Wantagh Herald Citizen

Wantagh

HERALD Citizen

Numbers are down, but still worrisome

Mad Men hand out more masks

Medicine ‘sparks’ student interest

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VOL. 68 NO. 19

MAY 7 - 13, 2020

Senior athletes: from standouts to hopefuls

By J.D. FREDA jfreda@liherald.com

Scott Brinton/Herald

Social distancing, and then some Cyclists enjoyed the sunny spring weather and a break from indoor life along the 17.3-mile Jones Beach Bike Path last weekend. Story, more photos, Page 7.

It had been a few weeks since any coaches had held practices, and just as long since any athletes had stepped onto a field.

The hope of even shortened seasons for spring sports were diminishing by the day. Then, on April 21, Nassau and Suffolk County school district superintendents announced that the high school spring athletic season had been canceled.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur High School Athletic Director Keith Snyder was tasked with letting his coaches know. He reflected on what could have been a special spring season for

so many of his student athletes.

Instead, they walked out of MacArthur’s halls in mid-March as high school seniors for the last time. The next academic halls they enter will be at their chosen colleges.

“It’s really tough. Yeah, it’s tough on every one of them,” Snyder said. “There are multiple disappointments for the seniors, though. They’re losing out on their last season of sports, graduation, prom season. All of that is gone.”

He had high praise for many MacArthur students and their hard work and sportsmanship throughout their high school careers. He spoke of the seniors CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Finishing the year with distance learning Decision has yet to be made on summer school in Seaford, Wantagh districts

By TIMOTHY DENTON tdenton@liherald.com

Following a May 1 directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo that schools across New York state would remain closed for the rest of the school year in the interest of continuing to slow the coronavirus pandemic, officials in the Seaford and Wantagh districts took a collective deep breath and braced themselves for another eight weeks of online classes. At the same time, they prepared to submit their 2020-21 budgets for public approval, uncertain of a

situation that changes almost daily.

“The announcement was just heartbreaking,” Seaford Manor Elementary School Principal Debra Emmerich said of Cuomo’s decision. “I miss my kids so much — I miss seeing their faces.”

Still, the announcement wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Speaking before Cuomo’s daily news conference, the superintendents of Seaford and Wantagh schools, Dr. Adele Pecora and John McNamara, respectively, both said they saw the closure as

highly likely.

Both districts had begun preparing for some form of modified instruction at least two weeks before the governor’s original March 16 order closing schools statewide. “We were already closed because of a positive test result,” McNamara said.

And Pecora sent out a letter on March 13, before the lockdown began, advising that such a move was likely.

Both districts were well on their way to equipping their students with the hardware needed for distance learning even before

the virus struck. Nevertheless, bringing students, teachers and parents up to speed in a matter of days, or weeks, has been demanding, said Thomas Lynch, executive director of instructional technology and STEM in the Seaford district.

“We’ve been in the process of implementing our ‘one-to-one’ learning initiative for a couple of year now,” Lynch explained.

The initiative, begun when Pecora became superintendent in July 2017, aimed to put a laptop CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

They’re moms, dads, friends, neighbors.

And they’re the front line.

While the thousands of Mount Sinai South Nassau health care workers are fighting to save lives, you can give them what they need to keep going.

Back the front line now.

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Mount Sinai Health System is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Schools developing new learning methods CONTINUED FROM FRONT

smaller scale. “I don’t believe we have quite as many taking advantage of these programs” as in Wantagh, Pecora said.

Distribution takes place at the Manor School, where day care is also provided for the children of first responders and other essential workers.

or tablet in the hands of every student in the district.

So far, Seaford students in grades six through 11 have Hewlett Packard ProBooks, and fourth- and fifth-grades have access to laptops. And Blurred boundaries before the pandemic Administrators praised began, the district was on the efforts of their staff, track to provide hardware saying that teachers had to all elementary school done yeoman work since students, whether laptops the beginning of the lockor iPads, by next year, down. In addition to their Lynch said. responsibilities to their Now the district must students, many are parprovide hardware to stuents themselves — Lynch dents in all grades on an has three small children as-needed basis. “Even — and must supervise when families have comtheir instruction as well. puters, they may have Both Emmerich and more than one child, or Adele Pecora Seaford Harbor School the parents may be using Principal Thomas Burke them for their own work acknowledged that it is difficult to keep at home,” he said.

Wantagh unveiled similar technology clear boundaries between work and plans three years ago, and has been home under the current conditions. And incrementally providing students with both advise teachers to take time away Chromebooks or tablets, McNamara from the computer. “Go out and get some said. The transition to at-home learning, fresh air,” Emmerich said. “You have to claim some time for yourrequiring technology gaps self, even if it’s only a halfto be filled sooner than hour here and there.” planned or budgeted, has Emmerich said she gone smoothly, he said — wanted to keep things as with some inevitable much like a regular school glitches. d ay a s p o s s i bl e. T h e The Wantagh district’s Manor school has contindelivery drivers work as ued its work on mindfulmany as 16 hours a day, ness, and Emmerich has taking hardware, food and introduced additional mail to district students. themes for the students, “Don Camp, who normally like poetry, autism and drives one of our buses, Earth Day. has done just incredible Both districts have work getting equipment to John McNamara ramped up professional families that need them,” development for teachers McNamara said. “And he’s also been delivering hundreds of meals a as the idiosyncrasies of distance learnweek” to families that normally received ing have become clearer. “We have three sessions per week,” Emmerich said. “I food under the SCOPE program.

According to Camp, he and his small encourage teachers just to share their team delivered more than 1,700 meals experiences, whether or not they’re last week. “It’s very humbling to be able experts on the topics they want to share. to do this,” he said, “to see their grati- They might run across something they just want to put out there, and other tude.”

The food operation in Seaford is on a teachers can comment on their experi-

ences. We’re learning so much right now known their classmates since kindergarabout how to serve our students better.” ten. I don’t know what it will look like The parents’ role is critical, Burke yet, but we’re looking at different ways said. Their involvement has been both of honoring them.” rewarding and challenging. “A lot of The 2020-21 school year is another them are working at home, variable, and how that too, and home-schooling will take shape depends sometimes more than one on how quickly the virus child,” Burke said, “and all recedes. State lawmakers that can be stressful.” have begun considering In addition, Lynch said, alternatives to the nine“Not all parents are commonth year, with its 180fortable with the technoloday classroom requiregy, and they’ve had to play ment. a huge role in their chil“If the virus turns out dren’s education” during to be heat-sensitive, it the statewide “pause.” may make sense to go Both districts expect to back in August and then complete budgets in the take a break during the coming weeks, but revenue colder months, so we’re from the state is likely to not fighting Covid and the fall. “We could lose as flu at the same time,” much as 20 percent of our THOMAS BURKE State Sen. John Brooks, a state aid,” McNamara said. Principal, Seaford Democrat, said.

Cuomo’s school closure Seaford Harbor School In that scenario, school order came two weeks would resume in the before the state budget was spring, once temperapassed on March 31, so neither district tures began to rise again. knew the exact amount of state aid they According to Cuomo’s directive, colwere to receive. The Wantagh Board of leges and school districts must begin Education was slated to consider the developing reopening plans now, subject superintendent’s spending plan this to approval by state officials. He added week. that no determination had been made Neither district has made any deci- ab o u t s u m m e r s ch o o l , a n d t h at sions about commencement or other announcement would be made in the moving-up ceremonies. “It’s devastating coming weeks. for the seniors to miss out on that,” McNamara said. “In many cases, they’ve Scott Brinton contributed to this story.

A

lot of [parents] are working at home, too, and home-schooling sometimes more than one child, and all that can be stressful.

SCHOOLS BRIEF School elections set for June 9 By executive order last Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reset the school budget and trustees election statewide to Tuesday, June 9. Every voter will receive an absentee ballot with a postage-paid envelope to return it.

The order eliminates the traditional requirement that Board of Education candidates collect a sufficient number of petition signatures, but candidates

must file their petitions 30 days before the election; that is, by May 10.

Also, any village election that was scheduled for March through June will be held Sept. 15. And any special district election other than fire, library, sewer or water will also take place that date.

–– Scott Brinton

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Timothy Denton/Herald-Citizen

ADMINISTRATORS IN THE Seaford and Wantagh school districts are still uncertain how they will honor the graduating class of 2020, but they know the ceremonies will differ from last year’s commencement.

Eligibility rules likely to create more competition CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Courtesy Levittown Schools

MARY-KATE SWEENEY WILL play lacrosse at Molloy College, where she may be competing with possible returning seniors, given the NCAA’s ruling to allow spring season athletes a fifth year of eligibility. into the net as goalie against 20- and 21-year-olds is intimidating, but I said, ‘If not now, than never, so here’s the starting point. Let’s go.’”

Cullen didn’t get a chance to go on an official visit, because social distancing guidelines took effect shortly after she made her decision. She did, however, attend a Molloy home game with Sweeney. “We went to watch them, and they were amazing,” Cullen said. “The coach wanted us to have a Zoom meeting with the whole team, and we did, and we bonded. We talked to each other, and it got me excited. I’m 100 percent counting down the days.”

The NCAA recently ruled that its spring-season senior athletes would be given a fifth year of eligibility, which surely had an instant ripple effect, according to Sweeney and Cullen.

“I do know, financially, it can affect me,” Sweeney said. “As soon as that news broke . . . Coach Campi reached out to us and said that we could be getting money taken away from [our scholarships] if a senior wants to stay. Especially as a goalie, it’s going to be hard to compete with a senior goalie. It does make me want to work harder to prove we should be on the team, though.”

According to Sweeney and Cullen, Campolettano made them aware that if the team is carrying an inflated roster, a “travel team” stipulation will be put into

Courtesy Mike Gattus

JASON MAYNARD IS one of a number of MacArthur seniors hoping to compete at the college level. effect, under which not all players would travel to away games.

Agovino lauded Sweeney’s and Cullen’s accomplishments and their character. “They’re not only fierce and intense competitors off the field, but going into nursing at Molloy during this pandemic just speaks to the type of people they are,” he said.

MacArthur track also has three athletes poised to compete on the college level. According to head track and crosscountry coach Mike Gattus, Tim Weber, Jason Maynard and Christine Grandon

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who had played their last games, run their last meets and put on their jerseys for the last time.

One of them is football and lacrosse standout Hugh Kelleher. The tall running back played a key role in MacArthur’s successful 2019 football season, and was highly touted as one of the top tailbacks in the county. Kelleher had already committed to play lacrosse at Cornell University before his senior football campaign started. The standout midfielder was hoping to cap his high school career with a memorable spring season. This spring will be memorable, but for a much different reason.

“He’s a phenom — a stud,” Snyder said.

“It’s very sad he won’t get the opportunity to play his senior season. He’s one of the better athletes I’ve seen in my time here in the Levittown District. Hughie is a special athlete and an even more special kid.”

The Generals have a number of talented seniors who have committed to college teams, including girls’ varsity lacrosse players Mary-Kate Sweeney and Sierra Cullen. Both decided to play lacrosse at nearby Molloy College in Rockville Centre, an NCAA Division II program. Sweeney committed back in November, and Cullen did so in February. Both are planning to major in nursing.

“These girls have lost so many opportunities,” said lacrosse coach Dan Agovino. “They won’t be able to play their senior season with their teammates, they won’t . . . get a chance to get their picture on the wall as an All-County player for MacArthur in their senior year. That’s tough.”

So Agovino, Sweeney and Cullen are focused on what’s next. Sweeney met with Molloy lacrosse coach Tom Campolettano on an overnight visit. “He reminded me of the heart that Coach Agovino has, and the love he gives us,” Sweeney said of Campolettano. “It’s a great community and it’s all about helping each other out.”

Sweeney, a highly touted goalie in her past three years on the MacArthur varsity, was hoping to take a few more steps forward in her senior season, though. “It does bring a setback, because there’s no better practice than a game,” she said.

“When I practiced with the Molloy team on my overnight visit, of course stepping

will all do so. Weber committed to Stony Brook University for cross-country; Grandon, a sprinter and long jumper, committed to Sienna College; and Maynard talked about wanting to attend Johns Hopkins University, but Gattus wasn’t sure whether he had made a decision.

Grandon holds the school record in the long jump, Weber has a number of school records in cross-country, and Maynard holds the record in the two-mile run.

“All three of them are great kids — very polite, well-mannered and very talented individuals,” Gattus said. “All three of them will do very well at the next level.”

One of the benefits of the track and cross-country season is that it lasts throughout the school year if athletes participate in all three seasons. But seniors couldn’t be sure whether they were competing for the last time at the winter track and field state championship earlier this year.

“Our last big meet was states, and I don’t think they finished where they wanted to,” Gattus said. “Jason was sick, Tim was probably tired from the long season. But I kept telling them, qualifying and just getting here, that’s the accomplishment.”

Gattus suggested that none of his seniors wanted their last track memory to be thinking they could have done better, but that would make them work harder, he added, to succeed at the next level.

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Northwell opening Syosset Hospital for elective surgery sbrinton@liherald.com

Covid-19 patients have dropped to low enough levels that Northwell Health is able to earmark Syosset Hospital as a “Covid-contained” medical center where certain elective surgeries will be performed.

That’s according to Dr. David Battinelli, Northwell’s senior vice president and chief medical officer. He spoke with video producer Rob Hoell last Thursday about how the hospital system, which has medical centers throughout the New York metropolitan area, has been coping with the “massive surge” of Covid-19 patients in recent weeks.

Northwell was forced to increase its total number of beds across its 23 hospitals by 2,000 at the height of the crisis, Battinelli said. “We were overwhelmed in the” intensive care units, he noted.

The hospital system redeployed some 1,500 workers in order to keep up with patient demand.

To date, the Northwell system has treated more than 40,000 Covid-19 patients, with 13,000 patients admitted to hospitals. “Nobody in the world has treated and seen more Covid patients than Northwell,” Battinelli said.

As a result, the hospital had to stop elective surgeries, which Battinelli called planned surgeries, meaning most elective surgeries must be done, but not

Facebook Live screenshot

Dr. DaviD Battinelli, Northwell Health’s chief medical officer, last Thursday spoke with video producer Rob Hoell about the “massive surge” of Covid-19 patients within the hospital system. immediately. Rather, they can be scheduled weeks or months in advance.

With elective surgeries put off for six to seven weeks now, many patients need them done, sooner rather than later. The need to resume planned surgeries, Battinelli said, has become “semi-urgent” — hence the opening of Syosset Hospital for the procedures.

Battinelli said Northwell could not guarantee with absolute certainty that Syosset would be entirely free of Covid19 patients. Rather, he called the hospital “Covid-contained,” meaning the hospital will be able to cordon off any coronavirus patients who might appear there.

Battinelli also spoke of the many clinical trials for Covid-19 treatments

that Northwell has undertaken. The system has an estimated 700 patients in trials, while on any given year, it might have a dozen in trials, he said.

Among the trials Northwell is conducting is for famotidine, the active ingredient in the heartburn medicine Pepcid. Doctors in Wuhan, China, noticed that patients who presented with Covid-19 and heartburn, and who were taking famotidine, exhibited less virulent symptoms than those who were not on the drug.

That anecdotal finding led to clinical trials around the world. It appears famotidine might inhibit the coronavirus’s ability to replicate, Battinelli said.

He also spoke of telemedicine as a saving grace of the crisis, allowing patients to communicate with their doctors without having to be seen in an office.

Telemedicine, Battinelli predicted, will grow rapidly after the pandemic has subsided because health care consumers will want it because of its convenience. Patients can dial up their doctors, and then wait at home to be seen virtually.

“It is absolutely the way of the future,” Battinelli said.

He added that he believes social distancing is here to stay for at least the next year. It will be, he said, the “new norm” until a Covid-19 vaccine is discovered.

Antibody treatment offers ray of hope at MSSN

By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com

People have been pinning up homemade signs thanking the many workers at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside on chain-link fence that blocks off a construction project full of big dirt mounds outside the hospital.

It was, one could say, a fitting site for a recent Facebook Live session in which three hospital officials offered a glimmer of hope amid the coronavirus crisis, speaking at length about an “innovative” treatment called convalescent plasma that, for some at least, might help cure Covid-19.

Joe Calderone, MSSN’s senior vice president for communications, led the talk on April 17 with Dr. Aaron Glatt, the hospital’s chief of infectious diseases and chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Dr. Adhi Sharma, its chief medical officer and vice president for clinical and professional affairs.

Sharma noted that convalescent plasma is an investigational treatment, not yet fully approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

It works like this, according to Glatt: Patients develop antibodies when fighting off Covid-19, as they do with other viruses. Those antibodies can be extracted from a recovering patient with a high level of them through a blood draw. The plasma can then be injected into someone who is still fighting off the coronavirus, which should help the patient battle the illness.

As of April 17, doctors at the hospital had given plasma to 15 patients, and in those preliminary cases, the procedure had demonstrated “promising” results, according to Sharma.

Ideally, Glatt said, antibodies are extracted from patients three weeks after the onset of Covid-19 symp-

Facebook Live screenshot

Dr. aaron Glatt, Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital’s chief of infectious diseases, spoke recently of an “innovative” treatment for Covid-19 called convalescent plasma. toms. At that point, he said, a patient is most likely to have a sufficient number of antibodies for extraction.

Antibodies, he said, can be counted and quantified.

There is no risk to patients who are donating plasma and no indication the procedure would deplete their antibody stores, potentially leaving them susceptible to future infection, the doctors said.

The treatment is most often given to a patient who is or will likely become “deathly ill,” Glatt said.

Plasma is removed at the New York Blood Center in New York City. Patients must make an appointment to donate. Appointments can be made through Mount Sinai Doctors Five Towns in Hewlett. Donation is a multi-stage procedure that does require time, Glatt said.

Treatment is carried out with patient consent only.

It is unclear, Glatt and Sharma said, to what degree Covid-19 antibodies protect a patient from the disease, and for how long. It could be weeks, months or years.

There is insufficient data on reinfection to know, they said.

Glatt and Sharma each said social distancing is key to ensuring that infection rates do not spike again over the coming weeks and months. They worry that people will ease up on the precautions they have been taking recently now that the weather is warming and more people are heading outside. They also pointed out that Governor Cuomo would likely allow businesses to start returning to normal operations in a phased reopening after May 15.

Without continued social distancing, those two factors could lead again to a surge in hospitalizations, which nearly overran hospitals like MSSN in April. The hospital normally sees about 300 patients total, but at the peak of infection, MSSN was seeing 500 patients, 40 percent more than normal.

The MSSN officials said patients were housed in tents and hospital corridors to accommodate them all.

“The staff went well above and beyond to maintain a hospital of 500 patients,” Sharma said, adding that MSSN could not sustain itself for long with that number of patients.

Until “we totally clear [Covid-19] from the population,” Sharma said, people should continue social distancing. It will only be eradicated, he said, with a proven vaccine, which is 12 to 18 months away.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

By Scott Brinton

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Watch out for new mothers this Mother’s Day

May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

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Mother’s Day is usually a day of celebration and joy for new mothers, but with New York still on lockdown this year, it may be a tough time for those with postpartum depression.

The condition affects one in five new mothers, according to Pauline Walfisch, a therapist at Helping Hands Psychotherapy in Rockville Centre who lives in Franklin Square, and the depression may be masked as Covid-19 anxiety.

In fact, Sonya Murdock, the founder of the Postpartum Resource Center of New “that grandparent experience they were York, said it has received a greater numlooking forward to.” ber of phone calls during the pandemic, “It’s easy to focus on the things you’ve and has increased its helpline lost,” she said, and suggested services to seven days a week. new mothers spend their The helpline provides free Mother’s Day: and confidential support to mothers who are in domestic ■ Connecting with family violence situations, those and friends virtually. who need supplies for their ■ Making a craft they baby, mothers who may be could keep for years. having suicidal thoughts and those who are diagnosed with ■ Getting a little “me Covid-19. time” if there is someone else The outbreak, Murdock in the house who could take pauline walfisch said, has “amplified these care of the baby for a few issues.” minutes.

Making it worse, Walfisch said, is the fact that many new mothers ■ Brightening up their space with flowhave an idealized vision of their first ers from their gardens.

Mother’s Day, but cannot go out to dinner Everyone else, Walfisch said, should this year or perhaps even receive flowers. check on their friends and family memAdditionally, they may feel guilty that bers with new babies. their parents will not be able to have

The Postpartum Resource Center of New York Hotline

(855) 631-0001 postpartumnY.org

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

HempStead town SuperviSor Donald Clavin was one of 13 Long Island supervisors who took part in a discussion on how the proceed with the summer season, when people flock to Long Island’s beaches and parks.

SuperviSorS diScuSSed How to convey social distancing guidelines to the public, and when to open and close town facilities, including beaches and parks.

Christina Daly/Herald

Town supervisors plan for summer recreation

By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com

Thirteen town supervisors gathered Friday to begin planning coordination of the summer season on Long Island, when tourists from across the state and country descend on the Island’s beaches, in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The supervisors focused on parks and recreation in their discussion, officials said. Supervisor Rich Schaffer, of the Town of Babylon, organized the talk.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin said, “The theme of our discussion was that the Covid-19 pandemic does not follow town borders, and it’s necessary to collaborate on our best practices and strategies for summer programs and services. Working together as a team and maintaining communication will be key to providing the safest environment.”

At press time, it was unclear precisely what would be open for the summer, including the beaches.

The supervisors discussed how to convey social distancing guidelines to the public, and when to open and close town facilities, including beaches and parks. Supervisors said they wanted to ensure the closure of any one facility was done in coordination with other towns to make certain no one town was overrun by beach and park attendees.

“The uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic requires us to consider all possible scenarios,” Clavin said.

“Though we wish that all of our residents can enjoy the summers of the past, we accept that this is a ‘new normal,’ at least for this year.”

In addition to Schaffer and Clavin, other supervisors taking part in the talks included: Edward Romaine, of Brookhaven; Judi Bosworth, of North Hempstead; Joseph Saladino, of Oyster Bay; Peter Van Scoyoc, of East Hampton; Chad Lupinacci, of Huntington; Angie Carpenter, of Islip; Yvette Aguiar, of Riverhead; Gerard Siller, of Shelter Island; Edward Wehrheim, of Smithtown; Jay Schneiderman, of Southampton; and Scott Russell, of Southold.

News brief Bill would keep firefighters benefits intact State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Demo- port and appreciation now more than crat from Long Beach, has introduced ever, not an unfair practice that penalizlegislation that would ensure volunteer es them for following safety procefirefighters are able to maintain their dures,” Kaminsky stated in a news active status during the Covid-19 pan- release. The proposed law “would cordemic, when required trainrect this problem and give ing exercises have been them the benefits they interrupted by the virus. deserve.”

Maintaing active service Kaminsky said volunteers is required in order for firea t t h e Wo o d m e r e F i r e fighters to accrue funds Department informed him toward their state pensions. of the issue. “Thank you to Firefighters must attain 50 Senator Kaminsky for his points per year by being on leadership and advocacy on call, responding to emergenbehalf of our volunteer firecies and taking part in trainfighters,” Woodmere Fire ing sessions.

C o m m i s s i o n e r s Ro n n a todd Kaminsky Kaminsky, who re preRubenstein and Israel Max sents several South Shore said in a joint statement in fire departments, said the the release. “This bill will measure would allow active volunteers make sure these brave men and women to earn up to five points per month dur- retain their benefits while forced to stay ing the Covid-19 pandemic and give home because of the pandemic.” departments the ability to set different It was unclear at press time when the emergency response requirements for State Senate would discuss the bill. The certain members. Firefighters would Assembly and Senate passed a resoluthen only have to respond to the mini- tion in late March enabling virtual conmum number of emergency calls they ferencing and voting among firefighters. are assigned.

“First responders deserve our sup–Jeffrey Bessen and Scott Brinton

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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020 Photos by Scott Brinton/Herald

THE WANTAGH PARKWAY bike trail from Cedar Creek County Park to Jones Beach State Park is one of a handful of such trails in Nassau County. At left and above, riders on the trail last Saturday.

Cycling, social-distancing style Nassau County has fewer than 50 miles of bike trails, compared to New York City, which has 450, and Suffok County, which has 370. So Nassau residents have long had a hard time finding a place to ride freely, unconcerned about the presence of cars. With the Covid-19 pandemic hitting, and people unable to work out at their gyms, many are turning to cycling for their regular dose of exercise.

What happens, however, when so many people must make do with a relatively small number of bike trails? Are they able to abide by current social-distancing requirements when riding? Heralds Executive Editor Scott Brinton rode the Wantagh Park bike trail from Cedar Creek County Park to Jones Beach State Park Saturday to find out, and for the most part, he found, cyclists, runners and inline skaters were keeping a safe distance — at least six feet apart. On this page you will find his photos from his 10-mile round-trip.

For more photos, see liherald.com.

A NUMBER OF roller bladers and cyclists, left and top right, wore masks as they made their way to and from Jones Beach, while also keeping a safe distance from those around them.

THE NEW YORK State Parks Department, center, warned park-goers at Jones Beach to stay at least six feet away from others.

CYCLISTS ON THE trail at Jones Beach, right.

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

NEIGHBORS IN THE NEWS

Courtesy Levittown Schools

STUDENTS FROM MACARTHUR and Division Avenue high schools participated in Northwell Health’s 2020 Spark! Challenge, where they learned about different career paths in the medical field.

High School student challenge ‘sparks’ creativity This year, teams of students from both General Douglas MacArthur High School and Division Avenue High School participated in the 2020 Northwell Health Spark!

Challenge. Participants in the challenge, which pitted high schools from all across Nassau County against each other, entailed choosing and creating a poster and presentation about one of the many career paths open to students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related healthcare fields.

The challenge students gave an opportunity to participate in a program that bolsters a partnership between high school students, educators and Northwell team members to shine a light on different careers. The program and its lessons have been underscored this year by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The two high school teams focused on different areas of study. MacArthur students chose Corporate Biomedical Services. The group created a video spotlighting

biomedical engineers. They also designed a poster with some of their findings.

Before producing their projects, the MacArthur students explored the critical role that individuals in the field of Corporate Biomedical Services play. Their responsibilities include maintaining and repairing medical equipment, managing the biomedical department and engaging in biomedical engineering initiatives, such as cybersecurity and asset tracking.

Division Avenue participants submit-

?

N E ʼ P O S T HA

W

ted a poster to the Spark! Challenge, which represented human resources and how it connects to Northwell Health physician partners. Students learned about the relationship between human resources partners and business leaders and how that connection leads to growing their organization.

Although neither team placed in the Spark! Challenge this year, both of their projects were featured in the Northwell Health Spark! Challenge 2020 Guidebook.

Let Your CommunitY Know!

FREE Online Business Directory liherald.com/whatsopen

1086103

List your business’ status and find out information about other local businesses.

9

1084609

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020 Filename: Northwell_w321181f_Plasma donation ad_Herald Community Newspapers_FP_10.25x12.75

Discover the best...

Garden Vegetables & Flowers Our great selection includes unusual & hard-to-find varieties in “BIG 803” packs which means:

Mad men donate mad masks 1088029

Healthier plants with better roots Superior garden performance More flowers & fruits –and just more fun!

Experience the difference!!!

Courtesy Christopher Carini

ON SUNDAY, MAY 3, Town of Hempstead Councilman Christopher Carini and Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads partnered with Mad Men Barbershops of Wantagh to hand out donated masks.

On April 28, Town of Hempstead Councilman Christopher Carini and Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads continued their collection and distribution of personal protection equipment to healthcare professionals and civilians. The elected officials have once again partnered with Mad Men Barbershop of Merrick Road in Wantagh.

The pair, joined by Mad Men partners and Wantagh firefighters, used the Wantagh Fire Department Station 5 as their site. Several members of the Miss Wantagh court were also in attendance to aid in the handout of the donated masks.

On May 3, the same group moved just west to Bellmore. Once agan, they collected and distributed masks.

Mad Men’s most recent donation brings their total number of donated protective masks during this pandemic to nearly 100,000. Last Sunday, in front of the Bellmore Fire Department Station, Carini, Rhoads, two Mad Men partners and a select number of Bellmore firefighters helped distribute roughly 1,400 to first responders, medical personnel and senior citizens. This brings the total of distributed masks during Mad Men associated donation events to 15,000 masks physically handed to the public. All members participating the event were wearing masks and adhering to general safety precautions.

The officials plan to partner with Mad Men again.

Class of 2020 Don’t miss Rockville Centre this

HERALD

REGISTER FROM APRIL 1ST TO MAY 31ST

Special Section coming out in the June 18 th issue

animalleague.org/sitstaywalk

Take A Walk And Save Lives

Participate in North Shore Animal League America’s virtual walk for a chance to do something positive and active, while raising crucial funds for homeless animals that need your support now more than ever. Walkers can participate anytime, from anywhere.

REMEMBER: Be safe and practice social distancing along the way.

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Pet Bandana

569-4000

Fun Contests and Activities

REGISTER TODAY: animalleague.org/sitstaywalk events@animalleague.org 516-373-3235

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May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

10

11

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Spread the news(letter) not the virus!

1085562

What you need to know today.

1085016

Stay up to date with the latest Nassau County news.

Sign up for an online account at www.liherald.com to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox.

May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

12

Lightning strikes in Seaford Fireighters responded to the call with one engine company. They extended a hose line and extinguished the fire. The department no one was hurt, according to department sources.

A lightning strike caused a small fire in a home on Seamans Neck Road in Seaford on April 21.

Courtesy Christopher Carini

On sundAy, MAy 3, Town of Hempstead Councilman Christopher Carini and Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads partnered with Mad Men Barbershops of Wantagh to hand out donated masks.

Mad men donate mad masks On April 28, Town of Hempstead Councilman Christopher Carini and Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads continued their collection and distribution of personal protection equipment to healthcare professionals and civilians. The elected officials have once again partnered with Mad Men Barbershop of Merrick Road in Wantagh.

The pair, joined by Mad Men partners and Wantagh firefighters, used the Wantagh Fire Department Station 5 as their site. Several members of the Miss Wantagh court were also in attendance to aid in the handout of the donated masks.

On May 3, the same group moved just west to Bellmore. Once agan, they collected and distributed masks.

Mad Men’s most recent donation brings their total number of donated protective masks during this pandemic to nearly 100,000. Last Sunday, in front of the Bellmore Fire Department Station, Carini, Rhoads, two Mad Men partners and a select number of Bellmore firefighters helped distribute roughly 1,400 to first responders, medical personnel and senior citizens. This brings the total of distributed masks during Mad Men associated donation events to 15,000 masks physically handed to the public. All members participating the event were wearing masks and adhering to general safety precautions.

The officials plan to partner with Mad Men again.

Courtesy Seaford Fire Department

Crime watCh Petit larceny

■ Mario Salmeron, 50, of Hempstead, was arrested for allegedly shoplifting from Walmart on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow on April 27 at 10 a.m.

■ Victim reports two male subjects removed assorted merchandise from 7-Eleven on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa on April 29 at 8:25 p.m.

■ An unknown male was reported to have removed headphones from Walgreens on Hempstead Turnpike in East

Meadow on April 28 at 5 p.m.

Larceny from auto

■ Individual arrested for removing property from a vehicle parked on Hicksville Road in Seaford at some point between April 27 at 10 p.m. and April 28 at 12 p.m.

■ Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed assorted property from her vehicle parked on Johnston Avenue in Wantagh at some point between April 23 at 5 p.m. and April 24 at 9 a.m.

Charles Peknic | Brian Peknic | Sean Schaefer Peknic, Peknic & Schaefer LLC 1005 West Beech Street, Long Beach 516.432.9400 PeknicLaw.com

1086625

A Special Thanks to All Those Who Serve Our Community

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

A Seaford home was struck during a lightning storm on Monday, April 21. The Seamans Neck Road home had a small fire in an upstairs room as a result of the lightning, according to the Seaford Fire Department.

13

HERALD

Employment

CLASSIFIED

Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail you ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.

To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5

Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify and ad.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

$18.50 P/H NYC • $16 P/H LI CDPAP Caregiver Hourly Pay Rate!

Under NYS CDPAP Medicaid program you can hire your family or friends for your care.

Phone: 347-713-3553 EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted JOB OPPORTUNITY $18.50 P/H NYC $16 P/H LI Up to $13.50 P/H UPSTATE NY CDPAP Caregiver Hourly Pay Rate!

Under NYS CDPAP Medicaid program you can hire your family or friends for your care. Phone: 347-713-3553

OFFICE HELP WANTED FULL TIME

For Order Taking, Phones, Light Data, Commission, Entry, Will Train! $800.00 Per Week, Medical, Dental, 401K, 2 Weeks Vacation, Holiday Pay. Please Apply In Person MondayFriday Bet: 9AM and 7PM At CALLAHEAD CORP. 304 Cross Bay Blvd.

Queens NY 11693 PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: PT, Various Shifts, Retiree's Welcome.

Duties Include: Patrols Throughout The Village, Issuance Code Violations Citations.

Qualifications: HS Graduate Or Equivalent, Valid Driver's License With A Satisfactory Driving Record. Willing To Work Evenings, Weekends, Holidays & Inclement Weather.

Contact: Incorporated Village Of Atlantic Beach 516-371-4600

Homes

HERALD

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 1080712

May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

14

Purchasing Agent

CALLAHEAD Corp. is seeking a full time purchasing agent with experience. We offer full medical and dental 100% paid, 401k, 2 weeks paid vacation, holiday pay. Must have computer skills, ability to multi task, work in a fast paced environment and be extremely organized. Some duties include receiving and placing daily material orders, negotiating prices, overseeing deliveries, quote request, and checking inventory. Please apply in person Monday- Friday bet: 9am & 7pm at 304 Crossbay Blvd. Broad Channel Queens 11693

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

Hewlett Bay Park HOME OF THE WEEK

Master Class In Luxury

T

raditional Colonial built in 2004.

Th i s h o m e h a s 6 l a r g e bedrooms, 6.55 baths that are spread throughout three levels. You will enjoy a state-of-the-art Neff kitchen with high-end appliances, ample storage and counter space. The Mahogany upholstered family room has a fireplace that makes it warm and cozy. The grand master suite has soaring cathedral-like ceilings and spa-inspired ensuite. The ground level includes sauna, fitness center, playroom and movie theater. The home has been raised 10-feet above the ground. A bi-level stone deck overlooks the in-ground pool and a stunning 1-acre lot. For detailed walk-through virtual tour visit www.VIPropertiesNY.com or call 516-791-1313 for more information.

One phone call, one order, one heck of a good price to run your ad in any state, or across the country.

Call the USA Classified Network today!

1-800-231-6152

PROPERTIES FOR SALE LIDO BEACH • LIDO BEACH TOWERS Custom Built Duplex Apt. Open Floor Plan, 2.5 Bths, Skylights, Direct Access To Beach, Building Recently Renovated To Perfection, Private Gated Entrance 24/7 Concierge, Outdoor Heated Pool, Gym, Tennis Courts, Extra Guest Parking. $745K

OLD WOODMERE

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RobertLewis Lewis Robert Real Estate Estate Broker Real American AmericanHomes Homes

75 SEAMAN AVENUE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE o: 516.766.7900 | signaturepremier.com

The TheGandolfo GandolfoTeam Team

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Let Me Help You Find Your Dream Home Virtually

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THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING?

2911 Long Beach Road

NYworkers, 11572 Thank you to all ourOceanside, healthcare first responders, police officers, firefighters, grocery Interested in selling employees, military service members,your restaurant workers, delivery drivers, teachers, essential home, buying, or investing? service providers, and all those who are working Anto experienced Realtor, former Baldwin High keep our community safe. May all our School Business Educator, local resident for community members stay&safe and stay well.

Contact one of our hardworking professionals today for all of your real estate needs!

We look forward to providing home buyers and sellers with the highest level of personalized service and support.

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Phone: 516-551-0796 Phone: 516-551-0796 Email: BobLewisNY@gmail.com Email: BobLewisNY@gmail.com Instagram: Instagram:@BobLewisNY @BobLewisNY

As an experienced Realtor, former Baldwin High School Business sell, & invest in residential andI’m commercial real Educator, & local resident for 35+ years, an expert in helping estate on & Long and and in New York real City. people buy, sell, investIsland in residential commercial estate throughout Long Island Newconfidential York City.

Contact me today for aand free,

At consultation this time, all realand estate transactions areappraisal. available virtually. a free market Contact me today for a free, confidential consultation today.

WWW.LIHERALD.COM

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

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

Organize With alice Professional Organizing

New homes priced from the low $100's available immediately in active adult 55+ landlease community in Smyrna Delaware.

Close to DE Beaches and Dover Downs.

Low taxes. 302-659-5800 or www.BonAyreHomes.com

Apartments For Rent CEDARHURST APARTMENTS PRIVATE HOUSE First 3Bds, 2 FBths, EIK Granite/ SS Appls, Finished Basement, W/D, Driveway Parking. $3400 Second 3Bds, 2 FBaths, EIK Granite/ SS Appls, W/D $3000 516-660-2944 See virtual ad at www.greenroomre.com/258-washingtonave

CEDARHURST NO FEE Pr ivate Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For O n e B e d r o o m W h e n Ava i l a bl e.

(516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978 FRANKLIN SQUARE: Second Floor, 2 Rooms, Fbth, EIK, Suitable One. No Smoking/ Pets. $1100. Heat/ Water Included. 516-437-6830

Rent Your Apartment through the Herald and PrimeTime Classified section. Call us for our great *specials.

516-569-4000, press 5 for Classified Dept. *(private party only)

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The Rockville Centre Office of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty is excited to announce the addition of Philip Adesso as a Real Estate Salesperson.

A life-long New Yorker and a long time Rockville Centre resident, Philip possesses 15 years of Real Estate experience representing both buyers and sellers. Philip holds a BS in Economics from Manhattan College and a MBA in Finance from the Baruch College Zicklin School of Business. He also has over 2 decades of Wall Street experience - leading a multitude of highly successful initiatives at industry leaders such as Nasdaq, Dow Jones and Bear Stearns.

Philip truly enjoys helping his clients with the most important purchases and sales of their lives.

When not helping clients, you can find him locally on the tennis courts, golf course and spending time with his family. You can reach Philip Adesso at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty Rockville Centre Office 36 S. Park Ave, Rockville Centre, New York, 11570 Office 516.678.1510, cell 718.664.5848, email philipadesso@danielgale.com website https://philipadesso.danielgale.com

FOR AN ESTIMATE TEXT:

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Residential and Commercial - All Surfaces Call Anthony Romeo “The Local Guy” “Anthony & J Home Improvement, Inc.” Also specializes in ★ Deck Renovation ★ Driveways ★ Siding ★ Masonry ★ Fences ★ Roofing ★ Interior/Exterior Painting.

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Chimney King, Ent. Inc.

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JUAN JARA Licensed RE Broker Associate Cell: 516-318-0142 Juan@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

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

15

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Place Homes HERALD Market •

HERALD

Installing shingles HERALDStuff in wet weather • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Q. Lately, now that it’s spring, I’m seeing roofers putting on new shingles and assume people are getting leaks that must be making them a little desperate, because roofers are working on wet roofs or in cold weather or when it’s drizzling. Can roof shingles be put on in wet weather? I Ask The was taught by my father, a carpenter who was Architect extremely careful with everything he did. I learned what to do (and not to do) from him, and he never would have allowed this. Is there something about today’s products that allows them to be put on in wet or cold weather that I don’t know about?

A. Shingles aren’t the

Monte Leeper

only things being “put on.” Wet weather and construction don’t mix. Homeowners are being misled by people they hired to do the right job.

One of the first lessons in architecture is the detailed understanding of how water and movement affect buildings. Your observation is correct that installing materials in wet conditions should generally be avoided. In the case of putting shingles over shingles, there’s an assumption that the heat of a hot, sunny day will dry everything out eventually, but the slowly developing damage has already begun, hidden from sight.

It’s generally not the first thing people think of, but the world we live in exists in multiple levels of scale, from nanoparticles to cells to larger molecules and visible materials. In other words, seeing may be believing, but what you can’t see is still there, and what you can’t see happening is still happening. If we only think of water as big droplets, forgetting about gas (vapor) and solid (expanding ice), or that many materials allow water vapor to squeeze between their molecular structures, then it will be harder to understand the level of permeability or penetration of a material, like the wood sheathing below the shingles — or that a thousand nails were just driven through the vapor barrier sheeting below the shingles.

For installers, it becomes a gamble, a game of risk, to someone else’s cherished property through a bunch of assumptions: that water won’t get through, or won’t be locked in, heated by the sun, forced by pressure like a thousand little boiling tea kettles to push moisture around the nails and into the wood sheathing, or to cause the semi-rigid shingles to be forced by expanding frost to keep flexing and contracting, shortening their useful lifespan of protecting the inside of the house. Once this occurs, the materials have made accommodation for vapor and have slightly expanded, but after expanding, they don’t immediately contract again.

They now have a much greater flexibility, and all because the moisture crowbarred its way in.

I often wonder if those installers would leave their windows down in a car wash. They have little to lose, because if the shingles fail prematurely, they’ll be back sooner.

© 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.

MERCHANDISE MART Miscellaneous For Sale Privacy Hedges -SPRING BLOWOUT SALE 6ft Arborvitae Reg $179 Now $80 Beautiful, Nursery Grown. FREE Installation/FREE delivery, Limited Supply! ORDER NOW: 518-536-1367 www.lowcosttreefarm.com

SERVICES Appliance Srvc./Repair

APPLIANCE DOCTOR HOUSE CALLS!!

*Washers *Dr yers *Ovens *Ranges *Dishwashers. CFC CERTIFIED REFRIGERATION/ AIR CONDITIONING. INSURED. One Year Guarantee.. "Established 30 Years" Consumer Affairs LICENSE #HO21719000. **$10 OFF Repairs/ $12 Seniors** FREE Service Charge With Repairs. Call The Original Ronny 516-764-7011; 516-536-8664 theappliancedoctorrx.com EMERGENCY SERVICE TODAY...

Cable/TV/Wiring WIREMAN/ CABLEMAN: Flat TVs Mounted, Phone/ Cable TV & Computer Wiring Installed/ Serviced, Camera/ Stereo Systems Installed, HDTV Antennas, FREE Estimates. Lic.#54264-RE. Credit Cards Accepted. davewireman.com. Call Dave 516-433-9473(WIRE) 631-667-9473(WIRE) 516-353-1118(TEXT)

Electricians E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas.

Services/Repairs. Violations Removed.

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WE ARE AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS 516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.

Home Improvement

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

Answers

to todAy’s puzzle

HANDY DANDY NO JOB TOO SMALL! *Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761

Miscellaneous DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice R e m o t e . S o m e r e s t r i c t i o n s a p p l y.

1-888-609-9405 GET DIRECTV! ONLY $35/month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package.) PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918 SAVE ON YOUR NEXT PRESCRIPTION! World Health Link. Price Match Guarantee!

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Plumbing PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES! Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers.

24 Hour Emergency Response.

516-599-1011

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Tree Services T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE *Tree Removal *Stump Grinding *Pruning *Roof Line Clearing. Residential and Commercial. "We Beat All Competitors' Rates."

Lowest Rates. *Senior Discount. Free Estimates. *516-223-4525, 631-586-3800 www.tmgreencare.com

Wanted To Sell

AND LANDSCAPING: Tree Removal, Stumps, Fertilization, Planting, Land Clearing, Topping. Free Estimates. Lic# H206773000. Office 516-546-4971, Cell 516-852-5415

• Spring Turn-Ons

• Installations/Renovations Service • Repairs

FREON WANTED: WE pay CA$H for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals.

Call 312-361-0601 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

Certified Backflow Tester

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Joe Barbato 516-826-7700

Education

Health & Fitness

Tree Services FRANCISCO'S TREE SERVICE

Sprinkler Syst./Irrig.Wells

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now!

Now offering a $10,000 scholarship for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details!

(844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

HErald

Crossword Puzzle

Free Estimates Licensed and Insured

1082363

May 7, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

16

VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! 1-855-579-8907

Legal Services BOY SCOUT COMPENSATION FUND Anyone that was inappropriately touched by a Scout leader deserves justice and financial compensation! Victims may be eligible for a significant cash settlement.

Time to file is limited. Call Now! 844-587-2494 LUNG CANCER? AND Age 60+? You And Your Family May Be Entitled To Significant Cash Award. No Risk. No Money Out Of Pocket. For Infor mation Call 877-225-4813

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

Autos For Sale MERCEDES BENZ E350, 2006: 4-Matic, 70K Miles, Excellent Condition. Must See! $12,000. 516-603-8697 SUBARU OUTBACK LTD, 2012: Sunroof, Leather, All Power, Excellent Condition. Must See& Drive! $9,500.

516-445-1770 VOLKSWAGEN, PASSAT, 2002. 1.8 Turbo, Leather, 95K Miles. Good Condition, Needs Engine Work. $1,300Neg. 917-446-0124

Junk Cars Wanted HIGHEST CA$H PAID

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No Title, No Keys=No Problem ID Required. CALL US LAST! Call us at 516-766-0000

Motorcycles For Sale MOTORCYCLE: BMW R1200 MONTAUK, 2004. Pristine, Like New Condition, Low Mileage, Light Blue, $5,500.

516-313-3425

17

OPINIONS

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he coronavirus pandemic sweeping our nation has highlighted critical gaps in our ability to beat back such threats. It’s quite a wake-up call for America.

There is total consensus in the international medical community that Covid19 originated in Wuhan, China. It likely began as a virus that jumped from animals to humans in one of that city’s notorio u s “ we t m a rkets,” where all sorts of live animals — including live bats known to carry coronavirusALFONSE es — are slaughtered and offered D’AMATO for sale for human consumption.

According to U.S. intelligence reports, it is also ever more likely that a Chinese governmentsponsored laboratory in that city — the Wuhan Institute of Virology — was experimenting with the virus, and that because of careless handling by its scientists, the virus might have escaped from the lab and triggered the pandemic.

The Chinese communist government has predictably obfuscated on this disaster, locking down information from Wuhan and concealing the extent of the

pandemic in China. Instead of cooperating with the rest of the world to help scientists fully understand the origin and spread of the disease, Chinese authorities have lowered a cloak of secrecy and unleashed a propaganda campaign, even going so far as to make the preposterous claim that the virus was somehow imported into China by the U.S. military.

All of this would be more than bad enough if not for the fact that the virus has painfully demonstrated just how dependent the U.S. has become on China and other countries for all manner of medical supplies and critical medicines. America imports vast amounts of medical masks, gowns and other protective equipment. Much of our pharmaceutical industry, which was once located in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, has shifted to Asia over the past few decades.

America today is in the extraordinarily dangerous position of fighting a pandemic caused largely by the Chinese government’s carelessness and malfeasance with medical supplies from China. That must change, and quickly. It’s time for America to see China for the adversary it is, not the partner we might wish it to be.

That will mean making some very fundamental changes in U.S. industrial and

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trade policies in the future. We must bring critical manufacturing capability back to this country, especially for important medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.

By way of example, for years America had a robust pharmaceutical industry in Puerto Rico.

That industry was given tax incentives that were shortsightedly allowed to lapse, driving production to other nations, where it was welcomed with significant host-government support.

Congress and the administration should reinstate those tax incentives to bring back pharmaceutical production.

There are a number of other steps Washington should consider to help rebuild our manufacturing base.

For years we have allowed China and other countries to game international bodies like the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, which gave special treatment to those countries as “developing nations.”

But today its laughable to consider China a developing nation that can take advantage of WTO polices to dump manufactured goods in America and WHO policies that allow it to shirk its international responsibilities. How can it be right for China to run a trade surplus

t has painfully demonstrated just how dependent the U.S. has become on China.

with the U.S. of a half trillion dollars a year at the same time that it contributes less than one-tenth of what the U.S. has contributed to the WHO? China gives the WHO less than $50 million a year, while the U.S. gives it over $500 million for international health care initiatives, because the WHO considers China a “developing nation.”

What nonsense! President Trump was right to suspend further U.S. financial support for the WHO until this glaring inequity is corrected. At the very least, China must make up the hundreds of millions of dollars it should have contributed to the WHO to match what the U.S. has already so generously contributed.

Over the next few years, in the aftermath of this international health and economic disaster, America must rebuild its industrial might. We cannot lead the world with just the strength of our ideals or our arms, great as they may be. And we must demand that countries like China treat the rest of the world fairly, and shoulder their share of the responsibility to all humankind.

It is not too late for America to wake up. But time is running out.

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.

Have you heard the one about Clorox Chewables?

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umor is serious business, so I felt much better when the pandemic jokes began popping up. For example: “If you need 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine, you probably should have been seeing a doctor long before Covid-19.” If we can joke about it, it can’t be as terrifying as it seems, right? Right?

Tracking the LOLs, it becomes evident that much coronavirus humor focuses on toilet paper and the shortages thereof. I guess the world started looking funny to us when we first put on our big boy and big girl pants.

I know some RANDI readers think KREISS there’s nothing funny about Covid19, and really, those of us who find a laugh here and there don’t think it’s funny, either. We’re not making light of the disease, but of ourselves and our foibles.

Humor is an enormously successful defense mechanism. That’s not from me; it’s from, you know, the guy who knew about these things, Sigmund Freud. He

wrote that humor helps us cope with seemingly insurmountable tragedy. It eases the burden and gives us some sense of control.

Two photos online: The first is a picture of Quentin Tarantino. The second is a picture of a guy in full hazmat suit inside a tent. The caption is “Tentin Quarantino.” You can laugh, it’s OK. The psychologists say so.

Gregg Levoy wrote in Psychology Today, “It’s a curious thing. We’re in the midst of the worst global health crisis in over 100 years, and yet we’re overflowing with jokes, parodies, cartoons and gag videos.”

I’ve laughed a lot at talking-dog videos, especially that one with the Schnauzer giving advice to other dogs on how to behave during a pandemic, specifically identifying the no-sniff zones. Yeah, the humor is low, but so is my morale.

This is not to say that sharing humor is without risk. We’re isolated, so when we send friends jokes or cartoons, they can’t see our expressions and we can’t read theirs. The possibility of misunderstanding one another is real.

To be sure, there is safe humor, and much more edgy stuff. One does have to

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exhibit a modicum of good taste. I don’t think humor goes into the ICU or to the gravesite. And it all depends on one’s own experience through this time of trouble.

Being sick, worrying about a loved one in trouble, suffering financial setbacks or just going crazy from the extended isolation all change our sense of what’s funny.

My family is notoriously dark when it comes to humor. Almost anything goes, and for us, it helps.

People are still tuning in to Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers because they make us laugh, despite the horrific news. All of them push the envelope.

Levoy says you can’t laugh and be scared at the same time, so while we’re laughing, we are momentarily forgetting the horrors of the pandemic. We are temporarily tuning out the map with the spread of the disease and the voiceovers with the daily totals of dead people and the news reports of refrigerator trucks holding the bodies of people’s mothers and fathers and children. After a while of consuming the bad news, we overload on horrific detail and actually shortcircuit. In that moment, if we can find

e’re not making light of the disease, but of ourselves and our foibles.

something to laugh about, it’s really OK. “Life does not cease to be funny when people die,” said George Bernard Shaw, “any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”

Here are a couple of mini ha-has: Has anyone let the Amish know what’s going on yet?

The World Health Organization has announced that dogs can’t contract Covid19. Dogs previously held in quarantine can now be released. Just to be clear, WHO let the dogs out.

Some of the humor coming my way targets Donald Trump and his disastrous incompetence before and during the pandemic. (Have you seen the ad for Clorox Chewables?)

Maher piled on: “Donald Trump had a meltdown about what a great temperament he has. It was like watching someone carve ‘I’m not a psycho’ into their arm.”

“If you are able to teach people to be more playful, to look at the absurdities of life as humorous, you see some increase in well-being,” said Stanford psychologist Andrea Samson.

I’m all for vaccines — the sooner the better — but let’s not inoculate ourselves against laughter.

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

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

Covid-19 is a wake-up call for America

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HERALD EDITORIAL

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Schools: focus on students first, then learning

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ast Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally offered students and teachers certainty about the rest of the 2019-20 school year when he canceled in-person classes through June to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Thank you, Mr. Cuomo.

For weeks, pupils and educators in New York’s schools were left in limbo, wondering whether they should devote themselves entirely to the new online model or wait for classes to resume as normal.

Moving to online teaching and learning was a shock to our education system that left all involved in a state of frenzied confusion. In just weeks, teachers had to move to a system in which most had little to no training or experience. Students, many of whom depend on their teachers, coaches, guidance counselors and administrators for social and emotional support, suddenly lost that network, leaving many full of anxiety at a time of widespread despair.

What most young people repeatedly hear now are stories of job loss and death.

Many children and young adults, without the life experience to understand that the nation will emerge from this crisis, remain in a semi-daze, incapable of focusing on their schoolwork as they did two months ago.

Worse, many students are hurting because their parents have lost their jobs, or fear losing them. Worst still, some students have lost parents or grandparents to Covid-19.

Teachers and administrators should, first and foremost, pay close attention to

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LETTERS The virus is tough, but Long Islanders are tougher To the Editor: Communities all over the world have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but have pressed on and adapted to the “new normal” of social distancing, homeschooling and teleworking. Although the virus has ravaged communities and businesses, Long Islanders have shown our strength once again by coming together even when we are kept physically apart.

Long Island is home to heroic first responders who risk illness and injury to help others in times of crisis. During Hurricane Sandy and after the Sept. 11 attacks, firefighters, police officers, health care workers and volunteers worked around the clock, without returning home to their own families for weeks on end, to heroically help our families and fellow New Yorkers. The same has been true during this pandemic.

their students’ psychological health during this precarious time, and secondarily to their schoolwork.

The period between now and mid-June will be a time of survival for many people, and no less for students. Expectations of learning must be tempered by the premise that, above all else, our young people must emerge from this time unscathed — psychologically unharmed, in a sound mental state.

The State Education Department canceled all major exams, including the Regents, for a good reason: The normal process of learning has been interrupted, and will not resume for some time.

The nation is at war with an invisible killer. Right now, students’ grades matter less than during ordinary times. What matters is sending a clear message to our young people: We adults will keep you safe.

One day soon, we will return to normal, and when we do, we will redouble our efforts to ensure that you learn all that’s necessary to know. Now, however, is not that time.

That is not to say that we should forgo learning, or not expect students to do their work. Rather, we must understand and acknowledge how they are feeling before we can get down to whatever work is possible.

With that said, we offer these suggestions to our schools: ■ If teachers are not already doing so, they should meet with their students in live sessions at least once a week, and pref-

erably twice a week. Students desperately need to see and speak with their teachers, but we have heard scattered reports that at least some teachers have not met live with their students for as long as six weeks.

■ Each district should decide on one online educational platform for all. Whether it’s Google Classroom or Edmodo, make it districtwide. Employing more than one platform will only sow confusion.

■ Students should be assigned homework according to a set schedule, at a given time on a given day, so they know what to expect. Consistency is key, so they can develop a routine.

■ Teachers should follow up on homework assignments with live Zoom sessions to explain the work, and not leave it to students to attend extra help sessions, particularly sessions conducted by email.

■ Students should not be videoed in class, with the images posted on YouTube, without student and parental consent.

■ All teachers in a district should have a single method of taking attendance, and grading rubrics should be provided to students and parents.

■ Students should be given opportunities to do extra-credit work to make up for missed work.

We will survive this crisis, and teachers and school administrators will play a key role in ensuring that we do, provided that every district adheres to a set of basic guidelines for online teaching.

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OPINIONS

was asked recently why university presidents aren’t speaking out about the state of affairs in our country. Of course, the issue of the moment is the lack of preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, even when knowledgeable people were forecasting it. After all, universities are supposed to be moral forces in society.

Who is in a better position to remind the public of what the 19thcentury English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said: “. . . the rule is absolute, the [nation] which ROBERT A. does not value trained intelliSCOTT gence is doomed”?

Yet the voices of university leaders are largely silent in the face of the most critical issue of our time, and trained intelligence is ignored when politically inconvenient.

Some argue that university leaders should not take stands on policy, that they should not be “political.” But what is political and what is polemical? Politics refers to the public affairs of a country. A

polemic is an aggressive attack on the opinions or principles of another. Surely academic leaders can comment on the public affairs of the country without resorting to aggressive attacks, even if those whose policies are being confronted want others to believe that such comments are inappropriate.

Therefore, when scientific leadership on policies related to health care, clean water, air pollution and product safety, among others, is being replaced by lobbyists for the regulated industries, university leaders should be among the strongest voices expressing concern. Should they not call out falsehoods and fabrications passing as truth?

Education is the foundation of a free and democratic society. In any country, the university is unique in its mission to create, curate and critique. Laboratories create new knowledge, museums and libraries preserve the past, and journalists examine social policy by asking “Why?” But only the university is responsible for all three roles.

In these ways, the university fulfills its historic mission not as a political force,

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houldn’t they call out falsehoods and fabrications passing as truth?

LETTERS Although the enemy that first responders are battling is invisible, they continue to fight with valor, and give us all the confidence that this virus will be defeated. Public transportation workers, grocery clerks, truck drivers and countless other essential workers are all working on the front lines to provide us with services that our society could not function without.

With the apex of the pandemic hitting during the holy season, people of all denominations had to limit their celebrations to immediate family, and many, including me, opted for virtual gatherings via Zoom. While physically empty, churches, mosques and temples continue to play a tremendous part in keeping congregations full in their faiths and hopeful that an end to this crisis is near. Religious leaders and community members across creeds have maintained active charities to combat food insecurity and provide first responders and those in need with personal protective equipment and other supplies even though their own collection of these needed materials was dwindling.

T he County Le gislature has received more than 4,000 letters and drawings from children for our frontline heroes as part of our “Letters to our Heroes” drive. Donations of PPE and nightly displays of gratitude — drive-bys, horn honks and alarm sounding — have cheered up and cheer

but as an ethical voice. For example, the founders of Adelphi were advocates for the advancement of women, the abolition of slavery and improved instruments for world peace. They adopted as their motto, “The truth shall make us free.” Surely there were those who thought the new institution should only teach classes, believing that school was separate from society. But the president and supporters knew the power of ethical arguments and the need for ethical thinking.

The ethical perspective considers fairness, the degree of bias, the consistency of application, the factual basis for assertions and the justness of moral judgments and public laws. Women had no right to vote, slavery was legal and war ignored diplomacy as the “first resort of kings,” as the author Richard Arndt described it, yet the Adelphi leaders had the courage of conviction and a visionary voice.

They knew that their role was to educate students, and the public, to reflect on what they read and heard, assess actions and policies, form independent opinions, and express impartial concerns as indi-

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — May 7, 2020

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Should university presidents take ethical stands?

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viduals. In this way, the university teaches us all to distinguish among the three paths to finding truth — through facts, faith and fear — and helps to clarify each.

To state facts is not polemical. People wake-u The can have different opinions, but not difnation ferent facts. The university’s role is to 19 orig advance knowledge, both general and expert; skills such as writing and speaking with clarity and persuasion; abilities such as critical thinking and leadership; and values such as teamwork, respect for others and their opinions, and becoming active in society as citizens.

These are the missions of a university, and it is the university president who serves as the chief mission officer. If we do our jobs well, our graduates will be well prepared to see the results of political actions that ignore expert knowledge.

They will be able to analyze propaganda masquerading as principle, and discern facts from unfounded superstitions. They will be able to call out the misguided actions of those who ignore science, histo- U.S. in ry and the need to respect others. We will more l sponso have prepared graduates for political action when it is needed regardless of the Wuha polemics surrounding them. And we will experi becaus have taken an ethical stand. tists, t the lab Robert A. Scott is president emeritus of The Adelphi University. has pr ter, lo Wuhan

FRAMEWORK by Eric Dunetz

on our heroes.

I have worked with County Executive Laura Curran and my fellow legislators to approve emergency legislation allowing the county to spend $2.3 million on PPE, testing supplies and other critical tools to help keep workers and residents safe. Recently, I joined my colleagues to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to push back the property tax deadline to give relief to struggling businesses and residents.

Last month the governor answered our call and extended the deadline until June 1.

The pandemic has affected our lives in ways that we could noy have fathomed just a few months ago. Recovery will be difficult, but with our combined efforts, it is more than possible.

The coronavirus may be tough, but Long Islanders are tougher.

C. WILLIAM GAYLOR Nassau County legislator

Cuomo has a friend in Jerry Kremer To the Editor: I just had to respond to last week’s column by Jerry Kremer, “Cuomo puts the other guy from Queens to shame.” Kremer speaks in glowing terms about Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but

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toilet p probab long be it, it ca right? R Tra

The Blue Angels’ and Thunderbirds’ goosebump-inducing tribute to health care heroes — Queens

leaves out so many details — for example, that Cuomo has put the state in a $6 billion hole because of inept and careless spending, investing state money in ridiculous solar panel schemes and not allowing fracking that would not only increase state revenue, but lower all taxpayer energy bills. He is also eliminating the Indian Point power plant, which provides New York City with 25 percent of its power.

Where does Cuomo expect to make up that energy deficit? Windmills? Solar power? When the lights go out this summer

and in summers to follow, there will be only one person to blame, and that will be Cuomo.

Kremer obviously despises President Trump, but I must say that if it were not for Trump and his staff bailing out all theseof us w mismanaged states, this country would bedon’t th finished. The least Trump deserves is amakin thank-you from these blue state governorsselves Hum for coming to their rescue. defense Richard Heemanit’s from Valley Streamabout t

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