Great Neck 2021_12_31

Serving Great Neck, G.N. Plaza, G.N. Estates, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston

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Friday, December 31, 2021

Vol. 96, No. 53

HEALTH, WELLNESS MINEOLA CLERK AND BEAUTY GETS TOWN POST PAGES 10, 11

VGN board OKs plans for senior living complex

PAGE 4

NO CHARGES AGAINST CUOMO IN NASSAU PAGE 6

GINGERBREAD MAN

Proposal features 63-unit apartment, retail space on East Shore Road

BY M A D E L I N E ARMSTRONG Plans for a 55-and-older apartment complex on East Shore Road were approved at the Village of Great Neck Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 21.

The proposal, outlined at the previous meeting by Paul Bloom of Harras Bloom & Archer LLP and representatives from Mojo Stumer Associates, includes a three-story apartment-style building at 265 East Shore Road with an attached retail section.

The building proposed by the Villadom Corp. will include 63 apartment units and 161 parking stalls to be used by residents and retail customers. It was approved 4-0 with Trustee Eli Kashi not present.

After the site plan and architectural plan were initially presented to the public at the previous meeting, Bloom and Mojo Stumer’s Joe Yacobellis proposed

a number of amendments during last week’s meeting on behalf of Villadom Corp. and its CEO, Kris Torkan.

One of the modifications to the initial plan was a roof amenity proposed to the board. The building will only be three stories high, so a recreational roof terrace is being sought. It has not yet been determined what types of recreational activities will take place on the roof terrace. However, once that is decided, the development team will offer a proposal to the board.

Another modification was a reduced side yard. Currently, there is a requirement for the side yard to be 15 feet, but Bloom has proposed a plan with a side yard of only 12.5 feet. The second modification concerns the building coverage (the area of the lot that must be covered by a building). It is required that the building coverage is at a maximum of 35% and the Villadom project has 36% building Continued on Page 39

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREAT NECK SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Parkville School had a visit from the Gingerbread Man before the holiday recess.

Nassau hits 16% 7-day rolling positivity rate

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ

in Roslyn on Tuesday as Nassau County hit a seven-day positivity rate that it had not seen Northwell Health an- since May 2020.

The drive-thru site, which nounced the opening of a new drive-thru coronavirus testing is appointment only, can acsite at Christopher Morley Park commodate up to 500 people

per day, health officials said.

Patrons of the site are given self-administered PCR tests to use in their car, with test results usually available the next day by utilizing Northwell’s Lab Continued on Page 27

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The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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Cadets’ request to G.N. school district block mandate denied modifies instruction

Judge backs USMMA’s vaccination requirement

Quarantined students will learn remote

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ

PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN

A federal judge rejected a request to block the United States Merchant Marine Academy’s vaccination mandate last week.

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ A federal judge rejected the request of six U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadets to block the Kings Point college’s coronavirus vaccination mandate last week.

U.S. District Court Judge Joan Azrack, in a 14-page ruling, said the mandate is of “critical national interest,” citing public health and safety in rejecting the request.

The academy announced in October that all first-year plebes and second-to-fourth-year midshipmen must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 28 or they would be disenrolled.

A month before the academy announced its mandate, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that all service members, including students in the academy that have been appointed as midshipmen in the Navy Reserve, were required to be fully inoculated by Dec. 28.

The complaint was filed on Nov. 19 by Mark J. Fonte and Louis M. Gelormino of F&G Legal Group,

who represented cadets John Guettlein, Joshua Gardner, Alena Dunaway, Clarissa Reckline, William Tetrev and Brent Leblanc.

“Vaccination was never a requirement of attending the Academy,” Fonte and Gelormino previously said in a joint statement to Newsday. “It is simply unlawful and unfair to change the conditions of enrollment in the middle of their tenure at the school. Many of these cadets would have chosen different career paths had this requirement been in place at the time of their commitment to the Academy.”

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Academy Superintendent Joachim Buono, the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation were listed as defendants, according to the complaint.

The cadets, in the complaint, claimed the academy has not offered “weekly COVID-19 tests or a mask mandate in lieu of the vaccine, to accommodate unvaccinated students.” At least 30 midship-

men, according to the complaint, were unvaccinated at the time the complaint was filed.

Cadets said the mandate “denies students an opportunity to serve their country,” “shocks the conscience” and ”violates constitutional rights.”

According to the complaint, unvaccinated first- and secondyear cadets are not able to transfer credits earned at the academy to other colleges and could be subject to disenrollment penalties, including repaying the academy for four-year tuition, estimated at $260,000.

Azrack, in the verdict, said “the public’s interest in military readiness and efficient administration of the federal government outweighs plaintiffs’ speculative claims of job-related, pecuniary loss and loss concerning potential tuition repayment.”

Efforts to reach Fonte, Gelormino or a representative from the academy for further comment were unavailing.

With hundreds of coronavirus cases in public schools across the North Shore over the past month, the Great Neck school district announced last week that its instruction for secondary students in quarantine will be modified.

District Superintendent Teresa Prendergast, in a letter to the community, said that an increased number of students in quarantine and limited availability of staff resulted in the district not being able to offer “adequate homebound instruction” to students in grades 6 to 12. That form of instruction is offered directly in the student’s home.

Prendergast said the district temporarily adopted a practice that requires secondary students in quarantine to utilize remote learning to virtually attend their classes and will make up any tests or assessments once they return to school. The temporary measure, she said, will continue into January, with the district reevaluating the need to continue the practice on a weekly basis, dependent on quarantine rates.

Elementary school students from pre-K to fifth grade will be able to continue receiving homebound instruction, she said.

WE ARE CLOSELY

MONITORING THE SITUATION AND WORKING WITH THE NASSAU COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, WHICH STILL RECOMMENDS THAT WE KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN

Teresa Prendergast DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

“The health of our school community – and our District’s ability to maintain in-person operations throughout this pandemic – is a shared responsibility,” Prendergast said. “We continue to rely on everyone’s good judgment as we head into the Holiday Recess. Please maintain healthy habits, monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, and stay home when not feeling well.”

Continued on Page 26

PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO CONNECTION

The Great Neck school district temporarily modified its instruction for secondary students that are quarantined last week.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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Commissioners seek appeal on expulsion State Supreme Court ordered Jensen Thomas to be reinstated by GCP Water, Fire District in Nov.

BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Commissioners for the Garden City Park Water and Fire District have voted to appeal a state Supreme Court order to reinstate a firefighter who was expelled, according to firefighter Jensen Thomas.

In February, the district’s Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 to remove Thomas, a 31-year-old EMT who was a firefighter in the district since 2008 and a captain since 2016, on grounds of violating district bylaws, engaging in disrespectful conduct and damaging district property.

Judge Diccia Pineda-Kirwan’s decision on Nov. 8 reversed the district’s termination of Thomas, accepting the firefighter’s argument that the disciplinary action he received was disproportionate.

Earlier this month, at a board meeting for the district, Thomas said, two commissioners, Chris Engel and Peter Chimenti, voted to appeal the court order.

On Dec. 14, Engel lost to challenger Alan Cooper by 129 votes to 252. Thomas said he considered himself a prominent supporter of Cooper and considered the appeal retaliatory for his help on Cooper’s campaign.

“I think a large part of the appeal had to do with the election,” Thomas said. “I

have sued the department and had their rulings upheld. Thomas said he believes that this is the first appeal from the commissioners regarding a lawsuit.

“I think this was racially motivated by the Board of Fire Commissioners,” Thomas said.

I THINK THIS WAS RACIALLY MOTIVATED BY THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS.

Jensen Thomas FIREFIGHTER

PHOTO BY NOAH MANSKAR

The Garden City Park Fire Department headquarters is seen on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park. think it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

The incident in question stems from a discussion between Thomas and Third Assistant Chief John Janus that took place during a 2019 Christmas party. Janus opposed Thomas’ candidacy for third assistant chief in that year’s election, which Thomas lost. After the conversation escalated to an argument, Thomas was ordered to leave after cursing and raising his voice, which he agreed to do

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after initially refusing.

Upon leaving, Thomas went to the district headquarters and threw a television remote, kicked a wall and slammed a door, damaging the wall, for which he was expelled.

Thomas said his discipline was disproportionate to the charges.

Thomas, who is Indian, is one of two firefighters of color in the district. The firefighter said that previous members

According to previous testimony, Chief Salju Thomas, who is not related to the firefighter, described abusive behavior in the department. The chief said firefighters put an insulting sticker on his helmet and an ex-chief referred to the 31-year-old as “Obama.”

Thomas said he does not believe the appeal will succeed and said he has some support in the department for reinstatement. Thomas said he is hoping when Cooper is sworn in the commissioners will reinstate him.

Efforts to reach the district were unavailing.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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DeSena selects Mineola clerk as deputy

Supervisor-elect chooses Joseph Scalero to serve as No. 2 in administration

BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Mineola Clerk Joseph Scalero will be the North Hempstead deputy town supervisor, Supervisor-elect Jennifer DeSena said.

DeSena told Blank Slate Media that the 16-year clerk from New York state’s largest village has an impressive resume for the post.

“He has a lot of experience with smart growth, development and an administration background,” DeSena said.

DeSena said she and Scalero will meet with town departments to gauge their operations and assess any improvements that can be made. Specifically, the two will observe the Building Department, which DeSena ran on fixing, and inquiring about its objectives and measurements to track progress, among other things.

DeSena, who was elected on the Republican line in November, said she believes Scalero’s work in Mineola will serve him and the town well in the new role.

“From what he’s done in the village, I think he’ll be very good at assessing our needs,” DeSena said.

In addition to his responsibilities in the village, Scalero is president of the New York State Association of Village

the mayor would serve until the end of Scalero’s term in April and will be subject to reappointment annually.

THE TRANSITION TEAM HAS

PROVIDED INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE TO ME AS I PREPARE TO BRING THE CHANGES TO TOWN GOVERNMENT THAT VOTERS SOUGHT ON ELECTION DAY.

Jen DeSena TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD SUPERVISOR-ELECT

PHOTO BY ROB PELAEZ

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor-elect Jen DeSena will appoint Mineola Clerk Joe Scalero as deputy town supervisor. and City Clerks, which tries to educate officials and increase their level of professionalism.

Scalero will take the post previously held by Janine Dillon, who filled in after

Aline Kathadourian resigned in 2019.

For the time being, Linda Pardo, deputy village clerk of Mineola, will assume Scalero’s responsibilities. Any permanent replacement appointed by

DeSena said she believes she will appoint Scalero as deputy town supervisor on Monday, one day after DeSena is sworn into office.

Regarding the rest of the town supervisor’s office, DeSena said that more information should be coming out in the next week or two. DeSena said that she is working with a smaller budget compared with past administrations to fill out the rest of her staff.

“It’s been a challenge to find the help that we need,” she added.

LIRR reflects on 2021 accomplishments Organization touts work on expansion project, eliminating grade crossings in report

BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y The $2.6 billion Long Island Rail Road Expansion Project is contractually mandated to be completed in late 2022, and the MTA said that it is on track and on budget to complete the four-year project.

In December, the project released milestones accomplished in 2021, which entail a number of community improvements to Floral Park, New Hyde Park and Mineola, among others. The project is adding a third track on the Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville.

In Mineola, the Main Street grade crossing was closed in February and replaced with an underpass. The grade crossing at Willis Avenue and two crossings in New Hyde Park at Covert Avenue and South 12th Street were also closed, among others.

Another checkpoint in Mineola entailed the opening of the Harrison Avenue parking garage. The structure, one of two completed in 2021, has been constructed at the Mineola station west of Mineola Boulevard between Harrison Avenue and First Street and replaces a surface-level parking area. The five-level garage represents a net increase of 446 parking spaces.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MTA

The MTA said a Long Island Rail Road expansion project is on time and on budget.

The December opening ended years of delays that constantly pushed back the scheduled transfer of ownership from the MTA to the village.

MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults said the project will serve taxpayers.

“The LIRR Expansion Project remains on time and on budget and continues to be the best example of the MTA’s new method of empowering one team to complete design-build contracts,” Shults said in a statement to Blank Slate Media.

“The project has many benefits for the community and for LIRR riders that were already put in place this year, including grade crossing eliminations, station reopenings in Carle Place and Floral Park, Continued on Page 27

The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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No charges against Cuomo in Nassau Acting county DA Joyce Smith says allegation ‘credible, deeply troubling’ but not criminal

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith announced last week that no criminal charges would be filed against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after allegations he inappropriately touched a female state trooper at a Belmont Park event in 2019.

Smith, in a statement, said the allegations against Cuomo are “credible, deeply troubling, but not criminal.” According to findings from an investigation launched by state Attorney General Letitia James earlier this year, Cuomo touched the trooper, who was part of his security detail, in a way that made her feel “completely violated.”

The trooper, whose name was not disclosed in James’ findings, said she “felt the palm of his hand in the center of my stomach on my belly button and like pushes back toward my right hip, where my gun is,” during an interview with officials.

Smith said: “It is important to note that our investigation

PHOTO BY KAREN RUBIN

Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said she will not file any criminal charges against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. was limited to alleged conduct at Belmont Racetrack, and prosecutors in other jurisdictions continue to review other allegations of misconduct by Mr. Cuomo. We thank the brave individuals who came forward and cooperated with our office during this investigation, and gratefully acknowledge our colleagues, Attorney

General James and the New York State Assembly, for their diligence and collaboration.”

Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesman, said James’ report “was the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes,” claiming James only launched the investi-

gation so she could run for governor.

“James never presented the evidence to support such claims, her report omitted important exculpatory facts, she admitted her personal interference in preparing the report and had still refused to answer any questions from the press,” Azzopardi continued. “It was obviously a political springboard to remove Governor Cuomo so she could run for office, however it was so poorly done and obviously it backfired and James’ run for governor lasted only five weeks.”

Beginning in December 2020, women who had worked for the state began coming forward with allegations that Cuomo inappropriately touched and harassed them on multiple occasions from 2013 to last year.

James’ investigators determined that Cuomo sexually harassed or assaulted 11 women, most of whom worked for the state. The 165-page report’s findings — based on interviews with 179 people — indicate Cuomo violated multiple federal and state laws, including Title VII of

the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and New York State’s Human Rights Law. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in August after the findings were reported, repeatedly denied that he had inappropriately touched any of the accusers, contending during an 11-hour interview conducted by James’ office that they occasionally misinterpreted his actions.

Cuomo, during the interview, questioned the fairness of the probe, specifically independent investigator Joon Kim’s involvement.

“I mean, the concept of you as the resolution to the conflict as an independent reviewer is bizarre to me and raises ethical and legal questions,” he said.

“The way you, then, have conducted the review itself I believe raises ethical and legal questions.”

Cuomo told Kim at the end of the interview, “I would like to say it was a pleasure … but I’m under oath.”

The state Assembly suspended its impeachment investigation of Cuomo in August.

The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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Spreading joy to Nassau teens in foster care

BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Faith Rousso, an adoption attorney from Roslyn, knows what it’s like when you don’t know who has your back.

For the past two years, she has been raising money through friends and family to hand out gift cards to foster care children in Nassau County. The Garden City-based lawyer has been doing so through the Nassau County Department of Social Services, but since COVID-19 has taken it upon herself to keep the efforts going. Over the last three years, Rousso has given over 200 gift cards that have been distributed.

MY HEART GOES OUT TO

THESE KIDS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THEY’RE ENTITLED TO PERMANENCY. PERMANENCY IS KNOWING WHO HAS YOUR BACK.

Faith Rousso ADOPTION ATTORNEY

Rousso’s involvement with foster services can be traced back through her life, when she was adopted after seven months with the Louise Wise adoption agency, a fact she was unaware of until she was moving her parents out of their Glen Cove home.

“It was surreal to me,” Rousso said in an interview. “Looking at these documents, my life could have been very different just based on the family I ended up with.”

The revelation led Rousso to eventually open her own practice 12 years ago, where she was focused on making the adoption process smoother for other families, she said.

It was at her practice that she started to give her clients ticket packages to see the WNBA’s New York Liberty at Madison Square Garden, with the help of a family member who worked with the team.

“It started out very small, maybe one or two families at first,” Rousso said.

Rousso was able to get more tickets as larger families wanted to attend the games. She eventually contacted the Nassau County Department of Social

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAITH ROUSSO

Scoreboard at Madison Square Garden when children from the Nassau County Department of Social Services attended the New York Liberty game.

Services, which she said really put things in motion.

“I was able to organize about 75 tickets the first year,” said Rousso.

It wasn’t until one of the games, where the arena was inviting different children’s groups from around the area, that she reached out to her friends for help. The organizations attending, mostly from summer camps, were all going to wear matching T-shirts with accompanying lunch boxes.

Rousso, who was paying mostly out of pocket, knew how important it was to get the shirts. With a little over a week until the game, she reached out on social media and through her network for any help she could find to cover the costs.

Rousso said that even after everything, she had around $5,000 to spare.

She then went back to the county, which invited her to a holiday party in hope of fixing a problem. According to Rousso, many of the donations that the county receives are toys meant for smaller children. The idea was for Rousso to purchase gift cards and hand them out to older children in foster care to let them get something that they wanted.

“They told me the older kids pretty much come out empty-handed,” Rousso said.

In lieu of the holiday party this year, Rousso has been accepting the donations herself and will be until the middle of January. County caseworkers will distribute the donations to teens on their monthly visits.

“At the end of the day it’s one little thing but giving a holiday is like the icing

on the cake,” Rousso said.“ She said that she has amazing friends, family and colleagues that have been allowing her to do this. With a personal connection to the children she is helping, Rousso wants to make sure they have a great holiday because she knows what it is like through her work when someone isn’t looking out for you.

“My heart goes out to these kids because I feel that they’re entitled to permanency,” she said. “Permanency is knowing who has your back.”

Rousso also serves on the Nassau County Bar Association’s board of directors and Nassau’s Women’s Bar Association as part of the executive board.

Anyone seeking to make a donation can inquire about doing so at faith@RAdopt.com

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Vietnam vets Moving Wall Town vet advisory stone unveiled at town park committee meets Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Veterans Advisory Committee held the final VAC meeting for 2021 on December 18. Supervisor Bosworth provided an update about the town and the success of this year’s Veterans

Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Council Member Lee Seeman along with Town Clerk Wayne Wink and Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman unveiled a new commemorative stone at North

Hempstead Beach Park to mark the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall’s journey and stay in the Town.

The Moving Wall’s half-size replica came to North Hemp-

stead in October 2021. Visitors from across the Town, Long Island, and the surrounding areas to recognize and honor the sacrifices of the fallen and their families.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND TO A FANTASTIC 2022

Donation Drive.

Members of the Committee thanked Supervisor Bosworth for re-establishing the committee in 2014 and for her dedication and staunch commitment in advocating for the Town’s veteran community.

For the latest news, visit us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at

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10 HEALTH, WELLNESS & BEAUTY • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

A Blank Slate Media Special Section • December 31, 2021

Simple strategies to combat stress

J

ust about everyone experiences stressful situations. Sometimes a measure of stress can provide motivation to do one’s best or strive for an especially lofty goal. However, when stress becomes a chronic condition, it can adversely affect individuals’ quality of life and even their overall health.

Harvard Medical School says stress can manifest itself in myriad ways.

Stress can cause tension headaches, indigestion, aches and pains, or even heart palpitations, and it may affect the mind by making it hard to concentrate or make decisions. Many people experience stress through emotional or psychological symptoms, such as irritability or feeling down. Learning how to effectively manage stress is essential for individuals’ overall well-being.

Exercise regularly

Exercise serves many functions, including acting as a potent stress relief strategy. The Cleveland Clinic says aerobic exercise releases endorphins, which are natural substances that help a person feel better and maintain a positive attitude. Movement activities like yoga or Tai Chi also can relax the mind and body and promote physical health.

Take media breaks

Overwhelming oneself with a barrage of negative news stories or constant information can increase stress

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levels. Individuals can strive to remain informed and still build breaks into their schedules. Shut off news programs, turn over the newspaper or tune out of social media from time to time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals who are stressed out by world events reduce the number of times they read the news or check the headlines each day.

Meditate or perform breathing exercises

Breathing and meditation can help alleviate stress, according to the American Heart Association. A quick meditation can provide some perspective. If a situation is stressful, go for a walk or take a few slow, deep breaths until the body relaxes.

Harvard Medical School also says meditation can induce a relaxation response, which is an antidote to stress.

Change negatives to positives

Negative self-talk may increase stress, but positive self-talk can help a person calm down. Individuals should practice positive self-talk every day. Instead of saying, “I hate when this happens,” say, “I know how to deal with this, I’ve done it before.”

A small amount of periodic stress can be a good thing. However, chronic stress poses a significant threat to individuals’ long-term health.

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021 • HEALTH, WELLNESS & BEAUTY

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12 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

ATTENTION JOURNALISM STUDENTS

Opportunity is Knockin’!

ARE YOU A COLLEGE STUDENT ?

DO YOU KNOW A COLLEGE STUDENT WHO WANTS TO EARN $2,600 THIS SUMMER?

Paid Summer Internship Positions Available The New York Press Association Foundation is sponsoring a paid summer internship at this newspaper for a qualified journalism student.

Any student currently enrolled in a recognized journalism program is eligible to compete for an internship with a net $2,600 stipend provided by NYPA. Applicants must attend college during the 2022-2023 academic year.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Town highlights local green businesses Supervisor Bosworth and the Town Board are proud to announce the expansion of the Town’s Small Business Spotlight initiative to highlight sustainable and green businesses in our community.

The spotlight will help connect residents to a wide range of products and services throughout the town that are environmentally friendly.

The town will promote the series on the Town’s website, social media and through other means, including North Hempstead TV. “Promoting small businesses and the shop local message has always been a priority for me and the Town of North Hempstead,” said Supervisor Bosworth.

“We are pleased to be expanding our program to showcase environmentally friendly establishments. Our goal is to engage residents in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.”

Local businesses can now feature a green product, service, or practice that improves sustainability in their application. Categories include locally made goods, organic lawn care or pest control,

thrifting, green housekeeping/cleaning services, renewable energy installations, businesses that have a sustainability plan for their operations and more.

The addition of sustainable businesses to the Small Business Spotlight supports the Town’s effort to become a Climate Smart Community, which is a state Department of Conservation program that aids municipalities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to a changing climate. This initiative to promote sustainable businesses within the Town would fulfill an action of the program to hold a Buy Green/Buy Local Campaign.

The town encourages any green businesses to apply to the Small Business Spotlight program, where they will have their photo and business listing included as part of a directory on the Town’s website. The program is open to all businesses in the Town of North Hempstead.

Businesses looking to participate in the Town’s Small Business Spotlight initiative can apply by visiting: www.northhempsteadny.gov/spotlight.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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13

Hempstead board limits parking near UBS Decision comes after residential complaints about noise, littering, influx of cars

BY B R A N D ON DUFFY The Town of Hempstead Board recently approved a resolution limiting parking in the Elmont area in response to concerns that have grown with the opening of the UBS Arena.

Since the public opening Nov. 20, the UBS Arena has been the home to the New York Islanders as well as hosting concerts, which will be held year round outside of hockey season.

Residents said that ever since November there have been issues with the venue.

Angel Joyner said at the board meeting that she lives fairly far from the UBS Arena but still deals with people willing to make the walk.

“I’m a corner property.

When I come home it seems like there’s a party at my house,” Joyner said. “They block my driveway, they block cars bumper to bumper and we can’t move.”

She also complained about urinating, noise complaints from patrons talking on her

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS

The Town of Hempstead Board limited parking in residential areas around the UBS Arena following complaints. road and littering. She said she had talked to people outside her home, but it has not always been productive.

“They want to be confrontational about something they’re wrong about,” Joyner said.

Hempstead’s board unani-

mously approved parking regulations on roads off Hempstead Turnpike including Locustwood Boulevard, Heathcote, Huntley, Sussex, Warwick and Wellington roads. In addition, 106th and 109th avenues and Fieldmere and Pine streets were in-

cluded.

Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin said that issues have worsened due to delays to the completion of the parking garage on Hempstead Turnpike, which should be finished in the spring.

A little north of Elmont, some Floral Park residents have been dealing with issues related to UBS attendees as well. In a letter to the village on Nov. 24, Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald alerted residents to use the designated entryways in order to reach the $1.3 billion arena.

“This past weekend we witnessed people climbing fences at certain locations to gain access to and from Belmont Park,” Fitzgerald said. “I am requesting that residents do not use this as a means of ingress and/ or egress to the arena.”

Clavin said that he had Nassau Supervisor-elect Bruce Blakeman share the same sentiment in advocating for the residents surrounding the UBS Arena and will do as much as possible to mitigate the issues.

“We hear you loud and clear,” Clavin said. “It’s unfortunate the state and representatives dropped this on us. We’ll stay on top of the police. It’s going to come down to constant, constant enforcement so people understand this is a residential area.”

COMMUNITY NEWS

Temple celebrates New Year with yoga Saturday, January 15, 4:30-5:45 p.m.

ONLINE. Join us as we celebrate the New Year of the Trees, honoring our connection with the earth through a virtual yoga session. Yoga can help us appreciate our amazing bodies and minds in their miraculous potential for renewal. Poses will be accessible to all levels of ability.

This event will conclude with the ritual of Havdalah as we bring Shabbat

to a close, followed by a book launch as Temple Beth-El’s Rabbi Tara Feldman and Sharon Epstein share their new book, Into a Jewish Holiday Year with Yoga.

This book makes a great gift for yourself or for a loved one.

This event is free and open to the community.

Call 516-487-0900 to register or for more information.

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14 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

Opinion

OUR VIEWS

COVID, cannabis policies lack sense

L

ogic seemed to take a holiday last week when the Town of North Hempstead voted to join just about every other municipality by opting out of retail marijuana sales and Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman continued to say he would not enforce the state mask and vaccine mandate.

Why, one might ask, would public officials bar the sale of a legal substance while failing to take reasonable steps to combat a deadly virus that has already claimed the lives of more than 800,000 Americans?

Blakeman said two weeks ago he would not enforce Gov. Kathy Hochul’s order that restaurants, stores and all other public indoor places must require customers and staff to wear masks or require proof of vaccination for entry.

Hochul’s decision was applauded by both health officials and business groups in Nassau.

Blakeman disagreed. His reason?

Nassau, he said, was not in crisis and should not be “painted with the same broad brush as the rest of the state.”

“Ninety-seven percent of adults in Nassau County,” he said, “have received at least their first dose of the vaccine and Nassau hospitals have adequate capacity to handle existing demand.”

The hospitals still have adequate capacity, but last week Nassau County’s positivity rate for COVID-19 cases hit nearly 13 percent – the highest seven-day rate of any region in the state.

In a county in which more than 235,000 have tested positive and 3,355 have died since the start of the pandemic, this would seem

a good time to take a cautious approach.

But the surge in infections has not changed Blakeman’s stance.

“Instead of spending $65 million to issue fines to struggling residents and small businesses, the governor should instead use that money to make sure testing and vaccinations are available to everyone who wants and needs them,” Blakeman said in a statement.

Two problems with Blakeman’s response.

The first is that enforcing mandates does not hurt business – as can be seen in New York City where proof of vaccinations is required for entry into restaurants and other public places. It helps.

Allowing unmasked, unvaccinated people to shop in a store encourages many shoppers to go online or into places that require proof of vaccination.

The second is that vaccines have been widely available for the past year, a period during which more than 400,000 Americans have died.

Availability is not the problem.

People refusing to protect themselves, their family and everyone around by not getting vaccinated is the problem.

And by not enforcing the state mandate Blakeman is removing a strong incentive for the unvaccinated to get their shots.

He is also making people who did the responsible thing and got vaccinated vulnerable to infection when they go out to eat or shop.

Even if breakthrough infections are much less dangerous, why should the vaccinated get sick to accommodate those unwilling to do what every grade school student does to prevent other diseases

BLANK SLATE MEDIA LLC

22 Planting Field Road, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 Phone: 516-307-1045 • Fax: 516-307-1046 E-mail: hblank@theislandnow.com EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Steven Blank OFFICE MANAGER Holly Blank

Editorial Cartoon

– get vaccinated.

Even more important, why should this happen at a time when schools face an increasing threat of going remote at least part time in the face of surging infections?

Keeping schools open full time should be our No. 1 priority.

It is true that outgoing County Executive Laura Curran echoed Blakeman in responding to Hochul’s vaccination and mask mandate, and her opposition to requirements for county employees to get vaccinated.

But in his continued opposition to mask and vaccination mandates, Blakeman has adopted the position of Republican county executives around New York state and GOP governors around the country.

And there is no mystery whose lead they have taken. Former President Donald Trump, who remains the leader of the Republican Party, minimized the threat of COVID from its beginning and discour-

aged the wearing of masks and the use of vaccines.

The result was seen in a poll last month in 91 percent of Democrats reporting having received at least one dose compared with 59 percent of Republicans.

In other words, Blakeman appears to be playing politics with Nassau County residents’ lives.

Now contrast the stances taken by Blakeman and others on decisions by Hempstead, North Hempstead and virtually every village government to bar the retail sale of marijuana and lounges that serve cannabis.

Numerous studies have found that the benefits of legalizing marijuana outweigh the negatives, including health. And that the negative health consequences of marijuana have been found to be much lower than from alcohol and tobacco, which is sold across Nassau County, as well as illicit drugs, including heroin and cocaine.

Nor is there a lack of data to

REPORTERS Robert Pelaez, Brandon Duffy COLUMNIST Karen Rubin ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Stacy Shaughnessy, Melissa Spitalnick, Wendy Kates, Linda Robinson, Steven Schoenfarber ART DIRECTOR Jewell Davis

support the conclusions.

Recreational marijuana is now legal in 19 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Mexico and Canada.

Colorado and Washington legalized recreational marijuana in November 2012.

The data “provide little support for the strong claims about legalization made by either opponents or supporters; the notable exception is tax revenue, which has exceeded some expectations,” a recent study by the libertarian Cato Institute concluded. “The absence of significant adverse consequences is especially striking given the sometimes-dire predictions made by legalization opponents.”

It is true that in many cases the town and village officials who voted to opt out correctly cited the state’s failure to issue regulations governing retail stores and lounges. And that if they did not opt-out, there would be no reversing course when the regulations were issued.

Continued on Page 28

PRODUCTION MANAGER Rosemarie Palacios EDITORIAL DESIGNERS Lorens Morris, Yvonne Farley CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Deborah Flynn PUBLISHERS OF

Williston Times • Great Neck News Herald Courier • Roslyn Times Manhasset Times • Port Washington Times

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

15

ON THE RIGHT

City’s millennials flocking to suburbia

R

esidential real estate values—most notably in suburbia—have been going through the roof since the COVID pandemic began in 2020.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that existing home sales are on track for “their strongest year since 2006 as low mortgage rates and a robust job market drive up demand.”

“The market,” the Journal noted, “remains fast paced, and many homes are selling above listing price. The typical home sold in November was on the market for 18 days….”

On Long Island, homes prices have reached a 20-year high. Reports indicate that in 2021’s third quarter, the median sale price for a home hit $585,000.

In Nassau County, the median price in November was up 9.3 percent over the previous November. The median sale price is now $655,000.

Who has been driving the real estate market frenzy?

Millennials!

Yes, that subgroup of our population (born between 1981 and 1996) who left suburbia for

college and swore they would never return—are coming back in droves.

Lest we forget—many in this age group despised suburbia, which they perceived as sterile and lacking culture vibrancy.

Those millennials hated cars, commuting, low-density developments and the bourgeoise values of single-family homeowners.

Millennials, who scorned suburbia, took up residence in America’s major urban centers, particularly New York City.

By the turn of the century, the city was no longer the mecca for working-class folks because it was no longer “the dominant industrial city in the world.” Industrial jobs that employed over 1 million in the 1950s and today less than 150,000.

To fill that void, NYC’s economic base converted into an information economy. And today it accounts for a majority of jobs in Manhattan.

The city is consumer-oriented.

“It depends,” the esteemed urbanologist Joel Kotkin has written, “upon attracting those who seek the thrill of urban life,” a vast en-

GEORGE J. MARLIN On The Right tertainment machine for “hipsters, sophisticated urban dwellers, becoming a kind of adult Disneyland with plenty of chic restaurants, shops and festivals.”

The “cool factor” mattered to many millennials; hence they did not mind living in expensive but tiny NYC apartments or studios.

Space didn’t matter because they could spend their leisure time in coffee shops with their laptops and dining in local bistros.

Millennials flocked to Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx neighborhoods that were revitalized, thanks

to the dramatic drop in crime that commenced in the 1990s.

But something took the thrill out of living in the big city.

What caused the outlook of Millennials to change?

The pandemic, increasing crime and failing public schools.

Confined to small living spaces throughout the COVID lockdown wasn’t fun. Particularly if one was trying to work from home while attending to children glued to computer screens.

The closing of thousands of neighborhood restaurants and rising crimes rates added to the angst.

Millennials never experienced chronic crime in the streets as I did growing up in the city in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. So, even a small uptick in criminal activity was a game changer for many who grew up in the mostly crime-free towns and villages of suburbia.

Add to that the city’s public school system, which is spending more per pupil than any other district in the nation but failing to educate the children of Millennials.

The desire for more living

space, a backyard, a safe community and good schools have caused many Millennials to drop their ideological opposition to suburban living.

This change in attitude explains why 67 percent of first-time home purchases in 2021 were made by Millennials.

Thanks to Millennials, in my neighborhood, New Hyde Park, home values have skyrocketed.

There are bidding wars for homes that are often off the market within a week.

The noted social philosopher, Irving Kristol, once quipped, “A neo-conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality. A neoliberal is a liberal who got mugged by reality but has not pressed charges.”

Many Millennials have been mugged by the reality of the policies of Mayor de Blasio, radical district attorneys and City Council members.

It is my hope that these newly minted Long Island Millennials have “mentally” pressed charges by forsaking their support of the progressive policies that caused them to abandon the city.

A LOOK ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

My totally useless sentence collection

M

y brother and I have a contest going. We each try to collect the most useless utterance in the English language.

My brother found one classic example in a self-help book.

“Don’t worry about things you can’t control,” it said.

“They’ve got it exactly wrong,” he pointed out. “If there’s something you can control, you should go control it. When there’s nothing left to do, that’s precisely when to start worrying. That’s what worrying is for.”

“Speaking of ‘worry,’” I said, “do you remember that letter I wrote home to Mom and Dad from camp?”

“Of course. It’s legendary,” said my brother. “I remember how they took off to get you like bats out of hell. What did you write, anyway?”

“I said that ‘the imperfection in my eye is almost healed.’ I didn’t want them to worry!”

“And instead, Dad just bellowed, ‘WHAT imperfection?

Why didn’t they call us?’ Actually, after all these years, I still don’t know what happened.”

“Well, apparently a piece of rust got into my eye, from being in a lower bunk staring at the bunk above me. Then I rubbed my eye — of course — I must have scratched my cornea, and they had to take me to some kind of eye doctor to fix me up.”

After a few minutes, I started giggling. “Speaking of worry — do you remember what Grandma said that time we cleaned out her garage?”

“I’ve tried to forget,” said my brother.

Our grandmother was selling her house the next day, and everything was packed up and ready—except for some stuff in the garage. So my brother and I went over there with trash bags and paper towels for what we figured would be an hour’s worth of work.

“You youngsters are so thoughtful,” she told us. “Here, use the door from the kitchen so you can keep from getting too chilly with the roller door up.”

That’s how I found myself staring at a row of containers, each more toxic than the last on a shelf that stretched from the

JUDY EPSTEIN

A Look on the Lighter Side kitchen door to the back of the garage: It started with soda in bottles so old I had never seen those logos outside of a museum; then some old paint cans, mostly empty but with the lids stuck on tight.

Then turpentine. Then, in quick succession some poisonous slug pellets. Round-up, Malathion and DDT. “It’s a murderer’s dream!” I exclaimed. “What are we supposed to do with these? I don’t even want to touch them, let

alone put them in the garbage. Did you bring any rubber gloves?”

“Never mind that,” my brother had replied. “I don’t even think it’s legal to throw them out.”

“So what should we do?” I asked. “Call 911?”

“Or a HAZMAT squad,” he said. “There must be someone who can dispose of this stuff safely.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But that would take forever, and the closing’s tomorrow.” Here we’d started out trying to do Grandma a favor and instead we might torpedo her sale.

Grandma eventually came out to see what was taking so long.

“There’s all kinds of poisons here!” I exclaimed. “Weren’t you afraid to have such toxic chemicals right next to your kitchen?”

“Oh, those old things,” she said cheerfully. “I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you.”

“You wouldn’t worry about it if you were me?” I repeated, my voice going higher with every word. “You wouldn’t worry if you were me? Believe me, if you were

me, you would worry. The problem is you aren’t me; you’re YOU, happily keeping DDT on the same shelf as your soda water.”

I spun around, taking in the rest of the garage. I might have become a tad hysterical.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if these walls had lead paint — and that insulation over there is probably asbestos.”

Just then we heard voices on the other side of the roll-up door.

We opened it up— to find ourselves facing the about-to-be new owners of this hellhole. “Hello there!” said the young couple.

“We couldn’t resist a sneak peek.”

“Um, hi!” I said slowly, praying they hadn’t heard my rant from seconds before.

My brother recovered first.

“Judy,” he said, “why don’t you take them around back and show them the patio?” That’s when he quickly “disappeared” all the evidence into the trunk of his car.

“You’re right,” he said to me as we reminisced. “That line of Grandma’s — ‘I wouldn’t worry if I were you’ — has got to be the most useless sentence of all time.”

16 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

THE BACK ROAD

Young people’s mental health and pandemic

E

arlier this month, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a devastating increase in “feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide” in young people.

In fact, between 2019 and 2021 rates of depression and anxiety have doubled. This is especially distressing news considering that just prior to the arrival of COVID-19, 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. were identified as having a serious mental health problem.

In the decade leading up to the pandemic the proportion of high school students who reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40%, to more than 1 in 3 students.

Suicidal behaviors among high school students increased, with 19% seriously considering attempting suicide, a 36% increase from 2009 to 2019, and about 16% having devised a suicide plan in the prior year, a 44% increase from 2009 to 2019.

It is not a surprise that these

conditions in young people have intensified during the pandemic.

The good news, Murthy emphasized, is that the mental health challenges today’s youth face are preventable and treatable.

Among Murthy’s recommendations in his recently published 53-page Protecting Youth Mental Health report, is one that can be implemented universally and without delay; namely, expanding screening for adverse childhood experiences.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with every major chronic illness and social problem in the United States.

ACEs refers to risk factors in a child’s life including but not limited to poverty, homelessness, child abuse and neglect, living with parents with mental illness or addiction, interpersonal violence in the family, community violence, and loss of a parent through separation, divorce, abandonment or death.

Surgeon General Murthy cautions that ACEs “can undermine a child’s sense of safety, stability, bonding, and wellbeing

ANDREW MALEKOFF The Back Road

[and] may lead to the development of toxic stress, which can cause long-lasting changes, including disrupting brain development and increasing the risk for mental health conditions and other health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, both during and beyond childhood as well as for future generations.”

We can now add the COVID-19 pandemic to the ACEs list, especially when parental unemployment, food insecurity, serious illness and death enter into the picture.

The National Institutes of Health reported that more than 140,000 U.S. children lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

“Children facing orphanhood as a result of COVID is a hidden, global pandemic that has sadly not spared the United States,” said Centers on Disease Control researcher Susan Hillis. “All of us – especially our children – will feel the serious immediate and long-term impact of this problem for generations to come. Addressing the loss that these children have experienced – and continue to experience – must be one of our top priorities, and it must be woven into all aspects of our emergency response, both now and in the post-pandemic future.”

Timely screening for ACEs opens the door for implementing prevention and early intervention strategies, including reinforcing and building protective factors such as supportive adult and peer relationships, which are essential to fostering resilience in the face of toxic stress.

Screening for ACEs is not a complicated process at all. It can be implemented and scored by pediatricians, school health and guidance personnel, or local mental health agency staff. The ACEs screening instrument is a validated and easily accessible screening tool designed to rapidly identify those who are at the highest risk by assessing for adversity, toxic stress and protective factors that can help to mitigate against poor outcomes.

Presently, California leads the way in ACEs education and screening. For more information on ACEs and to learn more about California’s ACEs Aware initiative, a first-in-the nation screening effort, go to: https://www. acesaware.org/ You can be a part of the solution by taking a look and then sharing with your local school district, pediatrician or mental health provider. ____________________ You can find Surgeon General Murthy’s full advisory — Protecting Youth Mental Health, at: surgeon-general-youth-mentalhealth-advisory.pdf (hhs.gov)

VIEW POINT

Biden has record of big results in 2021

I

n less than one year in office, President Joe Biden has driven the fastest recovery in the economy, the fastest decrease in unemployment in US history, fully vaccinated over 200 million Americans (actually, anyone who wanted a vaccination), delivered $1.9 trillion in COVID relief that reopened schools and workplaces (without a single Republican vote), signed a once-in-a-generation $1.2 trillion investment in infrastructure to modernize ports, airports, railways, bridges and roadways, make largest investment in public transit in history; ensure everyone has access to reliable high-speed internet, replace lead pipes, rebuild water systems and electric grid, and create millions of goodpaying jobs.

Biden implemented a historic COVID-19 vaccination program – funded by the American Rescue Plan — which has saved 1 million lives, 10 million hospitalizations and 35 million infections.

His efforts to stem a new wave from variants like Omicron – mandating vaccinations and masks – have been defied and challenged

by Republicans. But he is acting swiftly to dramatically expand access to free testing, sending PPE, equipment and personnel to bolster hospitals and health services in the states.

He has expanded health coverage to more than 4.6 million Americans through the Affordable Care Act. From November 1st to December 15th alone, more than 13.6 million Americans signed up for coverage — an all-time high — including 1.8 million new enrollees.

His policies have produced historic economic gains and jobs creation: 6.1 million new jobs in 2021, the most of any first-year president; unemployment dropped to 4.2% (a rate that was not forecast to be reached before 2024); U.S. jobless claims at the lowest levels since 1969 (dropped from 18 million when Biden entered office to 2 million). Gross Domestic Product is on pace for 5-6% growth, the best since 1984 (before Biden took office, Moody’s estimated 2021 GDP growth at 2.9%).

The economy is recovering at the fastest pace in history: lower-

KAREN RUBIN View Point

income families and workers are better off and household wealth has soared past pre-pandemic levels; poverty is at the lowest level on record, and child poverty cut nearly in half thanks to the Democrats’ child tax credit.

Wages are increasing for those historically left behind during past recoveries: younger workers (1624 years old) saw a 9.7 percent wage increase and the bottom 25 percent of earners saw a 5.1 percent raise.

Because of the American Rescue Plan and other investments,

the bottom 50 percent of households now have more than $3 trillion in wealth, up nearly 20 percent from early 2021, and up 63 percent from pre-pandemic levels. Families are now more economically secure.

Inflation? Gas, grocery prices up? Supply chain bottlenecks?

This has been a global problem of supply and demand, but the Biden Administration reacted swiftly: releasing oil from strategic reserves and prosecuting price gouging and profiteering.

As a result, gas prices are down 15 percent from October’s peak (pump prices in 20 states lower than the 20-year average) and natural gas prices are down 25% from November. Biden’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force got ports to operate 24/7 and truck drivers hired, so not only were shelves well-stocked for Christmas and delivered on time, but holiday sales increased a massive 10.7% over the pre-pandemic 2019 holiday season and 8.5 percent over last year, growing at the fastest pace in 17 years.

Biden is also addressing price hikes by promoting competition

and breaking the monopolistic stranglehold on industries like meatpacking, hearing aids and broadband. Passing Biden’s signature, transformative Build Back Better agenda would further alleviate the pressure of higher prices and national debt by reducing everyday costs for families, including child care, health care, utility bills, prescription drugs and education and reduce deficits by $2 trillion in the second decade.

Wall Street is hitting new records. Bloomberg.com exclaims “Biden’s Economic Performance Has Proved Unbeatable”: “No firstyear president going back to Carter comes close to matching the current White House occupant’s No. 1 or No. 2 ranking in each of 10 key measures US financial markets are outperforming the world by the biggest margin in the 21st century, and with good reason: America’s economy improved more in Joe Biden’s first 12 months than any president during the past 50 years notwithstanding the contrary media narrative contributing to dour public opinion.”

Continued on Page 28

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

17

OUR TOWN

Video games will soon direct your life

I

am willing to bet that you did not buy a single board game for your children this Christmas. Monopoly, Clue and Risk are quaint relics of the distant past. Today’s children love games with names liked Grand Theft Auto 3, Mortal Kombat, Habbo Hotel, The Sims or World of Warcraft. If you are over 70 years of age, these names may sound vaguely familiar, but if you’re a teen, you may be spending upwards of 20 hours per week mesmerized with The Sims, a virtual reality game filled with people struggling with boredom, anxiety or frustration just like you and me.

Do not minimize the impact of video games. If you want impressive statistics. try these on for size. The income generated by the video game industry exceeds revenues generated by the Hollywood film industry or the

music industry. Microsoft’s “Halo 3,” one of the most anticipated video games ever launched, earned $179 million in the United States alone within 24 hours.

The GDP of the virtual world of gaming exceeds the GDP of several countries, including Syria, Lebanon and Sri Lanka. In other words, the video gaming world has arrived and it’s not going away.

The power of the video game industry has been closely watched by big business, which has a knack of monetizing almost anything. As an example, Burger King sells an Xbox video game which features that creepylooking king and a scared chicken for $3.99 provided you first buy a Value Meal. The game is entertaining and serves as a prolonged advertisement or what is now called an advergame.

Corporations now make ex-

DR. TOM FERRARO

foretelling of what is to come.

They failed to mention “Homo Ludens,” the classic book written by Dutch historian Johan Huizinga on man’s need for play, but they did mention flow theory and the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the University of Chicago. Flow theory states that you will optimize performance when you enter flow (or the zone) and this is achieved with

a combination of clear goal setting, clear feedback and the right amount of challenge and that’s what video games do naturally and effortlessly.The problem with life as well as business is that there you can procrastinate, avoid and delay which slows growth, prevents feedback and produces boredom. Not so with sports or video games.

Continued on Page 28

Our Town

tensive use of video games to train executives, recruit prospects, build teamwork, reinforce corporate values and enhance creativity and productivity. The newly published book “Changing the Game: How Video Games are Transforming the Future of Business” was written by two MIT professors.

The book seemed to me a

E A R T H M AT T E R S

The EPA fails to ban common pesticide

T

he American public needs to understand they’re on their own when it comes to protecting themselves from pesticide residues in food.

That’s because the Environmental Protection Agency, like several other federal agencies, is carefully and methodically shielding the industries it is supposed to be regulating, instead of protecting the public. When the EPA was created on Dec. 2, 1970, it was on the stated path of standing up to corporate influence. It has since lost its way.

For example, let’s take the potential harm caused by just one single chemical ingredient in a popular pesticide product. The ingredient is a chemical called glyphosate, and the pesticide is Round-Up weed killer, introduced

by Monsanto in 1974. Round-Up is the most widely used pesticide in the world, sprayed on billions of acres of farmland where it allows farmers to kill weeds but not the GMO crops that grow there. It is easy to find in garden centers and big box stores across America, where it is also heavily used by homeowners and the landscape industry.

Unfortunately, residues of glyphosate are also easy to find in the foods many of us just enjoyed around our holiday tables, and in the foods that our children most enjoy, including things like

Cheerios, Goldfish Crackers, Annie’s cookies and various brands of orange juice and cold cereals.

In a report called “Unsafe on Any Plate,” two organizations – Food Democracy Now and The Detox Project – tested 29 cereal and snack products popular with kids and found moderate to high levels of glyphosate in all of them. While levels as low as 1 part per billion (ppb) have been shown to cause liver damage in laboratory studies, levels as high as 1,125 ppb were found in Cheerios. Wheat, as well as oats, corn, and soybeans, primary ingredients in many of these foods, are commonly sprayed with the pesticide throughout the growing season and more recently are being used as a dessicating agent just prior to harvest. Glyphosate does not wash off, dry off, evaporate or disappear when processed, and traces of the weed killer have been found in literally thousands of foods and beverages.

It’s also very toxic to pollinators on which we all depend for at least 35 percent of the world’s food production. Bee populations have been steadily declining ever since Round-Up became popular in the agricultural market, and the decline has accelerated in recent years. A study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology showed that bees exhibited an extreme sensitivity to glyphosate, with a 94 percent mortality rate.

PATTI WOOD Earth Matters

This study suggests that glyphosate, possibly in combination with another common chemical surfactant ingredient, may be the cause of this sharp decline.

In 2020, the EPA itself released a draft report finding that glyphosate is likely to injure or kill 93 percent of the plants and animals that are currently protected by the Endangered Species Act. No protective action has been offered.

So what is glyphosate doing to kids and others who eat large quantities of cold cereal and snack foods? Multiple studies have demonstrated either a causal link or a close association to serious health outcomes, including an increased risk of multiple cancers (especially non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), neurotoxicity, thyroid damage, liver and kidney disease, weakened immune systems, hormonal imbal-

ance and reproductive problems.

And there’s another aspect to glyphosate’s impact on our health that is being re-examined. Medical experts are worried about animal studies showing a significant disturbance in gut bacteria when glyphosate is present. The impact on the gut microbiota is significant and has been associated with behavioral and learning disabilities in both animals and humans. Researchers say they know the brain and gut share many of the same neurons, but now for the first time, they have also confirmed that they also share autism-related gene mutations. One out of six children in the United States has a learning disability and the alarming rise in children being diagnosed with autism shows no signs of abating. Although definitive association with many of these troubling health issues is elusive, these trends correlate closely with the increased use of glyphosate to grow our food.

Despite the growing number of studies and the pleas of medical experts, the EPA has insisted that the use of glyphosate is not a human carcinogen and carries little risk. This finding puts EPA squarely at odds with the World Health Organization, the EPA’s own office of Research and Development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the State of California’s Prop-

osition 65 Registry of chemicals known to cause cancer.

EPA currently allows the use of 85 pesticides that have been banned elsewhere, including 72 banned by the EU, 17 banned in Brazil and 11 banned in China.

Nathan Donley, science director at the Center for Biological Diversity says “It’s appalling the U.S. lags so far behind these major agricultural powers in banning harmful pesticides. The fact that we’re still using hundreds of millions of pounds of poisons other nations have rejected as too risky spotlights our dangerously lax approach to phasing out hazardous pesticides.”

The bottom line: weak laws, industry influence in Washington and the EPA’s broken pesticide regulatory process allows the pesticide industry to dictate which pesticides can be found in your bowl of oatmeal.

So as you make out your list of New Year’s resolutions, you might think about adding one more: try to find certified organic substitutes for the food your kids eat most. Although the drift of glyphosate means that even some organic foods can contain trace levels, it’s a significant degree of magnitude better than continuing to feed your kids food we know for certain is harmful.

If the EPA won’t do it, it’s up to you.

18 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

READERS WRITE

Tower Ford another example of bad planning

T

he Tower Ford controversy is just one more example of Great Neck’s housing crisis and monumentally poor decision-making by its elected officials.

Just because a developer wants to put up an apartment house and make some money is no reason why he should be allowed to do so if it’s not in the

community’s interest. And, let’s face it, more apartment houses are definitely not in Great Neck’s interest.

Why on earth would we encourage yet more people to move to an already grossly overpopulated community? That’s just stupid.

The first responsibility of the various village officials is to provide for the needs of the taxpayers

who already live here, and there’s one population that’s completely unserved: those of us who are ready to downsize from our eightroom houses but aren’t ready to squeeze into a three-room apartment.

For us, the right choice is a townhouse with at least some outdoor space – a deck or a patio – where we can still entertain

friends and family. There’s no such thing in Great Neck. Oh, sure, there’s the Portico, but those units start at around 1.5 million, and that’s not in everyone’s price range.

I’m not talking about massive developments with clubhouses and pools; we have Parkwood.

There are small parcels of land all over Great Neck that would

accommodate eight or ten units with absolutely no impact on noise, traffic, parking or school enrollment (especially if they’re designated over-55.)

Talk to your mayors. Stop urban sprawl before Great Neck turns into Rego Park.

Lloyd Perell Great Neck Village

A look back at the 1966 transit strike

J

an. 1, 2022, represents the 56th anniversary for the 1966 transit strike. which shut down New York City for days. It was the first of many municipal crises to face incoming Mayor John Lindsay, who ran on the Liberal and Republican Party lines. winning 1,149,116 (45 percent) votes and defeating Democrat Abe Beame with 1,046,599 (41 percent) and Conservative Party National Review editor William F. Buckley garnering 341,226 (14 percent).

Rush hour began at 4 a.m. with many arriving home as late

as midnight. The Long Island Rail Road added extra Queens service. Both Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal were mobbed with thousands of new customers. Transit Workers Union President Michael Quill went to jail, suffered a heart attack and subsequently died. He did not live to see his successor winning a record 15 percent wage hike. The subway fare was raised by 33 percent from 15 to 20 cents.

It was a time most subway stations had clean, safe, working bathrooms with toilet paper.

Revenues generated from the 10cent hike helped cover the costs.

It was still common to find both penny gum and 10-cent soda machines dispensing products at many subway stations. Most people respected authority and law. That generation of riders did not litter subway stations and buses, leaving behind gum, candy wrappers, paper cups, bottles and newspapers. No one would openly eat pizza, chicken or other messy foods while riding a bus or subway. Homeless people riding or occupying subway stations was a rare occurrence.

Bus drivers had to make change and drive at the same time. Air-conditioned buses were just being introduced in limited numbers. It would not be until 1967 that NYC Transit introduced the first 10 air-conditioned subway cars operating on the old municipal built and financed Independent (IND) system (A, C, E. F and G lines). You had to pay separate fares to ride either the bus or subway. There were no MetroCards affording free transfers between bus and subway along with discounted weekly or monthly fares. Employee transit

checks to help cover the costs didn’t exist.

Sincerely, Larry Penner (Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for the MTA, NYC Transit, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus, NYC Department of Transportation along with 30 other transit agencies in NY & NJ).

Very wrong to compare Trump to Hitler

A

s an avid reader and supporter of The Port Washington Times, I am utterly dismayed that the Times would publish (Dec. 24, 2021) the long-winded and terribly inaccurate Readers Write letter titled “Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump and Trump suckers.” That letter, submitted by Alvin Goldberg of Great Neck, attempts to compare our former president, Donald Trump, to one of the most deranged and evil persons in all of recent history, Adolf Hitler.

Comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler is as inappropriate and wrongheaded, as it is

inappropriate and wrongheaded to compare Andrew Cuomo (you remember him, don’t you?) to Jesus Christ. I don’t recall ever reading any prior letters from Mr. Goldberg in the Times, although I could be wrong about that. I can guess at why Mr. Goldberg’s letter was unhesitatingly published by the Times, but I will have to go into that in another Readers Write letter to the Times if the Times will publish it.

Mr. Goldberg gives us a “potted” history of Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler, but in his history, he gives us a number of half truths and some abso-

lute untruths. “Adolf Hitler had a deep understanding of mass psychology and mass propaganda.” “Hitler took pride in being a master salesman and showman.” Where, Mr. Goldberg, did you ever read such things? But then, Mr. Goldberg goes on to tell us that “Trump rejects rationalism, liberalism, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and all movements of international cooperation and peace.”

Please, Mr. Goldberg, do tell us where you ever learned about all of those monumental failings of our former president and do you really believe that tens of millions of Americans could

LETTERS POLICY Letters should be typed or neatly handwritten, and those longer than 750 words may be edited for brevity and clarity. All letters must include the writer’s name and phone number for verification. Anonymously sent letters will not be printed. Letters must be received by Monday noon to appear in the next week’s paper. All letters become the property of Blank Slate Media LLC and may be republished in any format. Letters can be e-mailed to news@theislandnow.com or mailed to Blank Slate Media, 22 Planting Field Road, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577.

have all been fooled enough to vote for someone with all of those monumental failings? Of course, Mr. Goldberg shows us how little he really knows about recent world history in the very first sentence of his rant.

Mr. Goldberg tells us “World War II ended when Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies in May 1945.” Sorry, Mr. Goldberg, but World War II didn’t end until four months later, when in early September 1945, the Imperial Japanese government and the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, surrendered to the Allies aboard the battleship USS Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. (Editor’s note: This error slipped through the editing process after it was marked to be corrected).

Why didn’t Mr. Goldberg attempt to compare Donald Trump to the Emperor Hirohito or to the Generalissimo Tojo?

Probably because at 6-feet-3 inches tall and at 260 pounds

or more, President Trump just doesn’t look the part of a Japanese and besides that, President Trump has let it be known that he just doesn’t care for Japanese food, all that much. Of course, Mr. Goldberg may have forgotten that Imperial Japan participated in World War II and was responsible for numerous atrocities, crimes against humanity, before and during the war.

Mr. Goldberg ends his rant by urging us to “Get smart” and “Help save America and Democracy.” There is no doubt in my mind that the best way for us to do that is to reject completely the paths of turmoil and destruction offered by Black Lives Matter, Antifa, Smash and Grab, and the Biden/Harris led government.

Joel Katz Port Washington Letters Continued on Page 23

For the latest news, visit us at w w w.theislandnow.com

BLANK SLATE MEDIA December 31, 2021

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

AUTHOR OF METS BOOK COMES TO TEMPLE JUDEA

D

evin Gordon, author of a new book recalling the amusing five-decade history of the New York Mets, recently spoke with several fans on a Zoom call hosted by the Brotherhood of Temple Judea in Manhasset.

Gordon shared several anecdotes from his book, “So Many Ways To Lose: The Amazin’ True Story of the New York Mets – The Best Worst Team in Sports.”

Host Stanley Goldklang, president of the Temple Judea Brotherhood, asked Gordon to capsulize his book. “This book is about losing!” said Gordon, who supported the case for his book’s title. It describes many notable mistakes the Mets have made over the years – on and off the field. This is no mockery, he assured his audience. Gordon, wearing a Mets jersey, described himself as a lifelong, enthusiastic Mets fan.

Having written for Newsweek and GQ magazines, Gordon also had written a story about the Mets’ stellar SNY broadcasting trio for The New York Times.

From that, his agent hatched the idea of penning a book that would reminisce about Flushing’s lovable losers.

The hour-long interview and Q&A provided an amusing and enjoyable inside foray into the mistakes, misreadings and miscalculations of the Mets players and managers.

Gordon drew chuckles when he recalled that during Casey Stengel’s years as the first Mets manager, he urged fans to “come out and see my amazin’ Mets. I have been in this game a hundred years, but I see new ways to lose I never knew existed before.”

It was a rollicking evening, and some fans shared their own experiences at Mets games.

At the culmination of the meeting, the attendees were asked to hold up souvenirs, plaques and other memorabilia that they had acquired over the years. Unbelievably — you might say “amazingly” – almost everyone held up a Mets souvenir for a screenshot.

Temple Judea is located at 333 Searingtown Road, Manhasset NY 11030. www.temple-judea. doc (516) 621-8049. Award-Winning Education programs. New members are always welcome.

PHOTO BY KATHY RYAN

20 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

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23

READERS WRITE

Let’s not assume the worst about race

T

he U.S. Center for Disease Control social distancing guidelines advise all of us to stay at least 6 feet apart from one another. Media and store signs give us the same advice. No one wants to catch Covid or the flu, so most people try to comply. In subways, buses, stores and other public spaces, people routinely move as far away as they can from one another, all regardless of color.

It was thus sad and surprising to read the letter in the Blank Slate newspapers last week accusing a white woman of racism, when the white woman may have simply

been trying to do normal social distancing at the Barnes & Noble café. According to the letter, the white woman turned and moved her table away after an AfricanAmerican woman and her two children sat down at the next table. The letter says that the African-American woman responded by screaming at the white woman and telling her children that this is what she has experienced throughout her life.

There are often many possible explanations for a behavior. Perhaps the white woman was a racist. But perhaps she was simply trying to follow social-distancing guidelines.

Perhaps she had cancer or was otherwise immuno-compromised and at especial risk if she catches Covid or the flu. Perhaps the white woman wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want the African-American mother and children to catch anything from her. Or perhaps she wanted quiet and didn’t want to sit near any children. Maybe the white woman has an African-American husband? Who knows?

Real racism and false accusations of racism are both extremely hurtful. Both can endanger people’s physical safety and emotional well-being. False accusations also make it more difficult to combat real racism.

In the coming year, let’s give one another the benefit of the doubt, instead of assuming the worst. We need less racial divisiveness and fewer accusations against people who may be perfectly innocent of racial animus. Let’s show more understanding and kindness toward one another.

Liz Berney, Esq. Great Neck (This letter is written in the author’s personal capacity, and is not written on behalf of any organization that the author is affiliated with.)

The truth about Donald Trump shall prevail

I

usually do not react by writing to the editor when I read the weekly radical far left missives that are published. However, last week’s newsletter has gone far beyond the boundary of fairness and honesty. It has always been my view that everyone is entitled to their own views but not their own facts. I do not believe in “ad hominem” attacks so I will not dignify the writer by mentioning their name. The letter was entitled “Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump and Trump Suckers.” I would like to repeat what Joseph Welch said to Sen. Joseph McCarthy: “Have you no sense of decency?”

The writer compared President Trump to Adolf Hitler, yimakh shemo (a curse after the name of enemies of the Jewish people).

Then the writer compared President Trump’s

supporters to Nazis. I have no idea about the background of this individual. His views disgust me and I would like to make a few recommendations.

You should try and read books about the Third Reich, Nazism, concentration camps, the Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, Nuremberg trials and the Holocaust. When you are done, I would suggest you visit any Holocaust Museum and if you visit Israel go to Yad Vashem. When you are done, then perhaps watch some movies about this terrible time in the world’s history.

I could if I wanted to refute each and every one of the writer’s falsehoods but that would take several pages. Suffice it to say, that if you repeat a lie often enough. some people might believe it. It would be nice if

the paper published an article about the sad and dangerous state of affairs the world is in.

The Biden/Harris administration has been in power for almost one year and here are the results. Russia poised with 200,00 troops ready to invade the Ukraine, Communist China flying their fighter jets daily over Taiwan in an effort to force them to give up their sovereignty, Iran threatening to destroy Israel with all its inhabitants and publishing maps of where they will attack first, and the embarrassing in the middle of the night withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan.

In the United States, the Southern Border is being overrun on a daily basis by thousands of illegals, smash and grab looting is proliferating in many cities, container ships by the hundreds are stuck off the coast of

California for months on end, supermarkets and stores face ever-increasing amount of shelves out of stock, inflation is the highest in 40 years and rapidly spiraling upwards and now Covid is totally out of control with more deaths in 2021 than in 2020.

I am proud to be a fourth-generation American. There were over 70 million individuals who cast their vote in 2020 for President Trump. Were they all suckers? I firmly believe in the First Amendment but hope that in the future before you publish such inflammatory letters filled with unproven accusations and falsehoods, you give your readers an opportunity to publish opposing viewpoints.

Jack Lipsky Great Neck

Dr. Jack Rubenstein changed us for good

M

y 50-year relationship with one physician’s office is remarkable.

You might say it is rare. Internal Medicine at East Hills has been “home” to Dr. Jack Rubenstein, family physician and family friend, since he was an extremely young physician. Regrettably, Jan. 5, 2022, will be his last official day – a mere 10 days before his 70th birthday. Our loss is his grandchildren’s gain.

No story about Dr. Rubenstein would be complete without giving a nod to his predecessor, Dr. Donald Kent. It would be an understatement to say that in his hand-picked selection of Jack Rubenstein, Dr. Donald Kent “did good.” My husband’s parents, long gone, depended on Dr. Kent exclusively for their medical care. And the good Dr. Kent introduced my husband Joe to Dr. Rubenstein some 40 years ago. From generation to generation. The passing of the torch was a sound business decision.

But more than that, it was a precious gift to Jack and the future generation of patients who would rely on his guidance. Will any of us forget our in-person visits with Dr. Rubenstein? Forever seated behind his magnificent wooden desk, surrounded by meticulously arranged family photographs and warm paneled walls, he greets you, with his

clear, college professor-like voice. Friendly direct eye contact is maintained always. Except when he refers to test results.

Dr. Rubenstein was and still is a compassionate listener. The best listener I know. And the finest diagnostician I know.

I remember being advised years ago by Yolanda, his trusted and never aging office manager, that my consultation would be out of pocket because of reasons I’ve long forgotten.

I have no qualms today saying what I could never have said then. I would have paid a king’s ransom for the privilege of having my scary symptoms diagnosed by this man. To be in his presence is to come away with peace of mind, clarity and, dare I say, hope. Isn’t that the wish of every frightened patient?

But Jack Rubenstein brightened the lives and lifted the spirits of his loyal office staff, too, especially when a crisis like Hurricane Sandy presented serious challenges.

Brenda could speak to that. As for me, I saw a man who was beloved not only to his patients, but also to his support staff. “Old school” values were very much alive under his watchful eye.

My hope is that those medical school students, lucky enough to have found them-

selves under his tutelage at Hofstra Medical School, were paying attention when he explained the “fine art of listening.” I can see no better way to sign off this tribute than by quoting Stephen Schwartz’s lyrics from the Broadway musical, “Wicked.” Go in good health, Dr. Rubenstein.

“I’ve heard it said That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn And we are led To those who help us most to grow If we let them…

Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better, But-Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

Joe and Judy Rosenthal Great Neck

Columnist’s offensive ignorance of religion

I

n response to the Viewpoint written by Karen Rubin in the 12/24 Manhasset Times: I would like to start by saying I’m sorry you don’t know anything about Christmas. I am sorry you need to choose my belief system and faith as your soapbox for hate. I am sorry I would never say anything as offensive and political

about your religion if you have one.

Christmas is about hope. Christmas is about helping those who are in need. Please don’t incorporate your political agenda with my savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Toni Malafronte Manhasset

24 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

Business&RealEstate

Renting might be more advantageous

O

bserving current prices of housing as well as the cost of renovating and upgrading older homes and those places that have been neglected and in need of TLC, could renting be your best path to pursue in 2022? It all depends upon your specific financial and personal situation.

There are many questions to be asking yourself, one being will you be staying put at least five years in the place you want to purchase? Will all the tax deductions, potential appreciation, costs to own, lifestyle, current and future financial position be strong enough with your job and/or business? For the past 18 months the Covid pandemic has had a huge, devastating impact on earnings. Many jobs and businesses, especially restaurants, travel, and hospitality were shut down and many closed forever.

People who had bought homes in 2019 were affected tremendously and could not have possibly anticipated what was coming down the pike.

How many homeowners had at least 6-12 months worth of additional savings to weather the pandemic storm that would

throw a financial curveball to their job and/or business? This should always be a standard item on the list of crucial things to consider when buying unless your job or business is guaranteed, which most are not!

Some buyers went into the purchasing mode on a shoestring with the Covid hysteria and the lure of the historically lowest rates drew many to leave major cities for more space with the ability to work from home.

However, as mortgage bailouts and forbearance programs are ending, foreclosures surged 32 percent in the third quarter and were 67 percent higher than the third quarter of 2020, according to CNBC. But due to greater increased equity accumulation in the majority of properties over the last 10 years, this provides options to either work out something with the lender or consider selling.

For those who are considerably astute, smart, and disciplined investors, putting the difference between the costs of ownership, (mortgage, taxes, repairs and upkeep) and renting into another type of investment, e.g., consumer staple stocks, emerging markets abroad, metals,(silver or gold), cryp-

PHILIP A. RAICES Real Estate Watch

tocurrencies or a business that they have worked in with years of experience may potentially do better financially. The bottom line is it’s all about diversification and realizing your risk tolerances.

I am not a certified financial planner or a CPA, so I cannot offer any advice. However, my suggestions should be discussed with your CFP or adviser and CPA who will provide guidance.

Renting can provide the flexibility of being able to move as long as a short-term lease is signed or you may not be concerned with leaving before your lease is up.

However, the landlord would have legal grounds to try to collect the additional rent due as

per the lease.

The halt to evictions and foreclosure actions for millions was supposed to expire at the end of December, but President Biden has extended the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions until Jan. 31, 2022, and maybe it will be further extended for those who have a lease assuming that they qualify after filling out a CDC Eviction Declaration Form and provide it to their landlord. The form certifies that you have been specifically impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and have pursued all other remedies to no avail.

There are also income requirements for single renters who have earned less than $99,000 ($198,000 for couples) in 2020 or received a stimulus payment. Also, renters who were not required to report income in 2019 to the Internal Revenue Service were also exempt from eviction and foreclosure. Here is a link to a site that will provide an enormous amount of clarity and information as to available options on forbearance, foreclosure actions, and evictions: https://themortgagereports. com/69687/cares-act-mortgage-forbearance-ending-whatto-dos

A survey done with the major banks and lenders revealed that they are not considering foreclosure actions after forbearance ends. The lenders are also aware that so many have positive equity in their homes and will not abandon and leave their homes as they did in the market implosion of 2008. The majority of homeowners have a viable option to sell as opposed to going through a foreclosure action, which can only start when 120 days in arrears on payments.

Renting or staying where you are just may be the only viable option for you as prices have increased beyond the reach of many. As prices continue to rise, but perhaps by only single digits over the next one to two years, more people will continue to leave the expensive markets, like New York, for other states like Florida and Texas where the cost of living is considerably.

Some of these locales have no state income tax and provide the benefits of a lower cost of living and a more stress-free lifestyle for millennial and Generation Z groups.

Happy New Year to all my clients and friends and to a happier, healthier and lucrative 2022.

Philip A. Raices is the owner/ Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 40 years of experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S). For a “FREE” 15 minute consultation, a value analysis of your home, or to answer any of your questions or concerns he can be reached by cell: (516) 6474289 or by email: Phil@TurnKeyRealEstate.Com Just email or snail mail (regular mail) him with your ideas or suggestions on future columns with your name, email and cell number and he will call or email you back.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

GN

25

Recent Real Estate Sales in

Great Neck

30 Nirvana Avenue, Great Neck

18 Bayside Drive, Great Neck

4 bd, 4 ba, 2,600 sqft, Sold On: 10/18/21, Sold Price: $1,200,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Great Neck

3 bd, 3 ba, 2,817 sqft, Sold On: 10/13/21, Sold Price: $1,365,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Great Neck

120 Old Mill Road, Great Neck

20 Pond Park Road, Great Neck

4bd, 4 ba, 2,654 sqft, Sold On: 10/19/21, Sold Price: $1,236,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Great Neck

4 bd, 3 ba, Sold On: 10/21/21, Sold Price: $1,711,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Great Neck

Editor’s note: Homes shown here were recently sold in Great Neck by a variety of real estate agencies. This information about the home and the photos were obtained through the Zillow.com. The homes are presented solely based on the fact that they were recently sold in Great Neck and are believed by Blank Slate Media to be of interest to our readers.

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26 The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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G.N. school district modifies instruction Continued from Page 2 More than 150 confirmed cases of the virus from students, staff and teachers in the Great Neck school district were reported from Dec. 20-23, according to the district’s website. Since the beginning of the school year, according to figures from the state’s Department of Health, more than 160 students in the district had tested positive for the virus.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and working with the Nassau County Department of Health, which still recommends that we keep schools open,” Prendergast said. “Our District’s pandemic protocols remain effective in preventing spread within our schools. We are committed to maintaining in-person instruction.”

A surge of new cases in the Sewanhaka Central High School District forced Floral Park Memorial High School and H. Frank Carey High School to hold their last two days of classes before the holiday break remotely.

According to the district’s confirmed COVID-19 case report for the school year, during the week of Dec. 13 Floral Park Memorial High School had 41 students and 11 faculty contract the virus.

For H. Frank Carey School, 20 students and nine faculty members reported new cases.

Superintendent James Grossane said at last week’s Board of Education meeting too many staff members either have COVID-19 or were awaiting results to have in-person learning before the holiday recess.

“This is due to the high number of faculty and staff in quarantine for either being positive, being symptomatic and awaiting results from a PCR or determining to be close contact to someone with COVID-19,” Grossane said.

Among students, the overwhelming

majority of cases are being contracted outside district grounds, he said.

“The percentage of students in quarantine for positivity or being in close contact is at 3.5 percent districtwide,” Grossane said. “That equates to 291 students for the five buildings out of 8,400 students in attendance. Contract tracing continues to tell us that 90 percent or more of cases are contracting the virus at events outside the school.”

The superintendent said that health is the number one priority and that he hopes to return to in-person learning for the two schools after the holiday break.

As of Wednesday, more than 370 students in the Sewanhaka Central High School District had tested positive for the virus since September, according to statistics from the state’s Department of Health. Nearly 90 teachers and 30 staff members had tested positive as well. The district led the 11 school districts on the North Shore in total positive cases for students, teachers and staff.

A total of 296 confirmed cases from students in the Port Washington school district had been reported to the state since September. Additionally, 53 teachers and eight staff members have tested positive since the start of the school year as of Wednesday.

During a Dec. 7 Port Washington Board of Education meeting, district parents urged trustees to write a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul asking her not to create a vaccination mandate for school-age children. After citing their lack of expertise on the virus, trustees said they will meet with state legislators on the issue in lieu of the letter.

“I would like us to follow that direction that we’ve always been following and follow the Department of Health’s recommendations to navigate this situation in that matter,” board Vice President Julie Epstein said during the meeting. “I

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don’t feel that it’s our responsibility at this time, or really that we have enough information honestly, to make a proactive move and write a letter about a mandate. I’m not saying we can’t revisit it in the future.”

THE PERCENTAGE OF

STUDENTS IN QUARANTINE FOR POSITIVITY OR BEING IN CLOSE CONTACT IS AT 3.5 PERCENT DISTRICTWIDE.

James Grossane SEWANHAKA SUPERINTENDENT

While no vaccination mandates have been issued by the state on the public school level, Hofstra University recently announced that the COVID-19 booster shot will be required for all students, staff and teachers.

University President Susan Poser said students and staff must receive their booster shot within seven days of becoming eligible, starting with those who are first eligible on or before Jan. 18. Those eligible are required to upload proof of the shot by Jan. 18.

Poser said more information surrounding how to submit proof of the booster shot will be sent in a campuswide email by Jan. 5.

People who received the full series of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccination are eligible to receive the booster six months after the date of their second dose of the vaccine, while people who received the single dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for the booster two months after being inoculated.

Other school districts that had more

than 100 confirmed student cases since the start of the school year as of Wednesday included Manhasset (185), Herricks (170), Mineola (157), Roslyn (138), North Shore Central School District (120) and Floral Park-Bellerose (109). A total of 79 students in the East Williston school district and 65 in the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school district had also tested positive since the beginning of the school year as of Wednesday, according to the statistics.

Manhasset’s acting superintendent, Gaurav Passi, said the district will also continue to work with the county’s Department of Health and implored the community to remain vigilant and proactive with federal and state health guidelines to combat the spread of the virus during a Dec. 16 Board of Education meeting.

“It is an important reminder that we still need to be vigilant about following Department of Health protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Passi said.

Last week, Hochul said school districts in the state will remain open after hearing public concerns over having students return to a strictly virtual method.

“We believe that it’s critically important that our children not end up in that same situation they were for so many months, when they were so displaced from their normal environment, they did not get the quality of education, despite the best efforts of those incredible teachers and parents who struggled every single day alongside their children, just to deal with these circumstances we dealt with last time,” Hochul said.

Hochul outlined her plan to combat the “winter surge,” which includes the state acquiring 10 million more at-home test kits and two million tests for schools throughout the state.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

GN

27

Nassau hits 16% 7-day positivity rate Continued from Page 1 Gold software.

As of Tuesday, according to statistics from the Nassau County Department of Health, more than 270,000 cases had been reported throughout Nassau County since the beginning of the pandemic. Of that total, 3,391 Nassau residents suffered coronavirus-related deaths as of Tuesday, according to the statistics.

According to the most upto-date figures from the state’s Department of Health, more than 3,500 Nassau County residents tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday alone.

Nassau’s seven-day rolling positivity rate was 16.2 percent as of Monday, a figure the county had not reached since early May 2020.

Statistics also showed that the county had fewer than 1,000 daily positive cases each day from Feb. 6 to Dec. 14.

Since Dec. 14, the state has reported more than 39,000 positive results in Nassau County as of Monday. The average number of new daily cases over the past two weeks is nearly 2,800.

Statistics from the state Department of Health show that Great Neck’s 11020 ZIP code led the way on the North Shore with 90.6 percent of its population receiving a completed vaccination series as of Wednesday, according to the statistics.

The 11042 ZIP code of New Hyde Park continues to have the lowest rate at 16.4 percent of people with at least one shot, according to statistics. That area, however, consists primarily of businesses south of Northern State Parkway and along

Marcus Avenue.

The next lowest rate on the North Shore is the 69 percent in the 11024 ZIP code of the Great Neck peninsula, which includes the Village of Kings Point. The next lowest one is also in Great Neck, with the 11023 ZIP code at an 71.7 percent rate, according to the figures. This area incorporates parts of the villages of Great Neck and Saddle Rock, along with Great Neck Gardens and Harbor Hills.

The statistics also show rates of 88.3 percent in Roslyn, 85.4 percent in Albertson, 84.8 percent in Mineola, 84.6 percent in Port Washington, 84.3 percent in New Hyde Park’s 11040 ZIP code, 84 percent in Williston Park, 82.6 percent in Roslyn Heights, 80.8 percent in Great Neck’s 11021 ZIP code, 77.4 percent in Manhasset and 75.7 percent in Floral Park.

In total, the 14 North Shore ZIP codes average a 76.8 percent rate of people who had a completed vaccination series as of Wednesday. Without the 16.4 percent figure in the 11042 ZIP code, the average for the remaining 13 ZIP codes increases to 81.5 percent.

Statistics also showed that 100 percent of the population in eight ZIP codes on the North Shore received at least one vaccination dose as of Wednesday.

Dr. David Hirschwerk, the executive vice chair of North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s Departments of Medicine, said people who are fully vaccinated have about a 40 percent protection rate against the omicron variant.

Those with a booster shot

PHOTO COURTESY OF METROCREATIVECONNECTION.COM

Nassau County’s seven-day rolling positivity rate reached 16 percent for the first time since May 2020, according to statistics from the state’s Department of Health. have roughly a 70 percent protection rate against the variant and about a 90 percent protection rate against developing severe illness.

“We can only say that those receiving boosters are much less likely to become infected compared to those receiving one or two shots,” Hirschwerk said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “And with that, they are less likely to become transmitters of the virus. If they do become infected despite vaccination, they do remain contagious to others.”

Hirschwerk, who also serves as an associate professor of medicine at Hofstra/Northwell’s School of Medicine, said Pfizer and Moderna “have performed better with respect to reducing transmission” than the Janssen J&J vaccine.

Dr. Matthew Harris, the medical director for Northwell’s vaccine program and a pediat-

ric emergency doctor at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, said roughly 24 percent, or 831, of the 3,100 beds in the health care system are being occupied by coronavirus patients.

As of Monday, a total of 500 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the 12 hospitals in Nassau County, according to state figures.

Only two children no older than 4 were hospitalized in Nassau as of Monday, according to statistics. Another two children from 5 to 19 years old were also hospitalized, according to the figures.

On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a reduction in the isolation window for people in a work setting with “critical staffing shortage” who tested positive but were fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to the first day they became symptomatic or received a positive test if asymptomatic. Hochul’s

action, which reduced the isolation time from 10 to five days, extends to individuals working in health care, public and private utilities, transportation, essential food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, restaurants, grocery stores, child care services, homeless shelters, funeral homes, snow or trash removal services, and others.

“As we battle this winter surge, we will keep following the data and science-based public health policies to protect New Yorkers,” Hochul said Monday. “This is a critical step to support our small businesses, critical industries, and essential services as we get through this new variant.”

Before her announcement, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who announced in late November he is running for governor, said he met with Hochul on Dec. 1 to discuss his concerns on how the virus was being handled by the state. Suozzi, in a news release, said Hochul told him, “We have COVID covered.”

Suozzi touted the need for better planning and preparation to combat the winter surge of the virus and criticized Hochul for her handling of the situation.

“I believe with better planning and preparation, we could have confronted this crisis head on, instead of the piecemeal approach we continue to receive from the Governor’s office,” Suozzi said. “The bottom line is, NY’s interim Governor lacks the executive experience to manage this crisis and her nearly exclusive focus on politicking and fundraising over the past 100 days has cost us dearly.”

LIRR reflects on 2021 accomplishments Continued from Page 4 new electrical substations and two new parking structures.”

For Floral Park, the G13 substation has been installed to help provide power for the increased workload when additional trains are in service. Furthermore, the Floral Park station is ADA accessible thanks to the installation of elevators.

For 2022, residents can expect the sound wall construction on the north side of the tracks, behind homes on Charles Street, to be completed in March, according to Trustee Archie Cheng.

Another substation has been delivered to New Hyde Park, and as for the village’s station, improvements are to be continued into the new year including infrastructure and rehabilitation work.

As for the sound wall between Covert Avenue and New Hyde Park Road, residents can expect its completion in the first quarter of 2022.

In Elmont, the first new LIRR station in almost 50 years opened at nearby Belmont Park, days before the UBS Arena opened to the public.

A potential delay for the project may come in Garden City, where the Denton Avenue bridge construction has long been delayed amid a battle between the village and MTA. Since 2019, the MTA has been trying to get permits required for street closings and road excavations in order to rework utility mains. However, the village has refused to issue any, delaying the project for months.

THE LIRR EXPANSION PROJECT REMAINS ON TIME AND ON BUDGET AND CONTINUES TO BE THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THE MTA’S NEW METHOD OF EMPOWERING ONE TEAM TO COMPLETE DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACTS.

Kayla Shults MTA SPOKESPERSON

On Nov. 30, Judge Helen Voutsinas sided with the MTA in the lawsuit filed to get the permits earlier this year. Garden

City appealed the ruling, and lost last Wednesday in the New York State Appellate Division.

MTA officials said that the agency on Monday filed motions asking the court to hold Garden City in contempt of court after the village disobeyed the order.

The MTA said it was seeking a daily fine of at least $50,000 until the village complies.

Denton Avenue remains the outstanding project that has yet to begin, and the MTA, according to court documents, is expecting to complete in four months what was originally believed to be a six-month process. Nonetheless, officials said that the project remains on schedule and will be completed on budget.

28 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

OUR VIEWS

COVID, marijuana policies lack common sense Continued from Page 14 This is a reasonable objection that shouldn’t take long to overcome, given an extensive study by New York and the years of experience in other states and countries.

There is no debate that alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana, so just to be on the safe side, restrict retail marijuana shops the same way that alcohol is re-

stricted, including where it is sold.

Do the same for lounges where marijuana is sold and restaurants and bars.

Don’t like the smell? Apply the same rules to marijuana that you do for cigars and cigarettes.

Concerned about potency or additives?

An in-depth report issued by the state in 2018 concluded that

regulation benefits public health by enabling government oversight of the production, testing, labeling, distribution and sale of marijuana.

And for those concerned about the Nassau economy, small businesses and high taxes, retail marijuana stores, lounges and warehouses offer jobs, tax revenue and a way to fill empty storefronts.

This all seems fairly straight-

forward.

But the opposition of residents and officials to highly regulated medical marijuana facilities in the recent past says otherwise.

In those discussions, local governments restricted the distribution of a much-needed treatment for seriously ill people to out-of-the-way industrial areas and severely limited the number

of locations.

For many residents and officials, the reason was concerns that medical marijuana stores would be later allowed to sell recreational marijuana.

We would hope that common sense prevails for both recreational marijuana and COVID. But given recent history, we wouldn’t bet on it.

VIEW POINT

Biden’s record of great results in 2021 Continued from Page 16 Biden has brought a wholeof-government approach to climate action, catalyzing America’s clean energy industries and jobs through the government’s purchasing power to create market thresholds supporting clean energy industries and manufacturing and create clean, healthy, and resilient communities.

Biden also has returned the U.S. to the Paris Climate Accord and reinvigorated a global commitment to climate action and a Build Back Better World agenda;

he also organized the first-ever global Democracy Summit and is harnessing action to end the terror of cyberattacks, ransomware, transnational organized crime, drug and human trafficking.

Biden ended the 20-year war in Afghanistan, rescuing 130,000 in the one of the largest airlifts in history (a miracle there was only one terrorist incident in that time, which tragically took the lives of 13 Americans and 170 Afghans) and resettling 50,000 Afghans in the US. And in foreign affairs, he is

standing up to Russia’s and China’s aggression while revitalizing international alliances and the United Nations.

Biden set a record for the most circuit and district court nominations (71) in a president’s first year in office, exceeding the previous record of 68 set by Trump. Over the course of 2021, the US Senate confirmed 40 nominees – the most since Reagan. The judges represent the diversity of the American public: 78% of the confirmed judges are women, 53% are persons of color.

To make the federal government work for people and restore confidence in government, Biden signed an Executive Order directing 17 federal agencies to take more than 30 actions that make it easier and simpler to access government services and benefits.

Biden’s record also includes competently managing a long list of massive climate disasters and other tragedies — hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes – expediting FEMA services and aid.

Biden restored decency, com-

passion, competence, service to the American people, ethics, pride and leadership to the Presidency and is doing his damnedest to restore confidence and faith in government, largely by appointing competent, dedicated people.

And all of this against the active opposition by every single Republican, who tie their success to Biden’s failure, plus intransigent Blue Dog Democrat Joe Manchin and incessant trolling

by TFG, Trump’s coup-conspirators and media minions.

OUR TOWN

Video games will soon direct your life Continued from Page 17 As a sports psychologist, I know that “flow” is the holy grail in competitive sports, but it’s not an easy state to find. As flow theory revealed, clear goals, fast feedback and increasing levels of challenge coalesce into enhanced performance. And when you get there, it does feel like play.

As an overspent and overworked American, I can see that today’s world is filled with stress, anxiety, COVID, and way too much work. One reason I became a sports psychologist is to enjoy my work by talking with people who played games for a living.

Recently, one of my patients asked if I get bored or anxious by listening to so many problems all

day. I told her that the joy of my job is in figuring out how present problems are caused by past long-forgotten issues and how to help them find their rightful future. This is fun and exactly what Csikszentmihalyi meant when he talked about the need for having challenges in life.

I am glad that the business world is embracing games, even if these games are virtual ones.

The days of learning from textbooks is quickly coming to an end. Now MBAs from Harvard Business School play a virtual game called Everest where they learn how to share information with colleagues, not get trapped in conflicts, not waste time arguing and avoid mind-numbing

groupthink conclusions, The Sims is a video game for the general public and was the brainchild of Will Wright whose house burned down in 1990. As he rebuilt his home, he developed the idea of building a virtual life. It was meant to be a satire on consumer culture and framed after American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s needs hierarchy. The game lacks any clear goals other than to manage a family’s moods and help them to obtain their desires. It has sold over 200 million copies.

The future of psychotherapy may be found in something like The Sims video game. The Sims and psychotherapy both address basic human needs, which are

to earn money, establish a family and community, obtain some measure of pride, find love and to become self-actualized.

Some young mastermind will produce a video game called “Time to Visit Dr. Sims.” You will have to virtually drive up to the building, find a place to park without hitting anyone and walk up and into the waiting room where you will gaze at the pictures on the wall and begin to wonder what you may say in the session. Dr. Sims will come out to greet you and look you over with a quizzical but benevolent smile.

He might get things started with a vague query into how you are doing today. You will begin and he will offer prompts

BLANK SLATE MEDIA WELCOMES YOUR SUBMISSIONS. PLEASE E-MAIL THEM TO NEWS@THEISLANDNOW.COM

along the way to keep you going deeper inside your issue. You may have to report dreams and free associate to the dream images and what they may mean.

Dr. Sims may offer some solace and support if you seem sad and some encouragement if you seem afraid to take the next step. He will ably connect your present troubles with your childhood pain, those dreadful bullying moments and sibling rivalry. He will then smile and say time is up, see you next week.

I am glad that I wasn’t born 50 years from now because surely I would be out of a job and then what would I do? Maybe become a virtual sanitation worker or some such thing.

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

29

PROFESSIONAL GUIDE ▼ COMPUTER / TECH SUPPORT ▼

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MNOPQOQPNRST! URR%!"#$%V>B?()*$")%9AWDP%!"#$%V>B?()*$")C%6X%NNYMY% ()Z"[H"#$$'$"#()*PG";%

SPANISH TUTOR Making a Difference…

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VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS ▼

College Arts Admissions

College Counseling in the Visual and Performing Arts Dance • Musical Theatre & Drama • Film • Instrumental & Vocal Music • Audio Recording & Production • Theatre Technology & Production • Visual & Graphic Arts RESUME • ESSAYS • REPERTOIRE LISTS

Michele Zimmerman 516-353-6255 CollegeArtsAdmissions@gmail.com www.CollegeArtsAdmissions.com

30 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

BUYER’S GUIDE ▼ ANTIQUES

BATHROOMS AND KITCHENS

CARPENTRY

$$ Top Cash Paid $$

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• 1 Pc.or entire estates • Premium prices paid for Tiffany, Damaged Quality Pieces Meissen Porcelain, Bronzes, Marble, etc. also

wanted

CALL JOSEPH OR RUTH

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CHIMNEY SPECIALISTS

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ISA

• New Construction & Conversions • Dormers • Extensions • Mason Work • Stone • Kitchens • Windows • Siding • Decks • Porticos • Baths • Basements • Carpentry Work

đ GARAGE FLOORS đ LAUNDRY ROOMS đ PATIOS đ WALKWAYS đ RECREATION ROOMS đ BASEMENTS đ SERVICE AREAS đ OFFICES đ SCHOOLS đ SHOWROOMS đ RESTROOMS đ PRODUCTION AREAS đ VETERINARY CLINICS

CONCRETE COATINGS

• We Remove Or Demo Anything & Everything • Entire contents of home and/or office • We clean it up and take it away

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Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

31

BUYER’S GUIDE ▼ MASONRY

HOME IMPROVEMENT

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PLACE YOUR AD

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WINDOW TREATMENTS

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32 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

COMMUNITY CLASSIFIEDS To advertise here call:516.307.1045

▼ EMPLOYMENT To Place Your Ad Call Phone:

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Deadlines

Monday 2:00pm: Classified Advertising Tuesday 1:00pm: Legal Notices/ Name Changes Friday 5:00pm Buyers’s Guide Error Responsibility All ads placed by telephone are read back for verification of copy context.

In the event of an error of Blank Slate Media LLC we are not responsible for the first incorrect insertion. We assume no responsiblity for an error in and beyond the cost of the ad.

Cancellation Policy Ads must be cancelled the Monday before the first Thursday publication. All cancellations must be received in writing by fax at: 516.307.1046 Any verbal cancellations must be approved by a supervisor. There are no refunds on cancelled advertising. An advertising credit only will be issued.

• Great Neck News • Williston Times • New Hyde Park Herald Courier • Manhasset Times • Roslyn Times • Port Washington Times • Garden City News • Bethpage Newsgram • Jericho Syosset News Journal • Mid Island Times • Syosset Advance

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

Office Assistant / Receptionist / Clerical

EDDIE’S RESTAURANT OF NEW HYDE PARK Full Italian Menu Hiring P/T Servers, Bartenders, Bus Persons and Hostess Days/Weekends a must.

Call 516-424-8080 Leave message. or walk-in, 2048 Hillside Avenue New Hyde Park

Seeking candidate for general office duties.

• Must be proficient in MS Word, Excel & Computer Skills • Must have good customer service skills • Will train • Mon-Fri. 8:30am-4:30pm • Competitive salary and medical, pension benefits • Williston Park location

516-877-9228 Ask for Peter Scalzo

We are seeking a tax clerk/processor/breakdown person for a full-time (40 hours + Overtime M-F 5 days) seasonal (February-April) position to join our tax team. You will perform clerical and administrative functions in order to drive company success.

You must be able to work overtime.

• Collating and processing completed tax returns.

• Filing, Copying and Faxing.

• Coordinating incoming & outgoing mailed in returns.

• Handling incoming & outgoing mail and faxes.

• Light phone duty.

• Previous experience in office admin • Ability to prioritize & multitask • Strong Attention to detail • Strong Organizational skills • Full-time Temporary (seasonal)

Salary: $17.00/hour Email: LJR@rosovichassociates.com Call 718-347-9631

Office Assistant / Clerical

Seeking Candidate with Experience with Health & Welfare Benefits & Medical Claims.

• Must be proficient in MS Word, Excel & Computer Skills • Must have good customer service skills • Will train • Mon-Fri. 8:30am-4:30pm • Competitive salary and medical, pension benefits • Williston Park location

516-877-9228 Ask for Peter Scalzo

DELI CLERK SANSONE MARKET Garden City Park • RELIABLE • Minimum 2-years experience • FT/PT Apply at store or online @ sansonemarket gardencity.com/careers

NASSAU COUNTY NEEDS CERTIFIED HHA’S, COMPANIONS AND HOMEMAKERS. ★★★ HIRING IMMEDIATELY★★★ “A Special thank you to all the Nurse Aides and all who Save Lives.”

• Competitive Pay Rate • Flexible Scheduling • All Shifts & Locations available

718-850-3400

CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANT Cherry Valley Club Garden City Is seeking a seasoned construction knowledgeable individual to act as Owners’ Representative for multiple building related projects at the club.

Candidate should be personable and adept at construction trade coordination and project management. Flexible Per-diem employment engagement expected. Send resumes to : carneyj2@verizon.net

TAX PREPARER PART TIME Franklin Square Experience needed Retirees welcome. Call 516-3589455 Fax resume 516-358-9483 Email: ed@loturco.com RECEPTIONIST needed for P/T eves & weekends. Will train. Also VET/TECH KENNEL ASST. Duties include helping doctors with appointments/treatments. Cleaning cages/offices/equipment. Must like animals, be reliable, dependable & work well with others. Pay negotiable for both positions. Please call to schedule interview. Port Washington Animal Hospital: 516-883-2005

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL DENTIST OFFICE Is hiring for P/T Registered Dental Hygienist and Dental Assistant. Hygienist can be 1-3 days per week Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and/or Thursdays 9-6. Recent graduates are welcome to apply. Assistant position is 3 days per week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9-6. Experience preferred. Email resume and salary requirements to: vincentdental230@yahoo.com *************************** ORAL SURGERY OFFICE Is hiring for P/T Receptionist/Insurance Biller.

Monday, Wednesday, Thursdays preferred, hours approx 8:30-5:30.

Must be able to handle a fast paced environment and be able to multitask.

Email resume and salary requirements to: vincentdental230@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTED A HOME HEALTH CARE AIDE Irish trained woman with 10 years experience and excellent checkable references available. Honest and reliable. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 516-383-7150

HHA/Caregiver Seeking full-time employment

I have years of experience with Dementia/Diabetes.

You name it, I've seen it all.

Very hardworking, reliable.

Caring & honest woman in need of job.

Have my own car.

Please call:

646-575-8217 ELDER CARE Experienced woman seeks position to care for the elderly live in or live out. Certified HHA. Excellent references. Please call 516-800-6442

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*67.+74+8(1,2( "+982+:(;728<( =>,??./0< @.0>A(>,B=8-88?./05( )768(,C/(;725 !DE%'(=718 F+87=8(;7++(!>82:(7A

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Certified HHA

• Experienced • Excellent references.

We will provide you the best caregivers in America.

Filipino men and women.

Kind, loving and caring at this very difficult time.

Call Gertrude

347–444–0960

SITUATION WANTED CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AIDE FULL TIME 25 years experience, light housekeeping, shopping, activities, appointments etc. Valid driver’s license. Excellent references and fully vaccinated. Please call 516-236-1711 ELDER CARE: AIDE/COMPANION with 25 years experience available to care for sick or elderly. Days, nights, weekends. Own car. Excellent references. Fully Vaccinated.

Call 516-775-6171

LIST YOUR SITUATION WANTED CALL NOW! 516.307.1045

ANNOUNCEMENTS GET DIRECTV ! ONLY $69.99/ 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

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOS WANTED

JUNK CARS BOUGHT Auto Wrecking Frank & Sons

CAREER TRAINING COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants.

Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET) TRAIN AT HOME TO DO MEDICAL BILLING Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get trained, certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

MARKETPLACE INVITED ESTATE SALES

BY TRACY JORDAN is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property!

Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales. com for more information or call 516279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information. Visit us at www.invitedsales.com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!

A.T. STEWART EXCHANGE CONSIGNMENT SHOP 516-7468900 Antiques-Furniture-JewelrySilver-Mirrors-Lamps-Artwork Come to Consign & Stay to Shop Visit....

Our Shop 109 Eleventh St. Garden City Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed till 6) Saturday 12-4 Shop Our Online Store ATStewartExchange.org Items to Consign? Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange. org All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society Like us on Facebook & Instagram

WANTED TO BUY LOOKING TO BUY! Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Toys, Action Figures, Comics, Art and Furniture.

Immediate Cash Paid Call George 917-775-3048 or 718-386-1104 TOP CASH PAID: ESTATE CONTENTS ALL OBJECTS OF ART JEWELRY, ETC. Please call 718-598-3045 or 516-270-2128 www.antiqueassets.com

LIST YOUR JOB OPENINGS HERE. CALL 516.307.1045

516-997-5736 ***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highest$ Ca$h Paid$ All Years/ Conditions! WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct Ca$h. DMV 10#1303199 Call LUKE 516-VANCARS 516-297-2277 Drive out Breast Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup 24hr response Tax deductionEasy to do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

HOMES FOR SALE FOR SALE BY OWNER PRINCIPALS ONLY Beautiful Cape in the Village of New Hyde Park. 4BR/3 BTH home with hardwood floors throughout, formal dining & living room. Updated kitchen w/ granite countertops and stainless appliances. Finished basement and garage.

Large private backyard with recently paved driveway. Contact: Ginger 516-737-4905 or Cliff 516-860-7785

REAL ESTATE WANTED

HOUSE WANTED TO RENT SUMMER 2022 RENTAL WANTED HOUSE OR APARTMENT Retired Garden City couple looking for summer rental in Garden City, Rockville Centre, W. Hempstead or surrounding areas. July, August and September. Please call Martha: 516697-6694

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

APARTMENT FOR RENT APARTMENT FOR RENT MINEOLA in 2 Family house on Roslyn Rd 2nd Floor Apartment: 2 Br, Parking $2250/month All utilities are separately metered *** Close to Winthrop Hospital, LIRR, Restaurants NO FEES! Contact Michael: 516-510-9666

SERVICE DIRECTORY

SERVICES BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! CALL 888-508-5313

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

33

▼ EMPLOYMENT, SERVICES, HOME IMPROVEMENT

Let us do all the work so you and your family can enjoy the white-glove service, VIP Solutions for all your needs.Our services cover a wide range of needs and are fully customized from Private Duty Nurse, to Housekeeping to Event Planning to Luxury Travel and much more.

Apex Concierge Services promises to deliver top-tier, luxury concierge services to high-income and sophisticated clientele in the Greater New York City, Long Island, and practically anywhere our services are needed.

We offer a wide range of premium concierge services, 24 hours ad day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

Services are offered through exclusive membership or single-service and event needs.

We offer quality services when you need it, every time and all the time! Contact us for more details.

Also, inquire about Apex Concierge Services as a Corporate Employee benefit package or Employee rewards program. Contact Us Now! 1-866-VIP-APEX (1-866-847-2739)

1010 Northern Boulevard, Suite 424, Great Neck, New York 11021 apexconciergeservices.com | Email: VIP@apexconciergeservices.com

Prepare for Power Outages & Save Money

Upgrade Your Home with a

NEW METAL ROOF Guaranteed to Last a Lifetime!

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TAKE AN ADDITIONAL

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Prepare for power outages with a Generac home standby generator REQUEST A FREE QUOTE!

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*To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase, install and activate the generator with a participating dealer. Call for a full list of terms and conditions.

SERVICES Dr. Marlene Levy (PhD,LCSW,DAAPM) Virtual and Outdoor CLINICAL HYPNOSIS & PSYCHOTHERAPY. Call 516-944-3885

Install for Military, Health Workers and First Responders

ACT NOW

TO RECEIVE

Limited time offer.

Expires 12.31.21

A $300 SPECIAL OFFER!* (888) 871-0194

From Dimensional Shingles to classic styles reminiscent of Cedar Shake and Spanish Tile, an architectural roofing system by Erie Metal Roofs can enhance the beauty of your home while protecting your family and property for a lifetime.

Warranty- Limited Lifetime.

Transferable to 1 subsequent owner from original purchaser.

Terms and conditions apply.

Hail up to 2.5”, Appearance of the surface coating beyond normal wear and tear.

Call today to schedule your

FREE ESTIMATE 1-855-492-6084 Made in the USA

$0 DOWN FINANCING OPTIONS!** *Offer value when purchased at retail. **Financing available through authorized Generac partners.

Solar panels sold separately.

SERVICES

ATTORNEY

JACK’S CUSTOM FRAMING We can frame anything! Quality Care & Workmanship Thousands of frames to choose from!! Over 30 years in business! 92 Covert Ave, Stewart Manor 516-775-9495

STEPHANIE A. D’ANGELO, ESQ. Elder Law, Wills & Trusts Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration/Litigation 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530 516-222-1122 www.dangelolawassociates.com

COMPUTERS TDS COMPUTER SERVICE Mac and Windows Repairs/Data Recovery/Virus Removal/Network Support/IT Security 516-944-5193

ATTORNEY Didi Hutt, Esq. Specializing in personal injury litigation including car accidents, slip/trip and all injuries, construction accident cases and medical malpractice.

Call 212-323-7443 or email: dh@huttlawpc.com

HOME IMPROVEMENTS AMBIANCE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES *Handyman & Remodeling *Kitchen Installations *Furniture Assembly *Finish Carpentry *Minor Electrical & Plumbing 28 year GC Resident Lic & Ins H18E2170000 Call BOB 516-741-2154

New orders only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Minimum purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placed on behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and conditions may apply and the offer may not be available in your area.

Offer expires December 31st 2021. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, pre-recorded messages

by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.com. All rights reserved.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

CHIMNEY KING ENT. INC. FREE ESTIMATES Stainless steel liners cleaning & repair specialists. Masonry specialist. FULLY licensed & insured. NYC NASSAU SUFFOLK 516-766-1666 or 631-225-2600 Since 1982 chimneykinginc.com

MADE IN THE SHADE CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies Top Brands at Discount Prices! Family owned & operated www.madeintheshadensli.com 516-426-2890

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever!

LeafFilter, the most advanced debrisblocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today.

15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify. PLUS Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-877-763-2379

MASONRY All types of stonework Pavers, Retaining Walls, Belgium Block Patios, Foundations, Seal coating, Concrete and Asphalt driveways, Sidewalks, Steps. Free Estimates Fully Licensed & Insured #H2219010000 Boceski Masonry Louie 516-850-4886

FREE ESTIMATES Extensions, Kitchens, Baths, Basements, Carpentry Work, Porticos, Siding, Dormers, Stone, New Construction & Conversions, Mason Work, Stone Insured. Please Call 516-581-9146

Never Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again! Complete Care Home Warranty COVERS ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE. $200.00 OFF + 2 FREE MONTHS! 866-440-6501

34 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

▼ SERVICES, TUTORING, HEALTH BACKED BY A YEAR-ROUND EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER!

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Subject to credit approval. Call for details.

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!"#$%&'#()%*'#%+,-./012%34)%5#,6#4%6)$%'#,()'#.72%8#%#9./:-&/#4%)(&/;-&)%<-./7%0#$%=%1)-$2%%!!3>%)$%<-./7%-&%&/;)%#0%)(&/;-&)%#4.1%% 2The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.”

CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 WA UBI# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registra&/#4?%@ABC=DEF%%A):/(&$-&/#4?%=CGHEIIJCIEE%%A):/(&$-&/#4?%KLEMICDC%%N,>%#.O%H@P% License# 52229-H License# 2705169445 License# 262000022 License# 262000403 License# 0086990 Registration# H-19114

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

THE GENERAC PWRcell a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-888871-0194 WIREMAN/CABLEMAN Flat TVs mounted, Phone, TVs & Computer wiring installed & serviced, camera & stereos, HDTVAntennasFREE TV www.davewireman.com 516433-WIRE (9473 631-667-WIRE (9473) or TEXT516-353-1118

PAINTING & PAPERHANGING MICHELANGELO PAINTING & WALLPAPER Interior, Exterior, Plaster/Spackle, Light Carpentry, Decorative Moldings & Power Washing. Call: 516-328-7499

SERVICES A & J MOVING & STORAGE: Established 1971. Long Island and New York State specialists. Residential, Commercial, Piano & Organ experts. Boxes available. Free estimates. www.ajmoving .com 516-741-2657 114 Jericho Tpk, Mineola NYDOT# 10405 DISH TV $64.99 for 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo expires 1/21/22 Call 1-888-609-9405

Saving a Life EVERY 11 MINUTES

alone I’m never

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SERVICES LEAK REPAIRS Plumbing Repairs Bathrooms, Showers, Kitchens 24 HOUR SERVICE Call 516-668-5624 NEED EXTRA MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. PRIVATE PAY MEDICAL CARE. Personal Concierge Services including Private Medical Care, Companions, Therapy & Housekeeping. Apex Concierge Services 866-VIP-APEX VIP@APEXCONCIERGESERVICES. COM

Passion for Seniors Certified HHAs, companions & Homemakers. 24 hour care available. Also Nassau locations. Trained in Dementia and Alzheimer’s care. Call 718-8503400

with

GPS !

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For a FREE brochure call:

1-800-404-9776 DENTAL Insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company

TUTORING

Call to get your FREE Information Kit

Port Tutoring Academic success Test Prep/All subjects/ All Grades /All Levels. Individual and Small Group Tutoring. 516-767-1342 info@portturtoring.com

HEALTH SERVICES FAMILY CARE CONNECTIONS, LLC Dr. Ann Marie D’Angelo PMHCNS-BC Doctor of Nursing Practice Advanced Practice Nurse Care Manager Assistance with Aging at Home/Care Coordintion Nursing Home & Assisted Living Placement PRI / Screens / Mini Mental Status Exams Medicaid Eligibility and Apllications 516-248-9323 www.familycareconnections.com 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530

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1-855-225-1434 Dental50Plus.com/nypress

Product not available in all states. Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer.

Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN). Rider kinds: B438, B439 (GA: B439B).

6208-0721

The Delightful Gift 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 8

Butcher’s Cut Top Sirloins (5 oz.)

Filet Mignon Burgers (5.3 oz.)

Boneless Chicken Breasts (1 lb. pkg.)

Gourmet Jumbo Franks (3 oz.)

Individual Scalloped Potatoes (3.8 oz.)

Caramel Apple Tartlets (4 oz.) jar Signature Seasoning (3.1 oz. jar) FREE Filet Mignon Burgers (5.3 oz.)

65658PTN separately $223.93*

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE

9999

$

Get 8 FRee filet mignon burgers Order Now! 1.844.615.2744 ask for 65658PTN OmahaSteaks.com/TheGift1246

*Savings shown over aggregated single item base price. Standard S&H applies. ©2021 Omaha Steaks, Inc. Exp. 12/31/21

HUMANE SOCIETY OF MIDDLETOWN, NY

Beautiful puppies, dogs, kittens, cats for adoption.

All vetted, spayed/neutered.

845-361-1861

142 Bloomingburg Road Middletown, NY 10940

CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK AT FACEBOOK.COM/ THEISLANDNOW AND TWITTER: @THEISLANDNOW

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

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35

36 The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

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Roslyn Times Manhasset Times

Williston Times Port WashingtonTimes

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GN

980 Franklin Ave, Garden City • (516) 294-6565

The Staff at Grimaldi’s would like to wish everyone a

Join Us For NFL Football Every Sunday, Monday and Thursday

20% OFF Your Entire Bill

when you join us to watch your favorite NFL Team

Offer available at the bar and in the back dining room. Please present this coupon to your server/bartender. Valid for DINE-IN ONLY. Not combinable with any other promotion, coupon, Groupon or discount.

SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNT 25% OFF Your Entire Bill when you join us for lunch Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 3:30pm.

Please present this coupon to your server. Valid for DINE-IN ONLY. Not combinable with any other promotion, coupon, Groupon or discount.

HOLIDAY FAMILY DINNERS Available Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 - Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022 for lunch and dinner • Take out only

PACKAGE #1 $50 Plus Tax

• (2) 18” regular pizzas • Choice of a dozen buffalo wings or spinach artichoke dip • 2L Bottle of Soda

PACKAGE #2 $60 Plus Tax

• (2) 18” regular pizzas •Penne ala vodka • Choice of a dozen buffalo wings or Spinach artichoke dip • 2L bottle of soda

PACKAGE #3 $70 Plus Tax

• (2) 18” regular pizzas • Penne ala vodka • Side order of meatballs • Choice of a dozen buffalo wings or Spinach artichoke dip •2L bottle of soda

LADIES LUNCHING!

THANK YOU TO ALL THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS!!

20% OFF Your Entire Bill

Catching up with old friends or meeting to discuss the most recent book you read?

25% OFF Your Entire Bill

when you join us for lunch Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 3:30pm.

Please present this coupon to your server. Valid for DINE-IN ONLY. Not combinable with any other promotion, coupon, Groupon or discount.

when you join us for lunch Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 3:30pm.

Please present this coupon to your server. Valid for DINE-IN ONLY. Not combinable with any other promotion, coupon, Groupon or discount.

HOLIDAY CATERING MEALS

Available Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 - Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022 for lunch and dinner • Take out only PACKAGE #1 $80 Plus Tax • (2) 18” regular pizzas • 1/2 tray chicken parmigiana • Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Grigio

PACKAGE #2 $115 Plus Tax

• (2) 18” regular pizzas • 1/2 tray Caesar salad • 1/2 tray chicken parmigiana • Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Grigio

PACKAGE #3 $145 Plus Tax

• (1) 18” regular pizzas • 1/2 tray Caesar salad • 1/2 tray chicken parmigiana • 1/2 tray penne ala vodka • Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Grigio *Toppings available for additional cost; may not be combined with any other coupon, discount, offer or Groupon; prices do not include tax or gratuity; available for take out only; no substitutions.*

For All Holiday Packages, Additional Items May Be Purchased At Regular Menu Price

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37

38 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, December 31, 2021

ATTENTION JOURNALISM STUDENTS

Opportunity is Knockin’!

ARE YOU A COLLEGE STUDENT ?

DO YOU KNOW A COLLEGE STUDENT WHO WANTS TO EARN $2,600 THIS SUMMER?

Paid Summer Internship Positions Available The New York Press Association Foundation is sponsoring a paid summer internship at this newspaper for a qualified journalism student.

Any student currently enrolled in a recognized journalism program is eligible to compete for an internship with a net $2,600 stipend provided by NYPA. Applicants must attend college during the 2022-2023 academic year.

New York Press Association

PA

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Don’t delay! Application deadline is March 1, 2022.

Application forms available online at:

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click on Internships

The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

GN

39

VGN OKs plans for senior living complex Proposal includes 63-unit apartment building, retail space on E. Shore Road

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOJO STUMER ASSOCIATES

The Village of Great Neck Board of Trustees unanimously approved plans for a proposed 55-and-older mixed-use complex on East Shore Road last week.

Continued from Page 1 coverage.

After the presentation was made, several residents voiced concerns about the project. One resident who lives near the proposed location asked that trees be planted on one side of the building so that it would not obstruct the view from her house.

Bloom said her house was at a higher elevation than the building, so only the top part of the complex would be seen from her residence. Additionally, there is no room, according to officials, for trees to be planted in that area.

Another resident persistently asked about school-age children residing in the apartment complex, with concerns about potential overcrowding at Great Neck public schools. It was then confirmed that the 55-and-up residential housing complex can legally house children.

Mayor Pedram Bral said, because of

the age restriction, any influx of K-12 students to the Great Neck school district should not be that significant.

UNLESS WE MAKE THE ENTIRE AREA INTO A PARKING LOT. I DON’T KNOW HOW WE COULD ADDRESS THE LACK OF PARKING THAT EXISTS.

Pedram Bral MAYOR

“I also believe that the amount of tax revenue would be significantly more than the effect of students ... and it would be a positive balance, not negative,” he said.

A number of people were concerned about the traffic flow and parking in that

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area. Parking and traffic on East Shore Road have been an issue for a while and residents said they believe that this building will exacerbate the problem.

Although it will provide additional parking, many claimed that the spots will all be taken when people arrive for work.

The argument was made that the 47 parking stalls reserved just for the retail section will have a quick turnover. Additionally, a traffic study was done by VHB and the results did not confirm the circumstances being brought up.

“Unless we make the entire area into a parking lot,” said Bral, “I don’t know how we could address the lack of parking that exists.”

The site where the residential building will be built was an active sewage treatment plant for 80 years before it was decommissioned in 2014, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. This could cause potential contamination and health issues to those

residing on the site.

However, Louis Massaro, the village public works superintendent, assured the community that “the village is doing everything properly from an environmental standpoint.”

Bral said of all options that could be presented as to what the village could do with the now-vacant property, this proposal has the least amount of impact on the environment and on the school district.

The board also unanimously approved various laws pertaining to the village’s zoning code. These approvals included correcting the list of retail businesses allowed in the Great Neck mixed use (MU) district, rezoning a portion of property currently part of the MU district to be in the Waterfront Residential District and to give the Board of Trustees the power to set an expiration date or terminate previously granted incentive zoning approval.

40 The Great Neck News, Friday, December 31, 2021

GN

May the joy of the New Year be with you and your family.

We are so grateful to have neighbors like you.

Happy New Year from Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

Great Neck Office 42B Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY 516.466.4036 | danielgale.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.