Valley Stream Herald 07-02-2020

Valley Stream Phase 3 under way

track and field star honored

Meet the 2020 vals and sals

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Vol. 31 No. 27

JUlY 2 - 8, 2020

District 13 seeks revote Board proposes budget with $880,000 in spending cuts the message, and we’re coming back with a budget that we hope the community will support,” After Valley Stream Elemen- said Dr. Frank Chiachiere, the tary School District 13 voters District 13 Board of Education defeated a roughly president. $55.3 million 2020-21 The revised $54.4 budget proposal on million budget June 16, district offireduces any addicials are returning tional spending by w i t h m o re t h a n roughly half, and $880,000 in spending would raise expenscuts, and plan to put es by 2.51 percent a revised budget up and taxes by nearly 1 for another vote. percent. Originally, On Tuesday, the expenses were set to District 13 Board of increase by $2.2 milEducation formally lion, or roughly 4.2 adopted a proposed percent over the curspending plan with rent year, and propmore than $400,000 erty taxes, 1.99 perin cuts to teacher cent. and employee retireShould the ment and health revised budget fail to insurance spending, pass, the district $108,000 in reduc- Dr. fraNk would automatically tions to the summer adopt a contingency ChiaChiere recreation program budget with a tax and $105,000 in cuts President, freeze and acrossto pre-kindergarten. District 13 the-board cuts to It would also hold Board of Education expenditures, except off on equipment those “considered and textbook and essential to mainclassroom furniture purchases, tain an educational program, as well as the hiring of two part- preserve property and ensure time instructors, among other the health and safety of students cost-saving measures.

“We heard the public, we got Continued on page 4

By Peter Belfiore pbelfiore@Liherald.com

W

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Saying goodbye to Sip this Members of Quasi Modal played soulful jazz tunes in a sendoff to Sip This last Friday. The popular Rockaway Avenue coffee shop and hangout closed after nine years in business. Story, more photos, Page 3.

IDA weighs apartment tax breaks Agency sets hearing date for Roosevelt Ave. project

By Peter Belfiore pbelfiore@liherald.com

The Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency is considering tax breaks, including a 15-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement, for a proposed $5 million, 17-unit luxury apartment development slated for the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Cochran Place.

It is latest development in the apartment proposal, iterations of

Make your voice heard When: July 14, 10 a.m.

How: To participate, call (224) 501-3412 and enter the access code 620-078-717. Comments can also be submitted in writing to idamail@tohmail.org which over the past year and a half have been making their way

in fits and starts through county and village planning agencies. In addition to a PILOT agreement, the applicant, Vantage on Roosevelt LLC, is seeking sales and mortgage recording tax exemptions. The project falls within the taxing jurisdiction of School District 24, and the town IDA has scheduled a hearing date on the proposal for July 14 at 10 a.m.

Tax breaks for the nearly Continued on page 17

e heard the public, we got the message, and we’re coming back with a budget that we hope the community will support.

July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Herald/Nicole Alcindor

Truffle resTauranT and Bar opened last week to indoor and in-person dining.

V.S. restaurants, bars reopen to indoor dining By scoTT BrinTon and nicole alcindor

1094161

sbrinton@liherald.com

With last week marking the start to Phase Three reopening in Nassau County, restaurants and bars are once again open to inside, in-person dining provided employees and patrons wear masks, and six feet of social distancing is maintained between tables. Spas will also be allowed to reopen.

Restaurants will only be permitted to reopen indoors at 50 percent capacity, according to the Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The maximum number of people per table will be 10.

Spas will also only be able to open at 50 percent capacity, with safety protocols.

Waiting rooms will be closed.

Seven New York regions have already entered Phase Three. Only Long Island, New York City and Mid-Hudson have not.

Cuomo said at his daily briefing Thursday that he was in a “happy-go-lucky mood” because New York had tested 68,000 people overnight and found an average infection rate of .9 percent — the lowest it had been since the coronavirus pandemic began in mid-March.

New York City’s infection rate was 1 percent, while Long Island’s was .7 percent.

By contrast, the infection rate had earlier reached 20 percent in New York City and 16 percent on Long Island.

The number of Covid-19 deaths ticked up statewide overnight, from 17 to 29.

Cuomo insisted that businesses must keep up coronavirus safeguards. He issued an executive order Thursday giving local authorities the power to immediately shut down businesses that do not maintain safety protocols. Bars and restaurants that do not can lose their liquor licenses.

In Valley Stream, reststaurant and bar goers met the development with excitement.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” said Elsie Santiago, a Malverne resident, who ate at Mitchell’s Restaurant lastWednesday evening. “I missed the aesthetic, and the food tastes better in the restaurant.”

Valley Stream resident Butter Man who also ate at Mitchell’s that evening said, that it was nice seeing the restaurant owners whom he has known for 60 years.

“The food is fresher and more hot indoors and it enchants me to eat sausage and bacon because I can’t cook those foods,” he said, as he bit into a piece of bacon. “This is a good time for restaurants to be opening again. I just hope everyone will decide to be safe, so there isn’t a relapse in coronavirus cases.”

Valley Stream residents Lisa and Larry Kooper said they enjoyed the comfortable seating inside of Mitchell’s that evening.

“When it comes to outdoor dining, the weather can get bad, but indoors those worries disappear,” Lisa said.

“I think now is the perfect time for restaurants to open,” Larry said. “I really enjoyed indoor dining today.”

For many of the restaurant owners, it was also a momentous occasion.

“The customers were so eager,” said Kelly Occhiuzzo, the owner of Truffle Restaurant and Bar. “We just hope opening with indoor dining will continue to bring more customers and that we will continue to be open for many years to come.”

At Kerryman’s Corner and Sports Bar on Central Avenue, manager Jennifer Negron said she is excited to open again on July 1.

“I can’t wait,” she said with a smile.

Sip This closes after nine years in business

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020

by peTer belFiore pbelfiore@liherald.com

Sip This, a popular coffee shop and hangout on Rockaway Avenue closed Friday after nine years in business.

“We thought Sip This would last much longer, and we, our staff and our families are deeply saddened by this outcome,” co-owners David Sabatino and Stephanie Romanelli wrote in a joint statement.

Although they did not specify a reason for the closure, it, like most businesses New York had been forced to shutter over the past three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, and early on there had been concerns whether the shop would be able to remain open.

Sip This had become a staple in Valley Stream, hosting comedy and art shows, networking events and music performances, serving as a welcoming community social space for creative, charity and business endeavors.

With news of its closure came an outpouring of sadness, with many posting on social media how important Sip This had been in their lives, serving as the location of their first big break, or date with a loved one, or simply a place to sit down, chat and unwind after work with friends.

On its last day, hundreds lined up on Rockaway Avenue to grab their last cup of coffee or piece of cake from the shop. Many shared their memories of time spent there, and expressed their sadness at its closing.

“It’s a real shame,” Jonathan Goldhirsch said, describing the place as a “cultural institution.”

Cole Thomas, asked his mother where they would go after church on Sundays. He and his family are congregants at the Bethlehem Assembly of God across the street.

“It was like a home for me,” said Mary Meller, describing how she would sit down, grab a mocha latte and decompress every day at Sip This on her lunch break from the Valley Stream Christian Academy where she works as an administrative assistant. She recounted being featured along with her husband in an episode of “What Would You Do?” filmed there in 2012.

Teenagers Justin Ocampo, Gabby Onesto and Angela Lee recalled spending hours there, doing schoolwork, socializing and attending many of Sip This’ weekly and weekend events such as trivia night, talent shows and the occasional drag queen performance.

Ocampo, a South High School student, recalled making friends there with Central students he might not have met otherwise.

“It’s not just for people from Valley Stream,” Onesto said. “Everyone comes here.”

“It’s a good study spot,” Lee remarked.

Local artist Court Hospedales described the many hours he spent at Sip This, working on his graphic novel and meeting new fans and friends, even earning some commissions.

“I’ve met so many people here,” he said. “It’s been my hub.”

His friend, Will Tabone, jokingly recalled beating Hospedales there one night in Clue.

“In the past five years every major live changing experience I’ve had ironically enough began here,” Tabone said.

Valley Streamer Emily Meaney thanked Sip This for many a sunday coffee.

“I’m going to miss the fact that they brought the community together. Not many places had the pull that they had,” her sister Erin said, adding that in addition to good iced coffee, she particularly enjoyed the shop’s banana bread.

3

Photos by Peter Belfiore/Herald

popular roCkaWay avenue coffee shop and hangout Sip This closed on Friday after nine years in business.

Hundreds lined up to grab their last cup of coffee from the shop, and recounted memories of fun times and friendships there.

Friends Will Tabone, below left, and Court Hospedales spent many days and evenings at Sip This, they said.

CusTomers purCHased THeir last Sip This iced coffees.

July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Meet Valley Stream’s 2020 vals and sals

By Nicole AlciNDor nalcindor@liherald.com

central high school valedictorian

“I’m glad to see that my hard work paid off,” Central valedictorian Vanessa Reyes said. “. . . The drive to work hard was always inside me.”

Reyes, who describes herself as devoted and hard-working since elementary school, said she always did her homework and she put school first, even when she thought she shouldn’t have.

She also said she ade sure she was one step ahead in her schoolwork and she would not procrastinate.

“Sometimes if my friends wanted Vanessa reyes to go out or if my family wanted to do something, I would turn them down to do school work,” she said. “If I had a school assignment that was due three weeks later, I would always start working on it the day I got the assignment.”

In the fall, Reyes will begin college at The Ohio State University with an undecided major.

“I’m 100 percent excited for college,” she said. “Hopefully, I will be happy with what I learn and the connections I make with others will last.”

central high school salutatorian

“I feel proud of the fact that I managed to reach this position in my high school career. It’s an important accomplishment,” salutatorian Ankit Singh said. “I always had an i n t e r n a l d r ive that moved me to not look at what others were doing, but to focus on myself and do the best I can do.”

Ankit singh

Singh said he always did his school work and credited his parents as his biggest motivators.

“My parents are immigrants from India, and I saw them work hard, so it motivated me to work hard,” he said.

He will attend Cornell University, where he will study economics.

“Even though I’m still not sure what career I want to pursue in the future, economics has always interested me because my brother is involved in finance,” he said. “I’m terrified because I will be staying in the dorms, which is something I never did before, but I think college will also be exciting and interesting.”

North high school valedictorian

“I was so shocked,” Hannah Indiviglio recalled of learning that she was the 2020 North valedictorian. “This achievement came from a combination of my nature to be driven, my parent’s supporting me and my teachers pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

During her time at North, Indiviglio mostly took Advanced Placement classes and said she made sure to form relationships with all her teachers.

In the fall, she said she is looking forward to attending Boston University, where she will major in speech, language and hearing sciences.

In the future, Indiviglio hopes to become a speech pathologist, serving special-needs students, a choice that was inspired hannah indiviglio by her experience volunteering at Camp ANCHOR. For now, she looks forward to college and said she is feeling a mix of emotions about her first year at BU. “I’m both excited and nervous for college,” she said. “I look forward to taking courses in my field, but with the pandemcontinued on neXt page

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MAIN PHONE: (516) 569-4000 ■ WEB SITE: www.liherald.com/valleystream ■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: vseditor@liherald.com ■ EDITORIAl DEPARTMENT: Ext. 265 E-mail: vseditor@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Press ”7” E-mail: circ@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ ClASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Ext. 286 E-mail: ereynolds@liherald.com Fax: (516) 622-7460 ■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: sales@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643 The Valley Stream Herald USPS 005868, is published every Thursday by Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Periodicals postage paid at Garden City, NY 11530 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Valley Stream Herald, 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Newsstand Price: $1 Subscription rates: $36 for 1 year within Nassau County. Out of Nassau County: $58 for 1 year. Copyright © 2020 Richner Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Christina Daly/Herald

The DisTricT 13 Board of Education is seeking a revote on its 2020-21 spending plan after making more than $880,000 in cuts.

District 13 seeks another vote on spending plan continued from front page and staff,” according to State Education Department guidelines.

District 13 was one of three Long Island school districts where voters rejected their proposed budgets. In particular, it was the 4.2 percent increase in expenditures at a time of deep economic uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic that became a flashpoint in this year’s school board election and budget vote.

The 2020-21 budget failed to pass with a final tally of 1,353 votes for and 1,522 against, a margin of nearly 6 percent, and challengers Anthony Bonelli and Bill Freda, in their unsuccessful bids to unseat incumbents Chiachiere and Patricia Farrell, made the district’s spending plan a centerpiece of their campaigns.

“I’m completely shocked by how disconnected the current school board is with its proposal to raise spending,” Bonelli told the Herald in the lead-up to the race.

Freda said the original budget showed “utter contempt for the financial stress residents are experiencing.”

Voting increased three-fold in District 13 this year, and sticker shock from a relatively high leap in spending coupled with an increasingly grim economic outlook likely created “a perfect storm” for the budget to fail, according to Lawrence Levy, executive dean for the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University.

“With mail-in ballots expanding the voter pool, folks losing their jobs while already paying high taxes as everyone does on Long Island, and an increase that seemed to stand out from other districts, we had a competitive race where challengers made the spending plan an issue,” he said, adding, “This was a targeted pushback.”

With the incumbents retaining their seats, however, Levy said it “suggests the board may have an easier time getting

Budgetary reductions ■ Salary for a .5 extra-help math teacher — $50,000 ■ Salary for a .4 orchestra teacher — $40,000 ■ Language teacher extra-help stipends — $10,000 ■ Classroom equipment and furniture — $50,000 ■ Textbook purchases — $55,000 ■ Prekindergarten — $105,000 ■ Summer recreation program — $108,369 ■ Employee retirement —$85,000 ■ Teachers retirement — $100,000 ■ Health insurance — $276,749 the pared-down proposal approved in a revote.”

The budget vote also included two propositions, both of which passed, to approve the spending of roughly $400,000 in capital reserves to renovate the libraries at Willow Road and Wheeler Avenue elementary schools, and roughly $160,000 in reserves for the installation of Smart Boards and air conditioning in classrooms throughout the district.

District officials said, however, that those propositions could not move forward until they were passed in a budget vote. They expect a revote on the district’s spending plan on July 21 or 28.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, though, has yet to announce an official date.

Valley Stream’s 2020 valedictorians and salutatorians North High School salutatorian

“I feel proud to be salutatorian of my school,” North student Nicole Wykes said.

“It reflects how much work and effort I put into my studies.”

Throuh her high school years, Wykes said that she made sure to take many Advanced Placement courses and would ask many questions of her teachers, seeking ways to better her studies.

She also found that relying on the support of her peers pushed her to work harder.

“My friends and I would do homework in the same space,” she said. “I would always ask them ways to understand certain topics or how to solve Nicole Wykes certain problems.”

In the fall, Wykes will attend Johns Hopkins University, where she will major in engineering. In the future, she hopes to work in biotechnology.

“I’m nervous and excited for college,” she said. “I’m nervous about meeting new people, but I’m excited for the opportunity to do what I like and pursue my interests.”

South High School valedictorian

“This is one of the biggest achievements of my life and I’m honored to see all my hard work pay off in this way,” South valedictorian Zane Amray said.

Twenty years ago, Amray’s parents emmigrated from Pakistan, and Amray said he wants to give back to them for all they have done.

“I worked hard in high school because I wanted to set myself up for a better future,” he said. “I also want to be able to help support my parents in the future by being successful.”

Throughout his time at South, Amray said he joined many extra curricular activities, and he practiced and played tennis, while he made sure to Zane Amray manage his time.

“I think my work ethic made me a good student,” he said.

In the fall, Amray will study civil engineering at The City College of New York with a Macaulay Honors Scholarship. He aspires to become an engineer in the future and work in New York City, much like his father.

“I’m excited for college,” he said. “It’s bittersweet to be leaving high school because I had so many great experiences, but going to school in the city will be

South High School salutatorian

“It just feels so great and I’m so shocked and overwhelmed with joy,” Evan Miller said of being named South salutatorian for 2020. “This is a huge honor and a privilege.”

Miller credited his parents with helping him reach his goals and achieve success in his academia.

“My parents encouraged me, and I pushed myself,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to be at the top to help me achieve my goals and future aspirations.”

Miller said his best academic qualities were his ability to push himself to work harder, even when he was tired.

However, he said he has been able to find a balance.

“I definitely did not always have my head in the books,” he said. “I value education and school, but school life Evan Miller wasn’t my only life.”

Miller was the captain of the track and field and cross-country teams. He was also involved in a science research program and played viola in the chamber orchestra. And he volunteered time helping with the House of Hope Ministry.

In the fall, Miller will attend University of Florida, where he will study nutritional science.

“It’s a bit of a shock that I am going away to college because I am going far away and staying on campus in the dorms,” he said. “However, I can’t wait to learn and investigate questions that I have in my field of study.”

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continued from PreViouS Page

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July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Celebrating Pride amid a pandemic PFY officials talk acceptance, progress and the need for change

By Victoria caruso aseidman@liherald.com

Where to find LGBtQ+ resources

As this year’s Pride Month came to a close this week, LGBTQ+ rights activists across Long Island reflected on the community’s progress and shortcomings in creating a safer, more welcoming Long Island for people of all identities.

“Pride Month has always been about taking a moment to hit pause,” said Aiden Kaplan, a services manager at PFY, a Bellmore-based LGBTQ+ organization.

Formally known as Pride For Youth, the nonprofit has been helping to transform the region into a more inclusive and accessible environment for those with non-heterosexual and/or non-cisgender identities. It provides free HIV and STI testing, counseling, support groups and programs for members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as educational workshops at local middle and high schools.

“It’s a safe place,” said Christian Milan, a 23-year-old client and peer navigator at PFY. Milan gained the confidence to start his drag career at the center’s bimonthly drag competition, Drag Factor.

“There are so many youths who view PFY as the only space where they can go to feel affirmed and accepted,” Kaplan said. “Our goal is to create an all-encompassing space where you can access lifesaving services, [a] community and culture and feel celebrated for those things.”

Although the pandemic has forced Gay Straight Alliance clubs to temporarily disband and PFY in Bellmore to close its physical doors, support for LGBTQ+-identifying individuals remains.

Popular PFY programs, like Coffee House, continue to provide a comfortable environment for LGBTQ+ youth to connect virtually. The organization also launched Long Island’s LGBTQ+ Covid-19 relief program in April, which provides assistance with employment, housing, technology, at-home HIV testing, free condom delivery and case management services.

In a 2015 report by the New York State LGBT Health and Human Services Needs Assessment, LGBTQ+-identifying Long Islanders most frequently reported a lack of psychological support groups and health professionals who specialize in LGBTQ+ issues. With these barriers in mind, PFY’s program was “designed to make sure that LGBTQ+ individuals are not at a higher risk during the Covid-19 Crisis,” Kaplan said.

LGBtQ+ acceptance in the schools

Administrators at the Long Island Crisis Center founded PFY in 1993, at a time when LGBTQ+ services were virtually nonexistent on Long Island. In the late 80s, the center’s hotline experienced an uptick in calls from people who identified as LGBTQ+, but there were no resources to be shared.

During this time, incidents of homophobia went unchecked in Bellmore-Merrick schools. Records from Uncovering the Past, a program at John F. Kennedy High School, showed an incident from the ’70s at Shore Road Elementary in which a third-grader, Richie Jackson, was harassed for choosing choir as an elective. The phys.-ed. teacher told the children in his class to “jump on the faggot,” and stood by while a group of boys piled on Jackson and made him cry. The incident was never addressed.

In 2007, Kaplan began his female-tomale gender transition while attending Grand Avenue Middle School; the process continued into his time at Mepham High School. As the schools’ first openly transgender student, Kaplan said the faculty made an effort to ensure he was respected, though, given the time period, he was still unable to use his bathroom of choice.

Now, as a PFY facilitator for the Central High School District, Kaplan has seen firsthand the progress the schools have made over the last decade. “They have actively been trying to recognize

Courtesy Christian Milan

christian MiLan’s draG persona, Aphrodite, has become a symbol of PFY, where he works as a peer navigator to educate LGBTQ+ youth on sexual health and identity. that this isn’t just one student anymore,” he said. “This is possibly hundreds of students who are coming out, who need support, and schools need to make sure that they’re affirmed.”

Graduating Calhoun High School senior Noah Marchuck, who is gay, is the former president of the school’s Gay Straight Alliance. “Bellmore-Merrick has come a long way with LGBTQ+ acceptance, but I think a stigma does still exist,” he said. “At Calhoun, the atmosphere is very accepting, and every faculty member embodies that; however, I’ve [had] a good deal of people call me hurtful things regarding my sexuality, both to my face and behind my back.”

Christina Dimitriou, the faculty adviser for Mepham’s GSA, said her students occasionally hear offensive language targeted at the LGBTQ+ community, such as when the club handed out rainbow-colored ribbons for national Coming Out Day. “GSA is not just about getting together and having a safe space, but about us going out into the Mepham community and normalizing these things so that these derogatory terms trickle away,” she said.

unity with BLM

In the wake of George Floyd’s death — which sparked thousands to turn out for Black Lives Matter protests in Merrick and Bellmore — LGBTQ+ rights activists are also thinking about racerelated problems on Long Island. Among 291 communities, the majority of Long Island’s Black residents live in just 11 neighborhoods, making the region one of the most segregated places in the nation.

“I think Pride this year is unique. It’s a time for us to remember our roots and look at other communities that are having their fight right now, and relate their experiences to where we were 50 years ago,” Kaplan said. “It’s an opportunity for [our] community to stand in line with another movement and say we know what it’s like to face injustice.”

Recognizing that Mepham is in a community made up of 85.7 percent white residents and only 1.45 percent black residents — with similar demographics in Merrick — Dimitriou agreed that change is needed, and that starts with education.

“We don’t have members in the club that are people of color, but we absolutely address these things, whether I send

Herald Life file photo

PFY is a division of the Long Island Crisis Center. out an article or share a book,” Dimitriou said.

Marchuck urged residents to use their platforms to educate one another about the susceptibility of Black LGBTQ+ individuals, and “donate to organizations that focus on Black LGBTQ+ people,” such as “The Trevor Project” or “The Center for Black Equality.”

“We have a long way to go.” Milan said. “Long Island has been so systematically separated for so long now, but I think that now, especially with the Black Lives Matter movement, people are starting to understand.”

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Belmont Stakes go on — despite pandemic

By VisVajit sriramrajan The Belmont Stakes looked a little different to fans and the larger horseracing community this year, as industry officials had to alter their operations due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Our biggest challenge over the past 90 days has been keeping people safe,” said Terry Finley, the president and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds, a Saratoga Springs-based racing consultant. “Tragically, we had one death on the backstretch and some others tested positive for the virus, but we have over a thousand people who work on the backstretch every day, and everyone was well taken care of.”

Other companies, however, did not fare as well, he said, noting that he was grateful the Stakes went well despite pandemic-related risks.

Fans were not allowed to attend the Stakes on June 20 — when bay horse Tiz The Law, jockeyed by Manuel Franco, crossed the finish line to become the first New York-bred horse to win the race since 1882 — and the race was shortened from 1.5 to 1.125 miles.

“Fortunately for us, the pandemic didn’t affect Tiz The Law’s performance,” said Jack Knowlton, operating manager of Sackatoga Stable, which owns the horse. “It has made life much more difficult for the team at the stable, though. We haven’t had the opportunity to be at the race to see our horse run in person.”

He added that the team is hopeful they can see Tiz The Law in action again at Churchill Downs, where the 146th Kentucky Derby was rescheduled for Sept. 5. Subsequently, the Preakness, the third leg of the Triple Crown, was rescheduled to Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

The pandemic even affected the coverage of the event. Adam Coglianese, the lead track photographer for the New York Racing Association said, noting, “The experience leading up to the race was a little quieter

Courtesy Chelsea Durand/New York Racing Association

tiz the Law crossed the finish line first at the Belmont Stakes on June 20, becoming the first New York-bred horse to win since 1882. than normal, but we still photographed the horses in the morning and set up our cameras around the track like we usually would to produce images for the trainers.” He added that the lack of a physical audience meant that he and his staff had to focus more of their photography on the horses and the track.

“We all maintained social distancing,” he noted, “but otherwise there were no significant challenges.”

The race was broadcasted on NBC. With 3.4 million

people watching, it marked the lowest recorded viewership for any broadcasted Belmont Stakes and for any opening leg of the Triple Crown.

“The Belmont Stakes provided sports fans across the country with world-class entertainment during these challenging times,” said Patrick McKenna, the communications director for NYRA, calling the race unique but successful this year, and congratulating Tiz The Law for his win.

Northwell opens L.I.’s first LGBTQ transgender center Northwell Health has opened Long Island’s first center in New Hyde Park dedicated to transgender care, providing an array of services to serve the LGBTQIA+ community. The $850,000, 3,000-square-foot office opened in June in observance of Pride Month, giving the program first established in 2016 a physical home.

The Northwell Health Physician Partners LGBTQ Transgender Health Program, at 410 Lakeville Road, features four exam rooms, eight offices/ consultation rooms and two genderneutral restrooms. The center is staffed by a medical director, a primary care physician, psychiatrist, senior psychologist, nurse practitioner and two transhealth navigators. The program offers services for endocrinology (adult and pediatric), plastic surgery, adolescent medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and otolaryngology.

“We understand that there are thousands of individuals living on Long Island who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary.

This is an underserved community that has specific health care needs,” said Dr. David Rosenthal, medical director of the Center for Transgender Care at

Northwell Health. “The goals of this center are to bring together multiple clinical services at Northwell to serve the needs of the transgender community, educate health care professionals about transgender health, perform cutting-edge research and work with the health system to address infrastructure to meet the needs of the transgender community.”

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has ranked Northwell Health as the No. 3 health system in the nation and first in New York state based on the number of facilities designated a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality, according to its 2019 Healthcare Equality Index.

“Northwell Health’s mission to break down barriers and achieve health equity is evidenced in numerous programs and initiatives, including the health system’s ongoing investment into transgender health,” said Dr. Thomas McGinn, senior vice president and deputy physician-in-chief at Northwell Health. “Discrimination in all its forms must be eradicated.”

Northwell’s commitment to continuing medical education also includes the launch of a cultural competency mod-

Dr. DaViD rosenthaL, seated, medical director of the Center for Transgender Care at Northwell Health, and Sundeep Boparai, administrative manager of Northwell Health Physician Partners LGBTQ Transgender Program at New Hyde Park.

Courtesy Northwell Health

ule that educates physicians to the special needs an LGBTQIA+ patient might have, Rosenthal said. The program is funded by the New York State Department of Health and is organized in collaboration with Northwell’s Center for

Equity of Care.

For more information about Northwell Health’s LGBTQIA+ services or to make an appointment, go to: https:// www.northwell.edu/doctors-and-care/ lgbtqia-services.

9

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020

Celebrating Our 50th anniversary! east rOCKaWay raiDers youth Football and Cheerleading limited Openings For Football are still available

Give kids a DIY “summer camp” experience at home

Get Organized Imagine the level of organization and advanced planning required to run an operation that serves up safe, creative fun to hundreds of children each year. Now imagine how much easier your job as DIY summer camp counselor will be if you have a game plan of activities that are both fun and educational to carry your kids through the summer.

Start by calculating exactly how many hours each day, and how many days each month, you need to fill. Older kids may benefit from a few hours of self-guided play each day, while younger children will need more of your help to keep their days full.

Next, gather a list of all the activities you want to do this summer, grab a calendar or day planner, and start planning when you will do each one.

Pick Your Projects Kids love traditional summer camps because they occupy youngsters nonstop with fun activities and the company of other children. Parents love that kids keep busy with activities that are both fun and educational. You can give kids the same experience by finding at-home projects that mix fun and education with practicality and usefulness.

One great way to keep kids active, teach them valuable skills and get something done around the house is to involve them in your list of DIY projects. Obvious chores, like mowing the lawn, likely won’t make the kids’ list of fun activities, but helping you plant an herb garden might.

Or, let them take an active role in redecorating their own rooms.

Help them choose paint, bedding and accessories or to install an easy-to-hang wallpaper mural. Decorating their own rooms will teach kids important home improvement and decorating skills — and could potentially keep them

occupied for days.

Consider life skill-building activities Encourage kids to research new cuisines and their countries of origin, then plan and present a series of dinners, with each meal hailing from a different country. Kids will learn cooking skills and interesting information about other cultures.

Plant and nurture a vegetable garden.

Children learn horticulture and how to choose and raise healthy food items.

We hope to begin practices on or about august 1st.

Register online or call for more information 516 582-2187 www.eastrockfootball.com aserraiders@aol.com Visit us on Facebook

Schedule a field trip Explore the beach, you’re a park or nature preserve, or take a bike ride, with the proper safety protocols and social distancing, of course.

Above photo: Sending kids to camp is not an option for most families this year. But keeping them at home doesn’t mean they — or you — have to give up the benefits of a camp-like experience. With a little creativity and planning, you can recreate the best benefits of summer camp in your very own home.

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Bathing suits? Check. Sunblock? Yup. Swim plugs? Why? Every summer, adults and children of all ages and swim levels are frustrated by water getting in their ears. Whether you’re an experienced swimmer or your child is just learning to dunk his head, swim plugs and surfer’s plugs are the solution.

Comprehensive Audiology offers swim plugs that are custom-fit, comfortable, and come in a wide range of trendy color choices. They’re also reliable enough to keep tubes and infection-prone ears completely dry. Contact us today to have yours in time for summer fun.

goal is to provide our patients with personalized care to experience better hearing and better communication. By utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and the latest hearing aid technology, we’re changing lives, one patient at a time.

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Comprehensive Audiology is located at 261 Broadway in Lynbrook. Appointments can be made by calling 516-387-4000 or emailing info@comprehensiveaudiology.com.

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ith the Covid summer upon us, it may seem that finding enjoyable activities to keep everyone happy and occupied might be a bit daunting. If your kids normally go to summer camp, this season will be different for sure. But you can still give your kids a fun summer — by staging a do-ityourself summer camp at home.

Your DIY summer camp can combine classic camp activities and home-based fun to ensure kids stay busy and happy all season long.

Whether you help them explore the world by getting them involved in preparing a week’s worth of international cuisine or getting them involved in some outdoor activities, there are plenty of creative ways to stage a DIY summer camp experience.

Single age group teams, 5 to 11 years old All equipment is supplied by the Raiders Very low registration costs Practices and Home games at Bay Park Member of Nassau County Youth Football League • All coaches are certified and background checked by third party • Established since 1970

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• • • • •

Covid-19

hoMetoWn heroes

Keith Corbett

MiKe o’hare

Malverne

Mayor, village of Malverne

I

n Malverne, we had plans in place with assistance from the Office of Emergency Management since St. Patrick’s Day. We put a set of protocols in place for our police department, our Department of Public Works and everywhere else.

We’re one of only three police departments on Long Island that did not have a confirmed case of Covid-19.

The other two are in remote areas. Our DPW had no coronavirus cases. We really tightened up what we did, but we never had a disruption in the services that are provided for the village. We’re a small village. If one person goes down, that puts a burden on other people. The residents, especially, heeded the warnings that we put out and were very good in working with us.

What I envision going forward is, even though we’re all trying to get outside more as the weather gets warmer, we still have to do it respectfully, because there is a good chance that this will come back. We want to continue to have good results through this if it does come back. If you look around us, a lot of the surrounding communities really got hit hard. For Malverne to come out of this with our Covid-19 numbers relatively low, it shows that jumping on this early and putting the necessary plans in place really paid off.

I really appreciate the residents for trusting us, for listening to what we were saying and for having faith in our vision.

hoMetoWn hero

HELP US FUND LOCAL COVID-19 REPORTING IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

HERALD

LOCAL NEWS FUND

COVID-19

A

roCKville Centre troop leader, rvC boy sCout troop 40

round Easter, we, as a troop, decided to start a food drive. Since then, we’ve gotten more and more help and every week, we’re doing better.

My son, Michael, who is 13, goes around and puts out fliers. We’re trying our best to get everyone involved.

We make deliveries at the Hispanic Brotherhood, St. Agnes Parish, The Vineyard, and really concentrate our efforts at the MLK Center because they have the greatest need right now.

People keep asking me how long I’ll be doing this, and I guess I’ll be doing it until the donations stop coming in. The residents have been very generous; we collect and sort the donations, then try to distribute it evenly.

So far, we’ve collected about 3,000 pounds of non-perishable food that we deliver every Friday. Under the guidelines, we can’t get together as a troop, but it has been a troop effort, with everyone pitching in however they can. Michael and I spend about four to five hours a week distributing flyers, sorting the food and delivering the donations. The need is great — there are a lot of people out of work that need our help, and a lot of people’s jobs might never come back. I post a lot on Facebook to raise awareness of what we’re doing. A lot of people don’t realize how many people are in need of food right now.

hoMetoWn hero Today we are asking for your help to sustain local reporting in your community.

These are unprecedented times and we are working around-the-clock to provide the best possible coverage, sometimes taking risks to keep you informed. In the meantime, we’ve had massive cuts to our revenue stream as we, like other local businesses, are at a critical moment.

This important work is sustained by your financial support, through donations and subscriptions. As we continue our coverage we are calling on individuals, businesses, and community foundations to help fund COVID-19 coverage and deliver life-saving news and information. Even $25 can help.

Please make a tax-deductible donation today.

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July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

10

Display It Proudly!

of this page was made possible by the and is dedicated to this nation’s e. We strongly urge all readers to window at home or at work. we’re proud to be Americans.

The Valley Stream Village Board wishes all a Safe & Happy 4th of July!

4TH OF JULY

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90 N. Village Ave., Rockville Centre

Wishing the community a happy and safe 4th of July

MAYOR

JOHN L. TUFARELLI vINcENT m. gRAssO dERmONd E. THOmAs

EdWIN A. FARE

DEPUTY MAYOR sEAN WRIgHT

VILLAGE JUSTICE

vIRgINIA cLAvIN-HIggINs

VILLAGE CLERK

RObERT FUmAgALLI

The Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce Wishes Everyone a Happy & Safe Indepedence Day!

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15

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020

their Front-Line stories in their own words Steven Graber Jamie leWin in valley alley Stream HeWlett

rabbi, temple Hillel valley Stream

CHief, HeWlett fire Department

w

t

e have virtual services on Monday morning, Thursday morning and Saturday morning.

We have evening virtual services on every night of the week.

I’m teaching adult education classes; we have Israeli dance classes, cooking exhibitions, talent presentations, concerts performed by congregants who sing and play instruments. We’ve had a lot of variety of wonderful programming going on. We’re planning a comedy night and many more things.

Since we have an older congregation, we are waiting for a little more of the things to get a little safer until we have in-person services.

Judaism is a communal endeavor. It’s very hard to be a Jew alone; everything is built around family, community and synagogue life. For people who have depended on that as a normal staple of their lives, I had to quickly find ways to replace that which is not possible with the possible.

We have committees of people that call each other, and I call to make sure that people are reaching out to each other to find out what they need, and just to talk and develop relationships.

When it comes to services, attendance is up, way up, for most services, especially the evening services for a number of reasons. It’s easier than getting in your car than to turn on your computers, and people seem to have a greater spiritual need right now.

he coronavirus has affected me personally and as chief of the Hewlett Fire Department. I lost four family members from the virus. As far as the fire department is concerned, this was a very challenging time. We had to make sure that everyone was safe while operating at emergencies.

We implemented the use of duty crews that were limiting the number of different people on the trucks at one time. Everyone that was grouped together stayed together throughout the pandemic, both for fire and emergency medical service personnel.

Since this situation was changing so rapidly, we had to adapt quickly to the changes, wearing masks on rigs, while responding to emergencies, and closing the firehouse to all members unless there was a call. We had meetings every 72 hours to update and change procedures to adapt to the changes that were happening.

Thankfully, we had no real issues with anyone with the virus. My main concern was the safety of our members. We did everything to keep them, their families and the community safe.

HOmetOWn HerO

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July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

16

What’s neWs in and out of the classroom

Herald ScHoolS

Photos courtesy USA Track and Field Long Island

South graduate evan Miller, center, with his fellow track and field team members. He was named recipient of the prestigious Dick Ferziger Memorial Award.

South grad earns prestigious track & field award The Nassau Boys Track & Field Officials Association, the Nassau Girls Track & Field Officials Association and the Nassau Coaches Association named South High School senior Evan Miller the recipient of the Dick Ferziger Memorial Award.

The Ferziger Award is the only award given in track & field by all three associations. It is designed to honor the memory of long-time official and leader in the sport, Dick Ferziger, by presenting it to the graduating senior who best exemplifies that qualities that made Ferziger so special: a deep commitment to the sport, high academic achievement, sportsmanship, leadership and a concern for the community.

Miller has been a member of the Varsity track team since ninth-grade and has earned All-State honors in the intersectional relay. He has been named All-Conference, All-County in both indoor and outdoor track.

His coaches Geoffrey Carr and Nicole Bertrami wrote that, “Evan has proven himself to be confident, well organized and diligent in all areas of his high school career. … Evan has unwavering patience and loyalty to his team … and is driven to see the cross country and track and field programs flourish.”

Miller has also earned AP Scholar of Distinction, the Principal’s Award of Excellence and the SHIELD Leadership Award given by the Nassau County district attorney. His 106.61 weighted GPA has earned him the title of salutatorian of the 2020 graduating class.

He is part of an independent Science Research Project specializing in immunology research at Columbia University Adam Mor Lab and he is a member of the National Math, History, Science, Athletic Language and Tri-M Music societies. He gives his spare time to the House of Hope Food Pantry and All About Rabbit Rescue among other organizations.

A large caravan of cars filled with officials, coaches, friends and family paid a noisy visit to Evan’s home early in June when he was given the award.

Jim reStaino of the Boys Track & Field Officials Association, from left, coach Nicole Bertrami, Michele Walker, president of Girls Officials Association, Miller, Michael Ringhauser, president of the Coaches Association and coach Geoffrey Carr.

Bertrami, left, miller and Carr.

17

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020 Courtesy Vassilios Kefalas

A rendering of the 17-unit luxury apartment building proposed for the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Cochran Place. The developer is seeking tax breaks from the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency, after the village zoning board approved the project over the protests of Nassau County planners.

Tax breaks proposed for Roosevelt Apts. continued from front page 15,000-square-foot project are estimated at roughly $3.4 million over the life of the agreement, according to a cost-benefit analysis submitted to the IDA. The same report indicates that, including construction, the project would generate nearly $7.5 million in economic activity during the 15-year agreement period, including more than $1 million in property-tax revenue.

With a 15-year agreement, the proposal deviates from the IDA’s tax-break policy that was adopted in February, which calls for a 10-year schedule. In its public hearing notice, the agency said the project would need a longer schedule for it to be economically viable.

The property is now a privately owned parking lot operated by Valley Streambased Valley Parking Inc., and the company is due to pay a total of $32,165 in general, school and village taxes for 2020, according to county and village tax rolls.

Once the apartments are built, taxes on the property would be around $85,000 a year, according to the proposal abstract. It was unclear from the report, however, whether that figure includes the proposed tax breaks.

In his application, real estate developer Vassilios Kefalas, who owns a 100 percent stake in Vantage, said construction would not move forward without an agreement, which could, he said, impact further developments in the neighborhood.

Kefalas, operating through another real estate company, Kay Development LLC, of which he is the principal and founder, is also the owner and developer behind the 43-unit luxury mixed-use Promenade on Central Avenue, which opened earlier this year.

The Roosevelt and Cochran proposal has gone through a number of iterations since it was first submitted in late 2018, coming before the Nassau County Planning Commission three times and the vil-

The Vantage on roosevelt: a timeline november 2018: Long Island City-based Kay Development LLC submits a proposal for an 18-unit luxury apartment complex at Roosevelt Avenue and Cochran Place to county and village planning agencies, seeking 10 variances, including for lot coverage, parking and density. november 2018: The Nassau County Planning Commission returns the proposal, requesting information about an affordable housing component required by the 2008 Workforce Housing Act. december 2018: Kay pulls its proposal from the village Board of Zoning Appeals, lage Board of Zoning Appeals twice.

County planners repeatedly raised concerns about a lack of an affordable housing in the proposal as well as a density that is nearly double what is allowed in village code, and a shortfall in required parking, and expressed worry whether it complied with the 2008 Long Island Workforce Housing Act. Kefalas said he was not interested in building affordable housing; however, speaking before the village zoning board, William Florio, a facilitator for the project, said he would work out a fee structure with the village to go toward affordable housing initiatives elsewhere in the village and ensure the apartments complied with the Workforce Housing Act. School District 24 officials raised concerns about overcrowding in local schools because of the project. Residents, speaking before the zoning board, also blasted the proposal as potentially causing more traffic and dramatically altering the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

citing opposition from School District 24.

June 2019: Kay returns with a nearly identical proposal. The county planning commission rejects it, citing a lack of affordable housing, which requires a supermajority vote by the village BZA to override the decision.

July 2019: The village BZA also rejects the proposal, which fails to receive the required supermajority vote.

September 2019: Kay returns again with a modified proposal, this time for 17 units instead of 18, and seven variances

instead of 10. County planners again question the proposal, citing a lack of affordable housing, and again return the proposal to the village, seeking more information. october 2019: The village BZA unanimously approves the modified proposal, citing the need for rental apartments in the neighborhood.

June 2020: Kay principal and founder Vassilios Kefalas submits an application for tax breaks to the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency under the LLC The Vantage on Roosevelt.

Peter Belfiore/Herald

The properTy currenTly serves as a parking lot.

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his Mint Condition 5 Bedroom, 2 Bath Colonial has all the room you need. It has a living room with bay windows and parquet oak floors. The formal dining room has a pass through to a large EIK. The den has direct access to the rear patio fenced in with a new vinyl fence. There is a finished basement with a playroom, soundproof music room/office, laundry room and 2 car garage. This home is close to Valley Stream State Parks, shopping, public transportation and LIRR. $649,000

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July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

18

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SD#14.................................................................................................HUGE PRICE REDUCTION! $1,699,000 HEWLETT 97 Princeton Ave, BA, Move Right Into Reno! 4BR, 2. Bth Colonial on Cul De Sac.11' Ceiling in LR w/ Fpl, FDR. Brand New State of the Art EIK, Full FBsmt/ Saun, 2 Car Gar. SD#14................................... $799,000 1580 Stevenson Rd, BA, 4/5 BR, 4.5 Bth Colonial on 1/4 Acre in SD#14. LR/Fpl, FDR, Den, EIK, Office & Finished Bsmt. 2 Car Gar. ............................................................................................. REDUCED! $899,000 239 Kent Dr, BA, NEW!! 1/3 Acre! CH Col, Open Layout. Huge Fam Rm, LR/Fpl, FDR, Updtd Gran/Wood EIK/SS Appl,. 3Br, 2.5Bth. New Mstr Bath. Easily Ext 2nd Flr To Add BRs. Fin Bsmt, 2 Car Gar. SD#20 .................$899,000 WOOdSBURGH 891 Keene Lane, BA, Magnificently Reno While Retaining Charm, Stone Cottage. 3BR, 2. Bth, Potential for Expansion, Brand New Mstr Bth. Over 1/2 Acre, Near All.........................REDUCED & MOTIVATED $1,049,000 WOOdMERE 960 Greenfield Rd, BA, 4BR 3Bth CH Col in Academy Area. Spac LR/ Fpl, FDR, EIK, Fam Rm. Main Flr Br/ Bth. Mstr Ste/Bth/ Off. Walk up Full Attic for Poss Expansion. FlBsmt. 2 Car Gar. SD#14. Near All ...........................$1,099,000 559 Leheigh Lane, BA, 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Updtd Hi Ranch, Gran/Wood EIK/SSl Appl. Mstr Ste/ Bth. Open Layout. Spac Yard with Deck off DR. 2 Car Gar. SD#14 .................................................................. $799,000 819 Broadway #2C, Spacious & Renovated 2BR, 2Bth Coop, Elevator Bldg. Updtd EIK, LR, FDR, Entry Foyer. Hi Ceilings. W/D. Indoor Pkg. Storage ..................................................................................$389,000 EAST ROCKAWAY 18 Murdock Rd, BA, NEW TO MARKET! 4 BR, 2 Bth Exp Cape in SD#20. Full Bsmt. Att Gar, WON’T LAST!! ................................................................................................................................... $479,000 35 Cathay Rd, BA, Waterfront Beauty! Move Right 4BR, 2.5Bth Exp Ranch. Resortlike Yard, Saltwater Pool, Waterfall on Thixton Canal. SD#19 .........................................................................................$829,000 44 West Blvd, BA, NEW EXCLUSIVE! Reno 2Br, New EIK/Great Rm, LR, Pull Down Attic. New Vinyl Siding, Roof & Pavered Circular Driveway, Gas Heat & Electric. SD#19. Low Taxes .....................$299,000 LYNBROOK 1 Sunset Ave, BA, 5 BR CH Col, South Lynbrook. New Gran/Wood EIK, LR/ Fpl, FDR, Fam Rm. Professional Office, OSE or Main Flr BR. Full FBsmt. 2 Car Gar. Spac Yard/ Trex deck, SD#20...................................$679,000

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To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

19

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020

Place Homes HERALD Market •

HERALD

Q. We have swing-out windows that need replacing.

The weather has been just right for fresh air, but our windows don’t work. A company that will change them sent a salesman, and he suggested we get the kind that move up and down because they work better, are easier to clean and last longer. I wonder why we ever had the swing-out kind, why they have problems — they literally stopped working, and we couldn’t even move the crank to open Ask The them — and do you recomArchitect mend changing them, or is there a less costly way to go?

Before we spend a lot of money, we’re checking everything.

A. Windows make a building. Before windows, humans huddled in darkness like cave dwellers.

With so many shapes, onte eeper types and sizes today, it’s a tease to try to choose between being creatively artistic and being practical and legal.

Windows are required to do a lot more, because there are laws and requirements that go far beyond the many styles, features and appearance. There are requirements for light, ventilation and fire escape that can mean the difference between life and death, plus the amount of unimaginable stress and aggravation when an insurance company delays or won’t settle the loss of life or property to the full extent of the policy because the windows were illegal. As building designers, we are trained to follow all limitations before completing the composition, just like a car designer knows to follow strict limits on crash survival, seat, wind-shield size and passenger orientation.

Before you switch window styles, consider that a window must, by law, allow for 5.7 square feet of clear opening when it’s in the open position.

Although an existing window can have a smaller opening in a building built before 2003, at least one window in each habitable room, like a bedroom or recreation room, must have an opening of not less than 4 square feet in the clear, open position.

Switching from casement (swing-out) windows to a double hung (up and down) sash style cuts the opening in half and probably much less than the 4 square feet. It’s a shame that the salesman didn’t know or comply with the law, because people say things with such confidence and it sounds believable.

Before replacing the hard-to-open windows, try doing something that most people forget to do: maintain them. Casement windows are notorious for sticking and being difficult, mostly because the tracks at the top and bottom of the window need to be cleared of debris and dust and then lubricated, along with all swing-arm and gear hardware, with a silicone lubricant. Without that cleaning and lubricating, the cranking becomes a wrestling match, and can cause the cranks to strip the gear that rolls out the arms that move the window. For about $30 you can invest in a can of silicone spray, a can of compressed air and some paper towels. Good luck!

M

L

© 2020 Monte Leeper Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

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July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

20

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HErald

Crossword Puzzle

21

opinions

here’s an old saying (with many variations): “Beware what you wish for, because you might just get it.” That fits the current rush to judgment against police forces across America.

Calls to reform the police have been replaced by demands to “defund” or even “abolish” the police by the most radical political elements.

In Seattle, that’s led to the outrageous abdication of responsibility by elected state and local officials, who cowered before a mob that took over a whole city neighborhood. alfonse The occupiers d’amaTo of the city’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone stormed a local police headquarters and forcibly expelled the officers stationed there. They set up barricades and have established their own tumultuous version of an open society. no cops, no discernible rules of behavior.

The result: a spiraling decline into lawlessness and disorder. Armed thugs roam the zone, dispensing their own version of justice. Fueled by drugs and alcohol, this has inevitably led to late-night shooting, and at least one death. But Seattle’s mayor and Washington’s governor have sat on

Y

their hands, making apologies for the mob.

No one should make excuses for bad cops or accept criminal behavior from those sworn to protect us. Police forces do need to reform, to be much better trained, to opt for de-escalation rather than confrontation. Bad cops should be weeded out and expelled from their forces. Police must win the trust of communities they serve, not see themselves as occupying forces, especially in communities of color.

But just imagine what will happen if police withdraw from patrolling highcrime neighborhoods. Think crime will magically go down? Think the killing will stop? Think again, because the summer killing season has already entered full swing in a number of America’s cities.

In Minneapolis, where the tragic death of George Floyd sparked a national awakening to the need to stop inexcusable police violence, recent murders of young black men have brought the tragedy full circle. But most of these murders weren’t committed by police. They were committed by criminals.

In Chicago, the death toll has been staggering. More than 250 people have been murdered so far this year. At the current death rate, Chicago could exceed last year’s 510 murders.

W

Recently the New York City Police Department unilaterally declared a withdrawal from undercover policing aimed at the most violent drug gangs. The law-abiding citizens of areas where those thugs roam can only hide — they can’t run from their neighborhoods. Unlike New York’s wealthy, who can and will abandon the city for safer environs if the level of crime returns to that of the bad old days, those who live in its poorest neighborhoods will be trapped amid the violence and death. They’ll absorb the brunt of the drive-by shootings, the stray bullets, the revenge killings.

We may forget that at the height of the last crime wave, New York was terrorized by a high of over 2,600 murders in a single year. Last year there were just over 300 murders. That’s 2,300 fewer dead, fewer funerals, fewer grieving parents, widows and orphans.

Good policing had a lot to do with that dramatic drop in deaths. Constructive police engagement in communities plagued by high crime helped reduce the death toll. That’s why it’s all the more damnable that a few terrible cops have defamed the reputation of their police brothers and sisters, and damaged relationships between police and minority communities.

This damage must be repaired. Our

e need to offer more, not less, support for better law enforcement.

police forces must not retreat from our most vulnerable communities. They must not lose heart or commitment to the tough work they signed up for. We need to offer more, not less, support for better law enforcement, especially to encourage positive community engagement.

If that means creating specialized teams of social workers, medics, mental health professionals and others to help police respond to the calls they get, so be it. So many 911 calls today are domesticabuse calls, child-abuse calls, drug- and alcohol-abuse calls. They require more than law enforcement intervention. They require all the skills the public sector and the community can muster.

I certainly get it that policing needs to change and grow to serve our modern and all too often dysfunctional society. We should look at policing with eyes wide open. Let’s figure out what works and follow it. Let’s make public safety a No. 1 priority.

Let’s not throw in the towel on better policing, safer communities and fewer deaths, especially in our minority communities, which suffer the worst from criminal violence. Because black lives matter.

Every single one.

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

ADAmato@liherald.com.

Marriage in the time of Covid-19

esterday morning, my partner, my husband of 52 years, my onetime Lawrence High School sweetheart, turned his head on the pillow and whispered: “What are you making for dinner tonight?”

My eyes weren’t open yet, but I whispered back, “Grilled scallops over buckwheat noodles and yakitori vegetables.”

We sighed. I opened my eyes and got rolling.

There were scallops to defrost.

This is life for us during the coronavirus pandemic.

Do you enjoy irony? All I ever wanted was for Randi him to retire so we kReiss could spend more time together. This winter he retired.

Three days later, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, the world took a timeout, and here we are, with more togetherness than human beings were ever designed for.

True, when we married on July 3,1968, we promised to stick together through the usual storms that blow through lives, but this? It definitely requires a codicil.

We are rigorously avoiding outside social contact, and not dining out or bringing in food. What that means for me is that I have cooked three meals a day for these many weeks since the pandemic hit. As I heard my husband confide to a friend on the phone, “I’m so lucky she’s a good cook.”

How priorities change.

Believe me, when we were 21 his mind wasn’t on my chicken fricassee. He’s thrilled with my meals, and I’m happy to slice and dice and sauté and bake, because what else is there to do in this crazy time? It’s a simple equation. Our marital quid pro quo: I prepare a complex seafood and rice dish with saffron and exotic mushrooms. We sit down together and enjoy.

It works particularly well because he is happy to share the work by cleaning up.

But . . . but . . . how did this get to be our lives? At least once a day I have a moment of being totally flabbergasted at the surreal turn of events.

When we got married, who could have imagined that in our 52nd year together, we’d be isolated in semi-quarantine? Who could have envisioned all these hours and days and weeks spent alone after lifetimes

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of individual careers and outside friendships that nourished our lives and created healthy separation?

Everyone is writing their own survival manual during the pandemic, especially because the federal government’s leadership has been so inadequate, so late and so confused. My kids are raising teenagers who no longer go to school or get to hang out with friends. My nieces and nephews are entertaining their toddlers all day and welcoming newborns. Some friends are living through all of this on their own. Others are going to work and keeping as safe as possible, whatever that means.

For me, the first month was the worst, when I realized this wasn’t going to be a two-week deal, when I realized how vulnerable we are as over-65 seniors, when I saw the medical experts doing quiet battle with the federal government. I did what I could for myself, meditating and yoga and talking to friends on the phone. My husband and I carved out space for ourselves within our home, separating for some part of each day.

Still, there are moments that feel close to panic. How will we get through this time

ho could have imagined that in our 52nd year together, we’d be in quarantine?

of not seeing our children and grandchildren? How will young people make sense of this in the arc of their lives?

Here at home base, the journey is fraught. From another room, I can hear my husband preparing his hourly glass of water, violently shaking ice for what seems like 20 minutes, creating an avalanche of sound that shakes the dishes in the cupboard. I hear it from upstairs. Hell, you could hear it from another state. You wouldn’t think that would make you want to kill someone, but you’d be wrong. It’s the little things that drive you mad.

But then, somehow, things settle. We find the light. We never had breakfast together because he went to work before 7.

Now we do. Yes, it’s true he does get testy when I leave crumbs from my toast on the table, but we’re coping. We have faith in us.

When we got married that July 3 in Woodmere, we promised to stick together.

As fragile as life has become, as much as we’ve changed, grown apart and together again, I’m still in. We got married on that date so we’d always have the Fourth of July to celebrate.

Alas, no fireworks this year, but I do have a nice whole snapper marinating in the fridge.

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

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020

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Reform policing, don’t trash it

In Congress, July 4, 1776

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Valley Stream

July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

HERALD Established 1990 Incorporating the Valley Stream Mailleader Peter Belfiore Editorr NiCole AlCiNDor Reporter ANGelA SHiriAN Advertising Account Executive mArtHA jACoviDeS Founding Editor offiCe 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Web: www.liherald.com E-mail: vseditor@liherald.com offiCiAl NeWSPAPer: Village of Valley Stream Valley Stream High School District Valley Stream Districts 13, 24 and 30

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS Robert Richner Edith Richner Publishers, 1964-1987 ■ ClifforD riCHNer StUArt riCHNer Publishers miCHAel BoloGNA Vice President - Operations ■ SCott BriNtoN Executive Editor jim HArmoN

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memBer: Local Media Association New York Press Association Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce

Published by richner Communications, inc.

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

The Declaration of Independence was first published on July 6, 1776, in a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Evening Post. We are proud to commemorate that high point in American journalism by reprinting that historic document.

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hen in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. e has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at

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places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness of his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Government: For suspending our own legislature, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. e, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor.

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The Declaration was signed first by John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, and then by 55 others representing the 13 original states.

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opinions

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hile commenting on the chants and signs proclaiming “Black Lives Matter,” a white colleague said, “All lives matter.”

Yes, I replied, all lives matter, but we need to be reminded that black lives matter because it is black lives that are being eliminated by police violence. And we know only about those killed by bullets and bullies.

What about the others who are “killed” behind closed doors and

by Covid-19, toxic water, lead paint, failing schools, a privatized prison roBert a. system and job sCott discrimination, among other ills visited upon black people.

I asked my colleague if he ever worried when his son goes to a mall with friends. Imagine you’re black, I said.

Would you be concerned then, since we know that black people are harassed more often than whites and are killed in their homes and suburban neighbor-

hoods by white police.

How many times have we heard of black professionals being mistaken for maintenance staff ? How often have we read about black students being asked why they’re in a university lounge, as if they don’t belong there?

We hear the protests of the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others, but do we hear the cries of anguish of those who suffer the malignancy of daily slights and sights? The slights of having one’s name questioned because it seems foreign. The sights of statues honoring generals who wanted to maintain the slave system.

To solve a problem or cure an addiction, we must first name it and frame it.

We must own up to it, even if it takes time. We must acknowledge it and understand its causes and effects. This is true of racism in all its guises, whether individual or institutional.

I was fortunate to grow up in Mount Vernon, N.Y., where I had black friends in every grade of school. Even in college, although it was majority white, I had black friends — even one who today is a raving libertarian. But even with these experiences, I have to remind myself of white supremacy, of the many ways in

Letters Thank you to the community To the Editor: I wish to thank the voters of Valley Stream School District No. 13 for giving me the honor and privilege of serving as a Board of Education trustee for one more term.

As we bring our district bond work to a close, it gives me great pleasure to have been part of moving our facilities into the 21st century. Rest assured I shall serve the interests of all of our children with the same drive, energy and dedication that I have given for the past 27 years. I wish all a restful, healthy and safe summer.

DR. FRANk CHIACHIERE District 13 Board of Education

A cross-continental reader checks in To the Editor: I moved to Merrick in 1950 and graduated from Mepham High in 1961. My wife and I lived in Merrick for 38 years before moving to Seattle in 2007. When we moved, we placed a full-page letter in what was then Merrick Life to say goodbye and explain that we were leaving not because of any fault of the town, but rather to

which I have been advantaged in life, despite the fact that my mother died when I was 9 and my father went bankrupt due to the medical bills. We were poor but white, and even that gave us advantages.

Racism is endemic. We must speak out against it, not in a patronizing way but as a patriotic act. For if we do not correct our nation’s original sin, this country whose ideals I admire will soon perish from its rotten core.

The sin of slavery and the dehumanization of black people was codified in our Constitution, written into law, condoned by churches and confirmed by courts. Through theology, political protocols, economic priorities and educational practices, black individuals, families and communities have been disadvantaged in American society. These are the sources of white supremacy and relative wealth.

It’s time for white people to acknowledge these injustices. It’s time for white Americans to acknowledge the justification for affirmative action. It’s time for white Americans to care about equal access to health care, education, job opportunities and justice for all Americans without regard for race, gender or background. To care about others is to care about the ideals on which this coun-

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — July 2, 2020

Of course black lives matter!

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try was founded, even when those ideals were flawed in execution.

These ideals are stated as, “We the people” — not some people — “in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Jus- judgme tice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide Ameri Call for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of replace Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do “abolis ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This is a promise to pursue these ideals, not of perfection at the time of writing, but if we do not maintain this pursuit after more than two centuries of trying in fits and starts, we will surely perish as a nation.

To affirm that these ideals apply to all Americans, black, white and other, is a form of reparation worth standing up for, a major but easy first step. Then they can become an action agenda for university and business leaders, elected officials and community activists to ensure voting rights as well as basic human rights. If we do not support our neighbors, wheth- storme er near or far — if we do not affirm that, forcibl yes, black lives matter — we will certain- there. T ly find that the center, the core, will not establi of an o hold. rules o The Robert A. Scott is president emeritus of lessnes Adelphi University. the zon justice has ine and at and Wa

FrameWork by John O’Connell

seek a new life in new circumstances.

Our three children had gone to school and grown to adulthood in Merrick, and all graduated from Calhoun High School.

We have stayed close to our former friends and neighbors there, have returned to visit many times and continue to subscribe to the Herald in order to stay current with what’s happening there. (If you have read the papers, though, you’ll note that we have plenty of news in Seattle also!)

I wanted to let you know that Randi kreiss’s column “Thank you very much, but I prefer to remain alive” (June 18-24) was a remarkable piece of writing, and encapsulated and so aptly described what is taking place. My wife and I send kreiss our best wishes and hope she continues to stir the pot with such wonderful prose.

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the pill makin My pered b wheat

SETH AND DANINE POPPEL Seattle

CorreCtion The name of a co-author of last week’s opinion column “Going to the doctor in a Covid-19 world” was misspelled. She is Dr. Ankita Sagar, not Anika. The Herald regrets the error.

Beach chairs and umbrellas? For now, you bring your own. — Jones Beach

Three zation world t with m beings Tru we pro usual s this? It

July 2, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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