New Hyde Park 2024_06_14

NEW HYDE PARK

Congestion pricing halted by Hochul

Nassau Dem legislators, D’Esposito applaud governor’s 11th-hour move

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that she was halting the long-awaited MTA congestion pricing plan just weeks before tolls were set to hit New Yorkers. The move elicited support from Long Island Democrats and Republicans.

The governor said while the plan was initially created pre-pandemic with noble causes in mind, such as reducing city traffic and vehicle emissions and boosting funds for MTA capital projects, it is unfair for workers who are now being “hammered on costs.”

“Circumstances have changed and we must respond to the facts on the ground, not from the rhetoric from five years ago,” Hochul said in a video Wednesday. “I have directed the MTA to indefinitely pause the program.”

The tolls were set to hit commuters June 30, MTA officials said.

Car drivers would face a $15 charge to enter Manhattan at 61st St. and below, truck drivers would face a $24 to $36 charge, depending on their vehicle size, and motorcycle drivers would face a $7.50 charge.

The congestion pricing plan was crafted when city tourism was high and crime was low, the governor said. Now, in a post-pandemic world, she

said inflation and the strain on middleand working-class families is “just too much.”

While many have criticized the congestion pricing plan, especially Long Island and New Jersey representatives whose constituents often commute into the city for work, proponents of the plan argued that it would alleviate traffic and generate much-needed revenue for the MTA.

Some environmentalists have said they are disappointed in the governor’s move, pointing to similar tolls across the globe that are meant to boost public transit conditions.

Despite his outspoken opposition to the plan, Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (CD-4) slammed the program pause. He called for a harsher response and accused Hochul of playing politics.

“Gov. Hochul is realizing her constant nickel and diming of taxpayers is widely loathed across New York,”

D’Esposito said in a statement, “but we can’t allow Hochul and her Democratic allies to merely delay the implementation of this new tax until after the election for solely political purposes, and we will continue the bipartisan effort to ensure this bad policy is canceled permanently.”

Continued on Page 37

BY

Dancers performed at the Floral Park Street Festival Friday evening.

Thousands gather at Floral Park Street Festival

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

tions during the Annual Floral Park Street Festival.

Thousands gathered Friday on Tulip Avenue under the hot sun to browse booths set up by local businesses, restaurants and organiza-

The event – co-hosted by the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, New York Racing Association and Belmont Stakes – has been running

for more than 20 years, resuming in 2023 after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

“It’s a very family-oriented community and when we see 8- and Continued on Page 38

PHOTO

TAYLOR HERZLICH

Herricks board honors two outgoing trustees

Feinstein retires, Hassan defeated in May election

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

The Herricks Board of Education honored outgoing Trustees Nancy Feinstein and Brian Hassan, who each served 12 years on the board, at a meeting Thursday night.

Feinstein announced her retirement from the board during a March meeting. And newcomer Maria Bono, a former teacher and active PTA member, defeated Hassan in his race for reelection with 63% of the vote in a May 21 contest, scooping up the longtime trustee’s seat.

“The time on the board spent with the five of us as we were all this time was something that I can only say was immeasurable,” Board President Jim Gounaris said. “Nancy and Brian have

always been the ones to keep the level head and to bring the focus back to the table about what was important.”

Though Village of Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar was not in attendance, he did send a representative to read his congratulatory remarks and announce that June 6, 2024, would be declared Nancy Feinstein Day and Brian Hassan Day throughout the village.

Family members, friends and colleagues stood and applauded for the two outgoing trustees.

Feinstein and Hassan were presented with celebratory plaques, gifts and heartfelt remarks from their Herricks colleagues.

Trustee Juleigh Chin said it was a “special moment” because both Feinstein and Hassan sat on the board

during her 11 years as a trustee. Chin and Feinstein first bonded when their children attended Denton Avenue Elementary School at the same time. Hassan and Chin served as board president and vice president for two years in a row during their tenure.

“We’ve come through and weathered so many storms, whether it was something like COVID and the pandemic, navigating through very difficult situations and also going through really good ones,” Chin said. “And I could not have been more blessed to be working right with these two folks who I really do consider to be like family, more than anything else, and because we’re family, you can’t get rid of me.”

Continued on Page 37

TO CORRECTION US

In the June 7 issue of the New Hyde Park Herald Courier, the front page reefer incorrectly stated that the New Hyde Park library director was under fire. This was wrong as it was referencing a story about the allegations made against the Great Neck Library director, not New Hyde Park’s Hillside Library. We apologize for the error.

F.P.-B

needs $40M in capital upgrades

Split between 2 elementary schools

BY SAMUEL GLASSER

The latest update of the Floral Park-Bellerose School District’s fiveyear capital facilities plan shows that an estimated $40 million in upgrades are needed for the two elementary school buildings, the district architect said in a presentation at the Board of Education meeting Monday.

Ralph Cassetta of Campbell Cassetta Architects reviewed the annual updates to the five-year facilities plan that the state requires of each school district.

Cassetta said the facilities are well maintained and the district has been diligent in defining the most essential projects. However, the report said that there are some systems and equipment at both buildings that are original and past their useful life.

The heating systems are the main concerns at John Lewis Childs School, built in 1921, and Floral Park-Bellerose School, built in 1929, Cassetta said.

While the two buildings have been expanded several times over decades and the heating plants at both have been modified several times — and updated to some extent — a feasibility study shows that most of the equipment has surpassed its expected service life and needs to be replaced.

The related ventilation and air conditioning systems are also obso-

lete.

The facilities report proposes replacing the steam boilers and heating equipment with hot water systems tied to the new building management system with digital controls. Other work at both buildings includes paving replacements, technology upgrades, corridor flooring replacements and other projects.

Masonry at the John Lewis Childs building is a “significant concern,” as the chimney needs to be reconstructed, and there are other miscellaneous masonry issues, Cassetta said.

“Masonry items are to be expected in buildings of this age. It just needs to be maintained,” he said.

The total five-year estimated project costs are $16.2 million for John Lewis Childs School and $23.8 million for Floral Park-Bellerose School.

In other business, interim Superintendent Lisa Ruiz announced that Meghan Dixon was appointed assistant principal for the John Lewis Childs School as of July 1. She succeeds Kristina Lynch, the current assistant principal who was named principal.

Dixon currently serves as an assistant principal in the Lindenhurst School District and has worked as a special education teacher and assistant principal in the New York City school system.

Continued on Page 37

Cameryn Oakes 516-307-1045 x214 • coakes@theisland360.com

Roslyn Times: Taylor Herzlich 516-307-1045 x215 • therzlich@theisland360.com

Williston Times: Taylor Herzlich 516-307-1045 x215 • therzlich@theisland360.com Port Washington Times: Cameryn Oakes 516-307-1045 x214 • coakes@theisland360.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

Floral Park’s John Lewis Childs School.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Herricks Board of Education honored outgoing Trustees Brian Hassan and Nancy Feinstein at a Thursday night meeting.

Peaceful presence at Here and Now

Floral Park studio strives to boost yogis’ confidence, form connections one pose at a time

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Co-owners Michelle Ingkavet Cavanagh and Dina Denis-Paolucci have opened Here and Now Yoga in Floral Park, hoping the studio will become a hub for arts, culture and community bonding in the village.

The two yoga gurus began their careers as dancers before transitioning to yoga. They joined together to open Here and Now Yoga to help boost others’ confidence.

Cavanagh said one of her specialties is inversion, or helping people become strong and confident enough to achieve a difficult yoga pose.

“The confidence instilled in them, it’s empowering,” Cavanagh said. She said her students feel that if they can do a difficult pose, “then I can go ask for a raise. Then I can become CEO of this next company.”

Both Cavanagh and Denis-Paolucci said their favorite part of yoga is forming connections with others, which is why the partners decided to open their own studio.

Cavanagh had been teaching yoga classes at a studio in Bayside and then via Zoom during the pandemic, but was inspired to pursue her own brickand-mortar studio about a year ago.

She knew she wanted to open her own studio with a partner, so she

There’s a lot to offer,” Denis-Paolucci said.

Cavanagh agreed, saying Floral Park is close to the city but still has a small-town feel and great walkability.

“When I walked down and talked to other business owners, I feel like they’re just so excited to have us as part of the business community,” Cavanagh said.

While owning a storefront may be uncharted territory for Cavanagh and Denis-Paolucci, each said practicing yoga comes naturally.

“Yoga was brought to me,” DenisPaolucci said.

The Bayside resident was studying dance at Hofstra when she was invited by a friend to a yoga class.

“I first came to it as a somatic practice, as a way to take care of my body that was rehearsing and dancing,” she said. “It was just a great way to build strength and flexibility and care for myself.”

turned to Denis-Paolucci, who was her student at the time.

“Because of her dance background, we immediately aligned,” Cavanagh said. “She’s smart. She’s organized. What more do you need?”

Cavanagh and Denis-Paolucci found the Verbena Avenue storefront in January, and since then the two have been busy filling out paperwork and completing small renovations. They secured their final permit from

the village last week.

Floral Park “meets in the middle” and “it’s perfect for us,” Denis-Paolucci said. She lives in Bayside and Cavanagh lives in New Hyde Park. “The town is really beautiful.

But after an eye-opening retreat upstate, Denis-Paolucci said she began to appreciate yoga’s spirituality. Cavangah has a similar story. A trained dancer since childhood, she was always interested in the arts. In her mid-20s, Cavanagh practiced martial arts and said she used yoga to warm up for her martial art classes.

Continued on Page 37

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Co-owners Michelle Ingkavet Cavanagh and Dina Denis-Paolucci have opened Here and Now Yoga in Floral Park.

GRAND

Dem rivals tout ability to unseat Martins

BY CAMERYN OAKES

New York State Senate District 7 Democratic rivals Kim Keiserman and Brad Schwartz touted their ability to unseat incumbent Republican state Sen. Jack Martins and combat what they are calling his extremist rhetoric.

“I believe we deserve to be represented by someone who can bring us together to find real solutions, not someone who fear mongers, sows divisions and panders to the extremes of their party,” Keiserman said. “To regain our voice in Albany, it’s vital that we flip this seat.”

district, and it’s been noticed,” Keiserman said. She called his rhetoric “increasingly hardline and out of touch with the values of our district.”

Martins is campaigning to reduce crime in Nassau County, attributing a rise to laws like cashless bail. But both candidates pushed back against this narrative of rising crime, with statistics showing falling rates of crime in 2023.

“Senator Martins has made crime a centerpiece of his social media and his messaging, and his messaging is always meant to be fear mongering, raising fears about crime,” Keiserman said.

The Democratic candidates answered various community questions Thursday night at a forum hosted by the Port Washington-Manhasset League of Women Voters.

Keiserman is an education consultant and serves as a commissioner for the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, chairwoman of the Baxter Estates Planning Board and a board member of the Come to Believe Network.

She said she assumes Martins is taking this approach because it has been effective in the past, but that the narrative needs to be shifted with Democrats expressing strong support for public safety.

Schwartz said Nassau County is one of the safest counties in the country, but one of its biggest dangers is its Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Schwartz cited Blakeman’s “militia,” or deputation of armed citizens, as a threat to the county and a national security threat.

Schwartz, who ran in the 2018 race but dropped out before the primary against former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, is a former television editor and producer with a Ph.D in public policy. He is a lifelong resident of Long Island’s North Shore and lives in Roslyn.

Keiserman and Schwartz are going head-tohead in the race to challenge Martins, a Republican, who is running for re-election. The primary winner will face off against Martins.

Martins defeated Democratic candidate and former state Sen. Anna Kaplan in 2022, flipping the seat red. With a Democrat loss in the rear window, both candidates spoke about how they could unseat Martins.

Schwartz said Martins fear mongers, whereas his pursuit as a candidate is in debunking disinformation. He said it is necessary that a Democratic candidate is capable of standing “toe-to-toe” with Martins in the general election.

“I know how to respond to that kind of messaging,” Schwartz said.

Keiserman agreed that Martins is a “formidable candidate,” as phrased in the question asked, but that the political climate has changed since the 2022 election year. She called that a difficult year in general for Democratic candidates.

What also makes this year’s election different than in 2022, Keiserman said, is the knowledge of Martins’ actions as a legislator, his rhetoric and the expected higher voter turnout due to the presidential election.

“He simply has not been very present in the

“It is part of a wider MAGA movement to create a national infrastructure at the local level of insurrectionists,” Schwartz said. “When you have public safety issues and there are illdefined responsibilities, that is when the worst accidents occur.”

Keiserman stressed the importance of electing a Democrat to represent the district in November. Backed by a slew of political organizations and multiple Democratic elected officials of the past and present, Keiserman said she is the one to do this.

The candidates also answered multiple questions about District 7 issues, including the high cost of living.

Rising costs have been a main issue on Long Island in recent elections, and both candidates are campaigning to address the issue.

Schwartz said property taxes prevent middle and lower-income families from moving to Long Island, calling them “aggressively, regressive.” He said innovative solutions need to be made to address property taxes, comparing them to income taxes which are based on income.

Keiserman said other financial stressors in tandem with property taxes are the cost of housing, transportation and childcare.

Solutions she offered include lower taxes for small businesses and supporting programs like universal pre-K, childcare and senior care assistance.

Continued on Page 38

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATES

State Senate District 7 Democratic candidates Brad Schwartz , left, and Kim Keiserman.

We Are Under New Ownership

Blakeman offers trans ban bill to Legislature

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman introduced a bill Friday that would ban transgender girls and women athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams at county facilities.

tax reductions, lower fees, and a more equitable property assessment system,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Instead, they have been burdened with a county executive more focused on stirring up controversy and diverting attention from real issues.

The legislation comes a month after a New York judge struck down Blakeman’s similar executive order banning transgender girls and women athletes following a lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union and a Massapequa women’s roller derby league.

“Women compete on a different level with men…but when you have someone who is a biological male that tries to bully their way onto a girls’ team or a women’s team, it’s unfair and it’s unsafe,” Blakeman said at a press conference Friday.

State Supreme Court Justice Francis Ricigliano ruled on May 10 that the county executive did not have the authority to issue the executive order. The county is appealing the decision.

The Republican county executive said he is confident that the county Legislature will vote through the bill, which is co-sponsored by Republican Legislators Samantha Goetz, Howard Kopel and John Giuffre.

Blakeman said the county Legislature was already planning to codify the ban into law before the unsuccessful executive order.

Despite these assurances, an NYCLU representative said that any attempt to bar transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ and women’s sports is unlawful under the state antidiscrimination law.

“It was true when we successfully struck down County Executive Blakeman’s transphobic policy and it is true now,” NYCLU Staff Attorney Gabriella Larios said in a statement. “If the Nassau County legislature continues to push forward on such harmful legislation, we will see them in court.”

The NYCLU is not the first to challenge the transgender bans on the issue of legality.

State Attorney General Letitia James issued a cease-and-desist letter to Blakeman in February demanding that he rescind his order, calling it “transphobic” and “blatantly illegal.”

Nassau County Minority Leader Delia DeRiggiWhitton (D-Glen Cove) said the proposed bill will only cost the county “millions in legal fees and taxpayer money” since the ban has already been deemed illegal.

“The residents of Nassau County were promised

But Blakeman said the bill is meant to protect women and tied it to the protections included in Title IX, a circa 1970s civil rights law that prevents sex discrimination in schools.

The bill – just like the executive order – does not ban transgender boys and men athletes from competing on boys’ and men’s teams since Blakeman said there is no fairness issue.

The county executive said it is dangerous for biological girls and women to play alongside “biological men,” who have physical advantages, and said it is unfair competition and could pose a threat to girl athletes’ scholarships.

“You can compete on a co-ed team where everybody knows it’s men and women playing together. There’s nothing wrong with that. You can compete on a biological male team, so you’re competing on an equal standing,” Blakeman said, “and you can form your own league. We have no problem with a transgender league here in Nassau County.”

But Ash Orr, press relations manager at the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the isolation of transgender individuals is already a problem.

“This legislation, and others like it throughout the country, will have direct and damaging impacts on the lives of transgender athletes in Nassau County and lead to further isolation and stigmatization of transgender athletes, as well as contribute to the broader cultural narratives surrounding the trans community,” Orr said in a statement to Blank Slate Media.

While Blakeman said transgender athletes are “bullying” their way onto girls’ and women’s teams, Orr said transgender students are the real victims of bullying and discrimination.

Orr said protections for women athletes should include increases in funding for women’s sports and preventative measures for sexual assault and abuse, not a ban on transgender athletes.

Despite opposition, Blakeman said he has garnered strong support from Nassau County residents.

“This is not anti-transgender. This is pro-women and pro-girls,” Blakeman said. “Based on our phone calls, our faxes, our emails, our text messages that we get, 80% of the residents in Nassau County agree with the executive order.”

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman speaks at a press conference on Friday.

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LI reps, U.S. senators slam FAA controller plan

BY CAMERYN OAKES

A bipartisan letter from House members in Long Island and New Jersey and New York senators called for the termination of a plan to reassign air traffic controllers from New York to the Philadelphia facility. The elected officials are calling the Federal Aviation Administration’s response dismissive as it pushes forward with the plan.

“The FAA’s refusal to reconsider their reloca-

tion plan is an abuse of power and simply, a disgrace,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Nassau) said. “The impact that these relocations will have on hardworking families cannot be understated. These air traffic controllers accepted their positions at N90 believing that they would be able to create stable, long-term homes for themselves and their families here in New York. We have been down this road before with the FAA and will keep fighting this shortsighted and thoughtless decision.”

Continued on Page 36

Congressmen Tom Suozzi and Anthony D’Esposito signed a letter demanding the FAA to terminate a plan to relocate Long Island air

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE REPRESENTATIVES

traffic controllers.

Women’s Health Care of Garden City committed to personalized care

By John L. Gomes, MD

John L. Gomes, MD, founded Women’s Health Care of Garden City in 1995. It has remained an independent private practice, providing personalized obstetrical and gynecological services.

He employs the technical advances of conventional medicine with an integrative approach to navigate women through difficult pregnancies into the menopausal years. He treats a wide variety of OB/GYN conditions and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care.

All tests are conveniently done on the premises, and a dedicated, compassionate staff is on call 24/7.

He is committed to excellence in patient communication, education and support, as many patients come with anxiety associated with past experiences and future concerns.

Dr. Gomes received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, and his Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University.

He is both Board Certified and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Women’s Health Care of Garden City is located at 1000 Franklin Avenue, Suite 200, Garden City.

LGBTQ question spurs heated town exchange

BY CAMERYN OAKES

A resident’s question about North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena’s support of the LGBTQ+ community and transgender residents touched off a heated exchange at the Town Board meeting on Tuesday and accusations of a partisan attack.

During the public comment part of the board meeting, Eli Lefcowitz asked DeSena for greater support of the LGBTQ+ community and transgender residents amid a trans athlete ban approved by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Republican county legislators.

“You would think that the flag’s presence over our town government building would signal that the town is a safe, welcoming, inclusive place for all residents, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” Lefcowitz said, referring to a Pride flag flying over Town Hall. “But Supervisor DeSena, actions speak louder than flags.”

Town Councilmember Dennis Walsh, a Republican, jumped in to accuse Lefcowitz of being a political operative who was part of a concerted effort to attack the supervisor.

“Because you can’t take the fact that you’re not in control of this town board anymore,” Walsh said to Lefcowitz, referring to the Democrats.

In a letter to the editor that appeared in Blank Slate Media in 2020, Lefcowitz listed himself as an intern for Democrat Melanie D’Arrigo, who was running in the Democratic primary for Congress.

The town board raised the LGBTQ+ pride flag on June 4.

At the town board meeting afterward, DeSena said it would only fly for a few days and not the

whole month, which was met by opposition from another resident and Town Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte, a Democrat.

DeSena announced Tuesday morning the flag was still flying.

Lefcowitz said Blakeman’s executive order and a recent bill in the county Legislature that would bar transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams were attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals in the town.

He said DeSena, a registered Democrat who ran for county executive twice as a Republican, has stayed silent on this issue. He added that DeSena has campaigned with Blakeman in the past.

Building dept. changes coming ‘soon’: DeSena

BY CAMERYN OAKES

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena told a group of business owners at a Great Neck Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Thursday that changes to the town’s building department and updates on a new master plan will be provided “soon.”

But DeSena said she believed there have been positive signs since the Nassau County Comptroller’s Office released a department audit in February.

“A lot of people have told me that they are finding that people are more responsive,” DeSena said. “And I believe it is because this audit confirms some of the things I had said, that there was not appropriate management going on and that we can do better. We owe our residents better.”

The Town of North Hempstead’s Building Department has been criticized for many years for poor service, including long delays in issuing permits and was a focus of DeSena’s first campaign.

In July 2022, DeSena asked the Nassau County Comptroller’s Office to conduct an audit of the town’s building department.

Findings in the audit released in February include “significant problems” with the department’s online permit portal that underutilized software features, a lack of standardized proce-

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena shares updates on the town’s building department and master plan at a Great Neck Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

dures and operational oversight leading to operational inefficiencies, a lack of communication and transparency with permit applicants, and a lack of standardization for permit expedition procedures.

PHOTO BY CAMERYN OAKES

North Hempstead Town Board members holding the LGBTQ+ pride flag before it was raised on June 4.

PHOTO BY CAMERYN OAKES

G.N. schools eye changes to evaluations N. Hills to vote in uncontested village justice election

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Great Neck Public Schools Superintendent Kenneth Bossert discussed changes the school district would be facing in the future due to shiftsat the state level, including foundation aid formula alterations and new teacher evaluation systems.

State foundation aid was the main focal point for school districts this past budget season as many were proposed to receive cuts in this aid for the first time since it was offered. Those funds were eventually reinstated, however, when the state budget was passed by the New York legislature in April.

But Gov. Kathy Hochul has stated that efforts to change the state aid formula will progress and be implemented next year.

Bossert addressed continued concerns over changing state aid formulas at the Board of Education meeting Wednesday night.

The superintendent said that although Great Neck is not as reliant on state aid as other local school districts are, state aid formula changes will still impact the Great Neck public schools.

School enrollment has been declining for more than half of the school districts on the North Shore in the past decade, but Great Neck is one of six districts with a growing enrollment. From 2012 to 2023, Great Neck’s enrollment increased by 3.6%.

While formula aid changes may diminish funding in the future to address falling enrollments, eliminating the hold harmless model of ensuring the same amount or more is awarded EVERY YEAR?, Bossert argued funds still need to be maintained as educational costs rise.

“Even when enrollment is declining, the needs of the

Kenneth Bossert, superintendent of Great Neck Public Schools.

students and the complexity of the services we are providing is increasing,” Bossert said. “Therefore the costs of educating even a smaller number of students has increased tremendously since the foundation aid formula was initially calculated.”

Bossert said he was invited to join a work-study group on the foundation aid formula and is working with other educators and finance professionals to provide recommendations on the state aid formula.

Continued on Page 38

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

The Village of North Hills residents will be heading to the polls June 18 to vote on an uncontested village justice candidate to fill the vacant seat of late Village Justice Jerome Reisman. Reisman died Jan. 21, according to the village clerk. He had served as the village justice since 2019. Previously, he was the associate village justice.

Newcomer Jacob N. Schwartz is running without any challengers for the position. Schwartz is currently the associate village justice. He is running for a three-year term under the Homeowner Party. Schwartz declined to be interviewed about his campaign.

North Hills residents can vote June 18 at Village Hall at 1 Shelter Rock Rd., North Hills from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

North Hills Village Hall.

Upcoming events at the Hillside Public Library

PROGRAMS

and

EVENTS

Movie! Fathers’ Day – Rating: PG13. All Purpose Room

Friday, June 14 at 1 p.m. Join us for this great movie to celebrate Father’s Day! “Jack (Billy Crystal) is a straitlaced lawyer with a loving wife (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Dale (Robin Williams) is suicidal about his stalled career as an artist. The only thing they have in common is Collette (Nastassja Kinski), with whom they both had an affair years ago. Unbeknownst to the two men, she had a son, Scott (Charlie Hofheimer), who is now missing. After she tells Jack and Dale that one of them could be the father, the pair set out to find Scott and prove who the real father is.”

Paint Night: Roller Coaster Appreciation Month – Virtual Friday, June 14 at 7 p.m. Sketching and Acrylics with Alma for everyone! Celebrate these chilling, thrilling rides all month! Did you know? The Switchback Railway debuted at Coney Island on June 16, 1884 and is the first roller coaster type ride designed in the U.S solely for amusement! For a list of supplies needed, please go to the library’s website.

The Wonderful World of Pollinators – All Purpose Room

Lakeville Civic special meeting

The Lakeville Estates Civic is presenting a meeting in regard to the redevelopment of the south side of Hillside Avenue — west of Herricks Road, including Nathan’s, the old Sweet Pea and the shuttered office building.

Come to learn about the proposed redevelopment! We are starting our meeting 30 minutes earlier on June 12 with the developers of this property.

Meeting starts at 6:30

p.m. sharp, as they will present to the community their plans for this location that will encompass those three properties.

This meeting is open to the public. Non-civic members are more than welcome!

The meeting will be located at the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department at 21 78th Avenue — one block south of Union Turnpike off Lakeville Road — in New Hyde Park. Doors will open at 6:05 p.m.

G.N. Rotary Club honors students

The Rotary Club of Great Neck annually recognizes students from North Middle and South Middle schools who demonstrate an exemplary level of community service and a commitment to “service above self.”

This year’s Rotary Youth Merit Awards recipients are Paige Klein, Zoe Rios, and

Sharon Shirazian from North Middle School and Enkhjin Altankhuyag, Kala Jagoda, and Annabella Kang from South Middle School.

During a ceremony on May 22, Rotary representatives, proud parents, school administrators, and faculty members applauded the award winners.

Tuesday, June 18, 6 – 7:30 p.m. Journey with gardening expert, Linda Reilly, into the vast and wonderful world of Butterflies, Bees, & Other Pollinators. Who are they and what do they do that is so important,and why are populations are declining? Learn how you can help pollinators thrive! Free plant raffle!

In-Person: Library Plant and Garden Group – 1st Floor Modular Room

Thursday, June 20, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Calling all gardeners, of all levels and interests! Join the Plant and Garden Club and exchange seeds, rooted cuttings, and plants with fellow gardeners of all skills and interests. Let’s discuss composting, annuals and perennials, indoor and outdoor gardens, container gardens, terrariums (make your own!), and your problems and successes! No registration necessary.

The Library Plant and Garden Club meets every 3rd Thursday, April through September.

Adult Summer Reading Kickoff Party – All Purpose Room

Saturday, June 22 at 11:30 a.m. Join us for our Summer Reading Kickoff Party! Lots of fun activities to start you Summer here at the Hillside Public Library. Everyone who comes to the Summer Read-

ing Party and registers for Summer Reading will be entered into our Beach Basket Giveaway, and will receive an additional entry into our Summer Reading Raffle Baskets that will be given away at the end of Summer. For a list of lineup of events please go to the library’s website.

CHILDREN and YOUNG ADULT EVENTS

Move to the Music! – All Purpose Room

Friday, June 14 at 10:30 a.m. Ages:18 months- 36 months (with parent/caregiver). Join Miss Jeannie for a joyous time of movement, dancing, and parachute fun!

Chess Night – All Purpose Room

Friday, June 14 at 4:30 p.m. Grades: 2-4. Join Coach Mike in a night of Chess! Whether you’ve never played or you’ve already an experienced player, you’ll have fun playing chess with friends!

Chess (YA) – All Purpose Room

Friday, June 14 at 5:30 p.m. Grades 5 – 12. Join Coach Mike in a night of Chess! Whether you’ve never played or you’re already an experienced player, you’ll have fun playing with chess with friends!

G.N. South senior Merits scholarship

Great Neck South High School senior Dana Li is the recipient of a National Merit Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Scholarship, which is awarded through the prestigious 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Dana is one of more than 2,900 distinguished high school seniors nationwide who were announced as collegesponsored National Merit Scholarship winners on June 5.

Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program finalists who plan to attend their institution.

These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. An additional

group of Scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2024 competition to more than 3,600.

The National Merit Scholarship Program includes several rounds of evaluation. The first round recognizes high school seniors as Commended Students based on their outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Less than 1% of the highest-scoring entrants in each state advance as Semifinalists in September and the finalist list is announced in February.

This year, the National Merit Scholarship Program recognized 44 Commended Students, 42 Semifinalists, and 40 Finalists from the Great Neck Public Schools.

G.N. South art class’ hospital painting

The Great Neck South High School Art Club created a custom painting for New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital staff that was unveiled on May 22.

Dr. Cynthia Pan initiated this project, which entailed months of communication and collaboration between hospital staff and students to help bring the vision to fruition.

The Hospital staff were prompted: “What inspires you to be a star in providing excellent patient care at NYPQ?”

Staff wrote their responses on stars created by the Art Club, which students later integrated into a large painting showcasing notable Queens landmarks such as the Queensboro Bridge and the Unisphere.

During an appreciation event, NYPQ officials unveiled the artwork and honored their residents and Art Club members.

South High students were presented with certificates in appreciation of their work, and they met a number of medical professionals who offered mentorship for students who aspire to enter the medical field.

Members of the South High Art Club are Axel Byub Dália Castilho, Christina Hui,

Rachel Hung (President), Sophia Ko, Madeleine Lennox, Vicky Li, Paige Louie, Brenda Roman, Lauren Tan (Vice President), Katie Wang, Kaitlyn Wu (Treasurer), Joyce Xu

and

Rotary Club of Great Neck awards

(Secretary),

Wenya Zhang. The club’s faculty advisor is Megan Cashman, art teacher.

Great Neck South High

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Local control good for Nassau but not NYC? OUR VIEWS Editorial Cartoon Opinion

Nassau County’s three town supervisors, all Republicans, came together in January 2023 to oppose Gov. Kathy Hochul’s second plan to address New York State’s severe housing shortage, which was estimated at 800,000 units.

Hochul’s plan called for every town, village and city in the state to set a target number of new homes to be built over a three-year period to combat a shortage that had driven up rent and housing prices to the point of driving people out of the state.

The supervisors bitterly complained that the governor was taking control from local officials who are in a better position to address housing issues – notwithstanding their failure to meet those needs in the past 50 years.

“We’re here to express our outrage at Gov. Hochul’s attempt to take the suburban dream and turn it into an urban nightmare,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said.

Many Democrats, including all four on the North Hempstead Town Board, joined the three Republican supervisors in opposing the Democratic governor’s proposals.

A little more than a year later, in April 2014, the three supervisors again came together against a proposed bill in the state Legislature that would allow faith-based organizations to override local zoning to build affordable housing.

“We’re here to say to Albany: Stop overriding our local government. Stop overriding our local zoning,” North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said at the rally.

The only problem with the supervisors’ protests, which were joined by other Republican officials and school officials, was that the housing legislation was not part of the ongoing budget negotiations, so it could not be approved. And Hochul said it did not have her support.

This did not deter the local officials, however, from demanding that control of local housing be left in their hands.

So we are left mystified why none of these officials has expressed outrage

after Hochul put an “indefinite” hold last week on a congestion pricing plan developed by New York City and the MTA to alleviate gridlock, improve air quality and fund mass transit projects

In reversing her long-held support just weeks before congestion pricing was implemented, Hochul said she was concerned the plan could hurt Manhattan’s economic recovery despite recent press releases saying the state had achieved “full economic” recovery.

The congestion pricing plan would have charged a base toll of $15 a day to any cars entering Midtown and Lower Manhattan,

The MTA expected to raise $1 billion in revenue from the toll annually and use the money bond to finance large-scale capital projects to improve the city’s subways and other mass transit systems.

Another benefit not frequently mentioned was the reduction in often gridlocked suburban roadways, such as the Long Island Expressway and Northern State Parkway.

Why no opposition from Nassau County officials to the governor upsetting plans set in motion by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg? Why no rally or press conference on behalf of local control of zoning decisions?

Shouldn’t local officials stick together to support the principle that local decisions should be left to local officials, even if they represent New York City?

With one exception, support for Hochul’s decision in Nassau County came from Democrats who broke with their city counterparts.

“I fully support Gov. Hochul’s decision to indefinitely delay the implementation of Manhattan’s congestion pricing plan,” said Nassau County Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton. “In these unprecedented times, as we navigate the complexities of a post-pandemic economic recovery, it is imperative that our policies adapt to the evolving commercial landscape and the real challenges faced by everyday New Yorkers.”

There is no “we” in making housing decisions in Nassau County that

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impact the region’s housing and rental costs.

But DeRiggi-Whitton now suggests that Democratic Nassau County legislators, who don’t even have much say in Nassau County’s affairs, should play a role in deciding changes in New York City’s economy and how it handles congestion.

Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D–Plainview) echoed DeRigg-Whitton.

“While it is important to consider every option at our disposal for bolstering mass transit and protecting our environment, congestion pricing would have resulted in an unacceptably disparate impact upon Nassau County residents if implemented in its current form,” Drucker said.

State Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-North Shore) agreed, citing the Long Island region’s economy and praising Hochul “for putting the needs of middle-class New Yorkers who are struggling ahead of any political considerations.”

State Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti added, “We certainly need to get more cars off the road and encourage residents to take mass transit, but this wasn’t it. This proposal should have been about benefiting the environment by supporting mass transit, not making money off the backs of our residents.”

The problem with these statements is that they are not true.

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The congestion pricing plan was proposed after decades of study found that there was no better alternative.

The plan was expected to reduce the number of vehicles driving into the Manhattan core by 100,000 vehicles a day, with only 1.5% of commuters paying the toll.

The system has proved successful in cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore.

In London, the system reduced congestion by 30 percent and increased bus ridership by 33%, according to one report. In Stockholm, rates of childhood asthma fell by nearly 50%.

As far as “making money off the backs of our residents,” this is only true of commuters who choose to drive their cars into the city. It does not apply to people who take mass transit — something the MTA has spent billions on in recent years to make easier for suburban commuters.

This includes East Side Access and the 3rd track.

East Side Access is now saving commuters headed to the East Side valuable time by taking them to Grand Central Station on the East Side rather than Penn Station on the West Side.

The 3rdTrack, the 9.8-mile expansion of rail service from Floral Park to Hicksville, has improved service on a stretch that carries 40% of the LIRR’s traffic on Long Island.

The only Republican to comment is 4th District Rep. Anthony D’Esposito,

Stacy Shaughnessy, Melissa Spitalnick, Barbara Kaplan, Bill Lucano, Angela Shirian

ART DIRECTOR

Yvonne Farley

who will face former Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen in the fall. D’Esposito, a long-time critic of congestion pricing, suggested that Hochul is seeking to delay the decision until after the 2024 elections for “solely political purposes.”

Lavine and D’Esposito cited political motives behind Hochul’s decision for entirely different reasons.

A Siena poll from April found that 72% of those living in New York’s suburbs opposed congestion pricing.

The reason seems simple: People don’t want to pay $15 for something that has cost them nothing before, especially when it comes to using their cars. Along with their homes, cars are one of the main symbols of suburban living.

Nicholas Klein, an assistant professor of city and regional planning at Cornell University, told the New York Times that other cities’ experiences show public support at its lowest point before congestion pricing is implemented.

Also, for a simple reason: Suburban residents don’t see the benefit of safer, less congested streets and highways, cleaner air, and congestion pricing before it is implemented.

This was seen as a big problem for Democrats seeking to recapture New York House seats won by President Joe Biden in 2020, including two in Nassau County. Hochul apparently got the message.

Continued on Page 44

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Cricket World Cup comes to Eisenhower Park

In the United States if you say the word cricket one thinks of Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio’s conscience in “The Adventures of Pinocchio.”

But if you live in Great Britain, India or Pakistan the word cricket conjures up thoughts of sticky wickets, overs, bowlers, Mike Brearley and cricket balls and bats, all of which are associated with the sport of cricket, the game first originated in southeast England in the 13th century.

Cricket is the most popular balland-bat game in the world, with 2.5 billion fans worldwide. If you’re new to the game, permit me to give you a crash course by describing my experience this weekend.

I attended the World Cup cricket match between the Netherlands and South Africa played at Eisenhower Park.

As a journalist and sports psychologist, I was aware that the Cricket ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was being held locally. I wanted to obtain a press pass.

However, the demand for tickets was so great that getting a pass proved to be impossible, and I resigned myself to the ugly prospect of purchasing one on my own.

When I discovered that the cost for a single ticket ranged from $150 to $3,000, I decided to forgo the pleasure of writing about cricket.

As I sat on my porch early Saturday morning sipping coffee, I could see that the day was to be perfect. It was a warm sunny day with low humidity, the sky was clear blue and white cumulus

clouds floated by.

Strangely enough, there was also the sound of helicopters flying overhead, all heading for Eisenhower Park.

I surmised that they were all transporting the super rich to the 30,000 seat stadium that had just been constructed for the World Cup and I was immediately attacked by a case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out.)

So, I got in my car and headed off to Eisenhower Park.

I could see many excited pedestrians walking straight to the park from as far away as two miles. The last time I saw a wave of humanity all walking in the same direction was when I was on the Ile de la Cite in Paris as I made my way to Notre Dame.

I parked my car about one mile from the entrance and joined the throng of cricket fans headed toward their mecca. And posted on the fence that surrounded Eisenhower Park were big signs that said “NO ONSITE TICKET SALES”.

I continued to walk to the front gate, undaunted and undeterred. Once upon a time, when I was younger and had the confidence of youth, I had a deep desire to see the men’s finals with John McEnroe against Vita Gerulaitis at the brand-new Flushing Meadows Tennis Center.

But I had no ticket. With youthful naivete I drove into Flushing, parked my car, walked up the ticket office and asked for one ticket to the men’s finals that day.

DR. TOM FERRARO

Our Town

The guy in the ticket booth laughed in my face and said all finals tickets had been sold out for a year. I must have looked shocked and/or sad over that news and he then told me to wait and he went into the inner office and returned with a ticket in the grandstands. Fortune favors the bold.

I am now older and wiser but I continue to be steadfast and so I ignored all those “NO ONSITE TICKET SALES” signs and when I finally got to the main gate at Eisenhower Park I approached the ticket booth asked if they had any tickets for today’s cricket matches. The guy told me I needed to sign up with the appropriate app and then purchase a ticket online.

I attempted to do so for about 15 minutes with no luck. I wonder how many purchases are lost these days because corporations use the internet

rather than humans.

The ticket guy must have taken pity on me and lent a hand. He tried for about another five minutes and had no luck either. He then reached into his desk and handed me a complimentary ticket, free of charge.

So, with renewed faith in humanity, I took my ticket and headed to the enormous stadium to find the right entrance. I worked my way around to the east side of the stadium and negotiated six flights of stairs to the top.

As I climbed the stairs, I was reminded of the first time I was taken to Yankee Stadium by my father as a nineyear-old boy. We also had to climb up long, darkened ramps as we made our way up our mezzanine seats.

It was a dark, dreary and dreadful climb but I still remember the sight of the Yankee Stadium infield grass as we emerged from the dark ramp and had my first view of Yankee Stadium.

The lights were on and the grass seemed to sparkle and shine as if we had arrived at the Emerald City.

This is exactly what it was like when I left the stairway ramp in the cricket stadium. Looking down on this field of green, there were cricketers from the Netherlands and South Africa in this big round, beautiful grass infield with a blue strip in the middle with the batter, the wickets set up, and the pitcher.

To be honest, I didn’t understand much about the game. This score was big, 48 to 4, and the pitcher ran about

Well, well, well—Gov. Kathy Hochul has thrown in the towel on congestion pricing.

Hochul, who has proclaimed she is the Green Movement’s champion, who wants to take away our gas-run stoves, heating systems, and automobiles, has succumbed to pressure from Democratic pols (fearing voter backlash) and municipal and private sector unions.

I am not at all surprised by her announcement to suspend the congestion toll that was slated to commence on June 30.

Face it, Hochul has been a political chameleon throughout her public career. There was a time when she not only sought and accepted the nomination of the Conservative Party in one of her Western New York races but embraced the National Rifle Association as a candidate for Congress.

Let’s review the events surrounding the MTA’s congestion pricing program that caused Hochul to flip.

First there was the sticker shock. Passenger vehicles driving south of 60th Street in Manhattan at peak

hours would pay $15; unit trucks $24; multi-unit trucks $36; buses $24; licensed sightseeing buses $36; and motorcycles $7.

Those huge charges upset the business, trucking, union, and political communities.

Local servicing companies from the outer boroughs announced they would pass down the toll costs to their Manhattan business customers.

Business owners, in turn, intended to pass the added expense on to their retail customers. So, working-class folks would be stuck picking up the tab for the MTA’s latest financial scheme.

Next, there was a barrage of lawsuits filed in federal and state courts aimed at derailing the program.

After Albany rejected in April a plan to exempt government workers, nurses and first responders from having to pay the toll, a coalition of labor unions representing 400,000 municipal workers joined a suit filed earlier by the United Federation of Teachers.

“The congestion toll is just another crazy thing in the city,” said Harry Nespoli, boss of the City Municipal Labor Committee. “No one likes going into

cater to Jersey residents: the PATH subway and the 42nd Street bus terminal.

To cover those deficits, which total hundreds of millions of dollars annually, the PA expends tolls paid by New Yorkers and profits from LaGuardia and JFK airports.

To me, that’s very expensive interstate discrimination.

60 feet before he threw the pitch.

The ball bounced once, and the guy with the square bat hit it easily enough. The crowds were not as rowdy as those in a baseball game, and I heard no cursing.

Cricket has a gentle, leisurely pace to it, with the average match taking about eight hours. It has the feel of a picnic on a sunny summer day, just the kind of sport that is needed as an antidote to the fast, frantic pace that characterizes much of American life.

Sport is a non-consequential pastime made to instill relaxation, peace and joy in the fan who watches so welcome all ye cricketeers to the land of America. It’s just the kind of sport we’ve been waiting for.

The game of cricket is followed by 2.5 billion fans worldwide.

our pocket when we’re mandated to come in. These are the people who make the city run.”

There was, however, one ludicrous suit, filed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, claiming the toll discriminated against New Jersey residents. He appears to have forgotten that New Yorkers have been supporting for decades the Port Authority’s top money-losing transportation projects that

When announcing the halt, Hochul said she “cannot add another burden to working-class New Yorkers or create another obstacle to our continued economic recovery.” But she was disingenuous. The very next day, the New York Post reported “Gov. Hochul is pushing a New York City tax hike to replace the $15 congestion tolls she indefinitely postponed.”

As for the furious enviros who are weeping and moaning that they were betrayed, they will get over it. That constituency has nowhere to go. They are not going to suddenly embrace the Republican and Conservative parties to spite the Democrats.

What the green crowd has failed to grasp is that congestion pricing was the MTA’s “Hail Mary” pass to raise

money—not to help the environment.

The MTA hoped to raise at least $1 billion a year from congestion tolls to finance $15 billion in long-term borrowing for capital projects. Ergo, the last thing the MTA would want is a decline in Midtown Manhattan traffic.

If Hochul really wants to salvage the MTA’s finances, she should consider shaking up the agency.

The management has been incompetent for years. It has been responsible for a bloated $7.8 billion payroll, egregious overtime that cost $1.37 billion last year, fare evasions to the tune of $750 million annually, and tens of billions of dollars in cost overruns to build the Long Island Rail Road extension to Grand Central Station, the Second Avenue subway, and the No. 7 train station to 10th Avenue.

Will Gov. Hochul have the grit to take on the MTA bureaucrats, the mass transportation public employee unions and the construction unions? I doubt it.

Instead of sticking it to the Power Brokers, I expect Hochul will stick the costs of the MTA’s fiscal follies to the most vulnerable—the commuters.

PHOTO BY TOM FERRARO

Protect trees to weather deadly heat during summer

This summer we can anticipate record-breaking heat events as the El Niño effect exacerbates already rising global temperatures. In April, Berkeley climate scientists released a statistical analysis in Geophysical Research Letters, predicting we will witness record-breaking extreme heat and humidity this summer.

This combination of high heat and high humidity can be deadly for the human body. Handling dry heat is easier for us because we sweat to cool ourselves down. Warm air holds more moisture, and the more humid it is, the less sweat evaporates, magnifying the negative health impacts from warming. Heat-related mortality is on the rise. In 2022, the New York Health Department reported 370 deaths due to heat-related stress; this summer we may lose more lives.

Cities warm faster than rural areas during extreme heat events. “Urban Heat Islands” are created by human-made structures such as blacktops, tar roofs, roads and buildings. These structures amplify local warming by absorbing heat from incoming solar energy and re-emitting it. The darker the surfaces the greater the local warming effect.

Daytime temperatures can be up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in these urban heat islands compared to adjacent green areas, while nighttime temperatures are around 2-5 degrees higher. According to Dr. Andrew Reinmann of the

Advanced Science Research Center at CUNY, the UHI effect alone accounts for 3-8% of the electricity demands in the United States.

The UHI effect increases the cost of cooling homes in summer, further accentuating the equity issue in disadvantaged communities (DAC) that typically have less greenery and more pollution.

In many of these communities, poverty may prevent residents from paying their utility bills on time, leaving them even more exposed and vulnerable in extreme heat events. Children and the elderly living in these disadvantaged communities are most at risk this summer.

DAC residents suffer disproportionately from negative health impacts due to a warming climate.

Earlier this year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised to invest in the planting of 25 million trees by 2033. Part of a three-pronged approach to support natural resilience within New York’s ecosystems, this investment in tree planting prioritizes urban areas with emphasis on how green infrastructure can help mitigate extreme heat in disadvantaged communities.

The tree canopy is namely our best ally in a warming climate, especially in urban and suburban areas. Trees help mitigate the urban heat island effect. Tree-lined streets immediately lower the temperature experienced by pedestrians. A healthy tree canopy performs critical

HILDUR PALSDOTTIR Earth Matters

ecological services, while also offering economic benefits, such as lower home cooling costs. Trees help in a myriad of ways; mitigating stormwater management, regulating both air and noise pollution, and naturally regulating humidity.

The complicated relationship between meeting human needs while also supporting our tree canopy requires new, green and innovative solutions, like burying or moving power lines so that the tree canopy can grow uninhibited aboveground.

I’m still stuck on the fact that a few years ago two dozen healthy, mature native trees were removed to make space for sidewalk repairs and brick islands in

the middle of Main Street in my town without proper climate reparations.

This type of Main Street “revitalization” as it was called by the town at the time must be followed by active afforestation for mitigation of the harm done to our microclimate. Planting of biodiverse and dense microforests in open areas must be a priority on Long Island. Trees are important climate regulators.

We are, after all, living on a sand deposit left behind when glaciers melted not so long ago in geologic time. We need all the roots we can plant to fight erosion and hold our vulnerable island together in this rapidly changing climate.

Let’s invest in expanding our tree canopy, not cutting it down. There are federal and state grants available for this purpose. We should dedicate more open areas to reforestation and afforestation and actively seek solutions to a warming climate in the way we steward and manage our urban forests.

We need to invest in infrastructure modifications, move power lines where they’re wrapped around tree canopies, transform two-way streets into unidirectional streets with wider sidewalks and larger tree beds. Enhanced public transport solutions can mitigate traffic jams. And we should be planting more trees!

As relentless overdevelopment continues to threaten our tree canopies, we should bear in mind the harmful consequences deforestation has on public

health and climate. We can’t expect to meet the challenges of a changing climate while we keep clearing the canopy to make space for more buildings, parking lots and other human-made structures. Green infrastructure is our most important ally in a warming climate. In preparation for what’s likely to be the hottest summer on record, we need to save every tree we can. Planting the right tree in the right place will leave a lasting legacy of climate resiliency.

Political violence is domestic terrorism

The split screen could not be starker in contrast: President Biden praising and thanking the heroes who stormed Normandy, turning the tide of World War II to defeat Fascism and drawing parallels to the need to defend democracy again. And the former guy, Trump, promising retribution for his political enemies (“vermin”), ripping up the Constitution and trampling the Rule of Law.

Trump has elevated violence to a mainstream political weapon – not just politicizing the Justice Department, as his henchmen in Congress have done, and weaponizing social media and disinformation, but actual weapons made all the more dangerous by the ubiquity of guns, especially assault weapons in our society.

Trump has promised a “bloodbath” if he loses the election (again).

The very idea of permitless open carry – as in Texas and Florida — and gangs like Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leering at protesters and at town halls is aimed at intimidating others from exercising their rights to free speech, assembly, even voting.

Political violence, terrorism has been building throughout Trump’s time on the national stage and is only getting worse.

He and his thugs have intimidated people from serving as election workers, jurors, school board members, doctors, lawmakers, and are doing their damnedest to intimidate judges, prosecutors, and lawmakers – and it is working.

Trump, who loves to call the United States a “third world nation” because a

court system actually found him guilty, wants the U.S. to become just that.

This year’s Mexico election was the bloodiest in its modern history with 37 candidates assassinated. An anti-corruption, pro-democracy candidate for president of Ecuador was assassinated, eliminating a threat but also sending a warning to anyone else: Be afraid.

Now Trump is expecting “his” Supreme Court to anoint him “immune” from prosecution.

His entire campaign is founded on violence:

He demonizes immigrants (“poisoning the blood” of the nation and literally lying about their criminality) and promises to use the military to round up and deport 11 million people “on Day 1” when he says he will be a dictator.

(Not clear how his forces will be able to distinguish between a Hispanic heritage American, legal migrant or tourist, but I’m sure his Supreme Court justices will set aside the Fourth Amendment “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated”).

Trump promises to invoke the Insurrection Act to circumvent the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act prohibiting the military from enforcing domestic policies to send armed forces to take control of Democratic cities, just as he tried to do during the George Floyd protests.

His most substantive legacy of his singularly destructive term as president has been to normalize hatred, bigotry, corrup-

They use swatting – hoping to trigger violence – and doxxing in which the personal information, email and addresses of individuals are publicized to inspire waves of violent rhetoric.

Judge Arthur Engoron, who was overseeing the Trump Organization fraud trial and who lives in Kensington, was subjected to a swatting attack – where someone phoned police about a bomb threat, hoping the police would come in shooting, and also received white powder in the mail.

uphold the Rule of Law, and to destabilize and overturn our democracy.

We need to reclaim our democracy:

The FBI, which already understands the danger domestic terrorism poses but is handcuffed by law to from prosecuting domestic terrorism in the same way as foreign, must nonetheless investigate the source of threats and hold individuals accountable, and expose and shut down entities deliberately spreading misinformation.

tion, criminality and violence – basically following his mentors Putin, Orban, Duarte, Xi and Kim Jong Un in his quest to replace democracy with an autocracy – supported by those who see themselves on top in a theocracy, a kleptocracy, an oligarchy. Instead of “the rule of law,” we have “might make right,” and the MAGA right believes they are the better armed in this race and will not hesitate to use it.

The message is: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

You have tens of millions of people who want to break down the rule of law, dismantle law enforcement (except when an unarmed black man is gunned down by police), who increasingly use intimidation, threats of violence and actual violence. It doesn’t take millions, it takes only one who takes the rhetoric to heart.

Following the guilty verdict in New York City for election interference, there has been a surge of violent posts on social media, many on the same websites used by Trump supporters to organize the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and mimicking Trump’s call for violence, NBC News reported (https://www.aol. com/news/trump-supporters-try-doxxjurors-202705512.html)

“We need to identify each juror. Then make them miserable. Maybe even suicidal,” wrote a user. “1,000,000 men (armed) need to go to Washington and hang everyone. That’s the only solution,” another wrote. “I hope every juror is doxxed and they pay for what they have done,” another wrote on Trump’s Truth Social platform. “May God strike them dead.”

“We are continuing to see a dangerous erosion of democratic norms,” Daniel J. Jones, president of Advance Democracy, the group that monitored the posts, told NBC News.

Political violence is domestic terrorism intended to intimidate anyone who would

Fraud, defamation, incitement of violence, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, election interference and voter suppression are not protected “free speech” but crimes.

The Department of Justice must prosecute those who make threats in order to intimidate court proceedings (obstruction of justice, witness tampering).

The Department of Justice must also prosecute anyone who threatens or intimidates election workers or candidates or who interferes with anyone’s ability to cast a vote and have that vote counted (voter fraud, voter suppression, election interference).

Congress has to view domestic terrorism with the same vehemence as they do foreign terrorism. (Fat chance.)

The Supreme Court has to invoke the 14th Amendment that bars insurrectionists from holding federal office; affirm that no one is above the law and that judges, prosecutors, police and courts must administer the law without fear or favor; and see the difference between incitement to violence and “political speech”. (Fat chance.)

VIEW POINT

KAREN RUBIN View Point

PHOTO BY HILDUR PALSDOTTIR Oak tree in conflict with utility power lines on Main Street,

Why talk? Our health depends on conversation

A2023 Report by the Surgeon General of the United States concluded that Americans are more lonely and socially isolated than ever, which is as dangerous to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Social isolation contributes to higher rates of heart disease and dementia, while social cohesion results in less disease and lower mortality rates.

More than a third of Americans expect to spend more time by themselves. Some 41% say the lack of friends drives their loneliness; 38% say they lack purpose. Over 50% say they spend more than one-half of their time online. In the UK, almost 15% of under-30s surveyed reported being depressed, leading to absenteeism and burnout. Nearly one-half reported being fatigued and unproductive at least once a week.

What can we do about this epidemic of loneliness, lack of community and loss of focus?

Instead of staring at a screen and communing with TikTok and the like, we should look around, notice the colors and textures in the environment and ask questions. Silence may be golden at times, but conversations are essential.

Conversation has the power to enhance our social and cultural wellbeing. It can strengthen our capacity to achieve worthy goals in personal, professional and civic life. Conversation is both a personal and a public good.

Conversations prompt deeper connections, fresh ideas, and a better understanding of ourselves and others. When we move beyond small talk and explore people and ideas in more meaningful ways, we grow.

Look up “the power of conversation” and you will find numerous references. Find Shakespeare, who said, “Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectations, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehoods.”

When I consider conversation, I think about listening carefully as well as speaking clearly; watching intently so as not miss nuance as well as to acknowledge my partner; affirming what I hear to be certain I understand. Conversation requires memory as well as comprehension.

Ernest Hemingway said: “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” We all have experienced

ROBERT A. SCOTT, Ph.D. My Turn

someone who is so busy thinking of a response or rebuttal that his or her comment is no longer germane.

At the same time, there are those who never ask a question.

We also have probably experienced this scene, which I saw portrayed in a theatrical drama but put in my own words: “Figuratively pressed against the wall, he said what he thought you wanted to hear, and you heard what you wanted to affirm.”

No listening there!

THE REAL DEAL

Conversations can take place with two or 20. They take place at home, in the office and at play, but we hope not during a play. Often, when talking about the art of conversation, we hear about the shouting on Talk Radio and the preoccupation with devices – even at the dinner table.

When I think about the divisiveness in politics, I am reminded that conversation is necessary for honest compromise and that such compromise of position without a compromise of principles is necessary for democratic governance.

As an educator, I have always thought of academic advising as a time for conversations about learning and life.

I also met with students, faculty and staff in small groups, public events and at casual encounters. On these occasions, I almost always would ask, “How is it going?” “What do you like?” “What do you wish we had changed last week?” I was often surprised by what I learned— and then would ask a colleague why we did or didn’t do something. Conversations with those on and off campus, whether students, employees or donors, led to personal awareness and often to needed action.

Each spring, a group on campus would select a book we all, including new students, would read over the summer for discussions, i.e., conversations, in the fall. We often invited the author to engage in these conversations following or preceding a lecture.

We also encouraged conversations about the curriculum and student learning. Every meeting to raise funds was a conversation about the students, faculty and staff who make the campus live.

Let us pledge to cause a renaissance of conversation in each of our worlds, at home, at school, at work, on the train. Be open to others, to listening. The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard. It is an art that can open new worlds and lead to new opportunities and enhanced effectiveness.

President Emeritus, Adelphi University; author, “How University Boards Work,” Johns Hopkins University Press; co-author, with Dr. Drew Bogner, president emeritus, Molloy University, Letters to Students: “What it means to be a college graduate,” Rowman & Littlefield, 2024 forthcoming.

What the butterfly in the food market means

Go into any supermarket and you will see a butterfly symbol that landed on product packages from your morning cereal box to literally thousands of food items including kosher products. This is the Non-GMO Project Verified.

The Non-GMO Project was created in 2007 by two grocery stores. The Natural Grocery Company in Berkley, California and The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto, Ontario worked diligently to provide their customers with more information about GMOs (genetically modifiedorganisms).

GMOs are widespread in grocery stores. Today, the majority of processed foods contain GMO ingredients. GMOs are not meant forhuman or animal consumption, yet there are many hundreds of geneticallyaltered products already being consumed by the public, and fed to ourcompanion animals.

A GMO (genetically modified organism) is a plant, animal,microorganism, or other organism whose genetic makeup (and ultimately its microbiome) has been modified or changed in a laboratory using genetic engineering technology. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and virus genes that do not occur in nature, or through traditional crossbreeding methods (hybrid). Inserting foreign DNA (as well as syn-

thetic) into a species from outside of its own species, alters that species, and is called recombinant DNA. Pesticides are inserted into these GMO crop seeds. Since pesticides are in the seeds, they cannot be washed off of produce, and therefore are being consumed along with the fruit or vegetable.

This genetic engineering process produces new traits. For example, one variety of genetic tomato could have a gene in it from a cold water fish, to stop the tomato from freezing when there is a frost, so it will have a longer shelf life. These technologies are actually overthrowing the law of Nature when the public says, “Yes” to any technology that sounds feasible to make life easier.

The Natural Grocery Company had rallied 161 stores in a letter writing campaign asking manufacturers about the GMO status of their products. The Big Carrot Natural Food Market developed their own Non-GMO purchasing policy after more than a year of research. They combined their efforts into the Non-GMO Project with the goal of creating a standardized definition for Non-GMO products in the North American food industry.

To give the Project the rigorous scientific foundation and world-class technical support necessary for this great endeavor, the organization began working

GARY FELDMAN

The Real Deal

with Food Chain ID,the world leaders in Non-GMO testing,certification and consulting. Since that time, the Project has addedtechnical advisors, with a global reach of testing and verification services. The third party technical administrators behind the Non-GMO Project began their work in the 1990s, just as GMOs entered the food supply.

In the spring of 2007, the Project expanded its Board of Directors toinclude representatives with as many perspectives as possible, from allstakeholder groups in the natural products industry including consumers,retailers,

farmers and manufacturers, all working together to give theorganization a solid foundation. This dynamic Board then formed advisory committees for both technical and policy issues. After revising several early drafts of the Non-GMO Project Standard, the first products to bear “theButterfly” reached the marketplace in early 2010.

The Non-GMO Project Verified symbol brings you trustworthyinformation for avoiding GMOs using independent third party verifiers who conduct comprehensive tests and reviews of products. Unbiased technical teams are employed by the USDA Organic and many other certifiers as your assurance against greenwashing claims, making the Butterfly symbol much stronger than company self-assertions.

Products that bear the Non-GMO Project Verified Butterflysymbol are products in compliance with Non-GMO regulations and have not utilized genetic engineering of any kind.

For the past 30 years, GMOs, created in labs, have transformed the landscape of agriculture, and take up over 90 percent of US crop land. This technology, not by nature, has certainly accelerated severe threats to biodiversity, food security, and human health.

We depend on biodiversity, soil and ecological health for our very exis-

tence. Simply put, a system of extracting resources that fails to restore what is taken and destroyed, ultimately fails to produce anything at all.

Look for the Non-GMO Project seal on food packaging to ensure that the products you are purchasing are NonGMO Project Verified. There are over 60,000 products owned by more than 5,000 brands since 2010 bearing this seal, having more than $40 billion in sales and growing.

Because of consumer demand across North America, Non-GMO Project Verified products remain one of the fastest growing sectors in the marketplace, and the “Butterfly” is the most trusted label for GMO avoidance among shoppers today.

The Non-GMO Project is committed to bringing you the mostrigorously evaluated, independently assessed clean food in our marketplace represented by the Non-GMO Project Verified label. It’s your shortcut to avoiding GMOs, making it much easier to shop. The Butterfly symbol gives you more peace of mind when food shopping.

Whatever denomination, culture, political affiliation — we all have a common denominator — Food — it is everyone’s lifeline.

Remember to follow the “Butterfly.” May the Butterflies be Free.

Support Keiserman in Dem state Senate primary

We write to express our wholehearted support for Kim Keiserman’s candidacy for New York State senator. We want to share why we hope you will vote for her during the Democratic primary on June 25 (early voting starts at the Port Washington library on June

15) and again in the general election in November. Kim is an involved and caring local activist, community leader, neighbor and friend. She is a committed and effective advocate on environmental, education, housing and social justice issues both locally and on behalf of all of Long Island.

She leads a nonprofit parks conservancy, is a force on the TONH Housing Authority, and played a key role in evicting George Santos from Congress, to name just a few of her public-service efforts.

Kim is a great listener. And she does the work. She will fight for us in Albany on issues such as gun

safety, educational funding, protecting the environment and helping small businesses thrive. Please join us in supporting her.

Pamela and John O’Connell Port Washington

Blakeman’s fiscal mismanagement, public safety risks

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s recent conduct in office raises serious concerns about both fiscal responsibility and public safety.

These decisions not only circumvent established legislative processes and norms of proper governance but also risk the county’s financial stability and the safety of its residents.

Meanwhile, the county’s real problems — affordable housing, attracting and supporting small

From allowing $8 million in contracts for outside attorneys to commence without legislative approval to his imprudent plan to deputize legal gun owners under his personal control, his actions seem designed for personal political gain rather than public good.

businesses, environmental issues, and the financially strapped Nassau County Medical Center –go unsolved.

Blakeman’s actions underscore a disregard for procedural integrity and demonstrate a penchant for risky, politically motivated actions that serve his interests rather than those of his constituents.

His focus on self-promoting schemes, such as a needless trademark for a county slogan and forming a private militia, showcases a disturbing trend of prioritizing personal agenda over genuine community needs. Nassau County residents deserve better.

Re-elect Mayor Pop and his Manorhaven team

As an engaged community member, I am writing to urge you to support John Popeleski, Harry Farina, and Monica Ildefonso in the upcoming election on Tuesday, June 18.

Our community needs an experienced administration that is dedicated, compassionate and committed to making a positive difference. I believe John Popeleski and his dedicated administration best serve Manorhaven.

On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude for John’s guidance and assistance regarding the challenging process of completing my home project as a single woman. His input has been invaluable. He has restored my faith in the strength of our community.

Now, more than ever, we need an experienced administration that can effectively address our challenges and work towards a bright-

er future for all the residents of Manorhaven.

I am writing to ask for your vote in the upcoming election and to encourage you to join our campaign to ensure John Popeleski, Harry Farina, and Monica Ildefonso’s success.

I look forward to working closely with him to enhance Manorhaven Village.

I believe that together, we can create real change and build a stronger, more inclusive community.

Let’s work together to elect a leader who will work with the administration of Harry Farina and Monica Ildefonso to make a positive impact on our lives. Your vote matters. Together, we can shape the future we envision. Re-elect People’s Working Party Vote Row B

Unending concert noise in Village of Great Neck

Ido not reside near the Village Green. Not even close. So, you can imagine my family’s distress when sound speakers from a Village of Great Neck celebratory concert, many blocks away, were sounding as if they were in my own backyard.

Maybe Memorial Field Park at the end of my block contributed to the reverberating effect. I am not a sound expert.

What I can tell you is that residents from many blocks away were subjected to loud, booming, high-decibel music this past Saturday night, all day Sunday, and Sunday night. In my house

and out of my house, I heard it no matter what activity I was engaged in.

And the booming speaker system carrying the concert from blocks away made it sound like a dying animal. It was awful. I’ll say it again, it was awful.

By the way, the celebration was still taking place at 10 p.m. on Sunday night because I could hear it in my bedroom even with closed windows.

Surely, there is a way for the village to sponsor a concert at the Village Green, intended to foster good will prior to the Tuesday, June 18, re-election of two Village of Great Neck government trustees

(Sobel and Kashi), without impacting everyone else who was looking forward to a quiet weekend with quiet weekend activities.

I believe an apology is in order from the mayor. In most households, weekends are sacred and a chance to relax and unwind. Now more than ever in these crazy times.

What made the Village of Great Neck mayor and trustees believe that all day and all night reverberating, booming music in our backyards –when we were reading, napping, baking, gardening and unwinding — was a good thing?

For those residents who enjoyed the concert

intentionally and in-person – that’s terrific. But, perhaps, $45,000 spent on a community celebration should take into consideration the whole community.

Perhaps the concert could have been limited to one day utilizing half of the costly speaker system. Then my family wouldn’t have been subjected to the endless and abusive sounds of a dying animal when, in fact, I was counting on quiet to commemorate my dad’s Yahrzeit.

Judy Shore Rosenthal Great Neck

New Oasis project in Port North seriously flawed

Reporter Taylor Herzlich did a good job overall in reporting on the May 30 public hearing in Port Washington North, at which the Village Board heard comments on the proposed 55+ housing development of 44 units on 7.45 acres known as the New Oasis project.

But the online version published on June 4 included a misleading quote from Trustee Matthew Kepke.

Kepke was responding to the statement made at the end of the hearing by Jon Schuyler Brooks, an environmental attorney representing a group of neighbors (a group that includes this writer) who live near the proposed development.

While the story quoted Kepke accurately in

saying,“First of all, the presumption that this was going to be approved at this meeting is inappropriate and the threat of litigation to intimidate and to create a stir is unfortunate,” Kepke was in error when he accused Brooks of presuming that the village board would rubber-stamp the project that night.

In fact, Brooks had merely alluded to the possibility that the village board would immediately approve the site plan.

Brooks’ actual words are captured on a recording that one of the neighbors made. Brooks said, “In anticipation of the very real possibility that this board will accept the recommendation of the planning board and approve the site plan, I am hoping that the board will table this sug-

gestion and move forward with a deliberate process to take the required hard look at this site plan and proposal.” (emphasis added)

Moreover, Brooks did not threaten to file suit depending on the outcome of the hearing. He had already filed the lawsuit. The Nassau County Clerk received it at 7:08 p.m. on May 30. The public hearing began at 7:30 p.m. on May 30.

Worth noting: Although, in the end, the board tabled its vote on the site plan approval, Mayor Weitzman did say at the start of the meeting that the village trustees “are here to review and accept the findings of our planning board” per the recording. (emphasis added)

The many nearby property owners, as well as residents from elsewhere in Port Washington

and Port Washington North, who spoke at the public hearing opposed the New Oasis project. They cited the loss of wildlife habitat—the parcel may be the last in Port North to support the documented population of screech owls and foxes — as well as the impact on the peninsula’s already excessive traffic.

Now that the village board has tabled the proposal, the mayor and trustees must use the time to take a new look at this fundamentally flawed project.

Adriana Marquez Manorhaven Village

Barbara Selvin Port Washington

Robert Yamins Great Neck

COME CELEBRATE FATHER’SDAY WITH US!

LONG ISLAND’S BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF ISRAEL

Remember those lost since October 7th while embracing the vibrancy of Israel. Come dance with us, engage in family activities, discover Israeli products, and savor international Jewish cuisine! We will never forget — Am Yisrael Chai!

HONORING RITCHIE TORRES, CONGRESSMAN OF THE 15TH DISTRICT IN THE SOUTH BRONX FEATURING A PERFORMANCE BY THE MACCABEATS AND A COMMEMORATIVE CEREMONY WITH RABBI MENACHEM CREDITOR

SUNDAY, JUNE 16 • 1:30-4:30PM At Tilles Center • 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville Visit sjjcc.org/israelfest

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

WWW.THEISLAND360.COM

Ruth Ben-Ghiat to discuss in dialogue at Temple Emanuel

SCW Cultural Arts at Emanuel will be hosting Ruth Ben-Ghiat, NYU Professor and expert on fascism, authoritarianism and propaganda, who will be dialoguing with NY1 News anchor, host of Inside City Hall, and CNN political analyst Errol Louis, on Sunday, June 23 at 3 p.m.

Following their conversation, there will be a meet and greet/book signing. Light refreshments will be served. All members of the community are invited. Admission is free.

Ben-Ghiat is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. She writes about

fascism, authoritarianism, and propaganda — and the threats these present to democracies around the world.

She is the author or editor of seven books, including “Fascist Modernities” and “Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema,” which explore the appeal of strongmen to collaborators and followers, how Fascist regimes use propaganda to construct an alternate reality, and how culture anticipated the collapse of Mussolini’s regime.

Her most recent book, “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” examines how illiberal leaders use

propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo and how they can be defeated.

It was the first book to examine Trump from the perspective of 100 years of authoritarian history and the first book to include masculinity as a tool of autocratic rule. In it, she predicted that if he lost the 2020 presidential election, he would not leave office quietly.

Her work has been recognized with Guggenheim, NEH, Fulbright, and other fellowships, a residency at the American Academy in Rome, and a 2023 Maggie and Dan Inouye Distinguished Chair

of Democratic Ideals at the University of Hawaii. Ruth is an MSNBC opinion columnist who has also written for CNN, The Economist, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. This program is funded by Pamela & Daniel Perla.

For further information, go to: https://www.scwculturalarts.org/ sunday-series or call 516.482.5701. Temple Emanuel of Great Neck is located at 150 Hicks Lane, Great Neck, NY 11024. Call 516.482.5701 to R.S.V.P.

PHOTO CREDIT: BEOWULF SHEEHAN

Book signing with Ruth Ben-Ghiat follows Dialogue with Ruth Ben Ghiat and Errol Louis at Temple Emanuel of Great Neck.

Al Fresco returns to Plandome Road

Summer is soon approaching and that means it’s almost time for Manhasset Al Fresco! The Manhasset Chamber of Commerce is partnering again with the Town of North Hempstead and will be hosting its 4th “Manhasset Al Fresco,” a series of four evenings out on the town for outdoor dining, shopping and live entertainment on Plandome Road.

The event will allow for road closures for pedestrians and outdoor dining on Plandome Road and is scheduled to take place throughout the summer, beginning in June, alternating between South Plandome Road and North Plandome Road.

The kickoff night on Sunday, June 23rdwill encompass businesses on South Plandome Road, with the following event featuring businesses on North Plandome Road.

South Plandome Road will be closed to traffic from Park Avenue to Dennis Street/ Northern Blvd on Sunday, June 23 from 3:307:30 PM and Saturday, Aug 10 , from 6-10 PM for an Al Fresco Movie Night Experience! North Plandome Road will be closed to traffic from Hillside Avenue to Colonial Parkway on July 28 from 4:30-8:30 PM and Sept. 15 from 3:30-7:30 PM.

To add to the festivities, there will be entertainment and appearances by local talent, in addition to outdoor dining and shopping.

Some of the live entertainment includes A Taylor Swift Tribute, Hat Trixx, Tucker Woods, County Line Band and more. Elite Automotive Repair and Supreme Auto will host the best

car show in town for all the South Plandome Rd. Manhasset Al Frescos.

Manhasset Chamber encourages all to come out to support this great community

Manhasset Al Fresco, Summer 2023 with Antonietta Manzi , Manhasset Chamber co-President & Shop Manhasset founder, Julie Lavin, A Slice of Julieanne), Kim Jones, Manhasset Living Magazine) Diana Yeh, Elite Automotive Repair, and Matthew Donno, Manhasset Chamber co-president

event and support our local businesses. The Manhasset community can stroll on Plandome Road in a safe and festive atmosphere.

The MCoC continues to bring festivities to Plandome Rd by providing photo opportunities and activities for families and kids to enjoy, this year with Inflatable Axe Throwing, Mechanical Surf Board and a Rock Climbing Wall.

The first Manhasset Al Fresco event kicks off South Plandome Road, Sunday, June 23rd, from 3:30-7:30 PM with performances by “Totally Taylor,” a Taylor Swift Tribute Concert with VIP photo opportunities.

VIP tickets are being sold in advance; proceeds will fund the Manhasset Beautification project.

Joining in on the action will be Kerboom Kidz and Live Entertainment by the Smoking Rockets Band.Elite Auto & Repair and Supreme Auto will once again host an incredible Car Show in town, you won’t want to miss it!

Outdoor dining and beverage options include Kissaki, Villa Milano, Buttercooky Bakery & Cafe, and For Five Coffee.

Grab a bite to eat Al Fresco Style!

The theme for this year’s August Al Fresco movie night is “Teen Beach,” on Saturday Aug. 10, join in on the fun and let’s get Surf Crazy! Stay tuned for a special Character Meet & Greet an come play some video games with Game Truck LI, sponsored by Douglas Elliman.

On Sept. 15, the Chamber will be hosting a Mixology Fashion Show you won’t want to miss!

All event schedules can be found online at https://www.shopmanhasset.com/manhasset-al-fresco/about-manhasset-al-fresco.

Manhasset Al Fresco is partly sponsored by the Town of North Hempstead’s Lift Up Local initiative to support local businesses following the pandemic.

The program’s event sponsors are Traci Conway Clinton Team COMPASS, Nancy Morris — State Farm Insurance, Gift of Life International and Manhasset Rotary and its supporting sponsors are Americana Manhasset, Irene Rallis — Douglas Elliman, Long Island Dermatology, Pluckd Studio, Daniel gale Sotheby’s International, Luparello Public Adjustment Group Inc, Moves & Motions Dance, St Francis Hospital — Catholic Health, The Forbes Team — COMPASS, BK Lounge & Spa, Coldwell Banker American Homes, Mothers’ Group of Manhasset, Osiaic Wealth — Michael Dispirito, Stretch Zone, and Assemblywoman Gina L. Sillitti.

Manhasset Al Fresco was also made possible by the assistance of Shop Manhasset and the cooperation of the Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Association, Nassau County Police District, and the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department.

The event is hosted by The Manhasset Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life of our community and to promote the general welfare and prosperity of its member businesses.

Visit ShopGreatNeck.com for more information

JCC’s Holocaust photo exhibit closes out

Just in time for Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, and in the face of renewed calls of “Never Again,” Sid Jacobson JCC is about to close out “Faces of Resilience – Portraits of Survivors of the Holocaust.”

The oil painting exhibit by Dr. Frederick N. Lukash is part of the center’s continuing commitment to showcasing local artists throughout its hallways for all to enjoy.

The exhibit, which opened in early May at SJJCC, is a collection of oil paintings that revives old faded, and forgotten photographs. Lukash worked under the tutelage of Steven Forster and the Long Island Academy of Fine Art in Glen Cove.

Lukash, a board-certified plastic surgeon, looks at his project through the lens of his wife, Yaffa, who is essentially the exhibit’s curator. Mrs. Lukash’s parents were both the sole survivors of their immediate families in Europe. They were all murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

“ This exhibit is coincidentally so welltimed to not only Yom Hashoah but to what the world has been witnessing yet again about renewed calls for ‘Never Again,’” said Susan Berman, vice president of community engagement. “We thank Dr. Lukash for sharing his vision and hard work with Sid Jacobson JCC and all of our patrons who will be privileged to view them in our hallways during this perilous time.”

“The Jewish world is again facing evil,” said Lukash. “These portraits of Holocaust

survivors continuously remind us to ‘never forget’.”

For more information, please visit sjjcc. org/artspace.

Oil painting of Lou Schwartz, the father of Dr. Lukash’s wife, Yaffa. The very first piece that inspired the collection

GREAT NECK PLAZA SUMMER PROMENADES

PHOTO CREDIT: DR. FREDERICK N. LUKASH

“

Vacant Space Revival Program

George Karatzas, James Cress Florist, Smithtown Smithtown

Unoccupied business spaces are an opportunity to help bring vitality to downtown areas. For George Karatzas, owner of James Cress Florist, staying downtown was a priority, but costs were prohibitive. Then George applied for our Vacant Space Revival Program, which has provided $2,462 in bill credits to help offset his overhead.* And Smithtown continues to have a business that brings warmth and charm to the area. It’s a beautiful thing to see come together—just like George’s floral arrangements.

psegliny.com/EcoDev

Fri 6/14

Kelli Baker (solo acoustic) LIVE at The Coop in Farmingdale @ 4:30pm The Coop Bar & Lounge, 346 Main St, Farmingdale

Friday Night Forest

Bathing

@ 6pm / $35-$40

Take a meditative For‐est Bathing walk, led by certi�ed guide Linda Lombardo. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sandspoint preserve.org, 516-5702185

Zac N Fried: Zac N' Fried @ Plattsduetche Park @ 6:30pm Plattduetsche Park, 1132 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square

Cuthbert Live: Solo at Insieme Wines @ 7pm Insieme Wines & Tasting Room, 3333 Lawson Blvd, Oceanside

Mad Agnes Show @ 7:30pm Our Times Coffeehouse, 38 Old Country Rd, Garden City

Walter Finley Music: Soulful Sundown @ 8pm Manhasset LIRR Station Park‐ing, Parking lot, Manhasset

Back To The Eighties with Jessie's Girl @ 8pm / $25-$45 The Paramount, Huntington

Sat 6/15

Deep Roots Farmers Market Glen Cove @ 9am

Opening Day of the Deep Roots Farmers Market in Glen Cove Saturday, June 1st, 9AM-1PM. Garvies Point Park, 100 Garvies Point Road, Glen Cove. info@deeprootsfarmers market.com, 516-3185487

EveryShadeofBlue: Poets Meets Musician @ 2pm

Lithology Brewing Co., 211A Main St, Farmingdale

Wilderness Survival Series

@ 10am / $35-$40

Foraging for Food & Medicine (bring a bag) is led by survival enthu‐siasts Eric Powers and Mike Evans. The series is ideal for beginners and seasoned outdoor enthusiasts alike. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sand spointpreserve.org, 516-571-7901

Cedarmere Poetry

Reading Series presents Indran Amirthanayagam @ 3pm

The Friends of Cedarmere present an afternoon with Indran Amirthanayagam. Click here to RSVP and/or sign up for the open mic: https://forms.gle/ WXtsYiFroiXR4yAu7

Free to attend. Dona‐tions welcome: The Friends of Cedarmere, 225 Bryant Avenue, Roslyn. info@friend sofcedarmere.org, 516544-3944

Kev Herrera

@ 7pm / $29.50-$54.50

The Paramount, Huntington

Disco Unlimited at Plattduetsche Park

@ 7:30pm Plattduetsche Park, 1132 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square

A Bronx Tale @ 7:30pm

The Argyle Theatre at Babylon Village, Babylon

Thursday Jun 20th

BLANK SLATE MEDIA TOP BUSINESS LEADERS OF NASSAU COUNTY RECOGNITION AND NETWORKING EVENT

@ 6pm / $200 Leonard's Palazzo, 555 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck. stabakin@theisland360.com, 516-307-1045

Network with the top business leaders of Nassau county at Blank Slate Media's annual recognition event.

Thelma Film Screening @ 7pm / $16

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet @ 5pm

Eastline Theatre pre‐sents William Shake‐speare's Hamlet. Come to Memorial Park (lo‐cated behind the li‐brary) and enjoy some late Spring culture with Shakespeare's most fa‐mous play. Mineola Memorial Library, 195 Marcellus Road, Mine‐ola

Mike Delguidice @ 9pm / $20 Mulcahy's, Wantagh

Sun 6/16

Great Neck Farmers Market @ 10am

Shop small and shop local at the Great Neck Farmers Market Fire‐�ghters Park, 30 Grace Avenue, Great Neck. info@deeprootsfarmers market.com, 516-3185487

The Dad Games! @ 1pm / $34.58 Dave and Buster's - Westbury, 1504 Old Country Rd, Westbury. info@daveandbusters.com

Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean- Michel Basquiat - Film Screening and Q&A @ 3pm / $35 Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean- Michel BasquiatFilm Screening and �&A with �lm director, Sara Driver and artist, Al Diaz Nassau County Museum of Art, One Museum Drive, Roslyn. events@nassaumu seum.org, 516-4849338

Gold Coast Cinema Series pre‐sents a delightful action/com‐edy! Manhasset Cinemas, 430 Plandome Road, Manhasset. info@goldcoastarts.org, 516829-2570

The Black Feathers: Folk Music Society of Huntington @ 7:30pm Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington

Thu 6/20

Summer Solstice Celebration @ 6:30pm / $15-$30 Celebrate the longest day of the year outdoors on the beau‐tiful grounds of the Sands Point Preserve. Sands Point Pre‐serve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sandspointp reserve.org, 516-571-7901

6/21

Morgan James: Jeanne Rimsky Theater - Port Washington, NY @ 7pm Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main St #1, Port Washington

FAST Port WashingtonMinicamp - 6/17/24 @ 11am / $85

FAST Port Washington @ Power 10, 102 Harbor Road, Port Washington. 516-8013533

Tue 6/18

Anthony Nunziata: Fundraising Concert for The Ronald McDonald House @ 7pm

John W Engeman Theater At Northport, 250 Main St, North‐port

Wed 6/19

Sarah Gross: Tap Room Jericho (Covers) @ 5pm Tap Room, 1 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho Mon 6/17

NYCFC II vs Orlando City B @ 3pm / $10-$15 Belson Stadium, Jamaica

Rick Spring�eld and Richard Marx Together On Stage @ 7:30pm / $49.50-$139.50 The Paramount, Huntington

Celebrate the Inaugural Long Island Yoga Festival at Buddha Jams Yoga This June @ 10pm / $299 Jun 21st - Jun 23rd From Fri June 21st to Sun June 23rd. Buddha Jams Yoga, a re‐treat for yogis and music lovers, will open its doors to a select group, offering 70 spots for an immersive yoga experience Buddha Jams Yoga, 192 Glen Street, Glen Cove. jason@bud dhajams.com, 516-548-7168

Calendar information is pro‐vided by event organizers. All events are subject to change or cancellation. This publica‐tion is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.

Thank you to the attendees and sponsors of our 55th Annual Book & Author Luncheon on May 10 at The Garden City Hotel. Your presence and generosity ensured the success of the luncheon as a literary event, a community tradition and a fundraiser for the FOL. The luncheon featured Pulitzer Prize winner Ilyon Woo, author of the nonfiction bestseller Master Slave Husband Wife, in conversation with essayist and Hofstra professor Kelly McMasters.

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To see photos of the event or learn more about the FOL visit pwpl.org/fol.

SILVER SPONSORS

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Special thanks to S.F. Falconer Florist & Gifts for the donation of the beautiful table centerpieces.

Featured Author Ilyon Woo, FOL President Pam O’Connell and Kelly McMasters Photo: Rob Salzbank

Town public safety commish not properly vetted

On the evening of June 4, I attended a meeting of the Town of North Hempstead Board. Due to the public comment period being just 30 minutes in length, I was not selected to speak.

I requested speaking time to address an issue revealed within an article in the publication The City. The piece detailed a disturbing probe conducted by the NYC Department of Investigation which found a group of sheriffs confiscated alcohol from unlicensed bars and clubs during

the COVID pandemic and proceeded to consume them in a secret shed within a city government facility. Not only was the alcohol drunk by these sheriffs, but premeditated measures were taken to block video surveillance of the alleged impropriety.

My dismay quickly turned to revulsion when I learned one of the sheriffs allegedly involved was Derek Skuzenski, our new Commissioner of Public Safety! While Mr. Skuzenski escaped disciplinary action and resigned his position

in Queens, the Town of North Hempstead still hired him at a salary of $140,000. The Town’s statement to The City indicated it did its “customary due diligence” and would “investigate these claims further.”

If I had the opportunity to reach the lectern, I would have urged the Board to take up the matter that night, place Mr. Skuzenski on leave immediately and appoint an interim commissioner until the investigation’s findings were made public. Instead, Supervisor DeSena weak-

ly parroted the official statement while declaring Skuzenski was a town resident vetted and cleared by New York City.

Publicly punting on this problem does irrevocable harm not just to the residents but to the reputation of our town and I fear we will not attract viable candidates for these important positions in the future.

In support of Keiserman in Dem Senate primary

We will be voting for Kim Keiserman for state Senate in this month’s Democratic primary, and then again in the fall. Here are some of the reasons why we think you should vote for her, too:

Kim is super hardworking and passionate about the people in her community. We have worked with Kim on campaigns and in connection with clubs and she is relentless when it comes to getting things done. Nobody will work

harder to deliver for the people of SD-7 than Kim Keiserman. Kim cares deeply about women’s rights and, in particular, their right to make their own healthcare and reproductive decisions. This is crucial for New Yorkers, as we can no longer rely on federal laws and courts to protect women. Kim believes in sensible gun control legislation to keep New Yorkers — and especially our children — safe. Kim believes in a strong public education system that gives all kids equal op-

portunity, and she will make sure the schools in SD-7 get their fair share of resources. Kim cares passionately about our environment, and she will do everything possible to bring needed state resources to our district to preserve and protect our land, air, and water. Kim will bring all of her skills and energy to the campaign and gives us our best chance of winning this seat back in November. We have worked with Kim enough to know that she is smart, honest, hardworking, and

tough. She will bring all of that and more to Albany. We will be lucky to have her representing us. Please join us in voting for Kim Keiserman for state Senate in the Democratic primary on June 25 and then again in the general election in November.

Village of Manorhaven needs new leadership

Iam writing to support Jeff Stone in his bid to become Manorhaven’s next mayor along with the trustees who will support him.

The upcoming June 18 election gives residents an opportunity to choose open government and actual transparency over the idea of it. With the current administration, many emails go unanswered, FOIL requests ignored, avenues of communication underutilized or unused.

Transparency began to fall away with the elimination of Zoom meetings early on. The reason given was that “Covid was over” and it was too expensive to maintain. Then the website lacked basic information like meeting dates, agendas, and minutes.

The reason first was the website needed an overhaul, then that the original site creator was too expensive, and finally that they were understaffed (a problem of the board’s own making due to firings currently disputed in court).

The Facebook page is free, yet only recently utilized. Newsletters are non-existent: There was one early in the fall of 2022 and one just recently coinciding with an election. The most relevant information in it was a reminder of new garbage rules, which were rolled out poorly and raised immediate alarm among residents. Here a robocall would have been useful.

The Port Washington Times thankfully provides

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pause for implementation of congestion pricing which was supposed to start on June 30 has other consequences such as its adverse impact on preserving $3.4 billion in Federal Transit Administration funding and $4.3 billion local MTA share promised from congestion pricing as part of the FTA/MTA $7.7 billion Capital Investment Grant Full Funding Grant Agreement to finance Second Avenue Subway Phase 2.

It also adds $10,7 billion in missing congestion price tolling revenue that was supposed to fund $15 billion of the $51 billion MTA 2020 — 2024 Five-Year Capital Plan.

This $10.6 billion included $3 billion to replace 1930s signals on the A & C Brooklyn subway lines, B, D. F & M Manhattan subway lines; $2 billion to bring dozens of subway stations into compliance with the Americans With Disability Act including elevators; $2 billion for new subway cars, electric buses and charging stations; and $3 billion for various capital improvements for both Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads.

Ironically, the MTA has already spent over $500 million for installation, maintenance and operations of equipment and other expenses related to tolling for congestion pricing.

This delay in implementing congestion pricing could lead to the loss of $3.4 billion in FTA funding toward the $7.7 Billion Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 FTA/MTA CIG FFGA approved in the Fall of 2023.

It also adds $11,6 billion in missing congestion price tolling revenue that was supposed to fund $15 billion of the $51 billion MTA 2020 — 2024 Five-Year Capital Plan.

Is Gov. Hochul’s delay in congestion pricing politically motivated? Is it an attempt to protect Democrats running for the state Assembly, state Senate and Congress within the MTA service area in the outer boroughs of NYC, Long Island and Hudson Valley from Republican challengers using this issue against them?

Are the adverse consequences of preserving $3.4 billion in FTA funding approved in the $7.7 billion ($4.3 billion MTA local share pledged from Congestion Pricing) CIG FFGA approved last fall even worse?

In January, 2024 the MTA said that due to ongoing litigation against implementation of Congestion Pricing, $15 billion in capital projects contained within the $51 billion 2020 — 2024 Five Year Capital Plan (including the $7.7 billion Second Avenue Subway) are now on hold. This places

coverage and local bulletin boards provide some information. People can, of course, attend meetings but it is not always realistic.

Plus when issues are contentious, the meetings become raucous, chaotic and not worthwhile. In addition, if the residents were routinely informed, we would not have to attend every meeting to know what is happening.

It should be a top priority of any administration to inform their residents of village news and projects and to seek input. Currently there is no meaningful answer as to why our taxes were just raised while our services have diminished.

I believe the Manorhaven Residents Party will

do a better job. I believe Jeff Stone is a leader who will strive to make the village a more functional, vibrant, and welcoming community. Do not take your vote for granted. Prior elections have been decided by two votes; the former mayor lost by 30. We residents need to do our part to promote governance that keeps the residents in focus. Vote for Jeff Stone and Row A on Tuesday, June 18, at Manorhaven Village Hall between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Your vote matters.

2 now short

$3.4 billion in the FTA Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 FFGA to MTA in jeopardy of being lost.

MTA previously accepted the terms and conditions within the FTA FFGA grant offer. This included a legal commitment that the $4.3 billion in local share was real, secure and in place. FTA caps its funding at $3.4 billion based upon the MTA’s commitment of a secure $4.3 billion local share.

MTA’s local share was based upon implementation of congestion pricing.

Month after month, continuing to place the project officially on hold and failing to advance the project will eventually result in FTA de obligating its $3.4 billion in funding and closing out the grant.

MTA would lose $3.4 billion in discretionary federal funding. Never in MTA history, has the MTA lost FTA funding due to reneging on providing its legally required matching local share in any approved FTA grant. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber would be the first MTA Chairman to do so and have egg on his face.

The federal Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General will monitor FTA to ensure that the agency enforces all legal requirements, as contained in the FTA $7.7 billion Second Avenue Subway CIG FFGA to MTA.

So will the Office of Management and Budget,

along with members of the Senate and House Appropriations and Transportation Committees. Transparency is required on the part of Gov. Kathy Hochul, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber, MTA Office of Capital Construction Jamie- TorresSpringer and Acting NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow when it comes to securing the required $4.3 billion MTA local share and any future promised cost savings.

The same holds true for my old colleagues at the Federal Transit Administration when it comes to enforcement for the approved $7.7 billion MTA Capital Investment Grant Full Funding Grant Agreement legal terms and conditions. Taxpayers, commuters, MTA Board members, elected officials and transit advocates should expect nothing less.

Larry Penner Great Neck

Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.

Francesca Zahner Village of Manorhaven

Scott Wolff Town of North Hempstead

Christine Monterosso

Grace Heske

David Meryash

Business&RealEstate

Have rising prices impacted your budget?

You’ve been in your current home for longer than you anticipated. Your family is growing and you need more space and potentially more tax deductions to reduce your taxable income.

You need to decide whether to expand the footprint of your home and increase the living space, find another home to renovate or buy a piece of land to build a new home.

Staying put and doing the necessary expansion and upgrade to increase the size of your home is possible, but at what cost?

Finding a piece of land in your local area just might be feasible if you reside in Suffolk County, but it is somewhat doubtful within Nassau County.

Lastly, finding a reasonably priced house in an area where prices are at their highest in history is not as desirable or simple as you might have thought.

So what do you do when the options are not as possible or probable as you had anticipated? Also, considering the increased interest rates, do I have enough equity to take a second mortgage out to do the required renovation?

So you are in a stressful quandary as to what path to pursue. Should you focus on expanding your current home?

You have to take into account that this could become a real major project and an inconvenience. You will need to

decide to either stay in one part of your home and seal the space to avoid the dust created while the other section is being renovated; or move out and rent another home at what cost until the work is completed.

You now have to ascertain how to engage and hire an interior designer, contractor and architect to redesign your home to suit your specific needs and wants, as your age in place.

Do I consider a recommendation from family and friends or search online for reviews of contractors to see how satisfied they are/were with their services? Should you apply for all the permits and try to save money or instruct your contractor or architect to take on the job? How involved do I want or need to be in the renovation and upgrade?

My daughter went through this project a while back and was almost 100% ensconced in her renovation and was hands-on from picking out the materials to the major redesign of her kitchen, bathrooms and owner’s suite and en suite bathroom w/washer and dryer.

Will you consider purchasing and installing solar panels to save money for the short and long term, reducing your carbon footprint and add a very valuable asset and benefit to your home?

Timewise, it took her over eight

months to complete the job, and she waited almost 1.5 years for her commercial sub-zero refrigerator; this was when supply chain shortages were still occurring, and it was all about being patient in the waiting game of completing all the construction.

The end result was anything but a remarkable and spectacular renovation and a superb job that was well done.

As I have previously conveyed in past columns, our current housing inventory is at a historic 50-year low. Competing to purchase another

home is more challenging than just expanding and renovating your current home. However, many would prefer not to take this path but would rather find another home to renovate or knock down to build new from scratch.

This consideration has to be carefully planned and fine-tuned throughout. The T’s have to be crossed and I’s dotted to ensure that your desirable plan comes to fruition and that you will be completely satisfied with the end result.

You may make changes along the way, so this must be a consideration and incorporated in the initial planning to make sure you have some flexibility within your project.

When using an architect in conjunction with your desired contractor, this must be a consideration and discussed before hand to incorporate the possibility of changes within your budget for your upgrade and renovation.

It’s rare for anyone to stay exactly within their initial budget. However, the more you plan and price everything in advance, so you know the price of your materials and the most costly commodity, your labor, the better the opportunity to stay as close to your initial budget as possible.

As your project begins and progresses, changes can and will occur, but

make sure you have the funds for some options. This will simplify those changes before actually implementing them.

You need to think outside the normal box and be cognizant of the changes that might be on your wish list and that you may want as your renovation proceeds. Your decisions to renovate your current residence or buy another home will be predicated on your current income and not based on future income.

Stay grounded in what is affordable and realistic in your expectations. Don’t go overboard unless you have the money or cushion of available funds to do so.

Planning is crucial to achieving a successful and happy outcome that you will be ecstatic about and enjoy for years to come.

Building increased appreciation in your home by spending your money wisely and pragmatically will add to your family’s enjoyment and happiness for years to come.

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. For a free 15-minute consultation, value analysis of your home, or to answer any of your questions or concerns he can be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email:Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.Comor via https:// WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com

TECH

The “Internet of Things” and Smart Clothing

You’ve probably heard of the Internet of things, but thought, “what does it mean to me?” To answer that exciting question, let’s first understand the term itself:

the future is now

The Internet of things (IoT) is the interconnection, via the internet, of computing devices into everyday objects giving them the ability to send and receive data.

We already monitor our home security via smart camera devices and troubleshoot appliance repairs by connecting directly to technical support. But there are even cooler IoT applications in the works!

“Soon, the Internet of Things will meet Gucci in the form of smart clothing. For example, swimwear can include UV sensors to prevent overexposure to harmful radiation. Smart footwear may improve your running technique or monitor the mobility of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Manufacturers might embed haptic feedback into textiles to correct your posture or improve your yoga pose. And don’t forget the accessories, such as the Ray-Ban Stories smart sunglasses (that provide a window to social media when the user is otherwise offline).” - William Diggin, Accenture

Let Sandwire Technology Group show your small business that the future is NOW.

PHILIP A. RAICES Real Estate Watch

Business&RealEstate

The Leopold Solutions Law Firm Index recognized Rivkin Radler for increasing the firm’s diversity by promoting female leadership from within.

According to an article describing the firms that made the leaderboard, “Rivkin Radler had the most significant increase in women partners year-over-year, jumping from 23.9% to 30.2%.”

Firm representatives said Rivkin Radler consistently works to

increase the representation and retention of diverse employees. Open positions are shared with regional affinity groups such as the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association, Long Island Hispanic Bar Association, and others.

In addition, to identify candidates, the firm hosts summer interns who are members of these affinity groups. The firm has also

made a conscious effort to recruit diverse candidates from the district attorney’s offices in the region.

“I am delighted by this recognition because we have devoted much of our efforts toward increasing diversity within our firm,” said Tracey McIntyre, Rivkin Radler’s director of legal talent. “The increase in women partners is a reflection of how supported and welcome they feel.”

Rivkin Radler noted for attorney diversity Group Home Living honors Webster Bank

Independent Group Home Living, a not-for-profit supporting people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, recently hosted its Sunset on the Bay reception. Daniel Liberty and Sean Umhafer of Webster Bank were honored at the event which raised over $100,000.

“We were glad to have the opportunity to honor Webster Bank

at this year’s event,” said Walter Stockton, president and CEO of GHL and Kinexion. “Webster Bank has been our financial partner for years and instrumental in helping us form the Management Service Organization that provides the operational backbone and financial security to the seven not-for-profits, including IGHL, that form the Kinexion Network. Our thanks go to their team for their ongoing

partnership and support.”

“Webster Bank is committed to making an impact in the communities in which we live and work,” said Daniel Liberty, Sr. Vice President and Commercial Banking Senior Managing Director at Webster Bank. “We are honored to work with the Kinexion Network to ensure people living with disabilities can live their best life, for life.”

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LI reps, senators slam FAA controller plan

Continued from Page 9

Suozzi and Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Nassau) sent a l etter to the FAA that said “the FAA has clearly failed to consider the many personal aspects of such a decision, including its effects on controller’s families, relatives, homeownership, and community ties.” It calls for the plan to be rescinded to prevent forced relocations.

The letter was co-signed by New York Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Republican Reps. Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez.

In a press release, Suozzi said the FAA responded by saying the plan will continue. He called their response one full of distractions and lacking substance.

“I am extremely disappointed with the FAA’s mistreatment of N90 employees, and I continue to demand that FAA leaders scrap their unjust forced transfer plans for workers stationed at N90,” D’Esposito said. “The callousness displayed by the FAA towards N90 employees who live and work in my congressional district demands further attention, and I remain resolute that Congress must explore all possible avenues to prevent these good union jobs from being outsourced to other states.”

D’Esposito, as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he would continue pushing to keep the air traffic employees on Long Island and fight against this plan.

Joe Segretto, president of NY TRACON, said in the press release that there are 18 air traffic controller families on Long Island. He said the FAA previously promised to NATCA and the members of the House and Senate that these Long Island employees would not be moved to Philadelphia.

“We continue to urge Congress to uphold the FAA’s promise and not uproot our air traffic controllers from their homes and families, exacerbating an already stressed system,” Segretto said in the press release.

Gillibrand said in the release that these employees should not be used by the FAA “as pawns.”

Gov. Hochul halts congestion pricing

Continued from Page 1

The Island Park representative, who was recently endorsed by former President Donald Trump in his race for reelection, introduced legislation in July 2023 recommending federal agencies and the state halt the implementation of the program.

Just weeks ago, D’Esposito introduced a bipartisan bill with Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey to prohibit the use of federal funds for a passenger vehicle or personal driver for MTA Chairman Janno Lieber after they said they discovered he commutes to work in a government car.

Democrat legislators have largely applauded the governor’s move, calling congestion pricing a burden for workers in a tough economy.

“In these unprecedented times, as we navigate the complexities of a post-pandemic economic recovery, it is imperative that our policies adapt to the evolving commercial landscape and the real challenges faced by everyday New Yorkers,” Nassau County Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said in

a statement. “The Governor’s approach takes into consideration the fact that many of our residents and small businesses are still struggling to make ends meet.”

Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D-Plainview) released a statement in support of Hochul’s move and called for specific changes from the MTA.

“Congestion pricing should not go into effect until the MTA meets several targets,” Drucker said. “Nassau residents must be included in discount programs that train ticket holders in the Five Boroughs currently benefit from — and Long Islanders are inexplicably excluded from. Finally, we must reduce the impact upon EMT workers, teachers, law enforcement professionals and other first responders — many of whom reside in Nassau County — because they are essential to public safety and should not be shouldering the cost.”

Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti, who represents parts of Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, Roslyn, the Willistons, New Hyde Park and more, thanked the governor for pausing the incoming program.

“We certainly need to get more cars

off the road and encourage residents to take mass transit but this wasn’t it,” Sillitti said in a statement. “This proposal should have been about benefiting the environment by supporting mass transit, and not making money off the backs of our residents.”

The Town of Hempstead previously challenged the plan, filing a federal lawsuit in early May as the first Long Island town to initiate a legal action against the plan.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin called the congestion pricing plan a “money grab” at a press conference in May.

While the Town of Hempstead lawsuit was the first suit filed by a Long Island municipality against the MTA’s new plan, it came afterRockland County filed a suitin March andStaten Island leaders and members of the United Federation of Teachers filed a joint suitin January.

It is unclear how long the governor plans to halt the long-awaited congestion pricing plan or how the MTA will account for the loss of expected funding from the program.

Herricks honors outgoing Trustees Feinstein, Hassan

Continued from Page 2

A few members of the audience rose and walked to the podium to give speeches, including PTA District Council President Madeline Svitak.

“Even before your tenure as trustee, you were both PTA-ing and booster-ing and coaching and generally, as we like to call it, involved,” Svitak said. “I think people don’t realize how much work there is in being a trustee. Between concerts and sporting events, award

ceremonies, the public Board of Ed meetings and the hours and hours of meetings behind the scenes, it’s a lot of time for an unpaid [position].”

The intense time commitment did not go unnoticed – Svitak asked, “How many nights have you spent away from your family in support of other people’s children?”

And Gounaris personally thanked the families of Feinstein and Hassan for sharing the two with Herricks.

Both Hassan and Feinstein thanked their families, fellow board members, district administrators and more during teary speeches.

Hassan, who grew up in Herricks, said it was a “privilege” to be on the board and that his three adult children owe their successes to the Herricks district.

Feinstein thanked everyone in the Herricks community for putting their trust in her.

It was an emotional ceremony with one persistent symbol: the board as a family.

“If I had to go to battle, I’d only want to be with the two of you and I love you with all my heart and I’m going to miss you very much,” Gounaris said.

As their last move, the Herricks board members approved a resolution of appreciation in honor of the two trustees.

The board also celebrated Nidya Degliomini, the outgoing president of the Herricks Teachers’ Association, who announced her retirement at the Thursday meeting.

Continued from Page 2

The board also issued distinguished service resolutions to Victoria Sammartano, the librarian at Floral Park-Bellerose School, who is retiring after 25 years with the district; Janet Romano Murray, secretary in the central administration

office, who is retiring; and Beth Kierez, who will step down from the board when her term ends on June 30.

The board conducted a brief hearing on district security and emergency response plan updates.

Robert Costa, district facilities director, said the revisions include an updated contact list, a description of how remote learning will be conducted should it become necessary, and the addition of some provisions that the state requires, such as including school bus drivers and monitors in pro-

cedures and policies regarding acts of violence. Costa said the safety plan is available for public comment for 30 days on the district website as of June 11.

The next regular board meeting will be held on July 1.

Continued from Page 3

Both Cavanagh and Denis-Paolucci said yoga became most prevalent in their lives during their pregnancies, both for the lessened impact on their bodies and the mental clarity yoga provided.

“It became a great way to integrate wellness, mindfulness, a whole health being as a parent,” Cavanagh said.

In the years that followed, both earned

their yoga instructor certifications.

And Cavanagh said she has even been able to use yoga as a tool in her parenting style, especially since her 12- and 15-year-old children are “in the thick of social media.”

“It’s not natural to be inundated constantly with messages,” she said. “When I try to get them to be just with themselves and their thoughts, then they become much more nicer people. They become more creative and in-

novative and have time to just be themselves instead of being influenced by someone else’s message constantly.”

Cavanagh and Denis-Paolucci are ready to invite any and all local residents into Here and Now Yoga, whether they are newcomers who prefer “sitting yoga” in chairs, nearby employees who want to take a quick yoga class during their lunch break or artists with their own interests aside from yoga.

“Michelle and I have this artistic background, and that’s why it was important we have it as an arts collective, because we do have a broader vision of bringing performance and live art here in this space,” Denis-Paolucci said.

The two gurus are currently focused on yoga classes, but aspire to host poetry slams, writing workshops, dance performances, hand drumming, comedy improv sessions and more.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a pause of the MTA congestion pricing plan on Wednesday.

Thousands gather at Floral Park Street Fair

Continued from Page 1

10-year-old kids driving up and down on their bikes, that shows you a lot about the community and the bond that we have as residents,” said Chris Vassiliou, a Floral Park Chamber of Commerce board member.

Vassiliou, who owns the Floral Park Diner, said many Floral Park business owners also live in the village.

“That’s why it’s kind of special,” Vassilou said. “Everybody knows each other. It’s a good thing.”

William Barry, Uptown Taco owner and another member of the Chamber of Commerce, organized the street festival and called it “fun for all ages.”

Some children whizzed between passersby on scooters while others visited face painting, balloon animal and henna booths.

Young hip-hop and jazz dancers performed in a recital at the start of the evening’s festivities, gathering a large crowd of family members and spectators.

Two young boys walked up and down

the avenue, soliciting donations for the Knights of Columbus during the street fair.

Live musicians and DJs performed during the festival, starting before sunset and playing late into the evening.

Locally owned restaurants, including Jack Duggan’s Pub and Restaurant, Jameson’s and Nonna’s Italian Deli and Market, served up delicious bites from their booths.

Food trucks and stands offering classic street fare lined the street, including Pete’s Zeppole and Fried Oreos, Bayside Lemonade and Corn and Knot of this World of Levittown, which sold fresh hot pretzels

Long Island businesses set up booths at the fair, including Blank Slate Media, Floral Park Fitness Studio, ShipNYC, Coach Realtors and more.

Local civic organization members operated booths at the event, too, including the New York Islanders, Knights of Columbus, Hance Family Foundation, Floral Park Fire Department, American Legion, Wednesday Mothers’ Club, Our Lady of Victory Parish and Operation Wounded Warrior.

Dem rivals tout ability to unseat Martins

Continued from Page 4

The candidates were also asked to list their top two priorities for education. Keiserman listed fully funding schools and promoting anti-hate education, while Schwartz said it is the reformula-

tion of foundation aid and hiring more teachers amid shortages.

Both candidates also expressed their support for reproductive rights, combatting antisemitism, promoting civic education and engagement, affordable

multi-family housing, gun safety legislation and the halting of congestion pricing. Keiserman and Schwartz also listed the committees on which they would like to serve on if elected to the state Senate.

For Keiserman, this is education, environmental conservation, transportation and women’s issues. Schwartz said he would want to be on veterans and homeland security, ethics and governance, local government and budget and revenue.

The primary election will be held on June 25, with early voting occurring from June 15 through June 23. The general election featuring the primary winners will be held on Nov. 5.

Building dept. changes coming ‘soon’: DeSena

Continued from Page 10

DeSena said she planned to announce specific changes in the building department this summer but was not prepared to commit to such things as adding one or more inspectors until changes to department processes identified in the audio were corrected.

She said she understood that the department’s performance hurt the town.

“It became a less friendly place to do business,” DeSena said.

She said the town is going in the direction of promoting a “business-friendly environment” by changing its building department.

One business owner suggested using advocates in the building department to expedite the permit process.

DeSena shot down the idea of an advocate, saying it had been done previously and was not always efficient. She said the advocates in the past made more work for the building commissioner.

When asked whether the building department would be able to add more staff or expeditors to speed up processes, DeSena said it first needs to evaluate its current employees.

With multiple review steps in the process, DeSena said it is worth evaluating how these different steps can be done simultaneously to save time.

DeSena said the goal should not be to hire

expeditors but to improve services so that expeditors and their associated costs are not needed.

She said some are still working in the town’s building department.

“This is a service we are supposed to be providing,” DeSena said. “So why should some be able to pay extra and get their service faster?”

Future announcements will also be made for the town’s updated master plan.

North Hempstead has not updated its master plan in more than 30 years. The last one created also did not include villages.

DeSena said the request for a proposal to hire a professional to create the master plan would be released “soon” but could not provide any dates or status of the plan.

She said creating a master plan will take more than a year.

DeSena also stressed the importance of downtowns, applauding businesses and their tactics to persevere like those made in response to the pandemic.

But with downtowns throughout the town, she touted a “one town approach” in its projects and initiatives. This means enacting changes at a town-wide level, not just through individual districts.

“They are downtowns all around the Town of North Hempstead,” DeSena said. “So we want to make sure everyone is being attended to.”

Bossert talks changes to teacher evaluations

Continued from Page 11

He also talked about the state bill passed in May to give more local control of APPR, the annual performance evaluation system for teachers and principals, which he said has been requested for more than a decade.

“This news is long overdue,” Bossert said.

Bossert said the district can now collaborate with its bargaining units to establish an evaluation system that reflects professional development, best practices and the quality of instruction. He said the community will also be able to provide input.

The evaluation system has been criticized widely for its linking of student test scores to the teacher’s evaluation.

“Which most educators felt was unjust and unfair,” Bossert said.

The evaluation system will still need to follow New York State Education Depart-

ment guidelines, which Bossert said have not been released yet.

He said conversations on establishing a new evaluation system have already begun.

The Great Neck Board of Education also honored various students and sports teams for an array of accomplishments.

Recognitions included Scripps National Spelling Bee finalist and North High Middle School student Victor Yang, Social Impact Leader of Tomorrow Challenge winners, South High boys and girls fencing, South High girls badminton, South High girls golf and 61 South High students.

“The diverse illustration of the accomplishments present in this room tonight is not lost on any of us,” Bossert said. “From a sixth-grade spelling champion to a fencing team to our quality-of-life winners, you all demonstrate what is the best of Great Neck Public Schools.”

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Children choose face paints at the annual Floral Park Street Festival.

Floral Park Board of Trustees June 6 meeting reports

Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo

A Memorial Day Thank You

Memorial Day was a proud day in Floral Park. Thank you to our Floral Park American Legion for honoring our deceased and living Veterans, especially our Purple Heart heroes and heroes who fought and lost their lives on the beaches of France eighty years ago this Thursday, June 6th, 1944. And thank you all in Floral Park for joining our Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. It was a proud day.

Police Department

Tonight’s Floral Park Police Department report is about enforcement. May’s monthly statistics reflect that 211 summonses were issued for vehicle and traffic violations. This number is consistent with prior months in 2024.

With respect to violations for failure to obey traffic control devices, including stop signs, thirtynine summonses were issued in May. Illegal and improper U-turn summonses totaled ten. Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle (some due to suspension or revocation) resulted in twenty summonses, with repeated offenses becoming felony crimes with the potential of arrests. Driving unregistered vehicles (some also due to suspension or revocation), including two motorcycles, resulted in eighteen summonses. Twenty-five summonses were issued for driving uninsured or uninspected vehicles. Twentyfour equipment violations and summonses related to inoperable or malfunctioning lights (headlights, taillights, plate lights, etc.)

The new Speed Alert Radar Message Sign continues to provide motorists with data relating to their own speeds, as well as transmit that data to our FPPD leadership. This equipment has been positioned near our schools and at other locations where the speed of vehicles has been a concern.

In the area of Motor Carrier Safety or Truck inspections in May, a total of six inspections were completed along Plainfield Avenue. Forty-five moving violations were issued. Three trucks were placed out of service, two for uncovered/blowing cargo and the third, for unsecured hazardous materials. Our FPPD truck inspections are an important component of the Village’s vehicle and traffic safety enforcement.

Jericho Turnpike, and Van Siclen, Van Buren and Garfield Avenues continue to be areas of focus for illegal parking enforcement. Summonses will continue to be issued for illegal parking, double parking, blocking the road and driveways, exceeding the four-hour and other posted parking time limits, and failure to pay the meters. The cooperation of the drivers of private and commercial vehicles is needed. If repeated violations occur, all are urged to notify FPPD at the non-emergency number, 516326-6400.

Conservation Society (FPCS)

Summer will be here in two weeks. Include visits to our Centennial Gardens & Bird Sanctuary in your stay-cation plans. It’s the perfect place to go for a beautiful, invigorating walk or peacefully sit and take in Floral Park’s best of nature and its birds. The Gardens are open daily, 12-5 PM.

The Gardens Facebook page, Floral Park Centennial Gardens, features magnificent photos of our Gardens treasures and events.

If you are interested in planting or doing a Scouting project in the Gardens, you must get FPCS approval by emailing: fpcentennial@gmail.com

Planting in the Gardens is prohibited without prior approval, Better, use FPCS expertise and talent to assist you.

On Saturday, June 15th, the Our Lady of Victory Church and Floral Park Knights of Columbus will hold a special Gardens Mass, open to the public. Bring your own lawn chair and spend a joyous late afternoon with your neighbors and OLV’s Father Thomas Fusco.

Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses

Welcome to Häagen-Dazs, one of our newest businesses on Tulip Avenue. This past sunny Saturday, Floral Park’s ice cream lovers joined with local owner Bobby Patel, the Häagen-Dazs Company leadership, members of the Floral Park and Covert Avenue Chambers of Commerce, Town of Hemp-

stead representatives, and our Village Board for a spectacular Grand Opening. After we cut the ribbon, everyone celebrated with scoops of delightful ice cream. Best wishes to this fun-filled addition to Tulip Avenue!

It’s now three days and counting until Friday night’s June 7th, 5-10 PM Floral Park Chamber of Commerce Street Festival. Families are invited to come on down to Tulip Avenue for the live bands and DJs, fabulous outdoor dining, local merchant shopping, face painting, balloon art and food, fun and giveaways. Be sure to stop at NYRA’s own race starting gate too, check it out!

June is absolutely the best time to SHOP, DINE AND ENJOY YOUR ICE CREAM LOCAL, right here in Floral Park and Stewart Manor.

Trustee Frank Chiara Library

The month of June has begun and there are lots of planned activities and events taking place at the Floral Park Library:

• On Thursday, June 6rd, at 1:00 PM the library is hosting a discussion on Maintaining a Healthy Mind and Body as We Age. A representative from Family & Children’s Association explores the importance of mental well-being as one grows older. Topics will include: cognitive health, emotional wellbeing, and practical tips for promoting overall wellness in later years. You can register online at floralparklibrary.org or in person at the Reference Desk. For questions call the library at 516-326-6330.

• On Friday, June 7th at 3:30 PM the Little Gardeners with Ms. Rita. This program will take place outside on the library lawn. This is a 3-week session program for children age 3 to 5. They will be planting some fruits and veggies and watching them grow as the sessions continue. In the event of rain, the sessions will move inside or re-schedule another date.

Registration for this 3-week session is full but there will be another 3-week sessions in July, so be on the lookout on when to register.

• Also, on June 7th at 5 PM there will be a Teen Scavenger Hunt for Grades 6-12. Teens can take a break from schoolwork and join the library staff for a fun-filled afternoon! Together, with their teams they will solve puzzles, trivia & much more! Prizes will be awarded to first place winners.

• On Saturday, June 23rd the Library will be kicking off its summer reading program with Petra Puppets on the Library Lawn. This is a family event. All can come to be entertained by Comedian Ventriloquist Steve Petra and his Zany Adventure Team!

• Summer Reading 2024 Kick-Off continues with Animal FUN. Stepping Out Ponies will be here with their wonderful petting zoo and pony rides from 3:00 until 4:00 pm to continue our summer reading celebration.

There is a lot more on tap at the library for the month of June. Details on these and other scheduled events can be found on the Library’s website at www.floralparklibrary.org .

Fire Department

For the month of May, our Village of Floral Park Fire Department has responded to 121 calls for service.

The Fire Department is made up of 100% dedicated volunteers. New volunteers are needed and always welcome. Please consider volunteering! The Departments recruitment tent will be at a number of our Villages upcoming events to provide information to anyone considering volunteering. This Friday, June 7th, the recruitment team will be at the Belmont Stakes Tulip Avenue Street Fair. Stop by if you are considering volunteering. It is an opportunity to have any questions you may have answered and to meet some of the other volunteer members of the department.

Trustee Jennifer Stewart

4VS

Congratulations to volunteers Francis Brandt, Kyle Enriquez, Juliana Kenna, Jamie Liesner, and

Joey Zuccamaglio for earning their undergraduate degrees. We are very proud of you and wish you many successes in your next chapters. Also, congratulations and good luck to volunteer Cris Greco who will be starting his master’s program in media studies at the New School this fall.

A highlight for this week’s programming schedule is The Mayor’s Corner with our esteemed mayor Kevin Fitzgerald featuring Police Commissioner Stephen McAllister.

DPW

I’d like to thank to our Department of Public Works for their efforts in getting the Village prepared for our Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, including the hanging of our spectacular veteran’s banners. Additionally, we are grateful for the beautification of the Magnolia Parking lot. Sanitation collection continues, and new, larger recycling pails are available at DPW for $20.

MTA

Late last week the Village was informed that switch work was being done near Floral Park over the weekend with the intention of alleviating some idling trains along the Hempstead Branch. Work will continue next weekend as well. Please check the schedule for changes.

The Village has been informed that the MTA is planning on bringing a new New York City bus line, the Q110, into the Village with a stop at the Floral Park LIRR Station. Information from the MTA/LIRR is sketchy at best. Pictures of the route show the bus turning south off of Jericho Turnpike onto Carnation Avenue, turning left onto Caroline Place, continuing to the LIRR Station, stopping along the station, and continuing back to Jericho Turnpike north along Tulip Avenue. The Village is vehemently opposed to this plan, and will use any and all resources at our disposal to fight the MTA running city buses on our streets. Links to the proposed MTA Queens Bus Network Re-design Project is included below and will be in my board report in the Weekly Email which goes out to residents on the Friday following every Board of Trustees Meeting. We will continue to inform residents as information becomes available.

Please check the MTA Queens Bus Network Redesign Project at https://new.mta.info/project/queens-bus-network-redesign

Page 388 and 389 of the Final Plan gives more detail of the schedule and new route of the Q110 https://new.mta.info/document/128476

Trustee Michael Longobardi Building Department

At the May Architectural Review Board meeting, a site plan resubmittal was presented for the restaurant at 99 Covert Avenue. The owners updated the plan to comply with the Board’s comments and requested changes. After review the plan was approved. Next steps for the applicant will be to submit the required applications for building permits.

The owners of the Covert Avenue fire property will be having a coordination meeting with the Building Superintendent Renee Marcus to review the construction timeline. Further updates on the timeline and staging will be provided once the start date has been confirmed. Reconstruction of the 266 Jericho Turnpike fire property is underway and is expected to take about a year. Foundation construction is near complete for the apartment building at the former Centennial Hall site. Construction has also started on the Tulip Avenue Pedestrian Walkway connecting the Spur Parking Lot to the Tulip/Carnation Avenues intersection. This walkway is expected to be completed next month and will provide direct access to additional parking for residents and post office patrons in that area.

The building department has received a proposal for an apartment building on Jericho Turnpike and South Tyson Avenue. This proposal will require various steps including public hearings and studies. The North End Civic Association is planning a public information meeting currently scheduled for June 17th to present the details about the proposal and the steps that need to be taken. There will be no

formal hearings until September. Please keep an eye out for further announcements.

We would like to remind all property owners that except for cosmetic upgrades, all exterior and interior construction work requires a permit prior to start to ensure compliance with the zoning and building codes. Please check the Building Department website for a full list of requirements and permit applications. Please contact the Building Department for any questions or if you require assistance with a permit.

Recreation and Pool:

At this time, we are just about 87.5 hours from our first swim of the season. Our pool is filled and ready to go. The staff is doing some last-minute preparation before the first swim which will take place this Saturday at 12:00 PM. We look forward to seeing everyone there to kick off the season. Pool hours are 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM until June 21st and then after 10 AM to 8:45 PM.

Little League regular season has ended and they are heading into the playoffs. Adult volleyball and basketball leagues will begin next week as well as the adult pickleball lessons and adult tennis lessons. Do not miss out on the fun; call or stop by the pool building for information and to register. I want to remind residents that Village of Floral Park Leisure passes are required to use the recreation complex and to register for the programs.

Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC)

The next meeting will be at 7:00 PM on Monday, June 24, 2024 at Hempstead Town Hall, One Washington Street, Hempstead. If you want to make a noise complaint regarding air traffic, you can call 1-800-225-1071. You can also go to the Village website at fpvillage.org which has the links under the TVASNAC Noise Complaint Contact Information Page on our home page

Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald

Prior to the start of the Regular Meeting the Mayor requested a moment of silence for Martha Cirina a Village employee who passed away suddenly a week ago.

There is a lot going on in the next few weeks. I hope to see everyone at the Belmont Stakes Street Fair which will be held on Friday night. We have our pool opening on Saturday June 8th and I hope to see our residents signing up and joining the pool. It has always been a great place during the summer months especially for families and kids.

As Trustee Stewart reported about the city bus potentially coming to the Floral Park Train Station, the Board has many serious concerns and questions regarding that. Village Administrator Bambrick found a 100-page document after we were notified about this. The document is extremely light on details, other than a few words about the stop, even the route is somewhat sketchy. It mentions the triangle the bus would take by coming down Carnation Avenue, stopping at Caroline Place and going up Tulip Avenue. Hopefully we will be meeting with the MTA this week to find out more as to why this is needed and then we will come up with our next steps and ensure as best we can that this does not happen.

Once again thanks to everyone for coming out on Memorial Day. Marching in the parade is always a great experience, especially when we turn down Tulip Avenue and see the people along the road celebrating with us; seeing most folks staying for the ceremony, which is always very poignant and meaningful, especially for the younger generations to understand that we would not be here if it wasn’t for the names read on that day.

Trustee Chiara and I continue to meet with the Belmont Park Advisory Board and there will be another meeting in two weeks. We will provide an update once we attend that meeting. As you can see the Grand Stand is in the process of being taken down.

I’d like to thank Taylor Herzlich for joining us this evening and for continuing coverage of Floral Park in Blank Slate Media.

▼ LEGALS HC ▼ LEGALS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Town of North Hempstead - Board of Zoning Appeals

Pursuant to the provisions of the Code of the Town of North Hempstead, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Zoning Appeals of said Town will meet at Town Hall, 220 Plandome Road, Manhasset, New York, on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 to consider any matters that may properly be heard by said Board, and will hold a public hearing on said date to consider applications and appeals. The following cases will be called at said public hearing starting at 10:00am.

APPEAL #21568 – Vaibhav Kolekar; 31 Jeffrey Pl., New Hyde Park; Section 8, Block 256, Lot 16; Zoned: Residence-A Variance from § 70-29.B to construct a second-story addition that would make the house too big.

APPEAL #21552- Edward Perlow; 2 Kent Road, New Hyde Park; Section 8, Block 294, Lot 20; Zoned: Residence-B Variance from §70-231 to legalize a professional office in a cellar (not permitted).

APPEAL #21569 – Samuel & Iliana Pau; 158 Birchwood Dr., New Hyde Park; Section 9, Block 529, Lot 41; Zoned: Residence-C Variances from §§ 70-100.2.A(4) & 70-100.2.A(4)(a) to construct fences exceeding the permitted height.

APPEAL #21573 - Commonwealth O'Leary Real Estate Corp, 1833 Guilford Avenue, New Hyde Park; Section 8, Block 190, Lot 15; Zoned: Industrial-B Variances from §§70-103.A(1) and 70-103.B to legalize an interior mezzanine that requires site plan review with not enough parking on site and parking stall sizes that are too small and an appeal for determination that site plan review under 70-219.A(1)(a) is not required.

APPEAL #21554 – Mohinder Singh; 2000 Hillside Ave., New Hyde Park; Section 8, Block 211-14, Lot 607; Zoned: Business-B Variance from § 70-50(A) to convert a funeral home to a place of worship that is too close to the street.

APPEAL #21574 - Lake Success Shopping Center (Target Drive Up Sign); 1400 Union Turnpike, New Hyde Park; Section 8, Block 235, Lot 56; Zoned: Business-AA Variances from §§70-196.J(2)(a) and 70-196.J(2)(d) to construct a ground sign with no open space between the bottom of the sign and the ground and exceeding the number of permitted ground signs on site.

APPEAL #21575 - Garden City Trans-Mix Corp. (renewal); 196-198 Atlantic Avenue,  Garden City Park; Section 33, Block 159, Lot 426; Zoned: Industrial-B Renewal of conditional use §70-187.B to maintain a non-conforming concrete business and variance from 70-203.J to legalize a rolling vehicle entry gate that is too close to the street.

Plans are available for public viewing at https://northhempsteadny.gov/ bza.  Persons interested in viewing the full file may do so by any time before the scheduled hearing by contacting the BZA department via email at BZAdept@northhempsteadny. gov.  Additionally, the public may view the live stream of this meeting at https://northhempsteadny.gov/ townboardlive. Any member of the public is able to attend and participate in a BZA hearing by appearing on the scheduled date and time.

INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF SOUTH FLORAL PARK PUBLIC NOTICE TO BIDDERS

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT sealed bids will be received by the Village Clerk of the Incorporated Village of South Floral Park on June 24, 2024, at 11 AM at the Village Hall, 383 Roquette Avenue, South Floral Park, NY 11001, at which time they will be publicly opened and read for:

The 2024 Village Decorative Street Name Sign Improvement Project consists of the purchase and installation 30 street signs of the Executive Americana 12 x 4 Decorative Pole Mount Frame w/ St. John Scroll Dual 9 x 36 street sign with scroll, black with white lettering, custom font.  Proof for sign blades at no additional cost, 144” Fluted 4” Extruded Pole, Base-4-inch Americana II, Finial4-inch pineapple, 9 x 36 PHI Prismatic hi-intensity doublesided flat sign, 9 x 36 pole mount frame with scroll, and all other incidentals necessary for the satisfactory completion of the work. Vendors must bid on the materials and the labor separately and all bids should provide itemized costs.  The total cost of materials and the installation should not exceed $42,000.

A photographic depiction of the decorative street sign can be examined at the Office of the Village Clerk at the Village Hall, 383 Roquette Avenue, South Floral Park, NY 11001 on or after June 14, 2024, between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

The Village of South Floral Park encourages minority and women owned business enterprises to participate in the solicitation.   BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Incorporated Village of South Floral Park

Mary Long, Administrator Dated:  June 11, 2024

16 Handles founder Choi, Manhasset resident, dies

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Solomon Choi, a Manhasset resident who founded a frozen yogurt company that grew to more than 40 locations nationwide, died June 7. He was 44.

The entrepreneur founded 16 Handles, the first-ever selfserve frozen yogurt shop in New York City. The company grew to include storefronts in Port Washington, Jericho, Garden City and Lynbrook.

“We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of 16 Handles’ Founder and former CEO Solomon Choi,” 16 Handles CEO Neil Hershman said in a statement. “He was a visionary who came to New York City in his 20s and founded this iconic frozen dessert brand. 16 Handles is where I got my personal start and I owe so much to Solomon for the opportunities, education, mentorship and friendship he provided to me throughout the years.”

Choi is survived by his parents, William WonJin Choi and Jennifer YunHwa Choi; his wife, Hannah Chang-Choi; their two children, Jubilee Choi and Joshua Choi; his sisters, Erica Choi and Esther Choi; his brothers-in-law George Kim-

PHOTO COURTESY OF HAVEN FUNERAL

Manhasset resident and frozen yogurt business

mogul Solomon Choi died June 7. He was 44.

mel and Brycen Faser; and his nieces and nephews, Tommy Kimmel, Noelle Kimmel and Forest Fauser.

Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea, before moving to the United States and graduating from Granada Hills High School in 1998 and the University of Southern California in 2002.

Choi met his wife, Hannah, at a 16 Handles store on the Upper West Side. They were engaged within 85 days and mar-

ried within six months.

The businessman had decades of experience working in the food industry. In addition to founding and later selling 16 Handles, Choi founded and sold Greeno Products, a supplier of food service industry disposables.

He founded Jabba Brands in 2019. The company advises, invests in, and operates companies in the food service industry. He was also involved in Hustle Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in start-ups.

“Part of the mission statement for 16 Handles’ is to ‘create moments of happiness,’ and Solomon truly embodied this [in] his personal and professional life, always sporting a big smile and optimistic outlook,” Hershman said. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and all those who loved him and worked with him during this incredibly difficult time.”

Aside from his work endeavors, Choi led a Christian men’s group during his free time.

Services will be held at Promise Church in Queens on June 14 at 5 p.m. Burial services will be held at Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale on June 15 at 11 a.m.

Question spurs dispute

Continued from Page 10

“Your silence speaks volumes,” Lefcowitz said. “It’s a silence you can’t drown out by raising a flag or posting a rainbow.”

Lefcowitz called for the supervisor to act on protecting LGBTQ+ town residents amid these issues.

DeSena said the town has nothing to do with Blakeman’s actions.

Lefcowitz asked DeSena if she would enact similar transgender legislation, which she said would not make the actions comparable.

DeSena asked Lefcowitz who he works for, which Lefcowitz refused to answer. He said the board does not question every citizen’s employment.

Lefcowitz said he was not ordered by anybody to speak about the topic at the meeting Tuesday morning.

Raising his voice, Walsh then called Lefcowitz a “political operative.”

“The detest that you show to constituents is abhorrent,” Lefcowitz said to Walsh.

Town Councilmember Robert Troiano joined fellow Democrat Dalimonte in defending Lefcowitz, saying that he has the right to speak just like every other resident and asked for board members not to attack him.

“You may not like his comments, but he has the right to talk to the public any time,” Troiano said. “But there is no right, there’s no obligation on anybody to reveal who their employer is or what their politics are. He’s making a statement that speaks to what he believes, which we should invite every citizen of this town to come and take this opportunity to speak truth to power.”

Troiano called it an “outrage” that board members were unwilling to listen to the resident.

Walsh accused Dalimonte of spreading misinformation by emailing residents that the flag was taken down by the board and said she was conspiring with residents to raise these issues at the meetings. Dalimonte denied Walsh’s claims.

In other news, the town board approved amendments to a 2020 bond resolution to increase and improve Albertson Water District facilities.

The original bond issuance included replacing and improving wells, implementing a SCADA system, and replacing a water storage tank.

The bond appropriated $31,482,000 for the projects. Grants amounting to $12,428,409 have aided in funding it.

The revised project includes additional wells replacement and improvement and an upgrade of transmission mains. The project cost is now capped at $43,910,000.

Architect Wiliam Merklin said the amendments are in response to state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations on PFAS, or polluting substances in waterways, and modifications to the scopes of the work.

Anthony LaMarca, counsel to the water district, said the amendments will cost nothing additional at this time.

He said estimating how the bond resolution change will affect Albertson taxpayers is difficult.

The board also approved a resolution to instate a full stop southbound on Funston Avenue at the intersection with Evans Avenue in Albertson.

▼ EMPLOYMENT, SITUATION WANTED, MARKETPLACE

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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.

Publisher's notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Publisher’s notice: All employment advertising herin is subject to section 296 of the human rights law which makes it illegal to advertise any preference based on religion, sex, familial status, arrest record, national origin, color, age, or disability. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertisement for employment which is in violation of the law. Employment opportunities advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

SCOPE Education Services is now hiring for the 2024–2025 school year in all of the Before and After School Programs located in the Garden City Elementary Schools!

We are looking for energetic applicants who love working with children! Looking to fill multiple Director, Assistant Director, Group Leader and Substitute positions. All positions are part time and can accommodate flexible schedules.

Competitive Wages • Signing Bonus Referral Bonus • Scholarship Program

Please call Renee Mercer at 631-360-0800 ext. 149 or send a resume to cc@scopeonline.us

EMPLOYMENT HELP WANTED

BOOKKEEPER WANTED Twice a month-6 hours daily. $18p/h. Comfortable with numbers. Will train. Please call 917-705-7564. Leave message.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: PT/FT Manhasset State Farm. Handle customer inquiries and much more. No insurance experience necessary but 5 years office experience is. Send resume: joinourteam@nancymorrisagency. com

OFFICE MANAGER/PART TIME: Herricks Community Fund, New Hyde Park, Long Island. Your part time role will include providing a full range of office management duties including: Day to day running of the office, provision of administrative support to the directors, payroll, production of reports, other duties as requested. You need to be self-directed and have organizational and problemsolving skills. Applicants must have experience with QuickBooks accounting package and be proficient in processing pays;experience with the Microsoft Office Suite, including advanced Microsoft Word and Excel skills; experience using database management systems; excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communications skills; and a positive disposition. Please submit your resume and cover letter by email: idavis483@aol.com

SITUATION WANTED

A HOME AIDE/CAREGIVER Caring, Honest & Reliable woman with 10 years experience available to care for your elderly loved one. Personal grooming, dispense medications, cooking, cleaning. Checkable references. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 516-383-7150

BABYSITTING AVAILABLE GARDEN

CITY Hello! I’m Alison Martin, a third-year medical student offering local babysitting services. I am a dependable, experienced babysitter with flexible availability. I’m also Red Cross certified in adult & pediatric CPR and first aid. Contact: 516-507-7441

CNA / HOME HEALTH AIDE MATURE

LADY SEEKS employment as CNA. Home health aide, very reliable, hard working, willing to do background checks, 15 yrs nursing home experience. Please call: 516-514-9442 or 516-410-1892

CNA/ HOME HEALTH AIDE Available. Experienced young lady seeks employment as an aide or companion to care for the elderly. Excellent references. Please call 516-523-0697

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Northwell commemorates Gun Violence Awareness Day

After joining other healthcare leaders from across the country at the White House Thursday to discuss public health strategies they’re pursuing to curb firearm deaths and injuries, Northwell Health last week commemorated National Gun Violence Awareness Day – and the start of “Wear Orange” Weekend — with a series of activities aimed at promoting firearm safety. and reducing street violence, suicide and unintentional shootings.

Beginning Thursday evening and continuing through the weekend, Northwell’s corporate headquarters at 2000 Marcus Ave. in New Hyde Park and three of its hospitals that have instituted hospitalbased violence intervention programs — Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and Staten Island University Hospital – were illuminated in orange to draw attention to the urgent need to aggressively respond to an epidemic that claimed the lives of more than 43,000 Americans in 2023 and injured more than 36,000.

On Friday, information booths were set up in the lobbies of those facilities to inform employees, patients and visitors on what they can do to advocate for change and make their homes and communities safer.

“Every movement that creates waves of positive change begins with optimism, hope, and people working together. Gun violence prevention is no exception, and while change can feel slow, momentum is growing,” said Northwell Health President & CEO Michael Dowling.

Dowling, leaders of Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention, and more than 80 other healthcare executives and physician leaders from across the

country met Thursday with members of the White House Center for Gun Violence Prevention. T

he health care leaders, including members of the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention & Safety that Mr. Dowling organized in late 2022, committed to continuing and expanding their efforts to promote gun safety education and awareness, establish hospital-based violence intervention programs and pursue other strategies to address this public health crisis.

For instance, members of the CEO Council have made an initial donation of $10 million toward a $40 million fundraising goal over the next two years to support a national gun violence prevention campaign in collaboration with the Ad Council, expected to roll out next year.

Seeking to reduce firearm-related homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings, Mr. Dowling established Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention in 2020, recognizing that caregivers are on the front lines of keeping their patients and communities safe, and see the tragic consequences of gun violence on a daily basis.

To encourage open dialogue among healthcare professionals, Northwell created the Gun Violence Prevention Learning Collaborative for Health Systems and Hospitals in 2021, providing a forum for them to share best practices and implement and evaluate strategies for preventing firearm-related injuries and deaths.

The Learning Collaborative now includes more than 600 participants from 38 states – about 40 percent of whom have started or expanded evidencebased firearm injury prevention strategies within their own organizations based on lessons learned

during virtual meetings, demonstrating the impact of this type of sustained dialogue.

Recognizing the importance of developing a network of healthcare professionals and others in advocating for policy changes, Northwell has convened five Gun Violence Prevention Forums since 2019 to mobilize healthcare providers and convene policymakers and practitioners.

Over the past five years, Northwell has built relationships with hundreds of activists, elected officials, government agencies, academic organizations, medical groups, healthcare trade associations and individuals pursuing solutions to help curb firearm deaths and injuries, while also co-sponsoring and cohosting numerous conferences and workshops.

Northwell President and CEO Michael Dowling joined physicians, employees and local gun violence advocates at Cohens Children Medical Center in New Hyde Park – one of three Northwell hospitals – hosting local activation events to inform employees, patients and visitors on what they can do to advocate for change and make their homes and communities safer.

In an effort to identify and intervene with those at high risk of violence, Northwell became the recipient of a $1.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to establish and implement a first-of-itskind protocol to universally screen patients for firearm injury risk.

Similar to how clinicians routinely ask patients about their diet and exercise habits, whether they drink, smoke or use other substances, those coming into three Northwell emergency departments for whatever reason are asked whether they have access to a firearm, and if so, how it is stored.

Adults and adolescents (ages 12-17) are also asked questions such as: “How often have you heard guns being shot or had someone pull a gun on you?” In addition, teens are asked if they have gotten into serious fights, or if their friends carry knives, razors or guns.

If patients are deemed at risk based on their responses, clinicians trained in motivational interviewing counsel them on changes they can make in their lives to avoid becoming a victim and refer them to violence interrupter programs that provide longterm support. Over the past three years, Northwell clinicians have screened more 34,000 patients. With firearms the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S., Northwell also spearheaded the creation of Hospitals United, a coalition of 157 health systems, hospitals and other health care organizations nationwide that launched a 2023 public awareness campaign called “It doesn’t kill to ask” to promote safe storage of firearms and try to prevent the deaths of hundreds of children who are killed every year by guns that are not secured properly.

Vote for Kim Keiserman on June 25 for state Senate

Kim Keiserman is a dedicated advocate and activist in our town and is running in the upcoming primary for state senator for SD-7.

I had the ability to work with her over the last few years as a member of the PW Democratic Club and witnessed her passion and capability working with others. Her ability to connect with groups and individuals is unsurpassed and she has the necessary attributes of a leader and candidate for office as she listens and inspires others to action. Her command of local, regional, and national policy

implications regarding reproductive rights, the environment, housing and affordability, education, and budgetary consequence is broad and deep.

She is an exceptionally hardworking candidate, is involved and visible in the community, and takes her role as representative to all her constituents seriously even if they do not agree on everything. She asks the right questions, provides options for improvements, and is able to navigate political realities without becoming enmeshed in them. Kim Keiserman will be an effective voice for all of us in Albany. She has my full support and I hope you will cast your vote for her in the Democratic Primary on June 25 (or before during early voting beginning June 15).

Re-elect John Popeleski as Manorhaven mayor

Village of Manorhaven residents, please vote to re-elect John Popeleski for Mayor.

In the past two years Mayor Pop and his board attained the following achievements: Worked with

National Grid on the restoration of Firwood Road at no cost to the residents; finished the restoration of Manorhaven Blvd including the opening of four successful businesses with a fifth about to open; the newly paved Manorhav-

en Preserve Nature Trails paid for by grants; and finally Mayor Pop made the village more fiscally responsible with smart reinvestments and searches for grant funding. He is approachable and listens to all residents.

He is the mayor this village has benefitted from for the last two years and he is ready to lead our village to more achievements for the next two years. We can count on Mayor John Popeleski.

Transparency is last thing on Jeff Stone’s mind

It is so ironic to see Jeff Stone run on the platform of transparent government.

In February Village BOT meeting, he attempted to revoke a BZA decision on a new real estate project on Manhasset Isle because he dislikes the developer.

Since he became the trustee, he has shown no transparency at all. As a licensed real estate broker, he is not transparent about the fact that if he becomes the mayor of Manorhaven, he’ll have all the firsthand information of new development in the village and potentially be the exclusive broker.

In March, he tried to tamper (with) the Board of Trustees so he could help a local business fix a building code violation. And after he openly mocked the stenographer in that meeting and caused her to break down, he refused to openly apologize to her.

When he was questioned about some of his comments and intentions by me at these meetings, he refused to give an open and transparent answer but reacted by accusing me of “digging dirt” on him or saying “it’s under the rug” now.

Vote for Mayor Popeleski and his team for a real transparent village government.

Richard Li Manorhaven

Jeff Stone is everything but open and transparent. If he becomes the mayor, he will run our village on ulterior motif and back door politics. Beware of it!

Keiserman will make a difference in state Senate

Ienthusiastically support Kim Keiserman in her campaign for the state Senate! I have been on board with Kim’s campaign since she announced her candidacy in Port Washington this past winter.

Kim is running on a platform fully consistent with maintaining and strengthening the quality of life we, specifically on our North Shore, have historically associated with and have enjoyed as residents of Long Island.

As a recently retired developmental and behavioral pediatrician and physician educator at North Shore University Hospital (now part of Northwell Health), I spent most of my career as an advocate addressing both the mental health and educational care needs of children throughout our region. While Long Island already gen-

erally does well, especially in comparison to most of the rest of the country, we can certainly do better by filling notable gaps and becoming more consistent in our service delivery of pre-K to grade 12 education and of children’s mental health. With the human talent and the resources we have here, there is no reason we cannot become a national model. With Kim as our representative in Albany, we can certainly make strides in that direction!

I am struck by the passion with which Kim talks about her affinity with Long Island and the understanding of our strengths, areas where improvement is indeed, and of our not fully realized potential as a community.

Specifically, I feel Kim’s experience as an educational expert and advocate positions her

perfectly to deliver for us through strengthening the educational experience and maximizing the achievements of our children and grandchildren.

Our schools and talented teachers will continue to need adequate support not only to guide our children through developing a solid knowledge base in the traditional subject areas, but also to teach students the more essential executive skills for navigating the 21stcentury.

Children must develop skills, for example, in interpersonal communication including conflict resolution; in understanding (and embracing) diverse cultures, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, and political beliefs; and perhaps most importantly, how to evaluate critically the information with which they are constantly bom-

barded from everywhere.

As a former high school history and government teacher, Kim knows very well the importance of these considerations.

As a consultant to teachers and schools, she has promoted best practices in the classroom for discussing individual and group differences in belief systems and traditions. Kim’s expertise in this area can be vital to informing state lawmakers.

I hope you will join me in voting for and supporting Kim Keiserman for the NY Senate. The system works when caring voters elect leaders who care.

Local control good for Nassau County, but not NYC?

This could explain Hochul’s last-minute reversal and her failure to have a plan to make up a projected $1 billion a year to the MTA’s capital plan. Hochul’s first suggestion – a New York City-

only payroll tax – was a genuinely awful idea that drew howls from New York City elected officials. This would have meant putting the entire burden of needed capital projects used by everyone across the metropolitan area on the backs of city businesses that Hochul had just said were still

hurting from COVID. There is still time to save congestion pricing. The plan can’t be stopped without a formal vote of the MTA board. Though most of its members are appointed by the governor or her suburban allies, the MTA

represents an independent agency and its members have a fiduciary responsibility to that agency. Or MTA board members could agree with Nassau County officials who say decisions that impact congestion should be left to local officials who know their communities best. Continued from Page 14

Anonymously

Media LLC and may be republished in any format. Letters can be submitted online at theisland360.com/submit-opinion/ or mailed to Blank Slate

22 Planting Field Road, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577.

Julie Appel Port Washington

Vote for Mayor Pop along with trustees Harry Farina and Monica Ildefonso. You will be happy you did.

Bill McCarthy Manorhaven

David Meryash M.D. Manhasset

SPORTS

Wheatley’s Dolzeal wins state title in golf

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

Decades from now, when Jojo Dolezal is as old as the grandfathers who taught him the game were then, he will gather his own grandchildren around the living room and tell them about his golf career.

He’ll mention this tournament or that and show them a trophy or two, but eventually, before they get bored and want to play on whatever kids 50 years from now will play on, the dramatic story of the New York State Championships of 2024 will come up.

Of how Grandpa Joe, competing for The Wheatley School, had a fantastic first day at the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira, leading the competition by two shots following a sparkling 4-under 68 on the first 18.

In his senior season, a state title was finally in his grasp.

But then, as with all good stories, things took a twist. A kid named Ken Fernandes of Westchester County’s Horace Greeley High School caught fire on day two, channeling his

inner Scottie Scheffler and soaring past Dolezal.

With only six holes to go, Dolezal trailed Fernandes by four shots, a pretty huge margin with little time left.

“I knew at 13 that if I didn’t make a move then,” Dolezal said, “I’d be in trouble. I never think I’m out of it, but it was getting close.”

Suddenly, Dolezal recounts, he ramped up the pressure. Birdie after birdie started falling for him, while Fernandes, a freshman, faltered a bit.

Still, on 18, Dolezal trailed by one shot until, on his second attempt, he hit maybe the shot of his life.

Certainly, it was the best shot Wheatley coach Henry Kupstas said he’s ever seen in person. The approach was so perfect that it’s almost impossible to believe unless you see it (which you can, if you click here).

The shot set up a tap-in for par, which tied Dolezal and Fernandes and sent the duo to a playoff to decide a champ.

On the second playoff hole, Dolezal made a par while Fernandes bogeyed, and the title is

his.

But when he tells that story to his grandkids yeah, you have to end with “The Shot.”

“To watch Jojo flip a switch like that those last few holes, that was something to watch,” Kupstas said. “He’s been the best golfer in the state since 7th grade, so to see him finally get the state win, was really special.”

Dolezal’s victory was almost two decades in the making; he’s a golf nut and has been since he was little when both of his grandfathers introduced him to the sport as soon as he could hold a club.

Pressed to say what’s the longest he’s ever gone without playing, Dolezal said “probably a week.”

“On the senior trip to Aruba this year, I don’t think I played the whole time,” he said. “But I was on the beach practicing my swing in the sand. I’m sure people thought that looked a little strange.”

As Dolezal grew up, he had more than just his grandpas to guide him in the sport; his dad, Joseph, is a pro at Plandome Country Club.

“He’s just always had a good swing, and never needed to be pushed to practice or anything,” Joseph Dolezal said. “He was very good at learning from everyone who helped him, taking a little something from that person or that person. He was always trying to learn.”

Dolezal has been on The Wheatley School

team since 7th grade and has impressed all in Nassau County with his steady play. He won the county championship both in 11th grade and this year, and last season placed ninth at the states, fueling belief he could do better as a senior.

But after his remarkable comeback on the second day, he was in a little bit of shock that he won.

“It was a little bit of disbelief because as much as I wanted it and as long as I had hoped to win it, I was still kind of surprised it happened,” Dolezal said. “And to come back from four strokes back I just had a really happy feeling because I really wanted to win this title.”

What set Dolezal apart this year and enabled him to win? Kupstas and Dolezal agree it was belief.

“He would get down on himself when he had a bad hole, and would have trouble forgetting it,” Kupstas said. “Now he’s learned to deal with adversity better and just has a much better mental attitude.”

That attitude will carry Dolezal to St. John’s University in the fall, where he’ll play more golf and study finance.But first, there are more local tournaments to play, and more people to tell about the state title win he just won.“It was great to win but I’m never going to be satisfied,” Dolezal said. “I just want to keep pushing forward and keep getting better.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHEATLEY SCHOOL

The Wheatley School senior Jojo Dolezal won the state championship for boys golf on June 3 in Elmira.

SPORTS Chaminade baseball gets new coach

Chaminade High School announces the appointment of Patrick Kemp ’04 as head coach of its Varsity Baseball Team. Kemp succeeds Coach Mike Pienkos, head coach for 45 years.

Under Pienkos’ leadership, the team has achieved a career record of 675-323, a 67.64% winning percentage.

Pienkos led the team to 14 league titles, including the 2022 State CHSAA BaseballChampionship. His contributions to the program were recognized with his induction intothe 2023 New York Baseball Hall of Fame.

“I’d like to thank Mike Pienkos for his 45 years of service to the Chaminade baseball program,” said Athletic Director John Honerkamp ’93. “His legacy is one of excellence, mentorship, and unwavering dedication. Chaminade baseball is in great hands thanks to the mentoring and example Coach Pienkos has set over the last four decades.”

Kemp played for Pienkos in the early 2000s and has coached alongside him for thepast 11 years. Kemp brings a deep understanding of the team’s values and traditions. He also has been teaching history at Chaminade since 2013.

“I am happy that my former player is taking the reins. The program is in good hands, and Chaminade baseball will not miss a heartbeat,” said Pienkos.

Manhasset takes LI title

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

The plan was always set up the day before, but there was always a plan.

Sometimes, it was pizza from Umberto’s or Gino’s. Other times, it was Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, or tacos.

But every day for the entire spring season of practices, the Manhasset boys golf team, after finishing driving, chipping and putting, would sit around as a group and have dinner together.

Sometimes it was in the parking lot of Plandome Country Club or North Hempstead CC. Sometimes it was at someone’s house.

But the group of six “starters” on the team always ate together, with someone’s Mom or Dad being the delivery driver.

“We really stepped it up with the unity this year, more than before,” said junior Jaden Cheng. “Just sitting around and talking about life, about being a team, busting on each other, all of it. That’s my favorite memory from this year.”

That unity, that togetherness, may have helped Manhasset have its best golf season in a long time. Using a combination of experienced players like Cheng, senior Alex Gore and junior Evan Fulgieri, and junior Justin Yemm, and the influx of baby-faced seventh-graders Ethan Yao and Ryan Liu, the school captured the Nassau County crown, edging out Friends Academy by two strokes.

Then, on May 28, Manhasset put an exclamation point on this fabulous season by crushing Suffolk champ Ward Melville, 8-1, winning by a total of 59 strokes, to capture its first LI championship since 2018.

“These kids go home and practice after practice: they all want to get better so badly,” said head

coach Michael Tarnowski. “And from day one everyone was motivated and got along so well.”

The season began with the Manhasset crew

“(Liu) shooting a 75 on the Black course, that was one of the most

phenomenal rounds of golf I’ve ever seen. For a kid who drives it like 250 yards, on a 7,500-yard course, to shoot that well was incredible.”

— Alex Gore SENIOR AT MANHASSET HIGH SCHOOL

getting their first looks at Yao and Liu, whom several team members and Tarnowski had heard about over the last few years.

After the first day of tryouts, Tarnowski said he was approached by Cheng.

“Holy crap, these boys are really really good!” Tarnowski recalled with a laugh. “Everyone was excited about their potential.”

“Those kids from the first day, weren’t intimidated by anything,” Gore said. “Ethan especially, that kid has some swag to him. He doesn’t take anything from anyone, he’ll talk nonsense to anyone. He had no trouble fitting in, neither he nor Ryan.”

Fulgieri said he welcomed the mentor role

this season; he was frequently paired up with Yao during practices and matches.

“I wanted to try to help him as much as I could, on and off the course,” Fulgieri said. “But honestly I learned just as much from him as he did from me, I think.”

As the season progressed, Tarnowski had an inkling this could be a special group. With Fulgieri bombing drives off the tee and the great short game of several others, “I thought we definitely had a chance.”

At the county match, Manhasset pulled it out by just two strokes over Friends, 754-756, with a par by Fulgieri on 18 clinching the win.

At the LIC, held at the notoriously difficult Bethpage Black, Manhasset just ran away with it. Liu shot a 4-over 75, Yao shot a 9-over 80, and the whole team played well to win it.

“(Liu) shooting a 75 on the Black course, that was one of the most phenomenal rounds of golf I’ve ever seen,” Gore said. “For a kid who drives it like 250 yards, on a 7,500-yard course, to shoot that well was incredible.”

“It was 100% the result of the work we put into it,” Fulgieri added.

After the LIC win, both Fulgieri and Gore competed in the state championships on June 3 and 4 in Elmira, with Fulgieri placing 33rd and Gore 40th.

With most of the team back for next year, the Manhasset players know there could be more hardware in store.

And you can bet those post-practice dinners will continue, too.

“It’s been a great year and I know I enjoyed every minute of coaching these kids,” Tarnowski said.

“We’re excited to welcome Coach Kemp as the new head coach of our Varsity Baseball Team,” said Bro. Thomas Cleary, S.M. ’81, the school’s president. “His long-standing relationship with Coach Pienkos and experience with the program make him uniquely qualified to lead our program. I am incredibly grateful to Coach Pienkos not only for his passion and commitment to Chaminade baseball, but also for his untiring support of Marianist education.”

Kemp said he is excited to take the program to the next level.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the varsity baseball team at Chaminade. Coach Pienkos has been an incredible mentor, and I am grateful for the years we have worked together. I look forward to building on his strong foundation andcontinuing Chaminade’s commitment to excellence.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANHASSET H.S.

The Manhasset boys golf team celebrates with the Long Island Championship trophy after winning it for the first time since 2018.

SPORTS

South girls a badminton dynasty

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

It was a simple command to her coach, from a player who’s been with her for years.

“If you look at me for more than five seconds, I’m going to start crying,” Bernice Wong said to Allison Gottfried as she walked off the court on May 22, following the final match of Wong’s badminton career.

And why wouldn’t she get emotional? For four years, over thou-

sands of hours of practice, Wong has been in the gymnasium with Gottfried, trying to get better and trying to keep the Rebels badminton dynasty going.

And now when it was finally done, when Great Neck South had vanquished Suffolk champ Ward Melville, 9-0 for the Long Island championship, two days after beating Jericho, 5-2 for the Nassau title, the tears had to come.

Whether coach and player locked eyes or not.

“I just felt all the emotions,”

Wong said. “After all these years, to go out on top like we were able to, was just the absolute best feeling. Just so gratifying.”

In winning its fourth straight Nassau crown, and third consecutive Long Island title, Great Neck South again showed that everyone else is playing for second place.

Led by Wong at No. 3 singles and No. 1 singles player Kayla Wu, the Rebels rolled through an undefeated season.

“It was an incredible year, seeing the seniors go out like this and

seeing how well the young players developed,” Gottfried said. “We knew we would need both singles and doubles to come through and they did.”

While the Ward Melville match was as easy as possible, with all nine wins coming in two games, Jericho proved a stiffer test.

Great Neck South suffered defeats at No. 2 singles and at No. 3 with Wong, so winning the doubles matches would be crucial.

And the young teams of Emma Ding and Eva Westbay at No.1 dou-

bles, Adora and Akira Cho at second doubles, Kary Wong and Katherine Chung at No.3, and Michelle Ye partnering with Jessica Jacob at fourth doubles all came through, winning all 8 games.

“We had such great doubles play and they really came through mentally as well,” Gottfried said.

“After all these years, to go out on top like we were able to, was just the absolute best feeling. Just so gratifying.”course, to shoot that well was incredible.”

— Bernice Wong

And at singles, Wu continued to be dominant, winning both her county and LIC matches with ease, to go along with her county crown she won earlier in May.

“It’s definitely bittersweet, knowing it’s all over,” Wu said. “I’ve worked really hard over the years, to accomplish this, and we got it. Now it’s over and it’s definitely a little sad.

“Kayla is our shining star every game; she’s our top player and our captain,” Wong said. “Going on this journey with her, I’ve seen her grow every single day, she’s always been there for everyone. I’m so happy I got to share these years with her.”

The team will lose Wu, headed to Brandeis, and Wong, who plans to play badminton in college at the University of Rochester, but will return everyone else to the squad, including No. 2 singles player Hannah Cheng.

“It’s a testament to how hard the girls work, that we’re able to keep this going,” Wong said. “Our managers and boys players who come to every single practice to work with us, coach is there every single day. “It goes to show how dedicated everyone is to the sport.”

Chaminade names Kemp baseball coach

Chaminade High School announces the appointment of Mr. Patrick Kemp ’04 as head coach of its Varsity Baseball Team.

Kemp succeeds Coach Mike Pienkos, head coach for 45 years.

Under Pienkos’ leadership, the team has achieved a career record of 675-323, a 67.64% winning percentage. Coach Pienkos led the team to 14 League Titles, including the 2022 State CHSAA Baseball Championship. His exceptional contributions

to the program were recognized with his induction into the 2023 New York Baseball Hall of Fame.

“I’d like to thank Mike Pienkos for his 45 years of service to the Chaminade baseball program,” said Athletic Director Mr. John Honerkamp ’93. “His legacy is one of excellence, mentorship, and unwavering dedication. Chaminade baseball is in great hands thanks to the mentoring and example Coach Pienkos has set over the last four decades.”

Mr. Patrick Kemp played for Coach Pienkos in the early 2000s and has coached alongside him for the past 11 years. Mr. Kemp brings a deep understanding of the team’s values and traditions. He also has been teaching history at Chaminade since 2013.

“I am happy that my former player is taking the reins. The program is in good hands, and Chaminade baseball will not miss a heartbeat,” said Coach Pienkos.

“We’re excited to welcome Coach Kemp as the new head coach of our Varsity Baseball Team,” said President Bro. Thomas Cleary, S.M. ’81. “His long-standing relationship with Coach Pienkos and experience with the program make him uniquely qualified to lead our program. I am incredibly grateful to Coach Pienkos not only for his passion and commitment to Chaminade baseball, but also for his untiring support of Marianist education.”

Coach Kemp is excited to take the program to the next level.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Varsity Baseball Team at Chaminade. Coach Pienkos has been an incredible mentor, and I am grateful for the years we have worked together. I look forward to building on his strong foundation and continuing Chaminade’s commitment to excellence.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLISON GOTTFRIED

Great Neck South doubles player Emma Ding prepares to hit a shot during her team’s LI Championship game win on May 22.