Uniondale Herald Beacon 11-28-2024 by Richner Communications, Inc

Uniondale touts P-Tech education program Street dedicated to late detective

By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com

The Uniondale school district is part of the New York State Pathways in Technology, or P-Tech, program, which helps reshape educational opportunities for students in underserved communities by offering a unique pathway to careers in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

Uniondale has a grant from the state for the program, Christine Lopes, the district’s coordinator of state and federal grants, explained, but the Freeport and Wyandanch districts

are part of the program as well.

“There are 60 students, or 20 per district,” Lopes said, “and those students receive classes in their high school. So they stay with their cohort, and their classes are specifically tailored to things that have to do with the degree pathway, so it’s more specialized.”

KARLA BLAnco Learning and development coordinator, H2M Architects & Engineers

The district’s P-Tech model is structured to include students starting in ninth grade

and moving through graduation, allowing them to progress alongside their peers while simultaneously earning college credits. There are two degree pathways students can choose: animation and digital graphics or electronic engineering technology.

Participants then attend Vaughn College, in Queens, for two years to earn associate’s degrees in their chosen path -

By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com

In a heartfelt ceremony held last Saturday, Union Drive in Uniondale was officially dedicated to the late Erick Contreras, a Uniondale native and former Nassau County detective.

“This is a day when we come together to celebrate not just a man, but a legacy of courage, compassion and unwavering service,” Contreras’ younger sister, Sharon, said in a speech at the ceremony. “Today, Union Drive is reborn as Detective Erick WenCoNtiNUED oN pagE 2

way. They remain connected to their high schools, because the program is designed to ensure that they are fully supported by their school districts and communities, with access to tutors, mentorship and guidance from industry professionals.

Participating students are introduced to the program in middle school, Lopes said.

“When we recruit them in eighth grade, we work with the teachers and guidance counselors there to find students who are specifically interested in the areas of math and science,” she said.

Two Uniondale High School juniors, Kenneth Duenas and Mark Benjamin, are part of the P-Tech program, on the elec -

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

Detective Erick Contreras’s family and former co-workers gathered on Union Drive on Nov. 16 for the street dedication ceremony for the late Nassau County detective.

UNIONDALE

BEACON BEACON

Uniondale touts P-Tech education program Street dedicated to late detective

By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com

Uniondale has a grant from the state for the program, Christine Lopes, the district’s coordinator of state and federal grants, explained, but the Freeport and Wyandanch districts

are part of the program as well.

I want them to see that there’s opportunity out there for them.

KARLA BLAnco Learning and development coordinator, H2M Architects & Engineers

The district’s P-Tech model is structured to include students starting in ninth grade

Participants then attend Vaughn College, in Queens, for two years to earn associate’s degrees in their chosen path -

By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com

In a heartfelt ceremony held last Saturday, Union Drive in Uniondale was officially dedicated to the late Erick Contreras, a Uniondale native and former Nassau County detective.

Participating students are introduced to the program in middle school, Lopes said.

“When we recruit them in eighth grade, we work with the teachers and guidance counselors there to find students who are specifically interested in the areas of math and science,” she said.

Two Uniondale High School juniors, Kenneth Duenas and Mark Benjamin, are part of the P-Tech program, on the elec -

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

Detective Erick Contreras’s family and former co-workers gathered on Union Drive on Nov. 16 for the street dedication ceremony for the late Nassau County detective.

County honors Erick Contreras by renaming a street

dell Contreras Drive, a fitting tribute to a Uniondale son who made his mark here in his youth and went on to make an indelible impact in the world beyond.”

Contreras grew up in Uniondale, having attended Walnut Street Elementary School and Turtle Hook Middle School before graduating from Uniondale High School in 1985.

Contreras began his career as a corrections officer in 1988, Dorothy Goosby, Town of Hempstead deputy supervisor, said at the ceremony. In 1994, after six years, he joined the Nassau County Police Department.

He was promoted to detective with the department’s Fourth Squad in 2002, and Goosby said he was ultimately assigned to the Nassau County District Attorney Squad, a position he held until his death on Jan. 15, 2021, at the age of 53. He was posthumously promoted to detective first grade shortly after his death.

Bill Bourguignon, president of the Nassau County Detectives’ Association, who worked with Contreras throughout his career, spoke about the man nicknamed “Big E” by his coworkers.

“Whenever anyone had the pleasure of encountering Erick, they were met with a big hello and a big smile,” Bourguignon said at the ceremony.

“E is short for Erick, but it may well have been for easy going, as Erick had the most easy-going personality on the job,” Bourguignon said in his emotional speech. “Everyone knew him, and to know him was to love him.”

He said Contreras loved being a detective and serving the public “no matter the assignment,” and he

treated everyone he encountered with “dignity, respect and professionalism.”

Contreras was passionate about animals, and was a dog owner himself. “His care extended even to the animals and wildlife, which he adored with almost the same passion he had for people,” Sharon said.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Contreras was a first responder during the attacks on the World Trade Center. He was diagnosed years later with cancer that was believed

to be 9/11-related, which he fought until his death.

“I often smile with pride, knowing without a doubt that even if Erick had known what lay ahead,” Sharon said, “if he had glimpsed the hardship and terminal illness he would endure because of his service at the World Trade Center, Erick would still have gone. His courage was unwavering, his sense of duty unbreakable.”

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly also spoke at the ceremony in honor of Contreras. Before she became the district attorney, she said she was the deputy bureau chief of the district attorney squad, where Contreras was assigned.

“Nothing made me happier than when he walked into my office with that big smile and said, ‘What do you need done today, Annie?’” she said in her speech. “That was the type of detective he was: hard working, good at what he did and never, ever said no to anything I would ask him.”

The holidays are a difficult time for those who have experienced loss, Donnelly said, addressing his mother, siblings and cousins in attendance to tell them that “Erick is with you.”

“He’s in your heart, he’s in your mind,” she said, “he’s with us all around because of what he gave to this community, what he gave to Nassau County, what he gave to New York state.”

The Uniondale High School Rhythm of the Night show choir performed at the ceremony, and Donnelly had advice for them, too.

“Nothing made Erick prouder than the fact that he graduated from Uniondale High School and became a detective in the Nassau County Police Department,” she said, “so think of him always as the hero that he is and was.”

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

Erick Contreras’s family, friends and former colleagues gathered for the unveiling of the new street sign honoring him.

Students represent chosen cultures at multicultural night

By Rei Wolfsohn Correspondent

Turtle Hook Middle School students created and presented 79 different poster boards representing the people and cultures from countries around the world. This was the first multicultural night that the school has ever done.

When a visitor entered the Turtle Hook gym for the evening, they received a little passport booklet where they could write down the different countries they visited through the room.

“The children chose the cultures,” said Catherine Visconti, a Spanish Language teacher at the school who organized the event. “It was either their culture or a culture they were interested in learning about.”

Some students chose to represent their own cultures. Wisline Saint-Fleur represented Haiti, because she is Haitian and has gone to school there. She said she learned about her culture at that school.

“I choose (Haiti) because I like it and it’s my first time showing my culture,” she said. “I like eating mangoes, taking a shower in the river. It has meant everything to me actually.”

Saint-Fleur said she feels that Americans are very welcoming and embrace her culture. “Sak pase” means “What’s up” in Haitian, and she said people will greet her in that way.

“American Black, Hispanic, if they’re not Haitian, they’ll all be like ‘Sak pase.’”

Many of the students chose cultures outside of their own that interested them. Hailey Maisonet, one of the students, decided to highlight Hawaiian culture.

“I felt like I always wanted to go there,” she said. “I just love their culture, it’s very unique. I just love how it’s so happy and they’re always together.”

Maisonet said her extensive reading habits inspired her to represent Hawaiian culture.

“I used to watch the news, and I like to read books,” she said. “I was reading this book and when I read about the tragedies of Pearl Harbor it made me want to read more into Hawaiian stuff. Then I found out a lot of cool stuff about it.”

Maisonet chose to write about Hawaii because she feels that Hawaiian culture doesn’t get the attention that it deserves.

“I feel like it’s not really seen,” she said. “It’s very underrated. A lot of people don’t really know about it. That’s the reason I wanted to write about it.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea Tamay chose to represent Monaco because her dad inspired her interest in car racing.

“This culture means a lot to me because I like Formula 1 a lot,” she said. “I learned about this because I always watch through my dad, and I’ve seen Monaco a lot and I love it.”

Tamay also feels the culture she represented doesn’t get the attention it could.

“I chose this culture because I found that not a lot of people know about it,” Tamay said. “So I thought to try something new.”

Another student, Ariel Merone, chose to do her project on Japan because of her own personal interest in the culture.

“I like Japanese, so I decided to take it,” Merone said. “It’s my dream vacation. My favorite thing is the movies and also the people are pretty kind.”

Whatever culture they chose, Visconti gave the students ample instruction on how to create their boards. They had just a week to finish the project.

“I gave them a rubric, a whole schematic, a step-by-step process,” Visconti explained. “I gave them samples. We looked at other schools, what other mul-

ticultural nights look like.”

Visconti said she is proud of the work the students did and that she knew they would represent these cultures well.

“We were just trying to highlight the different cultures in the building,” Visconti said, “so we thought we could represent everyone well, share, and we could all learn from each other.”

Rei Wolfsohn/Herald photos

Hailey Maisonet created a poster board on Hawaii for Turtle Hook Middle School’s first multicultural night.

Wisline Saint-Fleur used her own Haitian culture as inspiration for her project. Ariel Merone represented Japan because of her interest in Japanese culture.

Industry partners facilitate field experience

tronic engineering technology pathway.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future, and I already had some experience with construction, because my dad works in construction anyway,” Duenas said. “So honestly, I didn’t know what to do with my future, so I just gave (the program) a shot, and I love it.”

“When you have a cohort, since we take a lot of classes together, it’s just nice to have people to rely on,” Benjamin added. “Let’s say you need help with homework, or you don’t understand something. You have a reliable group of people that you can count on to help you out with anything you need.”

In addition to an adjusted curriculum, the school district has partnered with companies to help students understand what careers in architecture and engineering entail. The partnerships include workshops at Uniondale High, like resume building for juniors, as well as field trips to facilities for team-building exercises and educational opportunities.

“The purpose of P-Tech is to introduce students to STEM careers,” Karla Blanco, learning and development coordinator at H2M Architects & Engineers, in Melville, said, “usually with some vigorous workload of being able to shadow professionals, going to see what onsite looks like, to see what the people in the STEM career actually do.”

It is remarkable to us how many people we meet who have amassed signifcant wealth beyond their needs, yet have little or no inclination to share their good fortune with others, even their immediate families. It seems to us that the only value that any asset has is in its use — those who have assets they are unable to utilize are really no better off than those who don’t.

How much richer and happier many lives would be if only we learned to share more. Studies in psychology and neuroscience have demonstrated that acts of generosity trigger a release of endorphins, referred to as the “helper’s high”, leading to increased feelings of happiness and satisfaction.

Generous acts involve considering the needs of others, expanding one’s empathy and leading to deeper connections with others and a more meaningful and fulflling life. This may explain why those least able to give are sometimes the most generous. Generosity has less to do with what one has than the way one thinks.

Once or twice a year, students visit the H2M corporate office, where they meet professionals and participate in “A Day in the Life” sessions. Students hear from architects, engineers, environmental engineers and even the CEO of the company, Blanco said, and learn about the tools, software and education required for these professions. They also have the chance to shadow professionals to see what their workday is like.

In addition to these careerfocused experiences, the program introduces students to hands-on activities designed to develop their skills and spark their interest. They take part workshops like the marshmallow challenge, in which they compete to build the tallest structure out of spaghetti, sticks, tape and string on top of which a marshmallow can be balanced. Blanco said the students learn “communication and collaboration skills, how to plan out an actual structure and just working together in general.”

P-Tech students have the opportunity to learn about different kinds of

one of which took this photo.

drones. In this activity, introduced in March, students created promotional P-Tech videos using drones, combining STEM skills with video production and marketing.

sion for showing students that college and career opportunities are within their reach.

Another popular activity is Drone Day, on which students from the participating school districts gather at Uniondale High to learn how to operate

“A fght is going on inside me,” said an old man to his son. “It is a terrible fght between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fght is going on inside you.”

The son thought for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf will win?”

The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.”

— Wendy Mass

Generosity may also involve giving of your time and attention. As theologian John Wesley put it three hundred years ago:

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as you ever can.”

LAW FIRM

“It was really fun just controlling the drones and seeing what they could do,” Benjamin said.

Blanco, who grew up in an underrepresented community, evidenced her pas-

“I want them to see that there’s opportunity out there for them, that college may seem overwhelming … but that there are opportunities for them,” she said, “(and) there’s people that you can connect to that can help you throughout your life as well.”

Requirements:

Own professional-grade camera

Flexibility to work evenings and weekends

Reliable transportation

Strong work ethic, punctuality, and the ability to meet deadlines

Ability to interact with subjects and collaborate with our editorial team.

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following:

1. Resume: Highlighting your photography experience and relevant skills. Portfolio: A link to your online portfolio or social media 2.

Courtesy Uniondale school district

technology, like drones,

Helping hands serve up free turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving

Uniondale residents came out in the pouring rain for a donation of free turkeys just ahead of Thanksgiving.

Long Island Verified, a local nonprofit organization, handed out 100 free turkeys to the Uniondale community on Nov. 22 at the John J. Byrne Community Center, along with other foods, including stuffing, canned goods, cornbread and cakes.

Eric Rucker, co-founder of Long Island Verified, said all the turkeys were claimed except for eight, which the organization donated to New Life Christian Ministries, a local church that hosted Thanksgiving dinners for the community.

“I donated eight turkeys to them to help them with their mission,” Rucker said.

This turkey drive was the first of its kind for Long Island Verified. Rucker said he has been doing volunteer and community work for around 20 years, in Uniondale, Roosevelt, Hempstead and other surrounding areas. He founded his organization with Patrick Cobourne to continue giving back.

Vineyard Offshore and State Farm sponsored the event, and Rucker said many young members of the community, from around ages eight to 16, were there “volunteering to give back to the community.”

Long Island Verified, a local nonprofit organization, and young volunteers spent their Friday evening in the rain handing out free

Uniondale residents.

Rucker said the inspiration for this event came from Rucker and Cobourne’s desire to “bless the babies” and support the younger generations.

“We know the youth is the future, and we really want to give back to the youth,” Rucker said. “Keep them off

the streets, keep them busy, keep them occupied.”

— Kelsie Radziski

Photos courtesy Long Island Verified

turkeys to

Local leaders reject regionalization plan

By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, other local elected officials, school district superintendents and school board trustees gathered in the Nassau County executive building on Nov. 21 to oppose the recent State Education Department Regionalization Plan.

The plan, introduced as an emergency rule on Sept. 25, directs school districts to pool resources, programs and services, which critics say threatens the independence of local districts. State Sen. Jack Martins, one of the plan’s main opponents, talked about fighting to preserve local control of districts.

“Long Island schools are regularly ranked among the very best in New York state,” Martins said. “That fact is due in large part to our local control and educational structure, which prioritizes our students’ success. We join our local communities in opposing any effort to force regionalization and fight to preserve local control.”

Blakeman echoed Martins’s sentiments, saying the plan was an attack on suburban school districts, and that he and others would continue to fight to keep power in the hands of the districts.

“Isn’t it interesting that cities such as Yonkers, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester and New York City are all excluded from their plan?” Blakeman said. “This is just

Sen. Jack Martins, along with other local elected officials, challenged the NYSED’s Regionalization Plan at a news conference on Nov. 21.

another attack on the suburbs by state government, which is completely controlled by left-wing politicians, and we will not stand by and let the Department of Education gut our school districts.”

Many opponents of the plan are questioning the decision to make it an emergency measure. State Sen. Steve Rhoads called it a rushed, and added that the language contained in it could lead to local districts’ complete loss of control of their operations.

“The State Education Department’s self-created emergency regionalization

mandate is vague and can lead to a complete usurpation of local control of schools budgets, tax dollars, and educational opportunities and resources vested in local boards of education,” Rhoads said. “Long Islanders pay some of the highest school taxes in the state, and their local and state officials should and must have a voice in where those dollars are being spent, and that voice is being jeopardized with the SED’s rushed, topdown regionalization plan.”

Sschool districts across Nassau and Suffolk counties are preparing to chal -

lenge the plan. Roslyn school board President Meryl Waxman encouraged other districts to join the fight.

“Superintendents including mine have been told that this is a great big nothing, but what one says and what one does have to align,” Waxman said. “If you take the time to read the regulations and see what they say, they should be self-explanatory. These are emergency regulations, but what was the emergency? Roslyn wasn’t having an emergency until they created one.”

Nonetheless, many people believe that the plan can be beneficial for Long Island school districts. Responding to a rally against the plan on Oct. 31 at Locust Valley High School, Assemblyman Chuck Lavine said that districts can voluntarily participate in shared services, and that the protest was nothing more than political theater.

“The State Education Department website makes it perfectly explicit that any district desiring to engage in shared services with any other district can do so completely voluntarily,” Lavine said. “Held on Halloween, the Oct. 31 rally was nothing more . . . than political theater designed to frighten the public.”

Under the plan, school districts are required to submit surveys to the state by Dec. 6, identifying areas for collaboration. There will also be a comment period before the plan becomes final in January.

Brian Norman/Herald

Turtle Hook comes together with a message of perseverance

By Rei Wolfsohn Correspondent

The students of Turtle Hook Middle School spent only two months preparing for “Middle School Madness,” the play they performed on Nov. 12. The production included 14 students, who were all nervous, excited and proud.

“Middle School Madness” is a collection of scenes and monologues by Bette Glenn “celebrating the middle school experience,” according to Glenn’s website.

The main reason Celeste Cruz, music educator at Turtle Hook, chose this play is because of the message that comes through the many short scenes that express the difficulties of being a middle school student.

“Middle school challenges are a real thing,” Cruz said. “Some may call it madness. It’s a challenge but in the end we all kind of come together and work it out.”

The process of the production started with Cruz in the summer. She read the scripts over and over, studied the character analysis for each character, and prepared for auditions. Then in September, she picked a student director — Deann Barrow — and stage managers before she let the rest of the kids audition. The kids were given the character analysis and auditioned exclusively for Cruz and the student director.

“Sometimes, because there are so

many different challenges, I have to make sure it works within the confines of what we’re doing so the students can be successful,” Dr. Cruz said. “The most important thing to me is that the students experience a well-rounded opportunity for teamwork and the production being something that they

come together to perform.

Barrow originally wanted to be in the play as an actor, but she agreed to be the student director, and she said she was ultimately happy with her choice.

“For me it was different from other students, because I’m the student direc-

tor,” Barrow said. “It was some days challenging, because not everyone wanted to listen. But when everyone did listen, it was a very smooth rehearsal and we all got through it.”

Gabby Petgrave also didn’t get the first part she auditioned for — her identical twin sister Abby did.

“Some days I forgot my lines, but then I got right back to them,” Gabby said. “And I’m kind of glad that I remembered them now.”

“Rehearsal was very hard, because we had a lot of other clubs,” Abby added. “It was kind of mixed sometimes (but) it helped us come to where we are right now.”

All the students were nervous about performing in front of a crowd. For some it was their first time on stage, while others were seasoned veterans.

“I’m used to performing, because I’m in cheer and dance,” said Kaya-Lee Richards, a student actor. “I still get nervous, so it’s alright. It was fun.”

Everyone involved, including the audience, understood the deeper message of the play that Cruz wanted to impart.

“You can clearly see middle school kids are overwhelmed,” Wanda Henry Barrow, mother of the student director, said after the play. “So I think they did a good job at pointing that out. You know a lot is going on with them. It’s eye-opening.”

Rei Wolfsohn/Herald

Turtle Hook Middle School students performed the play ‘Middle School Madness’ on Nov. 12.

The stars are dimmed by light pollution

With each passing year — especially in areas like Nassau County — we see less of the

By NICOLE FORMISANO

Special to the Herald

As a child, Ken Spencer would wait until the sun sank below the ocean horizon, and then ride his bike down to the beach and lie in the sand, staring up into the sky as the final streaks of pink and orange slipped from view. Then quietly, one by one, billions of stars would wink into existence — diamond dust, he said, scattered across a sea of black velvet.

Now, at 82, the Sea Cliff resident is lucky if he can spot even the brightest stars amid a night sky that has, over the years, morphed into a wall of light-polluted gray.

Nassau County suffers some of the worst light pollution in the world. It’s harming local wildlife, damaging human health, and marring something as seemingly inviolable as the very sky above.

The word “pollution” often evokes clouds of smog, or continental landfills; little do we think of light itself as a form of pollution. But when we are irresponsible about how we artificially light the world around us, that additional light impacts everything it touches.

Summer nights on Long Island, for example, used to mean a world illuminated by fireflies. That likely won’t be the case for the next generation. The bioluminescent beetles can’t find potential mates amid an overlit world, and are becoming increasingly endangered.

Light pollution is increasing by 10 percent every year, according to DarkSky International, a nonprofit fighting to mitigate the problem. And we’re already suffering the effects.

Losing the night sky

“I know nothing with any certainty,”

Vincent Van Gogh once wrote, “but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

For as long as we have existed, humans have been linked inextricably to the stars. They served as beacons by which humanity navigated, charting new lands and waters; their movement led scholars to new mathematical and scientific discoveries; they have long captured the imaginations of philosophers, poets and artists; they encourage people of every age, race, class and ability to lift their eyes to the sky, wonder at the vast sea of the universe, and recognize the miracle it is to be alive.

“It feels primeval,” Spencer said of the night sky’s singular ability to pull our eyes upward. “It’s something within us.”

the sky. And little by little, it’s become harder and harder to see the Milky Way.”

More than 80 percent of people will not see the Milky Way in their lifetime, according to DarkSky International, and that number is climbing each year. We in Nassau County cannot see the Milky Way without traveling to the East End — and even that sight is a fading echo of what once was.

The amateur astronomer, originally from Milford, Connecticut, began studying the constellations with his daughter in 1989. He remembers looking at the constellation Hercules, identifying the globular cluster of 300,000 stars at the demigod’s side. He looked for that once-familiar sight recently, but the stars were simply impossible for him to see. He used to drive down to the Custer Institute and Observatory in Southold, which served as a refuge for starry skies on Long Island. But even that, he said, is slowly being encroached on.

“Over the years, now it’s all big-box stores,” Spencer said. “They’re all lit up, and they have big, giant lights in the parking lot, so that light bounces up into

The night sky is integral for interconnectedness, Susan Serven, a spokeswoman for DarkSky International, said. It helps us understand that we aren’t separate from the cosmos, but part of it.

“It’s just been the last generation or two where we’ve lost that privilege to view our starry skies,” Serven said. “If we lose the ability to go out under our night sky, we lose the awe and wonder that humanity has experienced for millennia.”

The health risks of light

When Valerie Giangrande, of Massapequa, says goodnight to her two teenage children, she sometimes has to ask, “Where are your glasses?” The teens will then put on what looks like orangetinted sunglasses before continuing to watch TV or scroll on their phone — sometimes with a sigh or an eye roll, but that’s OK with Giangrande. To the optometrist and applied quantum biology specialist, making sure her kids are shielded from the dangers of excess

night sky

blue light is worth a bit of teenage ire.

“It’s one of the biggest health risks that nobody thinks about,” said Giangrande, who is an eye doctor at Optical Concepts offices in Bellmore, Freeport and Patchogue. “Light literally controls every aspect of our bodies, which is a pretty big statement to make, but it controls everything. We’re wired by light.”

Just about every function of our body runs on our circadian rhythm, a natural 24-hour clock, she explains. And that clock is controlled by the sun. When the photoreceptors in our eyes take in the long red wavelengths of morning sun, our bodies understand that it is morning and start slowly producing cortisol. As the sun climbs in the sky, it gives off more shorter-wave blue light, which heightens cortisol production and tells our bodies that it’s midday. And after sunset, when our photoreceptors recognize darkness, our brains get the signal to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, and go into repair mode.

These days, most of our natural clocks are running haywire. That’s because the vast majority of artificial light that contributes to light pollution — LEDs, phones, computers, televisions, billboards — emit blue light. Our bodies are constantly surrounded by signals that it is noon.

Overexposure to blue light is linked to what seems like every health risk under the sun, Giangrande said — insulin resistance and diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, insomnia and lower-quality sleep, and excess anxiety.

“Anyone who wakes up not refreshed, anyone who’s tired, anyone who can’t fall asleep, can’t stay asleep — blue light

Courtesy Ken Spencer

across the Long island Sound, the town of Clinton, Connecticut, illustrates just how much light is wasted by being projected straight into the air. it burdens taxpayers, contributes to energy waste and creates a visible sky glow that erases stars from the sky.

The more lights, the less we see of the sky

Continued from PreViouS Page

toxicity,” Giangrande said. “Say we eat dinner, and then an hour later we’re really hungry again. That’s blue light toxicity, hands down.”

Our digestive enzymes naturally go down at night, she explained. Often when we’re hungry at night, it’s because our blood sugar and insulin are still up because our body thinks it’s daytime.

There are some things people can do to reduce the harm done by light pollution, Giangrande said. To start your day, step outside — or even just open a window — to get exposure to the full light spectrum of the sun. Consider replacing blue-spectrum LEDs in your home with warmer, softer lighting. And perhaps most important, get 100 percent blue light-blocking glasses to use indoors after the sun has gone down.

“Light has to be regulated first before we do all the things,” Giangrande said. “Because there’s no supplement that can take over for the sunlight.”

Let there (not) be light

So, besides our screens, where is excess artificial light coming from? A few of the primary offenders in Nassau County are entire towns and villages using unshielded streetlamps; empty fields, gas stations and parking lots lit up all night by glaring spotlights; and homeowners who illuminate their — and, by extension, their neighbors’ — property with floodlights out of the erroneous belief that it discourages crime. Multiple studies have found that lighting has no effect on crime. In fact, it encourages crimes like vandalism and graffiti, and the glare from harsh lights at night actually makes it more difficult to spot hazards in the dark.

If overlighting accomplishes anything, it wastes money — more than $3 billion in the U.S. each year, according to DarkSky, or as much as $7 billion, according to another study.

Take the Meadowbrook Parkway, for example. The 869 streetlights that line the road are activated by photocells, which turns the lights on at dusk and off at dawn, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation said. However, observant drivers will notice that long swaths of the parkway are peppered with orange lights even in the middle of the day. The NYSDOT did not respond to the Herald to answer whether this was intentional or indicative of faulty photocells, and how much energy and money is wasted by the lights each day.

But light pollution and its energy waste can be mitigated relatively easily by local governments. The Village of Oyster Bay, for example, has a lighting ordinance stipulating that all outdoor lighting be fully shielded. But despite such ordinances being demonstrably energy-efficient and cost-effective, few towns and villages have adopted them.

“The best way we recommend our advocates getting involved in changing actually how their backyards and their cities are lit,” said Chris Peterson, engagement director of DarkSky Inter-

an illustration of how much of the night sky is lost, and how much light is wasted, when it is ineffectively shielded — and, inversely, how well-directed, and timed, lighting can preserve our views of the stars.

Courtesy LightPollutionMap.Info this map, using data from naSa, observatories and the World alas 2015, shows light that is wasted, which is about 30 percent of all artificial light, darkSky international estimates.

national, “is to approach city councils, development offices, planning commissions, and propose an update to that lighting ordinance for the city.”

The nonprofit even provides a template for proposing such ordinances to local representatives, which illustrates the principles of responsible outdoor lighting. And if local reps are unswayed, individuals can still help by ensuring they are not overlighting their homes.

But if we don’t take action, we will soon live in a world where a starry night sky is a distant memory.

“It’s a terrible thing for children to not know the night sky,” Spencer said. “If you don’t know something, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

“The central core of me knows that night is important,” he said. “Important to us as a human species.”

Those looking to learn more can visit DarkSky.org.

Every man’s right

Amid skyscrapers and smartphones, what do we have in common with our ancestors? The answer is the stars; the vast swath of universe that serves as our celestial home address. When I look up and see Cygnus flying over me in the winter sky, I’m looking at the same stars as people halfway across the world, or from thousands of years ago, whose names I’ll never know. The night sky serves as a keystone of the human experience, and connects us across space and time in ways that would otherwise be impossible.

As the world around us charges forward unceasingly — always asking for bigger, better, more — we rarely think of the things we lose little by little, day by day. We may not even notice when the Little Dipper dims into oblivion; when each star of Orion’s belt blinks out, one by one; when, one day, even brilliant Jupiter is extinguished, and we are left with a lone moon in a gray sky.

I’ll tell my grandkids stories of the firmament, how light traveled billions of light years to make its way to us, and all we had to do to see it was look up. I wonder if they’ll believe me.

I’m not ready to give up the night sky. Are you?

–Nicole Formisano

Courtesy DarkSky International

Hempstead honors veterans with annual luncheon

The Village of Hempstead honored their veterans with their annual appreciation luncheon on Nov. 21.

The auditorium at Kennedy Memorial Park was filled with tables for veterans and their families to sit and eat at. A long buffet table of food — chicken, rice, vegetables and other hot foods — lined the back wall, served by wait staff.

The keynote speaker was Gamien Batchelor, a Marine Corps veteran. She has been a resident of Hempstead village since 1997, and she is a retired Captain from the New York City Department of Correction after serving 24 years. She is a mother of three — Dwayne II, Dominique and Nachurel.

She is a part of various organizations, including Sigma Theta Alpha Military Sorority Inc., Military Women Supporting One Another Inc., American Legion Post 1033 of Elmont and National Organization of Black Law Enforcement. She also volunteers as a “SAFER volunteer’ with the SAFE Center, responding to hospitals in Nassau County for domestic violence and sexual assaults as a certified Rape Crisis counselor for the county and state.

In Batchelor’s speech, she emphasized the respect that she feels veterans deserve year-round.

“Veterans should be acknowledged every day, whether we are male or female,” she said. “It will be such an honor to be acknowledged and respected for the service that each and every veteran has given, and the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.”

Batchelor shared her appreciation for the camaraderie of the military community.

“One thing that we always say, no matter where we are, no matter where we go, we will always be family,” she said.

While veterans from Hempstead and surrounding communities ate

their food and enjoyed the company, the American Bombshells, the yearly entertainment, sang. The group is a nonprofit that provides free entertainment for military hospitals and bases, as well as other patriotic events.

Hempstead mayor Waylyn Hobbs, Jr. visited the luncheon, expressing pride that his wife is a retired commander of the navy and sharing his support of veterans and related organizations, like the Wounded Warriors Project.

“We’re always giving back to our military family,” he said.

— Kelsie Radziski

Stu Goldman/Herald photos

The American Bombshells performed while people ate and talked at the luncheon.

Veterans from Hempstead and surrounding communities were honored at the village’s annual luncheon on Nov. 21 at Kennedy Memorial Park.

Past Department Vice Commander Harry Ransom Mineola and Vice Commandant Frank Neil Sr. attended the luncheon.

NUMC achieves first Leapfrog Safety Grade improvement in six years

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Nassau University Medical Center announced a significant milestone last week, achieving its first marked improvement in the Leapfrog Safety Grade in six years.

“This is a significant milestone for NUMC and a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff, physicians, and leadership in implementing effective management, financial, and operational reforms,” said Megan Ryan, interim president and chief executive of NUMC. “Over the past eleven months we’ve worked diligently to enhance the care and services we provide to our patients, and this improvement, while not our end goal, is a testament to those efforts.”

Wwith leadership and teamwork training focused on fostering a culture of safety.

Ryan credited the hospital’s restructured Quality and Risk Department and newly established 2024 quality initiatives for driving the improvement.

e’ve worked diligently to enhance the care and services we provide to our patients.

MEg RyAN

Interim president and chief executive Nassau University Medical Center

The Leapfrog Hospital Survey assesses hospitals on various safety and quality metrics, including infection rates, surgical safety practices, intensive care unit staffing, and policies to prevent errors such as medication mistakes. It also evaluates cesarean-section rates, early elective deliveries, and high-risk delivery capabilities, along

“While this grade represents progress, we remain committed to further elevating the standard of care and continuing our efforts to strengthen hospital operations for the benefit of our community,” Ryan said.

NUMC’s C rating places it ahead of New York’s other public benefit hospitals, Erie County Medical Center and Westchester Medical Center, both of which received D ratings.

The Leapfrog Safety Grade is one of many improvements NUMC has demonstrated this year. The hospital is Nassau County’s only public hospital, which serves all patients — regardless of their ability to pay for medical care.

The Nassau Health Care Corporation, which oversees the operations of NUMC and the A. Holly Paterson Extended Care Facility in Uniondale, has made significant strides in its financial health over the last year, according to an audit conducted by Grant Thorn -

GET READY for community

GREEN ACRES GIVES BACK

EMPOWERING FAMILIES IN NEED

Distributing over 1,000 regular, Kosher and Halal turkeys during the holiday season.

INVESTING IN EDUCATION

Donating over 1,000 backpacks and school supplies for students to thrive.

TRANSFORMING STUDENTS’ FUTURES

Supporting local schools and students through our School Cents program, sponsorships and scholarships.

ENRICHING CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES

Hosting free Kids Club and holiday events.

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY

Proudly hosting remarkable community celebrations.

Nassau University Medical Center recently achieved its first Leapfrog Grade

Improvement in six years, a significant milestone for the hospital which has been making positive strides over the last year in its finances and operational reforms.

ton in June, a leading national public accounting firm.

The audit and related financial reports highlighted several positive trends for the health care corporation including: cash on hand increased from $23 million in January 2024 to $67 million in June; net patient service revenue rose by $76 million in 2023, from $460 million in 2022 to $536 million in 2023; operating loss was reduced by $30 million in 2023; and overtime costs were

reduced by $4 million from 2022 levels.

“This is just further confirmation of the great work being done under new management at NUMC,” Matthew Bruderman, chairman of the NHCC said of the Leapfrog Safety grade. “Meg and her team are not only on top of the finances, they are extending and improving care.”

For more on the hospital and the services offered, visit NUMC.edu.

Herald file photo

STEPPING OUT

Don’t miss the beats, the energy and the vibe when Secret Agent 23 Skidoo launches the museum’s Musical Explorers! Concert series.

Acclaimed husband-and-wife duo Andrés and Christina’s — known as 123 Andrés — catchy songs and lively concerts impart the joy of music, movement and language.

Memories with melodies at Long Island Children’s Museum

Reach for the rhythm in you with a colorful spectrum of musical performance

By Danielle Schwab

After everyone polishes off the turkey, families can embark on a musical adventure to usher in the holiday season, courtesy of Long Island Children’s Museum. The stage is set for a new concert series, “Musical Explorers!,” which kicks off this weekend, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Young audiences are introduced to an excitingly diverse music scene, featuring an array of global sounds, culture, and artistic legends from the world of jazz, hip hop, Latin music, and more. Families will surely get in the groove at the museum’s inaugural series of concerts, which represent the vibrant genres of jazz, hip-hop and Latin music. Performers add their unique touch, blending imaginative storytelling into musical masterpieces.

“Music speaks to human nature, the human soul. Every culture has music. Everybody celebrates it. Everybody taps to the rhythm. So that’s what we’re looking to provide,” James Packard, the museum’s theater program director says. “Musical Explorers offers our audiences the opportunity to dive deeper into the many ways that music speaks to us.”

In curating the concerts, he selected Grammy-winning artists and top talents in family music so that a diverse range of genres reﬂecting the power of music are represented.

“We encourage families to use these performances to introduce their children to the rhythms of hip-hop, the soul of jazz, and the vibrant beats of contemporary Latin music,” he says.

The series begins this weekend with Grammy-winning hip-hop funk sensation Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. This dynamic three-person rap ensemble offers their young audience a fun and engaging introduction to hip-hop. Known for their electrifying blend of hip-hop with sci-ﬁ-inspired storytelling and feel-good tunes, the band combines the raw energy of funk with the surreal magic of animation-inspired performance. Imagine a band with Jim Henson playing guitar or Shel Silverstein writing the bass lines and you’ve got Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Prepare to get up and dance with larger-than-life stories through upbeat songs.

“We just came out with an album in collaboration with the Asheville Symphony. We took folk tales from around the world from various cultures and turned them into hip-hop songs to tell these stories,” Joel “Cactus” Sullivan, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo’s lead singer, says.

Sullivan and his bandmates journey back thousands of years, drawing from the rich traditions of Japan, West Africa and Persia to tell timeless life lessons. And, it wouldn’t be hip-hop without some creative freestyle — with the help of members from the audience, of course.

“We get words from the crowd and then make up a song on the spot right there. There’s something magical about the improvisation that can happen with hip hop,” Sullivan adds.

Heading into New Year, everyone can jive to some outstanding jazz grooves with the iconic Jazz at Lincoln Center Quintet, on Jan. 19 and 20. The top-ﬂight musicians swing into the sound of America. Their performances explore the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance, examining the great Louis Armstrong’s journey from New Orleans to Chicago and New York — all from the museum’s intimate stage.

“Lincoln Center is a new connection for us,” Packard notes. “It will be a more traditional concert style, but geared at school-age kids, with interactivity and conversation going on between the musicians and the audience.”

Another performance to keep an eye (and an ear) out for is husband-and-wife duo 123 Andrés. The pair — Latin Grammy winners for Best Children’s Music Album earlier this year —

Dark Star Orchestra

• Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1

• $11 with museum admission; available online at licm.org/ theater or in person at the museum box ofﬁce

• View the LICM events calendar at licm.org for additional information or call (516) 224-5800

• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City

will arrive in June with their interactive bilingual performance that speak to the joy, energy and cultural richness of Latin America.

They’ll be sure to get everyone singing, clapping and dancing along to rhythms from across the Latin music spectrum.

“Music is a universal language the world over. It is a part of who we are spiritually. And so it goes on all the time, a thing that goes into your soul,” Packard adds.

The concert series reinforces the museum’s mission to bring musicians into kid-accessible spaces. It’s an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in a world of rhythm, melody and cultural appreciation — all within the welcoming environment of the LICM Theater.

“Music is a form of social-emotional learning,” Packard continues. “You can let out happiness or sadness. Exposing children to different styles they might ﬁnd, ‘Oh, I really like hip hop,’ or ‘I really like the Latin beat’, or ‘I really like the jazz,’ and that can have an impact where they go in life.”

The Grateful Dead have been resurrected in the form of Dark Star Orchestra. Formed in 1997, this tribute band came up with the novel idea of recreating complete sets from The Grateful Dead’s gigantic list of concerts. Over 3,100 shows later DSO continues the Grateful Dead live concert experience to acclaim. On any given night, the band performs based on a set list from the Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring or use their catalog to program a unique set list for the show. In this way DSO offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within the Dead’s musical canon. Honoring both the band and the fans, Dark Star Orchestra’s members seek out the unique style and sound of each era while simultaneously offering their own informed improvisations.

Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30, 8 p.m. $99.50, $69.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny. com.

Long Island Ballet Theatre’s ‘The Nutcracker’

The holiday treat returns, Audiences will once again be transported by the Sugar Plum Fairy to The Land of Sweets in this familyfriendly classic, set to the music of Tchaikovsky. LIBT’s production opens “Nutcracker” season here, sparkling with a talented cast of adult professionals and aspiring young student dancers. This version is both narrated and abridged, to introduce youngster to the story of Clara, her magical nutcracker and her enchanting winter adventure..

Saturday, Nov. 30, noon and 4 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m. $37.50. Purchase tickets at liballettheatre. com or by phone at (631) 2714626. For more information, visit landmarkonmainstreet.org. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington.

Courtesy LICM

Courtesy Jazz at Lincoln Center

The Jazz at Lincoln Center quintet introduces young audiences to a cherished musical tradition.

Courtesy David Rugeles

Your Neighborhood

THE

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening

Jason Bonham, son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer, visits the Paramount stage, Monday, dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. He showcases his musical journey and family legacy, celebrating his father’s legendary career, with a concert featuring hits from Led Zeppelin’s iconic albums, and highlighting Jason’s own notable contributions to rock history. Encompassing hits from the iconic band’s entire career, including albums “Led Zeppelin,” “Led Zeppelin II,” “Led Zeppelin IV,” and “Physical Graffiti,” the concert event is a dynamic tribute to Jason’s father, with “…a band that recreates Led Zeppelin’s music to such a degree that one can’t help but close their eyes and simply listen…” [-Classic Rock Revisited]. Jason displayed musical talent from a young age. By age five, he could skillfully play drums, and at 17, he joined the band Air Race. Over the years, he contributed to various musical projects, including a Led Zeppelin reunion in 1988, touring with Jimmy Page, and forming his band “Bonham.” He collaborated with notable artists, recorded successful albums, and participated in a Muddy Waters tribute that earned a Grammy nomination.

Throughout the years, Jason collaborated with different artists, recorded with Foreigner, and participated in the highly anticipated Led Zeppelin reunion in 2007 at London’s O2 arena. His musical journey showcases a blend of family legacy, collaborations with rock legends and a commitment to preserving and celebrating iconic rock history. Jason always finds himself at home behind the drumkit. From this spot, he has anchored the tempo for a myriad of the most legendary artists of all-time. It’s the place where he initially realized his destiny as a kid. It’s a triedand-true safe harbor for the expression of his purest emotions. Ultimately, Jason remains forever at home on the drums. $99.50, $89.50, $59.50, $49.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.

In concert Plaza

Theatricals’ welcomes everyone to a “Motown Holiday Dance Party,” Sunday, dec. 8, 4 p.m. Celebrate the holidays in true Motown style. Enjoy a sensational afternoon of soulful tunes, joyful dancing, and nostalgic vibes at the electrifying concert. Get ready to groove, spread the festive cheer and make unforgettable memories. See the show at 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $40, $35 seniors. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.

Bird walk

See some birds with the South Shore Audubon Society. All are welcome to join members for the next in its series of bird walks, at Mill Pond Park in Wantagh, Sunday, dec. 1, starting at 9 a.m. The park is on the north side of Merrick Road, four blocks west of Wantagh State Parkway. The group meets at the gazebo.

Walk leaders, other birders and nature enthusiasts are happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. Bring binoculars. To register, text your name and contact information to (516) 467-9498. Rain, snow or temperature below 25 degrees will cancel the bird walk. Text regarding questionable weather. For more information, visit SSAudubon.org.

Tea time

The festive season is underway at Old Westbury Gardens. Enjoy a cream tea (featuring scones, Devonshire cream, assorted sweets, and tea), then a guided tour of decorated Westbury House, Tuesday, dec. 3, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m.; Wednesday, dec. 4, 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.; Thursday, dec. 5, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m. $22.50 per person. Additional dates available. Advance registration suggested. 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens.org.

Tree/Menorah

Lighting

Hempstead Village’s annual Christmas tree and menorah lighting kicks off the holiday season, Thursday, dec. 5, 4:30 p.m., at Village Hall. With Christmas carols, photos on a fire truck with Santa Claus and toy stockings for kids. 99 James A. Garner Way, Hempstead. For more information, call (516) 478-6286.

Let’s Skate

Get ready to enjoy all the thrills of the snowy season, while staying warm and cozy as Long Island Children’s Museum’s popular “Snowflake Sock Skating rink returns, through Jan. 7. Slip on “sock skates” and take a spin on the indoor rink, made from a high-tech synthetic polymer surface that lets kids slide around without blades.

Kids can stretch, twirl and glide. As visitors step off the “ice” they can jump into winter dramatic play in Snowflake Village. Become a baker in the holiday sweet shop, step inside a giant snowman and serve up some hot cocoa, take a turn in the rink “ticket booth” and “warm up” around a rink side “fire pit.” Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or LICM.org.

Holiday Tales At The Hearth

Visit Sands Point Preserve’s Hempstead House and join in the holiday cheer, Sunday, Dec. 8, 1-4 p.m. The familyfriendly event includes activities for all ages. Meet and take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, enjoy jazz and holiday music with Port Jazz Project, along with seasonal crafts, Dreidel Corner, “nutty” holiday scavenger hunt, reading nook with holiday and winter stories, and puppet shows with Wonderspark Puppets at 2 and 3 p.m. 127 Middle Neck Road. Admission is $40/car, members; $45/ car nonmembers, includes parking. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901.

Having an event?

1863 Thanksgiving Partake of Thanksgiving traditions from days gone by during Old Bethpage Village Restoration’s annual holiday event, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec.1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Journey back to the 19th century as old-fashioned wood burning stoves, beehive ovens and hearths are all fired up as “villagers” prepare a variety of foods and baked goods, using historical recipes. Of course, a fat turkey is spitted and roasted, along with pie making and a demonstration of food preservation methods. With fddle music, entertainment and children’s activities, including storytelling, and more. $15, $12 children 5-12 and seniors. 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage. Visit oldbethpagevillagerestoration.org or call (516) 572-8409 for more information.

Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art ‘s latest exhibition

“Seeing Red: Renoir to Warhol,” reveals the many meanings, connotations, and associations of this powerful color in art. Evoking strong emotion, red can represent the human condition. Its myriad variations have come to signify authority as well as love, energy and beauty. Red warns us of peril and commands us to stop, but it can also indicate purity and good fortune. Red boldly represents political movements and religious identities. From the advent of our appreciation for this color in antiquity to its continued prominence in artistic and popular culture, this exhibition spans various world cultures through a range of media.

It features more than 70 artists, both established and emerging, ranging from the classical to the contemporary. American portraitists such as Gilbert Stuart imbued red in their stately paintings of prominent individuals to conjure authority. Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, and other major abstract painters displayed a deep fascination with red in their commanding compositions that evoke a sense of chromatic power. And, of course, Andy Warhol is known for his bold and imposing silkscreened portrait of Vladimir Lenin saturated in bright red to his signature Campbell’s Soup Cans. On view through Jan. 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Family theater

Long Island Children’s Museum welcomes families to its stage, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 5-6, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; also Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 10-12, 10:-15 a.m. and noon. Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day & Other Stories” celebrates the joy in the small moments of a child’s world. Experience the wonder of a fresh snowfall, the delight of whistling for the first time, and the awe of finding a special treasure. In this childhood adventure, Keats’ classic books come to life, featuring live actors and shadow puppets telling the stories of “The Snowy Day,” “Goggles!,” “Whistle for Willie,” and “A Letter to Amy.” $11 with museum admission ($9 members), $15 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or licm. org.

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

Amityville UFSD Food Service Workers PT/FT

Responsibilities- Food preparation & service, sanitation awareness, other duties as assigned by the District.

Qualifications- Knowledge and experience with cooking, inventory, cashiering, recordkeeping, customer service, computer skills **Suffolk County Food Manager's Certificate preferred. Salary range starting at $20,980. Email resume to: humanresources@amityvilleufsd.org or apply online at www.olasjobs.org/longisland

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE

Full Time/Part Time Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Clerk in our busy Circulation Department. Basic customer service and administrative responsibilities include: heavy computer work, answering phones, making phone calls, entering orders, faxing, filing, etc. STRONG knowledge of EXCEL a must! Knowledge of DATABASE maintenance or postal regulations a big plus. Qualified Candidates must be computer literate, able to multitask, dependable, reliable, organized, energetic, detail oriented and able to work well under deadlines. Salary Range is $16 per hour to $23 per hour. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available!

Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers. Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience. Hours Vary, Salary Ranges from $17 per hour to $21 per hour Night Availability is a Must. Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

EDITOR/REPORTER

Part Time & Full Time. The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. Salary range is from $20K to $45K To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to jbessen@liherald.com

EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST

Herald Community Newspapers is seeking a motivated and knowledgeable Email Marketing Expert to join our team. If you have a passion for crafting effective email campaigns and a knack for data-driven decision-making, this role is for you!

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Set up and manage email campaigns from start to finish. Analyze data to identify target audiences and optimize email strategies. Craft compelling email content, including writing effective subject lines. Monitor and report on campaign performance.

REQUIREMENTS:

Degree in Marketing, Business, or related field. Strong understanding of data analysis and marketing principles. Experience with email marketing is preferred but not required.

POSITION DETAILS:

Flexible: Part-time or Full-time.

Salary range: $16,640 to $70,000, depending on experience and role.

Join our dynamic team and help us connect with our audience in meaningful ways! Apply today by sending your resume and a brief cover letter to lberger@liherald.com

HBCI SUPERVISOR FT: Seeking LCSW or LMSW for Crisis Intervention Program, Cedarhurst NY. 3+ yr exp, Supervision exp. $80K Annually + benefits Claufer@hamaspikkings.org 516-875-8400 x144

MAILROOM/ WAREHOUSE HELP

Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME & PART-TIME mailroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key. Salary Ranges fromo $16 per hour to $20 per hour.

Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com

MULTI MEDIA

ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT

Inside Sales

Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Representative that thrives in a quick sales cycle environment. Compensation ranges from $33,280 + commissions and bonuses to over $100,000 including commission and bonuses. We also offer health benefits, 401K and paid time off. Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to ereynolds@liherald.com Call 516-569-4000 X286

OUTSIDE SALES

Richner Communications, One of the Fastest Growing Media, Event and Communications Companies on Long Island is Seeking a Sales/Marketing Candidate to Sell our Print Media Products and our Digital, Events, Sponsorships. Earning potential ranges from $33,280 plus commission and bonuses to over $100,000 including commissions and bonuses. Compensation is based on Full Time hours

Eligible for Health Benefits, 401k and Paid Time Off. Please Send Cover Letter and Resume with Salary Requirements to rglickman@liherald.com

‘It

doesn’t look serious to us’

Luxury Beach Living

Welcome to your dream beach retreat! This stunning, fully renovated FEMAcompliant beach home is perched on a wide, desirable block, close to shopping and vibrant restaurants. Enjoy views of both the ocean and bay from the comfort of your elevated contemporary residence. This bright and airy home features an open floor plan with soaring cathedral ceilings and skylights that

Q. We are buying a house and got an engineer’s report that said there are several problems, including the worst, a crack in the foundation wall. It is parallel to the floor of the basement, but there’s no crack on the outside, either because the outside wall was painted or because the crack is below ground. The engineer made it sound very serious, but it doesn’t look serious to us, just concerning. Do we get another engineer or architect — is there a difference? What should we do to decide if the house is worth the hassle? We really want the house, and made a commitment, since there are several offers and ours is the highest — above the asking price.

A. I have dealt with this problem more lately than at any other time in my career, because it’s being used a lot as a bargaining tool, since house prices are in the stratosphere. In most cases, the wording from the home inspector makes it sound extremely dire.

I make two observations when reading these reports or hearing about the problem: 1) The report wording or buyer’s explanation is often not specific, but recommends a structural engineer, not an architect, and 2) the problem, when I review it, is most often not as serious as it is made out to be. By that I mean that except for about one out of every thousand cases, the wall is not imminently going to fail, and the person who wrote the report is not a licensed engineer or architect. They generally lack the structural training and testing, and therefore the credentials, to represent themselves as qualified to make specific recommendations, only to bring the condition to your attention, although you may already have noticed it.

As for whether you choose an architect or engineer, they both have training and credentials in this area of expertise. The engineer, if he or she is specifically a “structural” engineer, is more qualified for much more specialized and sophisticated structural design, but an architect must have formal structural training and testing in order to be licensed and registered. You can verify the licensure by searching the office of professions at op. nysed.gov and inserting their name and the field of practice. I often do this for clients, and have discovered that many home inspectors aren’t “engineers,” but do have home inspection credentials.

Again, in most cases, whether in or out of a flood zone, I have seen this condition, and the repair is often, but not always, to remove broken or exposed areas around the cracking and to inject structural repair epoxy specifically formulated for masonry or concrete repair. You most definitely should get qualified licensed professionals to look at the wall, since anyone else could not legally call themselves licensed to take responsibility for carrying out the work or its lasting result, and could be held liable for costs if a failure occurs, and you certainly want to avoid failure. Good luck!

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

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opInIonS

SI

look forward to representing you again

erving New York’s 4th Congressional District has been an honor. Indeed, being entrusted with the sacred honor of representing my Long Island neighbors on Capitol Hill is a duty I have taken extraordinarily seriously every day. I am grateful to the people of this district for placing their faith in me, and look forward to representing you again. It has certainly been a consequential and active 118th Congress, and I am proud of the accomplishments I was able to achieve on behalf of the 4th District. As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I worked tirelessly to help pass House Republicans’ signature H.R. 2 border security legislation — a sweeping plan to end the border security crisis, which is in stark contrast to the disaster Democrats have allowed to fester along America’s southern border.

What’s more, I was proud that the House passed legislation I introduced to formally condemn the antisemitic chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is used by antisemitic actors to call for the destruction of Israel. My commitment to combating antisemitism also extends to my tenure as a member of the Holocaust Memorial Museum board and my work to help found the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group — a panel created to foster stronger ties between the U.S. House of Representatives and Israel’s legislature, the Knesset. As a retired New York City Police Department detective, I also endeavored to support law enforcement professionals across the country with such legislation as my Police Our Border Act, which passed in the House and will help law enforcement agencies across the country better respond to the ongoing border crisis.

I

’m proud of everything I accomplished in Congress, from bills to committee work.

hours of committee work I engaged in through my seats on the House Homeland Security, Transportation & Infrastructure, and House Administration committees. What’s more, my leadership role as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology allowed me to conduct important oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency — an organization that is extraordinarily important to South Shore communities that are prone to flooding emergencies, like many in our district.

Governing is difficult, and requires coalition building, compromise, and a willingness to reach across the aisle — a fact I understand after being named the 11th-most bipartisan member of Congress and serving as a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.

BThese are only a few of the 37 pieces of legislation I introduced, the 448 bills I co-sponsored and the thousands of

In addition to my legislative and committee work, I successfully secured over $20 million in direct funding for community projects across the 4th District to benefit our neighbors. These secured federal resources funded a new Nassau County Police Department training village, important flood-mitigation infrastructure in the Village of Floral Park, technology upgrades for the Freeport, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre police departments, and more.

Dear readers, we can’t keep it in

efore the presidential election, the Herald published an editorial explaining why the familyowned newspapers would not be endorsing political candidates.

If I had read the piece in a vacuum, I would agree with it entirely. It states, in part, “Our focus is not on swaying voters toward a particular candidate, but on delivering comprehensive and unbiased information about the issues that matter most to Long Islanders. We are not here to tell our readers how to vote for political candidates; rather, we are here to arm readers with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions at the ballot box.”

Sounds perfect. But we are living through an unprecedented and exceedingly imperfect time in our nation’s history. This year, not endorsing meant keeping silent when silence may have implied that both presidential candidates met minimal standards for serving in the nation’s highest office. By any standard, that is not true of President-elect Donald Trump.

Media across our country have some-

how made it seem as if a convicted felon with a rich history of lying and a refusal to take on the serious issues of governance is a reasonable choice. But in our president-elect, we have an aspiring autocrat, a morally bankrupt man with a vengeful heart.

He has already begun fulfilling his promise to dismantle the government by selecting big donors, MAGA loyalists and inexperienced toadies for his new cabinet. None of this is a surprise. He said he would do it, and he is. Whether they get confirmed is dependent on the ever-weakening backbone of Republican senators, who live and die, politically, at the whim of the man they follow.

tarian government.

D onald Trump did not meet the presidency’s minimal standards.

We are in the beginning days of DJT’s revenge tour, fulfilling his promise to punish those who opposed him, challenged him and tried to bring him to justice. He wants people at the table whose loyalty is to him. Their expertise and leadership qualities seem incidental to the main qualification: unquestioning obeisance to the leader.

So the idea of not endorsing candidates, this extraordinary year in particular, does not sit well. The fallout from the coming Trump presidency could be a catastrophic shift toward an authori-

My successor, Laura Gillen, will need to navigate these challenges while serving in the House Democratic minority, which will prove difficult. Indeed, the fact that Gillen will be in the minority lends itself well to being a vocal partisan critic of the House Republican majority and the incoming Trump administration, because both will be working in overdrive to correct the many mistakes of the Biden administration and Democrats across the country who forced Americans to endure crippling inflation and a border crisis. Gillen’s position in the House minority does not lend itself well to delivering for 4th District neighbors like I was able to do by leveraging my position in the majority.

Gillen made bold, empty promises, and now it is time for her to deliver. Voters will be watching.

Anthony D’Esposito is completing his term in the 118th Congress.

neutral

I understand the dilemmas. Do endorsements really affect voters’ choices? Historians, psychologists and journalists bat the question around, with no clear answer. Do endorsements alienate too many readers? In the world of newspapers, these issues loom much larger on the local level than with big newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, which also declined to endorse this year.

Local papers live in the community. They have responsibilities to their readers, to the truth and to the realities of just staying in business. With local newspapers closing every week across the country, conflicting interests must be reconciled, very carefully.

I started at the Nassau Herald more than 30 years ago, and for many years it did endorse candidates, from local officials to the presidency. Leatrice Spanierman, my mentor and colleague and the Heralds’ longtime executive editor, interviewed candidates every fall and wrote endorsements. The candidates, including member of the U.S. House and Senate, came to her office; they knew the value of local newspapers’ endorsement. The Heralds had a voice, and used

it as a means of informing readers.

The editorial in the Oct. 31-Nov. 6 issue, explaining why the Heralds were not offering endorsements, stated that “the one place where you might see opinions about local and national political candidates … is in columns in our editorial pages, like those written by Randi Kreiss and Peter King. These essays are distinguished from Herald news content by featuring photos of the authors, making it clear that they reflect the writers’ perspectives and not the views of the Herald.”

I understand the need to create distance. I like the distance, too. I don’t speak for the Heralds. No one high on the masthead has ever tried to influence what I write or don’t write. The paper stays above the fray by giving King and me platforms for different points of view.

I would be fine with any newspaper’s no-endorsement policy if this election had been like any other in America’s long history. But it was not. Nothing about this race was normal. The times demanded speaking up for democracy. For the immediate future and for as long as it can, the press must use its voice to call out the bad guys and amplify justice. This Thanksgiving, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my views. Our free press never seemed so precious.

AnTHonY D’ESpoSITo

RAnDI KREISS

BEACON

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Incorporating The Uniondale

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HERALD

A season for giving back on Long Island

With the holiday season upon us, our minds turn to traditions — Thanksgiving meals filled with comfort and gratitude, and other gatherings of family and friends over the coming weeks.

These moments of celebration are precious, but they also give us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to give back. Thanksgiving, rooted in the idea of gratitude, serves as a poignant reminder of our privilege and the responsibility to extend a hand to others. Here on Long Island, where vibrant communities thrive amid significant challenges, there is no shortage of causes deserving our time, attention and generosity.

Friendsgiving, a relatively recent tradition, embodies the spirit of connection by bringing friends together to share a meal and express their appreciation for one another. It can also be an occasion to unite for a greater purpose. By turning these gatherings into opportunities to collect donations or volunteer, we can channel collective energy into tangible support for those in need. Whether it’s hosting a food drive or organizing a group to serve at a local soup kitchen, Friendsgiving can be a powerful reminder of the broader community we’re all a part of.

On Long Island, the contrast between abundance and need is striking. While many of us prepare for feasts, thousands struggle to put food on the table. Nearly 284,000 people will suffer from hunger on Long Island at some point this year, according to Community Solidarity, a nonprofit that provides groceries, fresh produce and warm vegan meals to lowincome communities.

Organizations like Island Harvest and Long Island Cares work tirelessly to combat food insecurity in our neighborhoods. A donation of non-perishable items, a financial contribution, or volunteering for a few hours can make a profound difference to families facing hun-

letters

Where is this ship of state sailing?

To the Editor:

Re Peter King’s column last week, “Trump makes the comeback of all comebacks”: It’s fair for Mr. King to celebrate Donald Trump’s “comeback,” and to take his share of reflected glory for strongly supporting him. But, weeks into the transition, is there no trepidation over what is being wrought?

Mr. King long served honorably

Organizations that welcome your help

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island: BBBsli.org

Citizens Campaign for the Environment: CitizensCampaign.org

Community Solidarity: CommunitySolidarity.org

Family & Children’s Association: FCAli.org

Interfaith Nutrition Network: The-Inn.org

Island Harvest: Island Harvest.org

Long Island Cares: LICares.org

Save the Great South Bay: SaveTheGreatsouthbay.org

ger this season.

Beyond food insecurity — limited or uncertain access to adequate food — there are numerous other causes that need our support. The holiday season can be especially difficult for those without homes. Groups like the Interfaith Nutrition Network, in Hempstead, provide shelter, meals and supportive services to help the unhoused regain some sense of stability. Contributing to these efforts — whether through monetary donations, clothing drives, or simply offering your time — can help others who are less fortunate experience the warmth of the season.

At this time of year, we also highlight the importance of supporting our local youth. Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island and the Family & Children’s Association offer mentorships and resources to empower young people. By donating to these programs or

becoming a mentor yourself, you can have a lasting impact on a young person’s life.

And let’s not forget our environment, which sustains us all. As we celebrate the bounty of the land, consider supporting groups like Citizens Campaign for the Environment or Save the Great South Bay. Their work to protect Long Island’s natural beauty ensures that future generations can enjoy the landscapes and waterways we too often take for granted.

Of course, there’s also local news, which continues to face economic headwinds. Organizations like the Empire State Local News Coalition help sustain New York’s local news organizations — like the Herald — so reporters can tell the important stories about your friends and families, and shine a light on all of the issues mentioned here.

The beauty of giving back is that it doesn’t always have to be monetary — your time and skills can be just as valuable. Many local nonprofits, shelters and community centers are in dire need of extra hands during the holidays. A few hours spent wrapping gifts for underprivileged children, serving meals to veterans, or taking part in a community cleanup can ripple outward in meaningful ways.

Finally, don’t forget Dec. 3, Giving Tuesday, the annual nationwide day of charitable giving. For more information on this growing grass-roots effort, go to givingtuesday.org.

As we gather around dinner tables this season, let’s remember that gratitude is most powerful when it inspires action. Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving remind us of our interconnectedness — our shared humanity and the strength of our communities. Together we can ensure that everyone, in every corner of Long Island, feels the gratitude of the holidays. Each of us has the power to make the season brighter for others. This year, let’s not just celebrate; let’s give.

in a Congress that will now be directed to self-emasculate. There are threats of courts-martial, military-assisted deportations, even gender tests for House members. Furors will multiply over staff, from cabinet positions on down. Promises are made of $2 trillion in budget cuts. Mr. King’s experience-based thoughts might be useful.

We sail soon into heavy seas aboard the USS “Caine Mutiny,” with Captain Queeg in command.

BRIAN KELLY Rockville

Centre

opinions

Why do we still doubt a woman’s ability to lead?

acouple of weeks ago, I was sitting in the waiting room of a car repair shop with my dad, minding my own business, as one does while waiting to pick up a car that’s being worked on. There were a few other customers there, most of them quiet and keeping to themselves, but one man, sitting to my right, was running his mouth about politics. obviously happy that Donald Trump had won the presidential election, the man said something along the lines of, “It’s a good thing kamala harris didn’t win, because no one would ever respect her” — due simply to the fact that she’s a woman.

If I’d been in the mood for an argument, I probably would’ve said something like, “I sure hope you don’t have any daughters or a wife at home who’d love to hear you say that.” But alas, I didn’t want to get into a conflict with a stranger, so I kept my mouth shut, and

on the way out the door a few minutes later, my dad and I laughed to ourselves about how ridiculous the guy sounded.

Like everyone else, I had my thoughts going into this election cycle, and truthfully, it doesn’t matter whom I voted for, because it’s a done deal at this point.

Sure, there are men, like the one we encountered, who have their misogynistic beliefs that women are unfit for office. But I’ve found that it’s not just men who are dismissing the ability of a likely qualified and certainly accomplished woman to run a country.

ier, many aunts and lots of cousins, who are successful and honest and righteous people.

It’s a shame, I think, that somewhere along the way, the man at the shop and the women who are reinforcing such a negative, internal bias didn’t have that same guidance. And if they did, then something else has failed them.

’ve heard too many women say that they could never vote for a woman for president.

It’s women, just like me, who have serious doubts about their own gender. I’ve seen and heard from many of them, “I’m a woman, and I could never vote for a woman.”

I’m seldom at a loss of words, but that has stumped me. I am extraordinarily thankful that my sister and I grew up in a household in which we were told that we could accomplish anything, so long as we set our minds to it and put in the work. I am so thankful to be surrounded by extraordinary women, like my mother, my grandmoth-

Letters

The Sands proposal: nothing but trouble

To the Editor:

The Las Vegas Sands proposal to spend $6 billion — that’s billion with a B, folks — had me wondering from where Sands expected to recover their investment plus the daily cost of operations and the profit from the project. It wasn’t really a wonder, more of a fact, given all the expected losses the gambling public would be leaving behind.

A real concern is the draining of huge amounts of our underground aquifer to feed this unnecessary beast, a waste of our local water supply.

The proposal is now also offering an expansion of lanes on the Meadowbrook Parkway from three to four. All this would accomplish would be the removal of the mature trees and greenery along that stretch of parkway, leaving no shoulder.

Yes, it’s a parkway, meaning there are no commercial vehicles. So without an adjacent commercial highway, all the daily delivery trucks that would be needed to supply this property would be feeding off the Long Island Expressway, the only commercial road, for miles through our local streets. That would be an unneeded burden on our local streets and neighborhoods, 24/7.

We do not need this disaster in the making.

Lastly, the Sands has been spending a

lot of money locally on public relations, newspapers inserts, etc., to make the proposal sound appealing. Don’t believe the wizardry, which, when you look behind the curtain, is really a corporate giant taking local amenities and infiltrating our local environment, all in the name of a profit to feed its own goals.

MIchAEL LEfkoWITz Accountants + Advisors East Meadow

How about sharing a holiday meal at a diner?

To the Editor:

This holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, if you’re too tired to cook, consider sharing a meal with family, friends or neighbors and patronize your local diner or restaurant. for decades I have enjoyed many excellent meals at many local diners.

Diners have been part of my life since I was a teenager. Eating out is a periodic ritual, and their portions are generous. Between the soup, salad, rolls, coleslaw and pickles, along with the main course, diner dinners satisfy the heartiest appetites. Who’s never taken a doggie bag home with leftovers to eat the next day? Many times we’ve bagged our desserts to go.

Many Long Island neighborhoods have seen changes over the years. New immigrant groups sometimes favor

My entire life, I’ve been inspired by the people around me, as well as the women — the trailblazers — who are making our world a better, more inclusive place. And it really is a shame that a large chunk of our population still believes that someone who’s deserving of a prestigious role, like the presidency, should be denied that simply because she’s a woman.

If you voted for Donald Trump because you believe in his policies and his vision for America, that’s fine — and that’s your right as an American. But if you voted for him simply because you found yourself unable to support a woman, for whatever reason, then, boy, are we in serious trouble. That’s an insult to every woman who’s come

before you — every woman who’s willed her way through glass ceilings, and endured hardship after hardship, solely on the basis of sex.

I’m a big reader and thinker, and I implore anyone who thinks so negatively about the abilities and strength of women to pick up a book. Read “The Nightingale,” by kristin hannah, and be blown away by a tale of courage. Read “The Dressmakers of Auschwitz,” by Lucy Adlington, and learn a true story of sewing for survival. Read “The handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, and think about what life could be like if we let misogyny win.

In a world where the impossible can become possible, little girls should know that they can be whoever they want to be, career women, moms, a blend of both — or the top candidate on a presidential ticket.

The election results aside, women soldier on. We must actively challenge the biases, in ourselves and others, that continue to hold us back. only then can we create a future in which every woman knows that her voice matters and her potential has no limits.

Jordan Vallone is a senior editor of the Herald Community Newspapers. Comments? jvallone@liherald.com.

Framework by Francine Berman

their own ethnic foods and restaurants. Diners have also lost customers over time to fast-food restaurants. Remember, these people are our neighbors. our local entrepreneurs who own and operate diners have continued to invest in our communities, creating new employment opportunities without the assistance of federally funded taxpayers’ stimulus dollars. They work long hours, pay taxes and provide local

employment. If we don’t patronize our local restaurants, these workers don’t eat, either.

Why not honor the fond memories of some our favorite diners that have come and gone by continuing to patronize those that remain? h ere’s hoping that diners don’t go the way of the dinosaurs.

LARRY

PENNER Great Neck

At the ‘Wicked’ Experience — Universal Orlando Resort

JorDan VaLLone

Giving Birth? Look No Further than the South Shore’s Only High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care

Mothers looking for a hospital at which to give birth should consider the quality indicators used by U.S. News & World Report ® to determine institutions deemed High Performing for Maternity care.

Mount Sinai South Nassau is the only South Shore hospital to earn the rating of High Performing based on eight key measures:

• Reduced C-section delivery rates

• Low early elective delivery rates

• Low overall unexpected newborn complication rates

• Increased routine VBAC rates

• Increased exclusive human milk feeding rates

• Low episiotomy rates

• Routine birthing-friendly practices

• Transparency on racial/ethnic disparities

If you want the best birthing experience for you and for your baby, look no further than Mount Sinai South Nassau.

Learn more at southnassau.org/maternity, or call 877-SOUTH-NASSAU.