, who became his wife of 62 years. He was a true family man, and was devoted to his two children and four grandchildren.

One of his biggest passions was his career, and he recently celebrated 60 years with Morgan Stanley, where he served as a financial advisor. He was an avid baseball fan, rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers and then the Mets. He also served as the president of Oceanside Little League, where he helped form the girls’ Little League affiliate, and coached baseball for 25 years.

Moelis was a man of many interests, a member of the mason, skilled piano player and also greatly enjoyed the beach and walking on the boardwalk. His loved ones remember him for his warmth, contagious smile and for bringing laughter to others.

In addition to Marilyn, Moelis is survived by his children, Sheryl and Gary; his grandchildren, Traci, Jason, Josh and Jamie; and his loving brothers, Herb and Jay.

GOOD

BANDANAS

Every life matters to us …

Dear neighbor:

We live and work in this community. The lives of each and every one of you is important to us and we are here to tell your stories — from beginning to end. That includes the final chapter. At this difficult time, I want to remind you that obituaries in all Herald Community Newspapers are, and have always been, completely free.

COVID-19 has taken far too many, far to soon. Let us help you commemorate the life of your loved one with a story and photo celebrating their life. Contact our Executive Editor Scott Brinton, sbrinton@liherald.com or call 516-569-4000, ext 203, if you would like to memorialize a loved one in the Herald, regardless of their cause of death.

Courtesy Traci Antkies

Marvin Moelis, 84

Stuart Richner Publisher srichner@liherald.com 1087105

See what Girl Scouts do at our upcoming virtual information nights!

Register at gsnc.org/programs for an information session in your area. Once registered, you will have the opportunity to sign your daughter up for a “New Daisy Discovery” virtual program via Zoom!

BALDWIN Thursday, 5/21/20, 8:30pm

FLORAL PARK Tuesday, 5/12/20, 7:30pm

BAY (Oyster Bay and surrounding areas) Monday, 5/11/20, 7:30pm

FRANKLIN SQUARE Wednesday, 5/13/20, 7:30pm

BELLMORE Monday, 5/18/20, 7:30pm CARLE PLACE Thursday, 5/14/20, 7:30pm CENTRAL PARK (Bethpage and Plainview) Tuesday, 5/12/20, 7:30pm EAST MEADOW Monday, 5/4/20, 7:30pm ELLM (East Rockaway, Lakeview, Lynbrook, and Malverne) Monday, 5/4/20, 7:30pm ELMONT Tuesday, 5/19/20, 7:30pm

FREEPORT Monday, 5/11/20, 7:30pm GARDEN CITY Thursday, 5/14/20, 7:30pm GREAT NECK Monday, 5/4/20, 7:30pm HARDSCRABBLE (Farmingdale and N. Massapequa) Thursday, 5/7/20, 7:30pm HERRICKS Monday, 5/18/20, 7:30pm HICKSVILLE Tuesday, 5/5/20, 7:30pm

ISLAND BEACH (Island Park PLAINEDGE and Long Beach) Tuesday, 5/19/20, 7:30pm Wednesday, 5/20/20, 7:30pm PORT WASHINGTON JERICHO/SYOSSET Wednesday, 5/6/20, 7:30pm Wednesday, 5/20/20, 7:30pm ROCKVILLE CENTRE MANHASSET Wednesday, 5/20/20, 7:30pm Thursday, 5/14/20, 7:30pm SEAFORD MASSAPEQUA Thursday, 5/7/20, 7:30pm Wednesday, 5/6/20, 7:30pm SHORE (North Shore/ MERRICK Glen Cove and surrounding Wednesday, 5/13/20, 7:30pm areas) Monday, 5/18/20, 7:30pm NORTH BELLMORE Thursday, 5/7/20, 7:30pm THE PLAINS (Island Trees and Levittown) OCEANSIDE Thursday, 5/21/20, 7:30pm Tuesday, 5/5/20, 7:30pm If you do not see PARK (New Hyde Park, your area listed, Garden City Park, and parts please contact of Floral Park) customercare@gsnc.org Monday, 5/11/20, 7:30pm for more information.

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VALLEY STREAM Thursday, 5/21/20, 7:30pm WANTAGH Wednesday, 5/6/20, 7:30pm WARM (Williston Park, Albertson, East Hills Estates, East Williston, Old Westbury, Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Mineola) Wednesday, 5/13/20, 7:30pm WEST HEMPSTEAD Thursday, 5/21/20, 7:30pm

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

Longtime O’side Little League president Marvin Moelis dies at 84

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Monte Leeper

A. Well, not being a moth, I don’t know the threshold for when I could fly back to continue munching on that wool sweater, but the sap-producing odor of cedar does diminish after seven to 10 years. Also, for anyone who has ever actually smelled mothballs, I wonder how you got their little legs apart.

I think the former owner must have had a really bad experience with moths and/or lost a lot of clothing to them. The natural smell of cedar diminishes over time, as the oils in the wood dissipate into the air. In a closed space it may take longer, but the natural moth-repelling scent comes from the cutting of the wood and exposing the sap in the fibers. After you remove the cedar panels from the former closet and set up a new space, the cedar smell can be revived by lightly sanding the wood, which could have saved investing in mothballs altogether.

Mothballs are toxic to most pets, and although people think they can kill animals that intrude into attics or basements, they’re not recommended for this purpose. Mothballs, made from poisonous naphthalene or para-dicloro-benzene, not only are noxious smelling, but can cause serious illness to any animal, including humans. The more noticeable effects are eye and skin irritation, headaches, nausea and breathing problems, with nose and throat irritation that can cause continuous, unrelenting coughing. If you’re around the mothballs in that closet long enough, you may develop liver and kidney damage as the body struggles to deal with filtering the toxin.

The best and safest way to protect natural-fiber clothing, which is what moths and silverfish are after, is to store the garments in tightly closed containers that moths can’t pry open. Since I’ve never seen a moth flying around with a crowbar, this should be easy to do, and much safer than the toxic solutions previous generations used. I once measured a home to produce renovation drawings, and it had a large walk-in cedar closet. I was in that room for less than two minutes when I began to feel an extreme headache and coughing, so I know that it doesn’t take much to become ill from the scent.

With so many container types and shapes available, I recommend the less toxic method to store clothing. Good luck.

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Q. We have an old Victorian that has a large closet, almost the size of a bedroom, next to the master bedroom. The closet is covered in cedar wood, which we were told can protect clothes from moths.

We wondered why the previous owner did that, since they also spread mothballs Ask The all around the closet. We want to make the master Architect bedroom bigger by using part of the closet and taking out the cedar. Can the cedar be reused if we put it in the basement? We wonder whether cedar loses the ability to discourage moths and why the former owner also used mothballs? Any thoughts?

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

Cedar closets and mothballs

11

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Answers

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opinions

s we suffer through pandemicmandated home confinement, the media becomes more and more important to us each day.

We follow it for information, for comfort, for life-saving advice and for ways to keep us from having nervous breakdowns.

In every time of crisis, some figures emerge that either capture our attention or stand out because of their impact on our lives, one way or another.

President Trump and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have commanded the continuous attention of us JeRRY New Yorkers, kReMeR because both have our fate in their hands in different ways. Obviously, the president has a major role at the national level, and as a state, we look to the governor. Both have traveled bumpy roads, but as time now shows, there are more differences between the two than similarities.

Knowing both men fairly well, I think back over the years on how each followed a chosen path to get to where they are

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today: in our face on a daily basis. The political world and the business world are like two different planets, and they presented different challenges to Cuomo and Trump. The president was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, and the governor came from a family of modest means.

They’re both from Queens.

Trump struggled over the years to prove that he wasn’t just his father’s son, and Cuomo had an uphill fight to prove that he was a worthy heir to the Cuomo family name. When Trump made a lot of mistakes in the real estate business, he turned to his lawyers and family to bail him out.

Andrew Cuomo had a brilliant mentor in his father, and made only one political mistake, which was his misguided decision to challenge State Comptroller Carl McCall for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2002.

Those headaches briefly held both Trump and Cuomo back from their goals to get to the top of their respective mountains, but not for long. After their setbacks, each one decided that he would keep pushing, and nothing would get in the way. Trump was determined to

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emerge from his financial failures and make the world believe he was a business genius. With the smart use of public relations and a lot of lucky breaks, he became a household name thanks to the wildly popular television series “The Apprentice.” And, over the years, he managed to put his name on countless buildings and projects.

Cuomo didn’t have the benefit of a money machine behind him, but he always had a fierce determination to win, and understood the political world a lot more than any adversary. Time heals all wounds — even political ones — and in 2006, he decided to run for attorney general. He ran a highly professional office, and proved that he was his own man. Four years later, he turned his attention to mounting a campaign for governor, and, now in his third term, he has emerged as a national figure.

So today, Trump and Cuomo are in the spotlight at the same time, and the differences between them have emerged for all to see.

The president has his bully pulpit, with his nightly TV coronavirus brief-

governor and a president share the spotlight, but in very different ways.

ings. At the same time, however, Cuomo has become a national celebrity with his daily briefings. The president holds forth in two-hour sessions laced with insults of the media and repeated insistence on being thanked for everything he has or hasn’t done. Cuomo presents facts and statistics, and gives viewers the feeling that he really cares about who lives or dies. There are 49 other governors, but at this point Cuomo leads the pack.

There is no doubt Trump believes that his daily pronouncements will help his re-election chances. But there is such a thing as too much exposure, and too much of the same wears on the average voter. On the other hand, Cuomo’s daily sessions have attracted a legion of new followers, and his prominence may play an important role in his political life years from now.

Unplanned as it was, the competition between the two guys from Queens has been a clear win for Cuomo.

Jerry Kremer was a state 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.

Having the ‘best words’ never mattered more

am reading so many good words these days, but sadly, none of them are coming from the president.

That’s a shame, because throughout history, words have inspired people to resist tyranny, to slog through depressions and to find their better selves in times of crisis.

What leaps to mind? “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” or “Give me liberty or give me death” or “No taxation without representation.”

Sober and inspiring, right?

Last week, I’m pretty sure I heard Donald Trump RAndi spewing nonsense kReiss about ultraviolet light and disinfectants curing Covid-19. He said he was just putting it out there; he was just thinking out loud.

What’s the harm?

The terrible harm is that he is a font of abysmal ignorance, and his advice is taken to heart by many people who believe what he says because he is, unfortunately, the president of the United States. I know some of you read these words and want to remind me of the

respect due a president. I say to that: Respect is earned. Trump has trampled every opportunity to speak truth to the American people, to support the scientists who are on the front lines and to create an organized federal response to this pandemic. His lying has always been disturbing, but now it has become lethal.

If you believe what he says and you also hope to live a full life, just check with your doctor before you inject any disinfectant.

Two weeks ago, Trump used the word “liberate” to rally the know-nothings who see social distancing, a proven life-saving strategy, as some kind of infringement of their right to go back to work or out to the local bar. That particular word, “liberate,” was intentionally used to foment protest among Trump’s base.

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman said it with his own excellent prose: “Think about the use of that word.

We were not in jail! We were not doing something wrong! We were doing what our president, governor, mayor and national epidemic experts told us to do: behave responsibly and shelter in place . . . Trump was cynically trying to curry

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favor with his base by implying that the Democratic governors … were unfairly locking people up. Is there anything more irresponsible that this president could do?”

That was before Doctor Trump started free-associating about disinfectants and ultraviolet light.

Fortunately, the best words are also being offered by thinkers and writers who choose to lift us up. Mindfulness expert Jack Kornfield wrote in the Times magazine: “The feeling that we have so little control over how death could touch us in this instance — that’s what a lot of these current anxieties come down to, right? We’re worried about ourselves or the ones we love dying from Covid-19 . . . It’s wild that we have our personalities and our bodies and full lives and families and then, poof, they’re gone. We look for a story . . . What I know from 50 years of meditation and doing hospice work is that we’re not just this body. You are made of spirit. And the spirit makes it so that even if people have died, we’re still profoundly connected to them in love. In that sense, they haven’t exactly died. They are in us, not

hose words are coming from thinkers and writers who choose to lift us up.

only in our hearts but also somehow in our very being. Knowing this doesn’t take away the power of that grief to shake us to our roots, but it lets us know something bigger than all of that: Who I am is not just this body. We are consciousness.”

Seeing the beauty in Kornfield’s words gives me faith that we will also understand this time more fully when our fiction writers begin using this global pandemic as grist for the literary mill.

Writer Sloane Crosley reminds us that things are moving too quickly now to have any perspective, but with the advantage of time, we may find ourselves reading another “Don Quixote” or “The Grapes of Wrath” or “The Plague,” all inspired by historic tragedies.

Time is the critical ingredient. As Crosley said in a Times article, the sensational, get-it-while-it’s-hot treatment of world events often disappoints. Fiction writers, she said, are only now getting World War I right, which may be a bit of an exaggeration.

We can only hope that our best writers are busy taking notes so that someday they can summon their own best words to explain this crazy time to the rest of us.

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

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

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Cuomo puts the other guy from Queens to shame

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To Congress: Fund the states — now

side from the slings and arrows thrown more sparingly than usual by President Trump, the nearly two-month-long coronavirus crisis has been largely free of the bitter partisan politics that have roiled our nation in recent years.

Until last week, that is.

Yes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, perhaps unsurprisingly, went there even now, as families across the country have been reeling amid a steadily mounting Covid-19 death toll.

After offering desperately needed financial relief to small businesses, Congress began debating whether to fund states whose annual budgets have been decimated because of the coronavirus. McConnell’s pathetic response: Fund yourselves or declare bankruptcy, saying he would have no more “blue state bailouts.”

That clearly angered Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who for weeks had called on Congress to fund the states, noting that New York is staring down a historically high $10 billion to $15 billion gap in its budget.

Without federal intervention, New York

How to write your U.s. representative Go to these websites to reach your local congressional representatives: ■ U.S. Rep. Peter King, 2nd District, peteking.house.gov.

■ U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, 3rd District, suozzi.house.gov.

■ U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice, 4th District, kathleenrice.house.gov.

■ U.S. Sen. Char les Schumer, schumer.senate.gov.

■ U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, gillibrand.senate.gov. might be forced to cut 20 percent of aid for essential services like fire, police, hospitals and schools.

Such cuts would mean steep, across-theboard staffing cuts, Cuomo warned, but

there would be no choice. With income tax collections halted at the moment and sales taxes bottoming out, the state is now essentially broke, when only two months ago it was solvent.

Cuomo fired back at McConnell, arguing that, year after year, New York contributes more than any other state than it receives in federal aid. Meanwhile, McConnell’s home state of Kentucky is among the states that contributes the least to the federal coffers, but among those that take the most in aid.

“Just give me my money back, Senator,” Cuomo implored McConnell.

If Congress were to refuse to fund the states to make their budgets whole again, then “you will see a collapse of this national economy,” Cuomo said.

We urge New Yorkers to write to their congressional representatives to show support for swift action to fund the states and avoid an economic catastrophe of even greater proportions than we have already seen. Local representatives’ websites are listed in the box.

Keep extending the Ocean Parkway bike trail

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ith most people confined to their homes by the coronavirus pandemic and itching to get out into open space, it becomes abundantly clear that Nassau County is lacking when it comes to bike trails.

The county has fewer than 50 miles of bike trails, compared with New York City, which has 450, and Suffolk County, which has 370. So Nassau residents have long had a hard time finding a place to ride freely, unconcerned about the presence of cars.

Now, as the weather (finally) warms, and with people unable to work out at their gyms, many are turning to cycling for exercise.

But too many are forced to ride on

streets, unprotected from the vehicles around them. True, there are fewer cars on the roads, but it’s still much safer to ride on trails, away from traffic. It’s also better for motorists. Many drivers now find themselves navigating among pedestrians, runners, cyclists, inline skaters and skateboarders.

What cyclists need are safe places to ride, removed from suburban streets.

Historically, Nassau lawmakers have not seen the importance of bike trails, as those in New York City and Suffolk County have. The thinking has been, people drive, so why bother with bike trails?

Those trails give people a place to exercise and enjoy themselves in a safe setting.

That’s all the reasoning needed. The coro-

letters A phased reopening To the Editor: As we look to the months that lie ahead, we must ask the question: How can we build back better? There is no returning to yesterday — there is only moving forward.

In the months ahead, employers will need to rethink how workplaces can be safer. Our health care system

will have to become harder and more resilient. Our technology must improve. This pandemic has altered New York, and we have been through hell, but we must learn the lessons of this crisis in order to reimagine a better society.

Last Sunday, I outlined a phased plan to safely reopen New York at the appropriate time, taking a regional approach. Phase One will be to

navirus crisis only further illustrates how important they are.

The five-mile-long Wantagh Parkway bike trail, which leads down to Jones Beach, was crowded last weekend, but most users managed to keep a safe distance from one another (see story inside). It is one of just a handful of bike trails in the county. The only other major trail loops for 10 miles around the Hub, in the center of the county.

New York state has committed to a 10-mile, $16.2 million extension of the existing three-mile-long Ocean Parkway bike trail, itself an extension of the Wantagh Parkway trail. Let’s hope, given the current economic crisis, the state is still able to build it.

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opinions

mid a global pandemic, colleges nationwide have indefinitely shifted classes online. With students no longer using campus facilities and resources, they have created petitions and filed class-action lawsuits calling for tuition reduction and reimbursement. This discontent arises against the backdrop of a turbulent economy, historically high tuition costs and record levels of student loan debt.

Now is the time to take definitive action on higher education reform to best position our next generaoLiver tion of students. roberts But the current mainstream reform proposals — like free college and debt cancellation — engender uncompromising, hyperpartisan reactions, which inevitably lead to inaction. If we truly want to improve our higher education system, we must pursue a bipartisan approach that reduces tuition costs and student loan debt, expands college opportunities for high school students, and requires no increase in taxes.

Currently, there is only one proposal that adequately fulfills these goals: Degree-in-Three reform. It calls for tran-

sitioning the college system away from the traditional four-year degree model to three-year degrees. Tuition would be reduced by 25 percent, students would have fewer loans and interest to pay back, more could afford college degrees, and they could seek employment and start earning salaries a year earlier.

According to Paul Weinstein, director of graduate programs at John Hopkins University, colleges could eliminate a year by shifting to a trimester system, adding a winter term, removing redundant class requirements, focusing on early declarations of majors, offering crossover master’s classes for students pursuing graduate degrees, and accepting more A.P. credit equivalents.

One criticism of Degree-in-Three reform is that reducing the length of a college career could potentially compromise the quality of education. But many universities — more than 30, according to Weinstein — already offer three-year degree programs. In addition, most colleges now allow students to substitute internship experience for classroom credit, and some even allow internships to fulfill a full semester’s worth of credit.

So colleges could eliminate a year by creating formal summer internship programs-for-credit that buttress classroom

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egreein-Three reform presents a bipartisan solution to a divisive issue.

Letters reopen low-risk construction and manufacturing businesses in parts of the state that have experienced a 14-day decline in the hospitalization rate. Phase Two will open certain industries based on priority and risk level. (Businesses considered “more essential,” with inherent low risks of infection in the workplace and to customers, will be prioritized.) Officials are closely monitoring the hospitalization rate, the infection rate and other key health indicators, and will make adjustments to the plan based on this crucial data.

There will be a two-week waiting period in between phases of this plan, to monitor the effect. This will help ensure that the hospitalization and infection rates do not increase as some workers begin to return to work.

Businesses and industries will create plans that include new measures to protect employees and consumers.

The physical workplace will have to be reimagined to be safer, and businesses must implement processes that reduce the risk of infection. The state is consulting with local leaders in each region and industry to formulate these plans.

Multi-state coordination is key, especially in downstate New York,

instruction.

With colleges already recognizing the interchangeable nature of classroom instruction and internship experience, students earning employment opportunities and gaining real-world experience earlier could hardly be viewed as compromising their education and development. And with incoming freshmen now face uncertain economic futures, maximizing work experience through internships could best prepare them for, and significantly improve their competitiveness in, future job markets.

Underscoring its bipartisan political appeal, Degreein-Three reform wouldn’t require a single dollar of additional taxes, and would deliver wide-ranging economic benefits. With lower tuition costs, less student loan debt and an additional year of salary, the improved financial posture of college graduates would enable greater economic investment on their part — the purchase of cars and homes. Entering the workforce one year earlier, college graduates would also bolster our Social Security System through additional payroll taxes.

Further, by allowing students to graduate in three years, colleges could open up more seats in their incoming classes, which would mean more opportunities

Ever upward, GOv. ANDREW M. CUOMO

Ready for their YouTube moment — Salisbury

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for high school students to attend competitive colleges and pursue their desired career paths. By doing so, colleges would be able to offset any potential profit losses from the transition to three-year degrees. We foll for life Degree-in-Three reform presents a bipartisan solution to a divisive national us from In e issue. Republicans have long proposed reducing the government’s role in admin- emerge istering loans in favor of private-sector lending, while Democrats have advanced free college and debt cancellation. Given these opposing approaches, bipartisan action would seem highly unlikely.

But Degree-in-Three Reform caters to both parties’ interests, while still preserving the opportunity for each party to tout its preferred solutions to the problems it sees with the college system. With a three-year degree model, college tuition and loan debt would decrease, and more students would be able to attend college, making Democrats happy. And those benefits would accrue without raising taxes, and reduce government’s role in adminis- ways. O tering student loans, which would please major state, w Republicans. travele In the meantime, Degree-in-Three shows, reform would have already cut tuition costs by 25 percent, reduced student loan betwee Kno debt and delivered wide-ranging macroback ov economic benefits. a chose Oliver Roberts, who lives in Massapequa, is a second-year student at Harvard Law School. Comments about this column?

Oroberts@jd21.law.harvard.edu.

FrAmework by Laura Lane

where the outbreak has been more severe. We will work with neighboring states to ensure safe and consistent policies. Downstate, special attention will be taken to ensure the safety of low-income communities.

Last Saturday, the total number of hospitalizations fell to 13,839 — returning to the level of March 31.

This is a positive trend, but it is still far higher than we would like to see. I am very saddened to say we lost 367 New Yorkers that day, down from 437 the previous day. Every day, this is the worst, most devastating news that I must give to New Yorkers.

The state’s essential workers were to be honored with an air show on Tuesday. The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds were set to fly over the metropolitan area as a tribute to all the workers on the front lines of this pandemic. “This is our way of showing that we are all in this together and that America’s spirit will prevail,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein and Navy Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday noted in a joint statement.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — April 30, 2020

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Reform higher education with three-year degrees

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Covidout the What’s The of abys taken t believe tunate States. words

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