South Side High School students were recently given a reprieve from their typical academic schedule to focus on improving social and emotional wellness in the school’s Sources of Strength program.
Sources of Strength is a national suicide-prevention program funded locally by the Ryan Patrick O’Shea foundation. It was introduced at the
By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Tommy McNicholas has been named the grand marshal of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will take place on Saturday, March 25, at noon.
“I’m extremely humbled,” McNicholas said. “There are some amazing people who have been grand marshals in the past. To be in the presence of those who came before me is an honor.”
high school not long after O’Shea, a South Side graduate and a star basketball player, died by suicide on Jan. 11, 2019.
The program, now in its third year at the high school, takes a proactive approach to preventing suicide, and other mental health concerns, by ensuring that students have access to resources that can help them become stronger, healthier and more connected
— more resilient during the most challenging times, as South Side Principal Patrick Walsh put it.
“What is really special about it is that it is driven and run by a truly dedicated team of faculty and staff,” Walsh said of Sources of Strength. “Creating conditions and opportunities to establish positive connections between our students and staff is essen -
McNicholas is a second-generation Irish immigrant who was born and raised in Rockville Centre, where he lives with his wife of 25 years, Denice, and their three children, Alexandria, Ryan and T.J. He is the owner of Kasey’s Kitchen and Cocktails, on South Park Avenue, where he has helped organize and host several charitable events to give back to the community. He also owns the Craft Kitchen and Taphouse, in Lynbrook, the Craft Kitchen and Taphouse, in Wantagh, and Honu Kitchen and Cocktails, in Huntington.
McNicholas has also spent a great deal of time coaching in Rockville Centre and other communities. He is a volunteer assistant coach of the Freeport High School boys’ varsity basketball team and the coach of SUNY Old Westbury’s men’s soccer team.
And although he considers himself to be a “fly under the radar” type, McNicholas has been an integral member of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee since it was created in 1997. He served on the parade board from 2009 to 2017, and spearheaded several charitable initiatives and community projects, including Kasey’s annual Golf Outing, which he organizes every year with his business partner of 26 years, Anthony Geraci. To date, the event has helped raise more than $150,000 for the parade’s charities since 2000.
“Each year we help raise money for charity,” McNicholas said. “For me, that’s what it’s all about.”
In the weeks leading up to the
If there was a common theme in Anthony D’Esposito’s career, it would be progression.
From police officer to New York Police Department detective. An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter to fire chief. And now Hempstead town councilman to congressman, the 40-year-old Island Park native describes looking back at his journey as a surreal experience.
“One of the first weeks of orientation, walking out of the Capitol building for the first time, walking down those steps and looking back you — it definitely makes you think, ‘How did I get here?’” D’Esposito said.
The congressman does not forget where he comes from, and who supported him along the way. Through his volunteerism and public service, he has made lifelong friends who never shy away from cheering him on. D’Esposito’s official in-district swearing in attracted hundreds of his loved ones, fellow elected officials, law enforcement colleagues and neighbors.
To the country, he is a U.S. congressman. But to the small, close-knit community of Island Park, D’Esposito is “still the same guy,” he said. He credits his experience as a first responder for shaping the person he is today.
“I’m not a lifelong politician,” D’Esposito said. “I’m someone that has had that real life experience — so much, if not all, of my adult life has really been centered around public service and the public safety world.”
He joined the NYPD in 2006, becoming a highly decorated detective with more than 600 arrests under his
belt. He described working in some of the most violent communities — not just in New York, but across the nation.
D’Esposito pays homage to his law enforcement background with his signature logo of a police badge with an outline of Long Island in the center, and “NY-4” written on the bottom, for his congressional district.
“When creating our brand and what we are about, I don’t think anything really sums me up more than that shield,” D’Esposito said. “I’m proud to have worn the uniform.”
The Island Park Fire Department was known as a central location to “everything and anything that went on” in the neighborhood. As soon as he turned 18, D’Esposito signed on as a volunteer. By 2009, he was the fire department’s chief — one of the youngest to have been elected at the time. He was also the first person to run a second term as chief, and later ran for third assistant chief.
D’Esposito has proven his ability to move up the ranks and make his mark in the communities he served. Once he reached what he describes as “the pinnacle,” his first thought was not to slow down, but see what he could try next.
He was appointed to the Hempstead Town Board in 2016, taking over the seat formerly held by Anthony Santino. During his tenure, D’Esposito embedded himself in the community, established himself as an accessible figure day and night, and was even willing to work with those on the other side of the aisle.
At his congressional swearing-in ceremony — where former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato led the oath — D’Esposito made it clear his arm is extended to everyone and anyone who wants to help deliver for his constituents.
REP. ANTHONY D’Esposito stands to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at his in-district swearing in ceremony at the David S. Mack Center for Training & Intelligence. D’Esposito is off to a quick start representing the 4th Congressional District, ready to try out his brand of bipartisanship in Washington.
“I think the qualities of a good leader are making sure you’re at the forefront, being humble, always learning new things,” D’Esposito said. “But most importantly, you have the willingness to work and never mind getting your hands dirty.”
Our differences make us just that — different. But different doesn’t, or at least shouldn’t, mean bad or wrong. And last Saturday, at Show Your Shine, an adapted runway event at The Sands Atlantic Beach, differences were celebrated and applauded by hundreds as those with limb loss or other differences took to the stage. Some 27 models, each with a story of adversity and resilience, showed that everyone deserves kindness and respect.
Daycnee Vanderveer, of Rockville Centre, one of the models at the event, is a newer member of the limb loss community. In November, she was searching her truck for a spare tire after getting a flat on the Sagtikos Parkway when a vehicle driven by a drunk driver traveling 70 mph struck her and her legs were severed. Vanderveer was saved by an off-duty Suffolk County police officer on his way home from a wedding. He used his tie as a tourniquet to control the bleeding. The driver was later charged with a driving while intoxicated, but the damage was done.
“This is all brand new to me,” Vanderveer said. “I’m about three months old, I’ll say, but being here with everyone is so inspiring — everyone here is inspiring to be around. I’m blessed and happy just to be here. I got a second chance. I get to see (my son); I get to raise him. I’m alive.”
Like everyone, she has her ups and downs. “You get your sadness — you can’t do some of the things you used to be able to do,” Vanderveer said. “I loved dancing, a lot of that having to do with my legs and stuff. Unfortunately, I need to relearn how to do that, but I’m looking forward to making all those challenges, because I have to live. I got a second lease on life. I’m not going to waste it,”
Evan, Daycnee’s son, said his mother is still the same, despite everything that’s happened. “I love my mom,” he said. “I’m happy she’s here. If she wasn’t here, I’d be completely lost, so the fact that it was either her dying or lose her legs, I’d take lose her legs. My mom has helped me through so much,” he said.
Brother-and-sister duo Robert Schulman and Jill Smith work together at the Limb Kind Foundation, which was founded in Oceanside and is now headquartered in Ozone Park. Schulman, a prosthetist, is the founder and executive director of the organization, and Smith, an occupational therapist, is a coordinator, and the founder of the Show Your Shine event, which is now in its third year. “I love helping people to regain their independence,” Smith said, “despite tragedy, illness or setback.”
Working with people in the limb-loss and limb-difference community inspired Smith to create an event that would allow variations to shine in a supportive space and challenge conventional beauty standards. The goal of the evening was for people to stare at the models, not because they were different, but because they were glamorous.
“I will never forget the first time someone from this community confided in me
that they felt ugly, worthless and alone in this world,” Smith told the audience at The Sands. “I have witnessed it myself. Seeing people stare at others for their physical looks or their physical difference. And I can’t imagine what it feels like to the person being stared at. One of my favorite parts about working on Show Your Shine is that it makes me realize that kindness truly is contagious. In the end, people want to do good.
“I want them to have an evening where they don’t feel stared at for their differences,” Smith added. “Rather, they’re covered in love, support and applause for their incredible strength, tenacity and will to live fully despite the adversity they have faced.”
Schulman, who travels to third-world countries to make prosthetics for children,
shared a story with the audience about an 11-year-old named Joseph, from Tanzania. Born missing both arms and one leg, Joseph couldn’t fill the traditional men’s roles in his community — hunting, herding cattle, protecting the family — so his parents abandoned him in the desert one night, leaving him to fend for himself against the wild animals. An orphanage came to Joseph’s rescue, and contacted Schulman about bringing him to New York to get the prostheses he needed.
“I spent one month with him, making him the two prosthetic arms and the one prosthetic leg,” Schuman recounted. “And in those four weeks, I watched him transform from a quiet, reserved, timid young boy into a confident, happy and determined young man.”
When Schulman found the boy’s father
and asked him why he had left his son to die among the hyenas, the man said it was because the boy was useless. “The term ‘useless’ has resonated with me from that day on,” Schulman said. But his hope was that people would leave Show Your Shine
of empathy
tial. Throughout the year, the team broadcasts messages of hope, positivity and resiliency throughout our school through various campaigns and activities.”’
Nicole Knorr, a social worker at the high school, helps facilitate the program with the help of 20 adult advisers and 50 peer leaders throughout the school, who promote healing and support so that students know they are not alone in their struggles.
“Not everybody is going to tap into the same social strength, because we’re all different,” Knorr said. “So what might be my main strength may not be yours. And that’s OK. Sometimes kids don’t even recognize how they can develop and strengthen these areas of their life until they start talking about it.”
Gordon Wood, SSHS’s school psychologist, added that with midterm exams on the horizon, the program also helps provide students with a much-needed break from their studies. It gives them the chance to discuss and take part in activities associated with mental health, family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality and medical access.
During a phys. ed. class on Jan. 20, students lined up in rows to take part in an activity focusing on mental health. The instructor, Liz Marshall, asked students to take a step forward based on whether they had siblings, felt stress, had trouble sleeping, and other questions intended to help identify some of the things that can take a toll on mental well-being.
Meanwhile, down the hall, yoga instructor Maryann Vogel helped students learn basic yoga poses and stretches, which they can use as a healthy method of stress relief.
In the school lobby, another group of students and faculty answered the question, “What lifts you up?” The answers were written on small feathers and later posted on a board to form a pair of wings.
Knorr said that during the week, the school had broadcast public-service messages promoting mental health, and offered classroom lessons on the variety of ways that students could find support and get connected.
“We’ve created a culture in this building where kids are getting help for themselves, but they’re also watching out for their friends and getting help for their friends,” she said.
Knorr said that she planned to meet with the peer leaders and adult advisers at the end of the month to discuss what
they enjoyed about this year’s campaign, what was valuable, what can be done better next time, and what the next campaign will focus on.
At the end of the school year, the program culminates with Sources of Strength Day, an outdoor event featuring games, giveaways, food and a DJ.
Last year, Knorr said, the campaign focused on identifying trusted adults throughout the school building. “Part of that campaign was to create posters of faculty members where they were able to share fun facts about themselves that kind of makes us approachable,” she said.
John O’Shea, Ryan’s father and a former president of the Board of Education, told the Herald last year that he found the program to be an “uplifting” addition.
“We give our kids a great education here in Rockville Centre and the other school districts, but life is becoming harder and harder for our younger people to process,” O’Shea said. “We give them the tools to learn math, science and English, but they need tools to get through the mental aspect of life. It’s really so important to pay attention to your mental health. You can get over your problems. Nothing is so bad that you can’t get past it and make it better.”
Sources of Strength has been such a success that it has expanded to school districts in neighboring communities including Freeport and Oceanside. For more on the program, and the ways in which it works with school districts across the country, go to SourcesOfStrength.org.
Lawyers representing a group of 620 survivors that have accused the Diocese of Rockville Centre over claims of abuse presented a settlement calling for $450 million in restitution.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre previously filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2020 as a result of hundreds of lawsuits that were filed when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved the Child Victims Act in 2019.
This act lifted the statute of limitations allowing for cases to be brought forward from decades past. This period to file claims closed in August 2021, prior to which more than 500 different cases have been brought to light.
According to attorneys with the firm Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, and Amala, and The Marsh Law Firm, who jointly represent 26 of the survivors’ claims, the plan offers the Diocese two options.
The first is that it can settle all claims for the amount requested, while the second would involve a plan that includes both the Diocese and its parishes. Under both options, survivors can continue to pursue claims over the alleged abuse in state court to recover from available insurance.
Jason Amala, who has represented thousands of victims of sexual abuse
and complex bankruptcy proceedings against other Catholic institutions, said that the plan gives the Diocese and its parishes “the chance to start putting the child sexual abuse scandal behind
them,” but adds that they must provide fair compensation.
“The Committee’s proposal makes clear the parishes must come to the table and pay fair compensation to the
children they hurt if they want to settle the claims they are facing,” Amala said in a release. “We believe many of these parishes have substantial assets and they are sorely mistaken if they think they can ignore their own role in the abuse scandal.”
Having spent the last two years in bankruptcy, the Catholic Diocese has not offered a plan that would allow them to emerge from Chapter 11 while the opposing attorneys have presented a proposal.
In response, Sean Dolan, the director of communications for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, said, “The Diocese is continuing to work in good faith towards a resolution of abuse claims, including those claims against parishes, in a way that lawfully, equitably, and fairly compensates survivors and allows the Church to continue her essential mission. The unfortunate decision on the part of the Unsecured Creditors Committee to choose the path of litigation consumes resources that would otherwise be available to survivors.”
The Diocese also has the option to submit its own plan, but it would require that it meet the approval of the committee in order for them to get out of bankruptcy and provide victims with compensation. Should a deal not be struck, the issue will go back to the courts.
Herald File PhotoIt has been all systems go for the South Side boys’ basketball team this season with its only blemish coming against Port Washington in the opener. Since then, the Cyclones have ripped off 15 straight victories with the lastest coming last Saturday, 71-45, over Great Neck North in a Conference A2 matchup.
South Side remained unbeaten in conference play (8-0) in what was its 13th victory by 10 points or more.
DoMiNiC oBUKWelU V.S. North Junior BasketballaN all-CoNFeReNCe seleCtioN last season as a sophomore when he averaged 10 points per game and played a role in the Spartans’ deep run in the Class A playoffs, Obukwelu has picked up where he left off. On Jan. 16, his layup at the buzzer gave Valley Stream North a 50-40 victory at Bethpage and capped a 16-point performance. It was the 13th time in 15 games he’s scored in double figures this season.
thursday, Jan. 26
Boys Basketball: Mepham at Calhoun 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Elmont at Kennedy 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 27
Boys Basketball: Garden City at Sewanhaka 5 p.m.
Boys Basketball: MacArthur at New Hyde Park 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Lawrence at V.S. South 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Kennedy at Elmont 5 p.m.
Wrestling: Oceanside at Lynbrook 5:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Long Beach at Jericho 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: V.S. North at Lynbrook 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: V.S. South at Lawrence 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Carey at Hewlett 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Floral Park at Wantagh 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball: Calhoun at Mepham 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball: New Hyde Park at MacArthur 7 p.m.
saturday, Jan. 28
Wrestling: South Side Tournament 9:30 a.m.
Girls Basketball: Hewlett at Carey 11:45 a.m.
Boys Basketball: Freeport at Massapequa 12 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Westbury at East Meadow 12 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Seaford at West Hempstead 12 p.m.
Girls Basketball: West Hempstead at Seaford 12 p.m.
Boys Basketball: Oceanside at Baldwin 4 p.m.
South Side wasted no time getting going in the contest jumping out to an early 11-0 lead that really put them in control offensively and forced Great Neck North to burn a timeout early. The strong starts to a game are one area in particular that the team has been trying to improve upon.
“It’s something we’ve tried to work on this season,” assistant coach Kevin Kennedy said of a strong first quarter. “There’ve been a few games where we got out of the gate a little slow. It was a renewed dedication to starting quickly.”
Both the Blazers and Cyclones found themselves in foul trouble as the first half was winding down, but South Side managed to fight through it thanks to a whole team effort. In particular, Pat Mullin stepped up off the bench scoring 9 points for the hosts.
“These kids are all smart basketball players and were able to adjust on the fly,” Kennedy said. “They’re very versatile in that regard.”
The Blazers found their groove at one point in the second quarter cutting the deficit to three, but three straight baskets by senior captain James Murphy gave the Cyclones a 10-point halftime lead. Murphy finished with a game high 20 points.
“It just made all the difference in the world,” Kennedy said. “It gives you that inspiration in the locker room and you feel like you can do anything coming out in the second half.”
Similar to how the game began, the Cyclones started hot in the second half as well with a 14-3 run, allowing them to ultimately pull away. Combined with the late second quarter heroics of Murphy and
the strong open to the second half, South Side never looked back, outscoring Great Neck North by almost double in the third quarter.
“It gives us a lot of momentum,” senior captain Robert Pericolosi said. “We just feel hot and want to stay with that feeling the rest of the game.”
Pericolosi scored five points for the afternoon while fellow senior captain Josh Garelle finished with 17 points and starting senior guard James Bivona had eight.
The starting five for South Side scored 53 points.
While the team is in the midst of a special win streak, there is still work to do by finishing this season as strong as possible.
South Side’s remaining four matchups are against A2 opponents with Elmont and Sewanhaka being the two most notable matchups.
“We’re ready and hot right now,” Pericolosi said. “We’d obviously like to keep that going.”
People have left New York in droves this past decade, and Brian Curran is ready to put that trend at an end.
But doing so could mean finding some common ground between the Assemblyman and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who have some different ideas on affordable housing.
During her State of the State address earlier this month, Hochul introduced a plan that would build 800,000 new homes over the next 10 years across the state. Affordable homes.
Curran agrees with Hochul that the lack of affordable housing is a major contributor to the mass fleeing of residents to other states, but fixing it is another story.
“The governor talked about migration of people out of New York right off the bat at the State of the State address,” Curran said. “This alarm has been sounded for the better part of the decade. But now, as even the governor noted, you can’t ignore it anymore.”
Curran returned to his Assembly seat earlier this month, after winning the November election against Judy Griffin in November — who had ousted him just four years before. Curran had first won his Assembly seat in 2010 after spending three years as mayor of Lynbrook.
Nearly 300,000 people left New York between July 2020 and July 2021, according to census data. Although New York City’s
population jumped by 700,000 to 8.8 million over the last decade, the pandemic wiped away much of those gains, Curran said, through the aftermath of inflation, higher taxes, and even higher rent.
It’s the rent that Hochul is focused on the most, citing the Population Reference Bureau claims that more than half of New York renters are “rent-burdened” — meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent.
That, the governor says, is the secondhighest rate in the nation.
Rent is bad, Curran said, but it’s something else that’s much more in the government’s control that is chasing people away.
“I think, very simply, the reason why people are leaving is because of high taxes,” the Assemblyman said. “Unfortunately, nowhere in Hochul’s State of the State did she ever talk about presenting a proposal in cutting taxes.”
And even Hochul’s proposal is missing some key variables.
“There are factors that you must consider before building these affordable homes,” Curran said. “Factors like how density affects the communities must be considered.”
Hochul’s proposal includes designating a half-mile radius around train lines like the Long Island Rail Road as fast-tracked property for higher-density — and, hopefully, more cost-effective — homes. While the governor wants local municipalities to take charge to implement such a plan, she
has threatened to remove obstacles to development from the state level if local governments drag their feet.
Yet, such a plan could “over densify” communities, Curran said, which will make them lose their “Nassau County character.”
Curran also worries about what this means for local governments.
“She appears to be advocating for taking away the authority of local municipalities — including the villages of Lynbrook,
Freeport, the Town of Hempstead, West Hempstead, Baldwin and Valley Stream,” Curran said. “Think about what this halfmile radius will do. On the Malverne line, there are all residential houses up and down the line. However, there is no dead space in that area to build.”
Maintaining that local autonomy is something Curran says he’ll fight for.
“The governor believes that she can come in here and tell the people of Malverne, Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Baldwin and Freeport to just accept these drastic changes,” he said. “I think that’s for elected officials and residents in those areas to figure out how they want to go about creating affordable housing.”
And there are some good ideas already here, Curran said. For example? Lynbrook. The village worked on the site of the old Mangrove Feather factory on Broadway to help develop it into a $95 million, 201-unit transit-oriented apartment complex. It was part of negotiations that went on between the developer — Breslin Realty — and the village for years.
No matter what plans ultimately come out of Albany to address the state’s — and region’s — out-migration, Curran hopes they don’t become singularly focused.
“We should do everything we can to drive down the costs of living in New York,” he said. “But the creation of all these units isn’t necessarily going to lower the overall costs of people living in these communities in the first place.”
It all began in Mrs. Spero’s fourth grade classroom, that’s where and when I realized I needed to be a teacher. The special relationship she built with each student in our class and the way she was able to make us all feel successful and safe, was something I later realized that every child should experience. I tried to make this a priority in my own classroom.
There are so many reasons why I love teaching, but the most important one to me, and the one that keeps me motivated after so many years are the stars of the show - the students. I love helping them understand things and learn about new ideas and topics. I love the things they teach me to make me a better teacher and person. I love laughing with them. Finally, I love the chance to help them feel successful and safe. As I reflect on my years in the district, and think about all of the wonderful people that I have gotten to know and learn from, I am overwhelmed
with thoughts of gratitude. Each step along the way has brought new ideas and inspirations from students, families and colleagues. The amazing people that I have met in three different elementary buildings over the past 28 years are a credit to this district and community. A special thank you to Ann Peluso and Liz Pryke who inspired me as leaders. I am honored to be in the “spotlight” for doing something that I couldn’t live without.
P.S.(Some 20 years later, when I was teaching second grade at Watson School, Mrs. Spero appeared in the main office one morning. At first, I thought she was a mirage; I immediately scooped her up and brought her to my classroom to show and tell her that she was my inspiration, and to thank her. Later on, I found out that she was there to observe one of her student teachers. To this day, I still think she was sent there so I could thank her. That was a full circle moment for me.)
At Catholic Health, exceptional medical care and personalized support is inspired by every one of you.
Our Faith puts all your needs and comfort first. So, our innovative medical care is always delivered with unmatched compassion. It’s because we understand that we’re not treating just patients, we’re treating someone’s family, best friend, and neighbors to us all.
Learn more at chsli.org
Catholic Schools Week is upon us — Jan. 29-Feb. 4 — with the goal of raising the awareness of Catholic schools as an outstanding educational option.
The week is set aside to promote the unique nature of the Catholic schools in each community. Schools typically observe the annual celebration week with Masses and open houses to thank parishioners, to welcome visitors and to introduce new families to the benefits of a Catholic education. It frequently kicks off with a Mass and open house on the first Sunday (Jan. 29), and a series of events designed to recognize the contributions of students, parents and faculty during the course of the week. Many schools offer additional open houses and opportunities to visit during the week as well.
Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation. In addition to the internal events (teacher and parent recognition events, school ‘spirit’ days, special assemblies, etc) it is also a week where the schools open their doors to the families of their Parish/Parishes they serve, and to the general public who might be considering the benefits of a Catholic education.
As a family considering a Catholic education, how do I learn more?
Catholic Schools Week features Open Houses at the schools where parents and students can visit the school(s) they think they might be interested in and get a tour of the
facility, be introduced to the teachers, meet some of the current families and children and generally learn about the academic, spiritual, social and physical development programs.
As a prospective family, do I have an ‘assigned school’?
One of the first differences you will notice about Catholic school is that you get to select the school that you believe your children will be most successful in. There is no direct ‘assignment’ based on where you live and most school districts provide busing to the school of your choice within a 15-mile radius.
Is there a difference in tuition to attend a different school?
Long Island’s Catholic Elementary schools set their own tuitions, so they vary slightly, but there is no penalty for choosing a school outside of your Parish or town if you are a parishioner in the Diocese. The system of schools is an asset here on Long Island for all of the families of the Diocese and for all of the families of Long Island
What should parents look for during their visit?
Many parents of current students tell us that their decision was emotional and based
on a feeling of warmth and caring they got during their visit. Others are more analytical and make direct comparisons based on the results on standardized test scores and high school admittance history. Regardless of how you make your decision, the schools are ‘open books’ during this week, providing whatever information prospective families desire to support their decision.
When parents select Catholic elementary school, what are the most frequently cited reasons?
The reasons that are most frequently mentioned are: academic excellence, the reinforcement of the values lived at home, Catholic religious identity, a safe, nurturing environment for learning, more individualized attention to each student’s learning needs, an outstanding extracurricular program and the level of partnership established with parents.
Will attending Catholic elementary schools help my child get into a prestigious Catholic high school?
Attending a Catholic elementary school isn’t the only way to get into a Catholic high school, but it is still the best way. The Catholic high schools are open to all students and typically have a very significant number of
students from a public school background. Students qualify for Catholic high school through a test for 8th graders that is administered in October of each year. Typically the students from Catholic elementary schools are best prepared for the academic rigor, the integrated program of faith and values, and the service orientation of the high schools.
Virtually all of the students from Catholic elementary school (99 percent) are admitted to a Catholic high school with the vast majority getting into the school that is their first choice. You can learn more about the high school entrance exam, and about the Catholic High Schools at chsee.org.
Are non-Catholics welcome in the schools?
The schools are welcoming places to everyone without regard to race, religion or national origin. A religion class is a requirement, students participate in Liturgies, and faith is an integrated part of daily activities, but many schools have a significant population of students who attend because of the quality of the education alone.
How can I learn more or choose the school(s) I would like to visit?
There is a resource for families on the Internet that provides a very complete picture of the Catholic elementary school experience. It features an interactive map that is your guide to each of Long island’s distinctive Catholic schools, and that lets you view the geographic options for your children at licatholicelementaryschools.org.
Catholic Schools Week is upon us — Jan. 29-Feb. 4 — with the goal of raising the awareness of Catholic schools as an outstanding educational option.
a Catholic education
• Rooted in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, OLP accepts the call to educate the whole child in the spirit of service and compassion.
• OLP offers academic excellence, which fosters individual growth and development according to time-tested, Catholic faith-based models of teaching and learning.
• OLP strives as a community, coupled with God’s love, to inspire each child to grow spiritually and academically in a diverse and increasingly challenging world.
• OLP provides a safe and supportive community that recognizes the dignity of every person and promotes human flourishing in a familial atmosphere.
mmerse yourself in Vincent Van Gogh’s world. For those haven’t yet, now’s the time. The popular art exhibition, which fi rst came to the attention of the New York metro area in various incarnations in 2021, now makes its way to Long Island.
Friends of the Brothers visit the area with their dynamic tribute to the Allman Brothers Band. Their powerful celebration of the Allman Brothers, featuring musicians closely associated with the original band, continues the brotherhood with passion, committed to the ideals of every night being special and unique. Their firsthand experience with the Allman Brothers Band and their deep knowledge of the repertoire, its roots and heritage allows them to play with an unrivaled depth. They honor the music, while playing the tunes as if they were their own. Hear songs from every stage of the Allman Brothers’ career, backed by these inspirational, veteran players, including drummers Dave Diamond (Zen Tricksters, Bob Weir, Robert Randolph) and Lee Finkelstein (Tower of Power, Blues Brothers), bassist Craig Privett (Half Step) and keyboardist Mike Katzman (Leslie Mendelsohn, The Electrix).
Friday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. $33, $28. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.
• Feb. 3 - April 2
• Tuesday-Thursday, Sunday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Tickets start at $45.99 adult; $29.99 ages 5-15; available at VanGoghLongIsland.com
• Samanea New York
“Beyond Van Gogh” arrives at Samanea New York — the retail/ entertainment complex that was formerly the site of the Mall at the Source — in Westbury on Feb. 3. This latest Van Gogh showcase was created by French-Canadian visual designer Mathieu St-Arnaud — executive creative director and founder of Montreal’s Normal Studio — with his team of multimedia specialists and artists. Their pairing of digital technology with the artworks enhances light and hues, allowing spectators to completely immerse themselves in the images, accompanied by a lively soundtrack.
1500 Old Country Road, Westbury
It’s a look at Van Gogh’s art — freed from its frames you might say — that puts the observer front and center, incorporating both still and moving art. Some 300 masterpieces — including, of course, such classics as “The Starry Night,” “Sunflowers” and “Café Terrace at Night” — come alive, appear and disappear, flowing across multiple surfaces, the minutiae of details enveloping visitors’ heightened senses. The show is projected on every surface around you, making you feel as though you have stepped directly into a Van Gogh painting.
Occupying more than 300 square feet, the intent of “Beyond Van Gogh” is to represent the full scope of the artist’s creative life.
“We are telling a narrative,” says art historian Fanny Curtat, who consulted on the project. “There’s a natural and chronological progression in Van Gogh’s work that resonates strongly with the core of this show, which was to go beyond the darkness of Van Gogh’s legend. We all know that he’s famous for cutting his ear and his mental health issues. But out of the darkness he turned to light and beauty. Our focus is on the sheer power of the work itself. There’s an irony to the fact that Van Gogh tends to be remembered for the darkness of his life when most of his work is filled with bright colors and beauty.”
The evolution of his creative output comes though as visitors
experience the images, moving from one room to another. The Education Room leads into the unique Waterfall Room that flows into the Immersive Experience Room. The paintings appear on projection-swathed walls, inviting guests to fully involve themselves in the incredible detail of his work and be enveloped in his ever-shifting, swirling and colorful flowers, cafes and stunning landscapes. And, hearing the artist’s own dreams, thoughts and words set to a symphonic score completes the experience.
“It is so clear when you look at his whole production, that he goes from darkness to light,” Curtat adds. “His work centered on joy, and you’ll see a sense of purpose. He goes from darker shades, when he starts to paint, to a brighter palette. Then when he gets to Paris and sees the Impressionists there’s an explosion of vibrant colors. And when he gets to the south of France he really develops his own style, which is so easily identifiable.”
The 19th century meets 21st century in this compelling artistic journey.
Mike DelGuidice and his band always give it their all, especially when playing Billy Joel’s iconic songs. DelGuidice leads his band, Big Shot, in a rousing concert that highlights the Piano Man’s decades of hits. Like his idol, DelGuidice has become one of the area’s most celebrated performers, balancing his schedule between performing with Big Shot and touring with Joel. DelGuidice, as with Joel, grew up mastering several instruments including bass guitar, guitar, piano, and drums. He’s renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of the Joel catalog, which caught the attention of Joel himself, who ultimately brought him on stage with him. DelGuidice and his band pack hit after chart-topping hit in a high energy show that’s always a crowd pleaser.
Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4, 8 p.m. $60, $40, $30, $25, $20. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY. com.
Students at Riverside Elementary School, 110 Riverside Drive in Rockville Centre, are invited to take part in the “Sweetheart Dance” at the school gym on Friday, Feb. 3, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Bring the young ones to play time at Rockville Centre Public Library, 221 N. Village Ave. in Rockville Centre, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Kids from 15 months to 4 years old can come and meet up with old friends and make new ones.
Registration begins on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 9 a.m. For more information visit RVCLibrary.org
Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” live, via Zoom, Thursday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. She’ll discuss the current exhibition, “The Big Picture: Photography Now.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program. Register at least 24 hours in advance to receive the program Zoom link. Also Feb. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.
Andy Falco and Travis Book, members of the Grammy award-winning bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters, visit the Landmark stage with their tribute to Jerry Garcia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m. Inspired by their love of the music of Jerry Garcia, the duo branches off on their own for occasional tours to celebrate Garcia’s timeless songs. While their musical influences run the gamut, the bandmates are bound to Garcia and share that passion with their fans. $36, $31. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.
Play mah jongg and canasta with the Sisterhood of Congregation B’nai SholomBeth David at their weekly game night,Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7:309:30 p.m., in the synagogue lobby, 100 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee will host an evening of live music featuring performances by Old Dogs, New Tricks and Meadowgrass at Kasey’s Kitchen and Cocktails, located at 23 N. Park Ave. in Rockville Centre, Thursday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m. Cost of admission is a $15 donation at the door. All of the proceeds from the event will be divided among the parade’s three charities.
Chazz Palminteri returns to Long Island with his one-man version of “A Bronx Tale,” Sunday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. His autobiographical coming-ofage story, which became a movie and then found its way to Broadway, tells of a young New Yorker torn between the temptations of organized crime and the values of his hardworking father. $99.50, $89.50, $79.50, $59.50, $49.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster. com or ParamountNY.com.
When the Dorchester sank on Feb. 3 , 1943, four US Army chaplains gave up their life jackets so that others on board would live. In recognition of this selfless act, the American Legion Post No. 303 will hold a ceremony in their honor at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Central Synagogue Beth Emeth, located at 430 DeMott Ave. in Rockville Centre.
Get into the Eagles’ groove when the tribute band visits The Paramount stage, Thursday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m.
With special guest Fleetwood Macked. This authentic recreation features individual bandmates taking on the persona of the original Eagles members. $39.50, $29.50, $19.50.
The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticktmaster.com or ParamountNY. com.
St. Agnes Cathedral School hosts its annual Dinner Dance for the first time following the two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Saturday, Feb. 4. The event honors Carmine and Lynda Rubino, Bernard and Margaret Mary O’Connell, and Frances Barricelli for their continued support of Catholic Education.
The Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Day committee will host this family bowling fundraiser at Maple Lanes RVC, at 100 Maple Ave. in Rockville Centre, on Sunday, Feb. 5, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cost is $100 to register and includes the price of two hours of unlimited bowling with up to six people per lane and free shoe rental. Space is limited. To register or for more information, contact Pam at 516-946-7843.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m., in the auditorium at South Side High School, 150 Shepherd Street in Rockville Centre.
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.
Photography’s ascent in the art world is an international phenomenon. Nassau County Museum of Art’s star-studded exhibition spans the historical roots of the medium. View works by Ansel Adams and his generation and the thrilling, large-format color works of such contemporary masters as Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, James Casebere and Gregory Crewdson, among others. From the documentary to the painterly, images bear witness to the times. On view through March 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.
Chris Barron, Spin Doctors frontman, performs, Friday, Jan. 27, at My Father’s Place supper club. An accomplished guitar player, master songwriter, and virtuoso singer, his solo show is compelling, full of storytelling and raw musical power that is poignant, extremely amusing, and utterly satisfying. Doors open at 6 p.m., concert is at 8 p.m. The Metropolitan, 3 Pratt Blvd., Glen Cove. For tickets/information, visit MyFathersPlace.com or call (516) 580-0887.
continued from
parade, the committee hosts several events to help raise money for three charities — one local, one national and one Irish. This year, the proceeds will benefit the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation, HELP Uganda, and the St. Laserian’s School in Ireland.
“The hardest thing to do is picking the charities,” McNicholas said. “They’re all so deserving. We wish we could pick all of them.”
The Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation was created by the O’Shea family of Rockville Centre, in memory of their son, Ryan, a South Side High School graduate and star basketball player who died by suicide in 2019, at age 18. The foundation’s goal is to provide funding for programs that help promote mental health and suicide awareness in schools on the South Shore.
Help Uganda is a national charity dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and hunger in that country. The money raised will help provide food and clean water for impoverished refugees in Masese, Uganda.
The St. Laserian’s School, established in 1969 in Carlow, Ireland, educates children ages 4 to 18 with special needs. “They do an amazing job helping kids with learning disabilities,” McNicholas said.
The next fundraiser will be the Taste of Rockville Centre, on Friday, at 7 p.m., at the St. Agnes Cathedral Parish Center. Admission is $65 per person and includes food, which will be provided by a variety of area restaurants. There will also be a musical performance featuring Jerry and the Newcomers.
The parade committee will also host a live music event on Feb. 2, featuring Old Dogs, New Tricks and Meadowgrass, at Kasey’s, and Lucky Strike bowling night at Maple Lanes RVC on Feb. 5. The Grand Marshal’s Dinner Reception will be held at the Bridgeview Yacht Club on March 23, at 7 p.m.
The parade will be held rain or shine
two days later, following a morning Mass at St. Agnes. Staging will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the parade will step off at noon from the municipal parking lot on the north side of Sunrise Highway, headed east along Sunrise. Marchers will turn left on North Long Beach Road, then left on Maple Avenue. At the end of Maple, the parade will turn right on North Park Avenue, then left on College Place, by Village Hall, before proceeding past St. Agnes Cathedral along Quealy Place. The marchers will then turn left on North Village Avenue, and then right on Washington Street, where the parade will end.
“Everyone’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day,” McNicholas said. “I just enjoy seeing all the smiling faces of people along the way. All the different people come together. Getting to see all the old cars and fire trucks, listening to the bands, and watching people dance. There’s nothing like that view when you’re marching.”
Go to RVCStPatrick.com for more details.
That age-old conundrum for young job seekers — to get your first job you need experience — remains a hurdle for many. Teens and young adults in the Town of Hempstead, however, have an advantage.
Thanks to a number of programs offered through the HempsteadWorks Career Center, young adults up to 24 years old can get help finding that first job, especially the one that ultimately leads to a career with a sustainable living wage.
In fact, the amount of assistance offered through the HempsteadWorks’ youth programs is indicative of just how far career counselors go to help younger job seekers — and those with less than stellar backgrounds — obtain work.
“For some of them, this is their first time working,” said youth services coordinator Myesha Arvon. “That’s pretty exciting.”
Arvon has helped Hempstead young adults find sustainable, interesting jobs for 20 years. Adults she helped as teens return with their children seeking advice.
And a big part of that ability to establish deep, longterm relationships with people is Arvon’s own experience. She herself struggled with employment as a young person. Her authenticity when speaking to others in a similar position is just one reason she can’t even come close to approximating how many she has helped over the years.
The program’s main goal is to provide young adults a genuine opportunity to establish a career, Arvon said — regardless of their background. HempsteadWorks helps many teens and young adults who struggle with myriad issues.
Those barriers are often significant: teen pregnancy, homelessness, economic disadvantages, criminal justice
Source: HempsteadWorks.com
issues, to name just a few.
“The biggest piece they’re missing is that support,” Arvon said. “I become that support. Whatever it is that they’re coming in dealing with, they can talk to me because I’ve dealt with it, and I’m never going to sugarcoat anything.”
When she first meets someone looking for help. Arvon performs an informal assessment. She finds out what type of people they are friends with, and if they’re living at home or not —all to determine what services they need.
“Even before I find out why they’re here, I speak to them and get them to open up,” Arvon said. “Just them
coming here is huge. Just literally walking in the door. It’s all about that first step.”
Nene Alameda, a business services representative at HempsteadWorks who oversees many of the office’s programs, said youth services is especially important to Hempstead because the program improves lives.
“The change is not just that individual,” Alameda said. “It’s generational change. If we change one person, we can change the trajectory of not only their life, but their future children.”
The summer youth employment program is a six-week paid work experience for those between 16 and 20 who are either Hempstead town residents, or live in Long Beach. They also have to meet low-income criteria.
HempsteadWorks offers both out-of-school and inschool programs for young people — an especially important helping 14- and 15-year-olds.
The youth services branch of HempsteadWorks provides academic tutoring, career exploration sessions and more for teens who may not have a concrete concept of their future.
“We start by just giving them tools they need to succeed,” Arvon said. “They may not necessarily need a job immediately, so we break it down to them that these are the different careers available. It gets them thinking about jobs they may not have ever thought about.”
While the programs and support are designed to give teens and young adults the greatest chance of success, ultimately, each individual must work for their own future. At some point, Arvon says, she must step back.
“Some people ask me, ‘How do you not get involved in their personal life?’” Arvon said. “That’s where my boundary comes in. I can help you to a certain point. I can give you guidance. I can tell you what I think would be best.
“But ultimately, you’re going to have to make that decision. And some don’t make the right decision.”
Ask most people if they’ve done their estate planning and a common answer is, “Yes, I have a will.” However, estate planning is not just a plan for death. It’s a plan for life that addresses what happens if you become disabled. About half of us will eventually becoming disabled. You can choose ahead of time who will be in charge of your affairs if you become disabled through a power of attorney, health care proxy, and a trust.
A will cannot provide for disability. A will tells the world where you want your assets to go when you die. A will is probated, which means proven, in court, and becomes a public document. Those without their own living trust plan, with their personal choices for who will be in charge if they become disabled, risk getting the state’s plan of guardianship proceedings where the court chooses who will handle your affairs if you become disabled.
Probate court proceedings can go smoothly but they may also be complicated, such as having a special needs child or disinheriting a child. Also, if you own property
in another state, a trust makes more sense than a will because you may deed the out-of-state property into the name of your trust, and avoid both a New York probate and a probate in the other state.
Having a will as an estate plan does nothing to protect your assets from long-term care expenses for either care at home or in a nursing facility. Without a trust to protect your assets from long-term care costs, by the time you pass there may be no assets left for your heirs.
Trusts can also protect inheritances from children’s divorces, lawsuits and creditors and pass those assets by blood instead of by marriage. In today’s world, a “simple will” often does more harm than good by giving the client a false sense of security that their affairs are arranged.
Elder law estate planning addresses the issues mentioned above, plus many more, including funeral and burial instructions, organ donation, and final instructions to the family.
BASEMENT SERVICES:
Complete Basement Systems
Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing
Vulcan Basement Waterproofing
CARPET CLEANING COMPANY: All Clean Carpet, Inc.
All Pro Carpet Cleaning, Inc.
BOWA Carpet Cleaning
GK Carpet Cleaning, Inc.
CESSPOOL SERVICE: Help Cesspool & Sewer
Imperial Cesspool Cleaning Co Cesspool Pros
CHIMNEY CLEANING SERVICES: All Access Chimney & Fireplace Inc
Augie’s Chimney Sweeping B&P Chimney Co.
CLEANING SERVICE: Merry Maids of Nassau County, NY
Molly Maid of Central Nassau County
The Organized Guy, Inc.
EGRESS COMPANY: Jenson Brothers
Long Island Egress Pros
Vulcan Basement Waterproofing
ELECTRICAL COMPANY:
Duffy Electric
Premier Electric & Design Inc
Top Class Electric
ELECTRICIAN: Duffy Electric
E.H. Haines Electric
Premier Electric & Design Inc
PEST CONTROL COMPANY: A&C Pest Management
Arrow Exterminating Company, Inc.
Knockout Pest Control
PLUMBER: Chivalry Plumbing & Heating
Charles Krull & Son, Inc.
Plumb Pro Plumbing & Heating Corp
POOL STORE & SUPPLY: Big Becks Pools & Pavers
Brothers 3 Pools
Leslie’s
ROOFING COMPANY: A1 Roofing
Gibraltar Home Improvements
King Quality Construction Inc.
Engel Burman
Y-NOT Home Improvement Corporation
HOME CONTRACTOR/REPAIR/
REMODELING COMPANY: Gibraltar Home Improvements OZ General Contracting Co Inc.
RSM Building
HOME SECURITY: ADT Security Services Budd-Morgan Alarm Co Inc
Central Tech
INTERIOR DESIGN: Liv Interiors NY
Marilyn H. Rose Interiors Marlaina Teich Designs
KITCHEN & BATH: OZ General Contracting Co Inc. Tony DiStefano Landscape Garden Center
SIDING COMPANY: King Quality Construction Inc. Lanzello
Unified Home Remodeling
SOLAR COMPANY: EmPower Solar
Harvest Power LLC | Solar Panel Installation
SUNation Energy
STONE/MASONRY: Barry Bros Landscape Design LLC
Casoria & Sons Masonry & Landscape Designs Paschette Landscape Design
SWIMMING POOL BUILDER:
Big Becks Pools & Pavers
Haven Pools
South Shore Pools Inc
TREE SERVICE COMPANY: All Island Tree Service Corp
Francisco’s Tree Service
T & M Greencare Inc
UPHOLSTERY:
A & B Upholstery
East Meadow Upholsterers
Tony’s Decorating-Upholstering Hewlett
WINDOWS COMPANY:
King Quality Construction Inc.
Unified Home Remodeling Window World of Long Island WindowRama
Anyone who’s taken a ride-hailing service like Uber likely knows all about surge pricing — too much demand, not enough drivers equal higher rates.
If it works for getting around, why can’t it work for electricity? At least that’s what the Long Island Power Authority is thinking, introducing a plan it says could modernize electricity rates by making it cheaper for homes to use power when there’s the least demand on the grid.
It’s called the time-of-day rate — something LIPA hopes to roll out next year. It offers one rate for times when demand is high, but lower rates for periods when not so many people are using electricity.
The new system, according to LIPA, could mean eight out of every 10 customers will pay the same or even less on the new system without making a single change on how or when they use electricity.
“Starting in 2024, the time-of-day rate will become the standard rate,” said Justin Bell, LIPA’s vice president of public policy and regulatory affairs. “Our goal is that most of our customers will go on a time-of-day rate. We’re also going to be transitioning our existing customers, but
The Long Island Power Authority wants to implement a time-of-day rate program beginning next year as a way to encourage customers to spread out their electrical usage throughout the day and night.
It’s intended to make rates cheaper during off-peak hours like from 6 a.m., to 3 p.m., and again from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. A ‘super off-peak’ schedule would run from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
they will also have the option to choose the regular flat rate.”
The name of the program — “time-ofday” — says it all.
“For the standard offering, there’s going to be two prices,” Bell said. “There will be one peak price from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and then all other hours will be a lower price.”
There also will still be a flat rate, which is the same structure customers already pay today, But then there is a third option, Bell added, with what’s being called a “super off-peak period,” which will provide a rate for electricity
Peak times would run weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m., except on federal holidays. Customers not sure about the new system could try it with LIPA’s 12-month ‘bill protection guarantee.’ If an electric bill is higher on the time-of-day and super off-peak rate than it would’ve been on a flat rate at the end of 12 months, LIPA will refund the difference.
–Ben Fiebertused when demand is lowest — typically between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The new structure could ultimately save money, Bell said, simply by making small changes in their daily routine. For instance, someone could save $4 each month simply by doing their laundry late at night. They can save another $43 by charging their electric car when most others are asleep.
These are rates that not only benefit customers, Bell said, but also the environment.
“The peak period is one of the most carbon-intensive times in terms of ener-
gy production,” he said. “So, by getting folks to use more electricity at other times and less at the peak time, we can reduce the carbon that we generate in the power grid, and it also lowers our future investment needs.”
Some of the moves are coming ahead of an impending state law that requires New York to generate 70 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2030, and to actually zero-out power sector emissions by 2040.
Achieving that will likely require some major capital investments from utilities like LIPA, but it’s one way, Bell said, Long Island can stay ahead of the game.
“If we are able to avoid putting all of that new demand on the peak, then we can save everybody a lot of money by avoiding expensive infrastructure upgrades to our transmission and distribution system,” he said.
LIPA has scheduled a pair of public hearings on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and will accept written public comments until Monday, Feb. 27 by emailing todpubliccomments@lipower.org. When and where the meetings will be held have not yet been announced.
The LIPA board could approve the new rate plan during its March 29 meeting in Uniondale.
January 26, 2023 — 20
SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU
FIRST WESTERN FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK, Plaintiffagainst- JOSEPH MATTHEWS, et al
Defendant(s) Index No. 14-004310. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 22, 2016 and entered on February 17, 2016, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on February 28th, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. premises situate, lying and being at Lakeview, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at the corner formed by the intersection of the southerly side of Pinebrook Avenue with the westerly side of Woodfield Road; being a plot 104.25 feet by 90.53 feet by 73.10 feet by 90 feet.
All bidders must wear a face mask/shield at all times and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times. Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or the social distancing mandate will be removed from the auction.
Said premises known as 1078 WOODFIELD ROAD, ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY; Section 38, Block K-00 and Lot 702
Approximate amount of lien $197,968.69 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 14004310
PAMELA SHARPE, ESQ., Referee Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 333 Earle Ovington Blvd., Suite 1010, Uniondale, New York 11553
{* ROCK CEN H*} 136698
PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES…
Printed in this publication can be found online. Search by publication name at: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com
Notice is hereby given that commencing on February 21st, 2023, 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 16th, 2023 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 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 21st day of February 2023 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 08th, 2023.
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 25, 2023
THE NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER Mineola, NewYork
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
News brief
Ohanian travels to mathematics conferenceCharles Ohanian was one of five students from Muhlenberg College who recently attended the Joint Mathematics Meeting in Boston.
Considered the largest mathematics conference in the world, there were more than 5,100 people in attendance for this year’s event.
“It was quite an interesting event,” Ohanian said. “I’ve never done something like this before.”
Ohanian, 20, of Rockville Centre, is currently a junior at the school where he majors in both math and economics.
For their presentation, he and three of his classmates worked for more than four months researching binary quadratic forms under the tutelage of Mathematics Professor Byungchul Cha.
The project, entitled “Average class
number of almost Pythagorean Triples,” was presented during the undergraduate poster session of the event. Ohanian said he enjoyed the opportunity to discuss their work with tenured math professors.
He added that he hopes to attend more conferences in the future and that there are already plans in motion for the class to present their work to educators and students at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
With three more semesters to go before he graduates, Ohanian said that he is considering pursuing a graduate degree or PhD in math as well.
“I really enjoyed doing this research,” he said. “If I enjoy it, I figure I might as well keep doing math.”
–Daniel Offner
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 25, 2023
THE NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER Mineola, New York 136839
PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES…
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK INDEX NO. 601445/2022
COUNTY OF NASSAU
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST
Plaintiff, vs. LIONEL O. LIVINGSTON, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA L. MITCHELL; LEON O. LIVINGSTON, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA L. MITCHELL; LEON LIVINGSTON, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA L. MITCHELL; KOREY OTIS MITCHELL, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA L. MITCHELL; KARYN MITCHELL A/K/A KAREN BRUNSON, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA L. MITCHELL; BHUPINDER SRICHAWLA, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA
L. MITCHELL, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF ESTELLA L. MITCHEL, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; SYNCHRONY BANK; CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A.; CROWN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, JANE DOE AS “JOHN DOE #1”; JANE DOE AS “JOHN DOE #1”; JANE DOE AS “JOHN DOE #2”; “JOHN DOE #3” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in
the complaint, Plaintiff designates NASSAU as the place of trial situs of the real property
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
Mortgaged Premises: 65 LAKESIDE DRIVE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY 11570
Section: 35, Block: 88, Lot: 22 & 23
Servicer: PHH Mortgage Corporation Servicer Telephone: (866) 799-7724 Defendants.
To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $937,500.00 and interest, recorded on June 01, 2011, in Liber M 36081 at Page 368, of the Public Records of NASSAU County, New York., covering premises known
as 65 LAKESIDE DRIVE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY 11570.
The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.
NASSAU County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said
If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home.
Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property.
Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action.
YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.
Dated:January 18, 2023
ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC
Attorney for Plaintiff Nadine D. Smith, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675 136918
PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES…
Printed in this publication can be found online. Search by publication name at: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com
516-547-7828. Email Resume vjl1030@yahoo.com
Senior Acquisitions Associate (Cedarhurst, NY) Perform underwriting & due diligence of real estate acquisitions under contract, incl performing mkt analysis, bldg condition & depreciation reviews, etc. & prep fin'l real estate models using modeling techniques. Bach in Real Estate, Real Estate Dvlpmt, or Real Estate Finance & 18 mos exp in job or 18 months exp in real estate investment transactions, incl acquisitions, advisory &/or transactional svcs. Postal Realty, LP, Attn: Carrie Herz, 75 Columbia Ave, Cedarhurst, NY 11516.
START THE NEW YEAR Right At Shiny & Brite. If You Have Passion For Cleaning And Like Physical Work This Is The Job For You. Full Time Position. Willing To Train. Call BIll at 516-678-5943
HEWLETT BA, 1608 RIDGEWAY Dr, Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. SD#20...$1,469,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299
HEWLETT 1/29, 12-1:30, 1608 RIDGEWAY Drive, Drastic Reduction! Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Radiant Htd Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20...$1,469,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299
HEWLETT BA, 257 Willard Dr, NEW TO MARKET!! Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout.Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr.LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20(Lynbrook)No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS!..$1,098,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299
are happy to welcome Albert Yusupov to Team Rozana & Sara at V.I.Properties. Albert Yusupov has been in the real estate
Welcome to a move right in beautiful Colonial, nestled on a quiet block with beautiful views. This spacious home boasts large rooms and open floor plan from living room, formal dining room, eat in kitchen, stainless steel appliances and lots of cabinets. It also has a family room with radiant heated floors, sky lights and gas fireplace plus sliding glass doors out to the deck. There is also hardwood floors throughout.. Upstairs features the en suite with cathedral ceilings and beautiful new bathroom which is bright and airy. There are 4 nice size bedrooms, one used as a walk in closet! Washer and dryer are also on this level. It has a full finished basement and beautiful landscaped grounds. This home is great for entertaining with paver walkway and bi level deck and fencing. You will also enjoy in ground sprinklers, attached garage, lots of storage, new boiler and 200 AMP service. Asking $849,999.
Q. We are redoing our largest bathroom, and our interior designer and contractor are planning to put 12-inch-square tiles on the walls and the ceiling across the room. It should be nice, but we’re wondering if there’s something that needs to be done that we should know about, since we wonder if the tile can’t come down. The floor above is bedrooms and bathrooms, and we notice a little shaking in the floor when people are walking around. Should we be concerned?
Associate
Cell: 516-644-3929 Office: 516-223-2525 dazzato@cbamhomes.com Coldwell Banker American Homes 493 Atlantic Ave. Oceanside, NY 11572
Pull Down Attic. SD#15. Convenient to Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship $449,000
HEWLETT
1608 Ridgeway Dr, 12-1:30, Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Radiant Heated Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20 DRASTIC REDUCTION! $1,469,000 257 Willard Dr, BA, NEW TO MARKET!! Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout. Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr. LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates! SD#20 (Lynbrook) No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS! $1,098,000
1534 Broadway #103, BA, Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move into This Gut Rvated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout. Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm. Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in Closet. Terrace Faces into Courtyard. Garage Parking Incl REDUCED $699,000
Ft, 2 Bedroom (Originally 3 BR), 2 Bath Condo in
Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000
Jonathan Hall with Doorman & Elevator. Updtd Wood/Quartz
GREENPORT: NORTH FORK commercial/retail. Prime main street village location. 857 sq. ft. Original floors and architectural details. Excellent exposure. Owner, 516-241-8135.
CEDARHURST NO FEE Private Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For One Bedroom When Available. (516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978
A. Yes. As with any construction, you should always be concerned, or at least educated enough to be confident, about what others are doing to your home. Never take for granted that the people you hire just know it all. Nobody knows it all, and with the internet, it’s possible to see examples to answer your question. The funny thing is that I went to the internet to see if anything has changed with tile adhesives and best materials before answering your question. What I found were a number of different how-to videos, and nearly every one of them left out important information. People only tell you what they know.
There are multiple steps to installing wall and floor tile, and ceiling tile installation is similar, with the exception that a few more steps are required. The backing material attached to your ceiling joist structure, referred to as the substrate, must be non-porous and not typical sheetrock (gypsum board), because sheetrock is laminated with a facing of paper that will saturate and peel off. Most internet videos didn’t mention that. I’ve seen entire walls, covered with tiles, suddenly drop to the floor, sometimes years after installation, ending up in a messy heap.
The structure must be rigid, and not moving as you described. Not one of the videos questioned whether the structure or backing material was correct for the job. In the building codes, the amount of floor sag, called deflection, can’t be more than a half-inch over the entire length of the structure. If you have floor movement, the floor must first be calculated and stiffened before the substrate boards are added. The “experts” seemed to take that for granted. Maybe because it is perceived that it would cost too much to know by hiring someone qualified to figure that out.
If the structure isn’t stiffened correctly, movement will potentially loosen tiles and, aided by gravity, those ceiling tiles can fall. The substrate I recommend is a cement board, fiberglass reinforced (to lighten the load). There are several available. The most common are Wonderboard or Durrock. These boards have slightly rough surfaces to receive mastic which will be applied, and adhere well by increased surface “teeth” texture.
The mastic, as described by manufacturers, should be a lightweight, “no sag” adhesive. Not one mastic manufacturer I investigated even mentioned ceilings in their directions or warranty, for obvious reasons. So have the structure evaluated and continue to ask questions before you start. Good luck!
© 2022 Monte Leeper
Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 45 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid.
SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464
TORO POWER-MAX SNOWBLOWER: Model #826OAE. New. Original $1300. Asking $900. Call Arnold 516-432-1492
ADULT TRICYCLE: VERY good, with a few rust spots, valued at $250. $99.00 firm. 516-458-6729
CRYSTAL STEMWARE (MACY'S). Gorgeous Wine , Water, Champagne. Brand new original boxes $95. 516-225-9191
NEW HYUNDAI SUV adjustable roof rails. cost $319- Selling for $99 firm (516)524-3617
PREVAIL PADS XTRA long super absorbent pack- 39, $12 ea. Box of 4 $38. 516-546-0275
TWIN BEDROOM SET: Excellent Condition, Blonde Modern Headboard, 3 Dressers, Corner Piece. $99. 516-840-6081
BAR
KITCHEN
TREADMILL GYM SIZE Great Condition. $300 516 668 8877
WHEEL CHAIR, DRIVE: Large, A1 Excellent Condition. $349.99. 516-437-7046
MARINA'S CLEANING SERVICES: Cleaning Homes, Apartments, Condos, Offices. Experienced. FREE Estimates. Serving Long Island. 516-670-7764
E-Z
ALL HOUSEHOLD REPAIRS
Interior and Exterior Services Painting, Plumbing, Carpentry, Electrical, Tile work, Pressure Washing, Flat Screen TV Installation Others Services Available Call 516 578 6980
Repairs and Installations for the Household. Careful and Reliable and Vaccinated. Licensed and Insured. 30-Year Nassau County Resident. Friendly Frank Phone/Text 516-238-2112 E-mail-Frankcav@optonline.net
BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636
CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641
DON'T PAY FOR Covered Home Repairs Again! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526
* Full Or Partial Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761
WIREMAN/CABLEMAN FLAT TVs mounted, Phone, TVs&Computer wiring installed & serviced, camera &stereos , HDTV – Antennas- FREE TV www.davewireman.com Call Dave 516-433-WIRE (9473) 631-667-WIRE (9473) or Text 516-353-1118
BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888-508-5313
PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES! Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers. 24 Hour Emergency Response. 516-599-1011
TILE INSTALLATION: 25 Years In Business. FREE Estimates. We Specialize In Quality Work. Broadway Tile Company. Call Jeff 516-647-2604 Or email estimating@broadwaytileco.com
DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-595-6967
GET DIRECTV FOR $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-534-6918
Is there anyone on stage — and can I see hands? — who is unwilling tonight to pledge your support to the eventual nominee of the Republican Party, and pledge to not run an independent campaign against that person?”
That was a question that Bret Baier, of Fox News, asked 10 presidentially hopeful Republicans at a debate in August 2015. On the stage, only one person raised his hand — Donald Trump. The rest is history. Trump won the 2016 primary, and we didn’t have to endure an election in which Trump ran as a third-party candidate after losing. But we could be approaching that scenario soon.
similar phenomenon with Roosevelt. They also had something in common that’s even more important for an election: a dedicated following that was loyal to them over any party. Both have been described as presidents who had “cults of personality.” Trump’s is apparent every day. I have yet to see a truck drive by with 20 bumper stickers and two flags praising President Biden. Roosevelt’s still manifests to this day in some ways. When talking politics, you can say “Teddy” and everyone knows who you’re talking about.
MICHAEL MALASZCZYKI imagine that if televised debates existed in 1912, then former President Theodore Roosevelt would have had a similar response to that question. Roosevelt was running against his successor, William Howard Taft — whom he had handpicked, but with whose results as president Roosevelt was disappointed.
What did Teddy Roosevelt and Donald Trump have in common? Ego. It’s hard for anyone to get a word in edgewise with Trump, and historical accounts suggest a
Of course, Roosevelt and Trump are complete opposites on the political spectrum. Teddy was seen as a progressive leader for his time, while Trump is considered right wing. But as former presidents with ambitions of returning to the White House, the similarities between Roosevelt, in 1912, and Trump, in 2023, can’t be ignored.
Trump’s path to next year’s nomination is questionable — many Republicans have made it clear that they want nothing more to do with him. Ever since the candidates he backed performed poorly in November’s midterms, Trump’s lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in polls has shrunk. Even more concerning for Trump is that these are multi-candidate
polls in which he holds a plurality. If other candidates drop out and throw their weight behind DeSantis, Trump is in trouble.
But given his apparent inability to concede fair elections, it’s difficult to imagine Trump bowing out of the race and endorsing DeSantis against Biden. A more feasible scenario is Trump running as a thirdparty candidate.
That would be great news for Biden.
In 1912, Taft won the Republican nomination over Roosevelt, but refusing to concede, Roosevelt ran under the banner of the Bull Moose Party.
The result? The quiet, reserved Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson, swept the election. Despite winning only 41 percent of the popular vote, Wilson received 435 electoral votes and carried 40 states. Roosevelt finished second, with 88 electoral votes. Taft won only eight.
Taft’s and Roosevelt’s votes combined would have crushed Wilson. But the Republicans couldn’t unite, and the Democrat pulled off a landslide.
The parallels with 2024 aren’t all the same. There was a Republican incumbent in 1912; next year it will be a Democrat. And views on the issues were different then than they are now. Economically,
Wilson would be to the left of Bernie Sanders, but socially, he’d be to the right of Marjorie Taylor Greene.
But the parallels are too significant to ignore — most notably, the Roosevelt and Trump diehard voters. And Taft was a respected leader who had once been seen as the heir to Roosevelt’s legacy. DeSantis is a well-known governor who is seen by many as a successor to Trump as the leader of his movement. Wilson may have been lacking in adoring fans, but he had the votes to win — like Biden may.
Republicans in 1912 couldn’t rally around the winner of their primary because one candidate with an ego refused to lose. And if the vote for speaker of the House 111 years later showed us anything, it’s that the divisions in today’s Republican Party over Donald Trump consist of a lot more than personal disagreements. In a three-way, Biden-DeSantis-Trump scenario, only Biden, and a unified Democratic Party, stand to gain.
Republicans are not one party right now. No promises have been made on their end to ensure that Biden won’t coast to victory. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Republicans had better get it together, and fast, or they’ll be “Woodrow Wilsoned” by Biden in 2024.
Michael Malaszczyk is a Herald reporter covering Wantagh and Seaford. Comments about this column? mmalaszczyk@ liherald.com.
Who am I? Ask Siri. I don’t know where she ends and I begin.
When my iPhone alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, it was to remind me I needed to hustle to my dentist appointment at 8 a.m. Getting dragged out of a deep sleep was especially painful because my wake-up music is “My Shot,” from “Hamilton.”
es and our tastes. I hear you saying, “But we were the ones who decided to buy the phone or the Fitbit or the Alexa,” and that is true. But I believe we humans have been naïve, vulnerable and unprepared for the seductive intrusion of technology into every moment of our waking hours.
line popped up, which told me that to read more about a titillating news story, I needed to click the message.
dle purchases, I suppose.
RANDI KREISS
Lin Manuel Miranda’s repetitive assertion to thumping music is singularly irritating. But I clicked the wrong music alarm button three years ago, and inertia has kept it in place. So I shut off the phone and moved into my day.
A half-hour later, a “reminder” popped on my phone to take my thyroid meds and my vitamins. It was only 7 a.m., and I’d already been told what to do twice by my techno masters. Slowly but inexorably, we are relinquishing free will and allowing technology to determine our decisions and our actions, our exercise habits, our purchas-
Take me. The alarm was just the beginning. After I obediently took my meds, I saw a reminder pop up to take the chicken out of the freezer for dinner. I also had several “sticky notes” on my phone to call the dog groomer, prepare for a book group, set up a service call for the car and try calling JetBlue one more time to follow up on a refund. In pre-tech days, I would have these reminders on a piece of paper (remember when Post-its were so cool?), but responding to a pop-up feels like it’s in control, not me. Old-school notes on paper are just quieter.
In the time I’ve been writing this, I got a notification from Open Table to confirm a reservation. It told me that I must press 1 to confirm. I obeyed. Then, from an entirely different source, a shocking head-
Because I almost bought a sweater from Bloomingdale’s a year ago, the store keeps telling me I “forgot” an item in my cart. It’s a technological nudge that distracts me in the moment and makes me think about the sweater, thus hijacking my attention.
This happens all day.
I don’t wear a smartwatch or tracking device because I don’t want another boss in my life. Nevertheless, my iPhone has started telling me how many steps I take. I don’t care. I don’t want to know, and I don’t want to get locked into obsessively quantifying my exercise.
At some point in my day, I will get a message from one or another of my apps, advising me that I need to change my password because somewhere in the Ethernet there has been a “breach.” It suggests that I add three security questions and a “rescue” email.
Then up pops a text advising me which books to purchase next, based on my Kin-
I downloaded the app Calm some time ago to learn meditation techniques for a more relaxing sleep experience. Now the word is out, and other apps are messaging me, offering bedtime stories read by boring narrators guaranteed to induce a good snooze. Every action on the phone or computer opens a door to thousands of other intrusions.
If I buy a pair of jeans online, I am hounded by competing clothing companies that want my business. Press here, click here, send us your email for a 10 percent discount. Send us your phone number for a freebie.
I was with a friend for a planned interlude of just sitting around and reading our books in my house. We would have companionable silence, sip our coffee and be at peace. Except that she has a thingie on her smartwatch that buzzes and tells her to get up and walk every 20 minutes. And she does. It’s probably good for her circulation, but it’s definitely bad for her sense of free will.
Slowly, we are giving ourselves over to technology and giving up personhood, frogs in water slowly coming to a boil.
Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
M y phone has
started telling me how many steps I take. I don’t care.
Will Donald Trump repeat Teddy Roosevelt’s third-party misadventure?
January is National Blood Donor Month, first established a half-century ago. And it’s a good thing that declaration stuck, because blood is often in short supply, as it is today, even in our post-pandemic world.
And January is the worst month when it comes to blood shortages. That’s probably because people are busy in November and December, preparing for, and then enjoying, the holidays, with little time to donate blood. Then, what follows those family gatherings and parties with friends are often colds and the flu — and Covid-19 — all of which keep people home, and far away from making muchneeded blood donations.
There was an uptick in Covid infections at this time last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s too early to tell how this month will shake out, but because the current strain — kraken — is highly contagious, the CDC predicts that as people attend gatherings inside during the winter months, more people will get sick.
Recent months have also seen outbreaks of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Although it’s more serious among infants and older adults, anyone can get RSV, and doctors are finding that people
To the Editor:
Re last week’s editorial, “We don’t need Albany’s concrete fist in Nassau”: Well, perhaps we do. We are told, “It’s not that our local government officials don’t want affordable housing.” Yet is it not those very entities that established and maintain the conditions that have driven 300,000 people from New York in a single year, and have proposed nothing to slow the continuing daily average of 820 departures?
The thousands willing to move into Nassau would benefit from the application of some goad, prod, or spur of any kind to overcome Nassau County’s inertia in dealing with our problem of too little middle/working class housing.
of all ages do.
Why is donating blood so important? Because every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood or platelets, according to the American Red Cross. And roughly 29,000 units of red blood cells, 5,000 units of platelets and 6,500 units of plasma are needed every day.
Because blood and platelets cannot be manufactured, donors are needed. And often. Add to this the fact that red blood cells expire after 42 days, and platelets must be used within a week.
But don’t get lost in the numbers. Donating even once produces a pint of blood, which the Red Cross counts as three units. That can help save three lives — or one life, of someone who is seriously injured. Car accident victims can require as much as 100 units of blood, and those fighting cancer and blood diseases need even more.
What peopless may not realize is that donating blood can benefit donors beyond just feeling good that they’ve made a difference. It offers a mini-physical, because part of the process includes the taking of vital signs, which might uncover conditions like high blood pressure or even a heart arrhythmia.
Doctors say that donating blood regu-
larly reduces cardiovascular risk factors and is linked to lower blood pressure and minimizing the chance of a heart attack. How? If the donor’s hemoglobin is too high while blood is being drawn, doing so will help reduce the “viscosity” of the blood, which causes blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.
There aren’t many requirements to join the fight to save lives, other than being healthy. According to the New York Blood Center, candidates must be at least 16 years old and not have donated blood within the past 56 days. Those younger than 18 must have a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian. People older than 75 can donate, too, with a letter confirming sound health from a doctor.
And those who have had Covid can donate if they have been symptom-free, and have not tested positive, for two weeks.
Find out how you can donate today by contacting the New York Blood Center, at NYBC.org. You can also schedule a donation at (800) 933-2566.
January is when we celebrate those who donate blood and platelets. But giving the gift of life is something all of us can do all year long.
BRIAN KEllY RockvilleCentre
To the Editor:
Dear 3rd House District of New York: CNN reports, “Two New Jersey veterans say
when I was growing up, it was hard not to notice the numbers tattooed on her wrist. Children are often very observant, and I was curious about what they meant.
My grandmother Judith Mandel grew up in a small town called Hatvan, a few miles outside Budapest, Hungary. She was an ordinary girl, but she learned quickly that her heritage made her different when her classmates began to taunt her for being Jewish.
Following German forces’ annexation of Austria in 1938, they set their sights on Hungary, and they invaded in March 1944. A few weeks later, my great-grandmother Ilona Kalman and my grandmother were forced into a ghetto at a sugar factory.
Judith was 16 when she and her mother were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, in occupied Poland, that June. When they arrived, Judith was separated from her mother and forced to work in the camp, while my great-grandmother was put to death in the gas chamber.
My grandmother would survive, but
not before being put to work at the Krakow-Plaszow, Seeshaupt and Dachau camps. When she was liberated by American troops from Dachau in May 1945, she weighed 45 pounds.
After the war, she married Ernest Mandel, and in 1948 they emigrated to the United States. They settled in the Bronx and raised three daughters.
Having witnessed the atrocities of the Holocaust, my grandmother had a difficult time adjusting to her new life. For many years she was afraid to plug things into electrical sockets because of her experience with electrified fences, and would overfeed her first-born daughter, my mother, so she wouldn’t starve. She struggled to learn English.
Her story had a profound impact on me. When I was a child, she often told me about her experiences. She took me to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. I learned that being Jewish was part of my identity, and that while we lived in a country that was founded on the principal of freedom from religious persecution, this wasn’t the case in other parts of the world.
That’s why it is so important to remember the Holocaust, as we will this Friday,
now-Congressman George Santos promised to raise funds for lifesaving surgery for one of their dogs in 2016, then became elusive and took off with the money.” This is what you elected to Congress?
Really? The guy steals money from a homeless veteran’s dog, which has a tumor?
I think this, above all else, tells us about the values of the wealthy. No humanity. No compassion. No concern for anything beyond their own income and comfort.
I would strongly recommend that you voters in the 3rd District get yourselves a copy of “A Tale of Two Cities” and read it cover to cover. And I would strongly recommend you recall this clown. He has no business being in D.C. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
PATRICK NORTHWAY Traverse City, MichiganTo the Editor: Re “Long Island’s energy
future: vision vs. mirage” (Jan. 12-18): I have to vehemently disagree with the authors’ statement that “heat pumps and Long Island are a match made in heaven.” I purchased heating pumps at the recommendation of Green Team Long Island, and took part in the state loan program. I seriously regret my decision, because the heating pumps don’t work as promised.
Basically, they blow cool air throughout my living room, creating a draft that I never had before. They are so ineffective that I dress in layers and need a blanket to cover my legs when I sit at my dining room table. I have to look for a corner of the living room where these ridiculous pumps aren’t blowing. If I don’t want them to blow cool air, then I have to turn them down so low that it’s like having no heat at all.
Combating climate change should be our number one priority, but the products that are being promoted and sold need to work before they are put on the market.
LISA GOLDBERG Oceansidewhich is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is important never to forget the 6 million lives lost simply because of their religious, ethnic, gender or genetic differences, because history has a wicked way of repeating itself.
Over the past year alone, there has been so much hateful rhetoric on Long Island. The pamphlets of antisemitic literature being circulated across our communities, and the reports of those harmed for their beliefs, are enough to make many of us sick.
While I’m thankful that I live in a nation where, for the most part, we embrace one another’s differences, it is important to remember, and understand, why the Holocaust happened, in order to prevent anything like it from ever happening again. That is why it is so important to teach children about it — so we, and they, never forget what took place. Books like “Number the Stars,” by Lois Lowry, and “Daniel’s Story,” by Carol Matas, shouldn’t be deemed too “controversial,” because their subject matter is the human condition.
Banning literature — as the Nazis did generations ago — will only open a path to more of the kind of prejudice that can poison our society.
This has already happened in one
Texas school district, where, in 2021, teachers were advised to include reading that offered “opposing” views on controversial topics. What makes this so despicable isn’t just the fact that when it comes to the Holocaust, there are no reasonable opposing views, because any literature that denies that it happened is itself hate speech — but also that people have become so sensitive that they believe there has to be an alternative to accounts of violence and death to educate others about real events in history.
That is why it is so important to teach children about the Holocaust. We must never forget the lessons the world learned. Yes, the Holocaust showed us the worst of humanity, but banning its honest examination in the classroom will only perpetuate the type of ignorance that allowed such horror to happen in the first place.
We must continue to encourage this chapter of history to be a part of our children’s education. They deserve to know the unfiltered truth, so they will never be taken in by the false rhetoric that has been perpetuated by Holocaust deniers.
My grandmother’s struggle, and that of so many others who came here seeking refuge from persecution, cannot have been for nothing.
Daniel Offner is the senior editor of the Rockville Centre Herald. Comments? doffner@liherald.com.
No, thanks.
o n Friday the world will reflect on the horror, and I’ll honor my grandmother.DanieL
oFFner
Real Estate Salesperson
Gold Circle Nominee
Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
36 S. Park Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 c.516.884.6379, 516.678.1510 gloriaromanowski@danielgale.com danielgale.com
777 N. Village Avenue, Rockville Centre | $1,640,000
12 Quaker Ridge Road, Brookville | $1,350,000
15 Pembroke Road, Rockville Centre | $1,349,000
26 Dartmouth Street, Rockville Centre | $1,263,900
23 Sherwood Road, Rockville Centre | $1,205,000 516 Bothner Street, Oceanside | $1,125,000
410 Lakeview Avenue, Rockville Centre | $955,000 37 DeMott Avenue, Rockville Centre | $910,000 157 Wright Road, Rockville Centre | $905,000 15 Carlton Street, Malverne | $690,000 43 Ormond Road, Rockville Centre | $663,000 4018 Old Post Road, Seaford | $615,000
195 N. Centre Ave #28, Rockville Centre | $525,000 93 Lawrence Avenue, Lynbrook | $450,000