PORT WASHINGTON 2024_04_05

BLAKEMAN SEEKS ARMED DEPUTY SHERIFFS

Major crime continues to fall in Nassau

County police department website shows a 10.43% decrease in January

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Nassau County crime is apparently down in the first month of the year with double-digit drops in total major crimes throughout the county and in the 3rd and 6th Precincts.

The Nassau County Police’s crime statistics reporting database, known as Strat-Com, provided updated crime data on the department’s website that shows crime rates from Jan. 1 through Jan. 29 of the year. It also compares the crime statistics to the same period in 2023.

While the dataset states the statistics are for these periods, there are date discrepancies in the provided statistical graphs.

Efforts to reach the Nassau County Police for clarification were unavailing.

In January, total major crimes were down 10.43% county-wide. All other crimes in the county diminished by 13.77% during this period compared to the year prior, constituting a 12.9% drop in all crimes.

Overall, 481 major crimes and 1,328 other crimes were reported throughout the county in January, adding up to a total of 1,809 crimes. In January of 2023, a total of 2,077 crimes were reported in the county.

Seven of the eight county precincts reported drops in major crime rates in January.

This county-wide drop in crime coincides with an overall 6.46% decrease in major crimes over the first 11 months of 2023, showing a continued trend of crime rates dropping since the 41% spike in 2022.

Before this decline, major crimes increased by 38% from 2019-2022.

In New York City, crime also decreased in January by an overall 2.9%. Most major crime categories reported reductions, including a 25% drop in murders, a 24.4% in reported rapes and a 19.8% decrease in burglaries.

January crime data for Suffolk County was not immediately available.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman attributed the 2023 drop in Nassau County’s crimes to his administration’s financial investments in the county police department and intelligence-led policing strategies in a mailer.

Blakeman ran his 2021 election campaign on a platform that included calls for addressing the rise in crime in the county, with many other local Republican campaigns using the issue as a campaign talking point.

Continued on Page 43

Weber Middle School sent two Science Olympiad Academic Teams to compete in science and technology events. They will now compete at the state level.

Port draft budget would surpass tax cap by 1.16%

BY SAMUEL SCHULTZ

The Port Washington School District proposed a 2024-2025 school year budget that would require 60% voter approval by the community to override the tax cap by 1.16%.

In February, the Port Washington School District proposed a 20242025 rollover budget that included a 6.8% increase from the current budget.

The 2024-2025 proposed budget calls for $194,578,217 in spending, about a 5.6%, or $10,312,922,

Continued on Page 44

During Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting Assistant Superintendent for Business Kathleen Manuel printed the district’s official draft budget.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORT WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

Flower Hill approves 14.1% village tax hike

Costs partially attributed to private security patrol

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Village of Flower Hill is increasing its taxes by 14.1% in the next fiscal year, which the village attributed in part to the new cost of its private security patrol.

“We want to have a certain level of service we provide to our residents,” Rosenbaum said. “There’s nothing really else to cut in our budget. It’s a tough one.”

The village’s Board of Trustees voted to approve its $4,098,437 budget for 2024-2025 Monday night, which is a 2% increase from the current budget.

The 14.1% village tax increase amounts to a $197,560 increase in taxes needed to be raised.

But while village taxes will be rising by about 14%, the total taxes including those for fire service will

amount to about a 9% increase.

The board voted to pierce the 2% tax cap, which Randall Rosenbaum said was necessary but an action he took with reluctance. Mary Joe Collins, who also serves as the town’s receiver of taxes, abstained from the vote.

Driving the budget are added costs for a private security patrol, which is increasing the village’s code enforcement expense by 62%.

“I would prefer not to spend this money but I’ve heard from enough people who want us to spend on some sort of security patrol,” Rosenbaum said.

The security patrol was implemented earlier this year after a wave of crime occurred in the village in early December.

Rosenbaum said resident feedback about the security patrol has

been mixed.

The village will be expending $208,550 for code enforcement next fiscal year, including the security patrol, which constitutes 5.1% of the total budget. The current budget allots $130,050 for code enforcement.

But with crime falling and car thefts decreasing, Rosenbaum said he has had conversations with Ryder about other methods to deter crime like license plate readers.

The mayor added that it is budgeted for the full year, but the village can always opt out of the expense at any time.

Also contributing to the budget increase are high insurance costs, which are rising by 10%.

“Those are costs we really cannot afford,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s necessary.”

TO REACH US

PW Library drafts $7.8M budget

Includes 2% tax increase, vote next week

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Port Washington Public Library is proposing a nearly $7.8 million budget with a 2% tax increase for 2025 as residents prepare to vote on the budget next week.

The library drafted a 2024-2025 budget proposal of $7,794,101, a 3.9% increase from the current budget of $7.5 million.

The library’s 2% tax increase is the second time it has risen in the past six years after many years of keeping a flat tax rate.

“As we look to the future, we will strive to enhance the lives of our families, friends, and the Port Washington community,” Library Board of Trustees President William Keller wrote.

Keller said the budget was drafted with economic factors, maintaining facility conditions and community needs in mind.

Employee benefits are projected to increase by about 7.12% for the library in 2025, with another 7.09% increase for salaries. Combined, this amounts to a 7%.1% budget increase.

Expenses for library materials are budgeted for a slight decrease of $6,000, with $471,000 allotted in 2025.

Also decreasing in budgeted expenses are building operations, which will be falling by 2.98% with $390,370 budgeted.

Library operations, however,

would be increasing under the 2025 draft budget. Library operations are budgeted at $678,000, a 2.73% increase.

The library’s expenditures amount to $7,625,640, but also include $156,350 for equipment, repairs and transfers and another $12,111 for debt service, bringing the total expenditures to $7,794,101.

While costs are increasing, Keller said energy costs for the library have dropped since completion of the roof repair and facade renovation. He said these projects will also diminish weather damage.

Revenues for 2025 are projected to be $7,638,101, which will be combined with about $1 million from the library’s fund balance to match all budgeted expenses.

The library is projecting ending the 2024 fiscal year with $1,238,927 in its unassigned fund balance.

For the 2024 budget, the library approximated $7,434,533 but is now projecting actual revenue of $7,573,217 by the end of the fiscal year on June 30. This would be another year with revenues higher than projected as was achieved from 2021-2023 as well.

Residents within the library’s district can vote on the budget on April 9 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the library. They will also be able to vote for a trustee, with Trustee Adrienne Saur running unopposed to be re-elected for a five-year term beginning in July.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PUBLIC DOMAIN

Flower Hill Village Hall.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PWPL

Port Washington Public Library

Police deny DA disciplinary records

Nassau prosecutors say at least one case tossed due to refusal to abide by repeal of NY law

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Nassau County Police Department has been pushing back on requests to provide disciplinary records to District Attorney Anne Donnelly’s office, impacting numerous case proceedings and resulting in at least one case being dismissed.

“Law enforcement agencies who wield considerable power of the state over individuals have a responsibility to be transparent and accountable,” said Susan Gottehrer, director of the Nassau County New York Civil Liberties Union. “And yet the actions of the Nassau County Police Department continue to illustrate their belief that they answer to no one.”

Newsday reported that the Police Department has refused to hand over records of substantiated and unsubstantiated complaints against officers in “more than a handful” of criminal cases being prosecuted.

This therefore leads the DA’s office to subpoena the records, which are further challenged by the law enforcement unions seeking to defy the court orders.

This has led to at least one criminal case being dismissed, Newsday reported, playing out in the thirddegree assault case against Nassau resident Toufik Hamizane.

It has also undermined the authority of the legal and law enforcement systems and slowed down criminal prosecutions, Newsday reported.

“When the Police Department doesn’t think that they need to be accountable or transparent with the public, it undermines trust,” Gottehrer said, adding that it can be dangerous for the government, which includes police agencies, to operate as such.

Efforts to solicit comment from the Nassau County Police Department were unavailing, but Commissioner Patrick Ryder told Newsday they maintain a working relationship with the DA’s office.

What is driving this dispute is a 2020 NYS criminal law called discovery reform.

Discovery reform outlines a strict timeline of when evidence must be disclosed and expands the types of evidence that the defense can use – including law enforcement documents.

In misdemeanor cases, discovery items must be turned over within 90 days. This is extended to six months for felonies.

Under this law, law enforcement agencies are defined as an extension of the prosecution, in this case the district attorney’s office, and files possessed by law enforcement are

Gottehrer said this is another example of police defying the repeal of 50A, a New York State law that protected police misconduct records from being public. Now those records can be requested through Freedom of Information requests.

considered in possession of the prosecution.

This plays in tandem with the Brady decision, which determines prosecutors must turn over any evidence that could be used by the defense, and the Giglio decision which makes records that pertain to discrediting police witnesses automatically discoverable – or provided to the defense regardless of being asked for or not.

But what if law enforcement agencies don’t share those records with prosecutors, as evident in court proceedings throughout Nassau County?

Delays in the prosecution providing law enforcement documents to the defense are not considered valid and it is the responsibility of the prosecutors to ensure a regular “flow of information.”

If this is not maintained and law enforcement documents are not provided to the prosecutors and defense, then a remedy or sanction can be ordered by the court – including for a case to be dismissed entirely.

The dispute is playing out in the case against Amandeep Singh, a 35-year-old Roslyn man who was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road at 95 mph with a

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY ANNE DONNELLY

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.

Employee criticizes town hiring

Calls appointment of deputy commissioner an unfair example of nepotism, decision is ‘bewildering’

BY CAMERYN OAKES

An employee spoke out Tuesday against the Town of North Hempstead’s internal hiring of a deputy commissioner for the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, saying it was done through unfair hiring practices.

Ryan Smith was hired as the department’s deputy commissioner with a starting annual salary of $78,000. His start date for the position is April 27.

Anthony Cimorelli, a systems engineer in the town’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, objected to the hiring of the department’s deputy commissioner at a town board meeting Tuesday.

He called the hiring unfair and an example of nepotism, alleging the position had not been posted and Smith was hired based on favoritism by the department’s commissioner.

The department has employees who have been working there for decades, Cimorelli said, and the hiring of Smith disregards their potential to fulfill the position, or at the very least nixes their opportunity to apply for it.

According to a Sept. 1, 2022 town board agenda, Smith was appointed to the position of clerk II for

the department starting on Sept. 3, 2022.

“It’s bewildering why someone with such limited tenure and ex-

pertise would be favored over our seasoned veterans,” Cimorelli said.

“ This decision is not only undermining the principles and fairness of

meritocracy but also demoralizes the hardworking individuals who form the backbone of our department.”

Town Councilmember Robert

Troiano questioned why the job position was not publicly posted, to which Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said it was not a requirement for this position.

Finance & Human Resources Commissioner Robert Weitzner affirmed DeSena’s response, adding that postings are not typically made for job openings that can be filled internally. He said these decisions are typically made after consulting the department head.

All personnel hiring, appointments, terminations, resignations and salary changes, including the hiring of Smith as the Department of Information Technology Telecommunication’s deputy commissioner, were approved.

While the hiring was approved, Town Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte told Cimorelli that she would have liked to speak with him before the meeting so that she could have investigated the issue further before having to vote on the matter. She voted to approve the hiring.

The board also appointed Deputy Supervisor Joseph Scalero as the town’s voting member for the Roslyn Fire Department. This was an emergency item added to the agenda.

Dalimonte questioned why Town

Continued on Page 44

PHOTO BY KARINA KOVAC

North Hempstead Town Hall in Manhasset.

Vita Medical Spa is excited to announce our relocation to a brand new space in Manhasset, after proudly serving the community of Whitestone for the past 18 years.

Our upgraded facility and enhanced amenities will allow us to provide an even higher level of excellence in medical services and spa treatments.

Please join us for a Botox Seminar

Thursday, May 9th, 2024 4pm-6pm

There will be Raffles to win 50 units of Botox valued at $750 (must be present at drawing)

Light Refreshments will be served

Please RSVP by 5/2/24

609 PLANDOME RD. MANHASSET, NY 11030

(718)357-2300

WWW.VITAMEDICALSPA.COM

VITAMEDICALSPA

Blakeman seeks armed residents to aid county

Effort to recruit residents with gun licenses to help during emergencies draws heated opposition

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s administration in partnership with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department posted an ad seeking armed residents to apply to be emergency special deputy sheriffs, who would be deployed during county emergencies.

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s administration is looking to expand its law enforcement by bringing in provisional emergency special deputy sheriffs – or armed Nassau county property or business owners –to aid in protecting the county during emergencies.

The role of the special deputy sheriffs is “for the protection of human life and property during an emergency,” according to a Nassau County ad. The county did not specify what would constitute an emergency.

“The safety and security of all residents in Nassau County is our paramount concern,” the ad states.

Specifically being sought out for the positions are former law enforcement and military veterans.

The addition of this special deputy sheriff position has come under scrutiny since it was announced.

This includes Nassau County Legislative Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, who cautioned about the danger of such individuals.

“Nassau County isn’t the Wild West,” DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “We already have one of the largest and best trained police forces in the nation. The last thing we need during an emergency is a bunch of untrained residents running around with guns, playing junior

detective at the behest of the county executive.”

The posting comes after a 6.5% drop in major crimes over the first 11 months of 2023, as well as a 12.9% drop in all crime in January 2024.

According to Newsday, many legislators and union representatives were unaware of the posting and new sheriff department positions until the publication had asked. The implementation of the special deputy sheriffs was not sought out through legislative or union approval, Newsday reported.

Efforts to reach Blakeman’s office and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department were unavailing.

The county is looking for individuals who are skilled in using firearms, able to work under stress and can maintain records and prepare reports.

Emergency special deputy sheriff applicants are required to be from 21 to 72 years old, a United States citizen, a Nassau County resident, property or business owner, have a pistol license, consent to a full background check, including mental health history, supply a fit for duty letter from a doctor, consent to random drug testing and not have any drug or alcohol issues in the prior five years.

Applicants must also possess an associate’s degree or a minimum of 30 college credits, complete basic training, have never been convicted of a felony and have no misdemeanors in the past five years.

The special deputy sheriffs would only have police power during a declared state of emergency by the county executive, according to the ad.

The special deputy sheriffs would be paid a $150 stipend for each day they are active during an emergency, with individuals required to be available at any hour and any day of the year.

Suffolk County employs a similar position of special deputy sheriffs, but they are appointed by the sheriff directly and serve more as community ambassadors, Newsday reported. These positions are unpaid and not required to possess firearm licenses or training as it is not part of their duties.

A Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson told Newsday that these special deputy sheriffs are not utilized for emergencies, unlike the Nassau County positions.

Nassau County has about 60 deputy sheriffs employed under the sheriff’s department, predominantly working at the East Meadow county jail, according to Newsday.

While deputy sheriffs have the same authority as police officers, they do not respond to 911 calls. Rather, they execute warrants, serve court orders and conduct evictions.

The application deadline for these positions was on March 31, and it is not known how many individuals applied. It is also not known how many positions the county is seeking to fill and how applicants would be screened and subsequently trained.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Manorhaven approves settlement

Authorizes $900 payment to three former board appointees after year-long legal dispute

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Manorhaven Board of Trustees passed a resolution authorizing a settlement payment for a legal dispute over appointments to the village’s boards Wednesday night, bringing an end to the more than year-long dispute.

The board voted to approve the $900 settlement for the lawsuit, which was conducted in the the federal court’s Eastern District of New York.

The suit by Brendan Fahey, Jeremy Devine and Audra Signer challenged the village’s “alleged failure and refusal to accept plaintiffs’ various appointments and oaths of office.”

Days before leaving office, former Manorhaven Mayor Jim Avena filled several vacancies. This included the appointment of Devine and Singer to the planning board and Fahey to the zoning board.

Two days after Aveena left office, at the village’s organizational meeting his successor, John Popeleski, was sworn in and Elise Ledda, Frank Ottaviani and Richard Zimbardi were appointed to fill the open positions.

Fahey, Devine and Signer filed a claim in 2022 seeking their “lawful appointments” to be recognized and retroactively corrected to the Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Boards.

They were contesting the appointments of Ledda, Ottaviani and Zimbardi.

Both parties are required to file a stipulation of dismissal by May 13 now that a settlement has been reached.

The board also adopted a local law to restrict parking at all times on the west side of Cottonwood Road from the southern curbline of Manorhaven Boulevard for a distance of 50 feet.

All the other resolutions presented Wednesday were passed by the board, including a budget transfer of $10,000 from the snow removal contractual expense to its equipment account.

Popeleski said the village needs a new salt spreader, requiring money to be moved from accounts to pay for the machine. He said the village opted to purchase it now since prices are lower.

In other news, Popeleski said

Artist Richards’ crafted images displayed at JC

BY CAMERYN OAKES

If you combined the subject matter of Edward Hopper, the surrealism of René Magritte and the color palette of David Hockney, what would you get? Contemporary, digital artist Alan Richards’ inimitable photomontages.

“There’s no pen, there’s no ink, there’s no nothing like that,” Richards said.

Richards, 79, is a contemporary digital artist, entirely self-taught, based in Roslyn. His pieces are on display at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in East Hills.

This is the third time Richards has displayed his art at the JCC, having been invited back after his previous two shows. He said he enjoys displaying his works there as it is a good audience for his art.

He describes his art as photomontages, digitally manipulating vintage photos to create his own reimagined telling of the scene. It’s like “developing new stories from what was,” Richards said, while still staying true to the photo’s history.

Typical photos Richards uses depict homefront scenes during World War II, an interest of his he said due to the era’s style and the selflessness of the population.

“These images to me were very, very interesting and they would be lost to history,” Richards said. “I just felt like that generation was different from what we are now, so I look to my father, my grandfather

Continued on Page 43

The Sid Jacobson JCC is dispalying the exhibit “History Re-Imagined,” fetauring pieces from Roslyn-based artist Alan Richards.

he asked Trustee Jeffrey Stone multipletimes to publicly apologize to the stenographer for a prior insult at the meeting Wednesday night, which he said he refused to do since he had already done it over the phone.

The previous Board of Trustees meeting lit up with insults and angry exchanges between members of the public and board members after Stone

asked for a public discussion on the development of 12-20 Matinecock Ave. – a property that has been the root of prior disputes.

Multiple times residents and members of the board were asked to quiet down and allow people to speak one at a time throughout the meeting.

The stenographer had asked individuals to speak one at a time for the record, to which Stone replied by saying: “I thought you were talented.”

Stone said at the meeting this was intended to be a joke but was called out by other board members for being disrespectful.

The meeting was ended by Popeleski after Stone made the comment toward the stenographer.

Popeleski said Stone’s prior comments were uncalled for.

“The chaos that happened was all caused by him,” Popeleski said.

Efforts to reach Stone for comment were unavailing.

When asked why the village would not hold a forum on the property as Stone was requesting, Popeleski told Blank Slate Media that residents can bring up questions and concerns themself during public comment periods at meetings.

The Manorhaven Board of Trustees will convene again for its work session at 6 p.m. on April 3.

North Shore urges FAA to fix plane noise

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Municipalities across the North Shore are banding together to decry high air traffic noise, fighting for the Federal Aviation Administration to reroute plane arrivals at JFK and LaGuardia airports away from local towns and instead over water.

Overhead airplane noise is nothing new in Nassau County. It has been an ongoing battle for local government leaders, a battle that has lasted around 15 years, according to state Sen. Jack Martins, who oversees the 7th District, including New Hyde Park, Roslyn and East Williston.

Martins is well-aware of residents’ frustration. Most recently, Bill Cutrone, president of the New Hyde Park-based Lakeville Estates civic, sent a letter to Martins March 25 imploring him to address the issue of plane noise.

In the past, the FAA had agreed to help mitigate air traffic noise by mandating planes be at an altitude of 3,000 feet around 15 miles out from JFK before they begin their descent, Cutrone said.

“Experiencing several years of the FAA’s formula, it is clear FAA’s formula is flawed and actually does very little to alleviate the worst noise problems,” Cutrone wrote. “The 3,000 ft, 15 mile out is terribly insufficient and must be revised.”

He suggested the FAA rework the order of

takeoffs and landings so landings approach the runway from the south side over the ocean instead of from the north side.

Cutrone pointed out that the FAA formula for allowable plane noise does not take into account jet size. He claimed that plane size makes “a big difference” in noise and demanded that any new plane noise formula take into account jet size.

Continued on Page 42

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALAN RICHARDS

PHOTO BY NOAH MANSKAR

Bill Cutrone, president of the Lakeville Estates Civic Association.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Manorhaven’s Village Hall.

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Maggie Messina, 57, and her taekwondo students will make history this weekend at Ocean State Grand Nationals, where a team fighting category will be open to women for the first time after she demanded more equity.

The team fighting category is regularly open only to men.

“Up to seven men walked away with cash [at last year’s national tournament], and they didn’t have one for the women,” the owner of Taecole Tae Kwon Do in Albertson and founder of Female Fighters Matter Too said. “So, I went up to the promoter and I said, ‘No. We can’t do this. Women have to have this next year.’”

What might sound like a rare moment of courage in a male-dominated field is a regular occurrence for Messina, a plucky 8th-degree black belt who came from poverty, began practicing taekwondo when she was 18 and reached such excellence that she received a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

Messina worked tirelessly, often commuting into Manhattan at 6 a.m., then back to Albertson at 2 p.m., then back to Manhattan for a 9 p.m. client in order to survive when she first opened her studio.

From aging out of the foster system and living without a home at just 17 to running one of the few taekwondo studios left after the COVID-19 pandemic, Messina has dedicated her entire life to taekwondo – just to still be referred to as sir.

“There are still [taekwondo] schools where women are being addressed as sir. Absolutely. In America,” Messina said. “I decided that I’m not going to be called sir anymore, and … some people actually called me on it and said, ‘Why did

against decades and decades of tradition.

you do that? It’s not supposed to be that way.’”

When potential clients email Messina, a good handful of them assume the studio master’s gender and start their emails with “Sir,” Messina said.

While gender discrimination in athletics is nothing new, it may be shocking to hear that

such practices exist at taekwondo tournaments, like not having categories for women, or that Messina has faced multiple male martial artists who enter her studio and question her ability to run a business.

But as Messina explained, changing taekwondo practices would mean pushing back

Dr. Tom Ferraro has specialized in sport psychology for 20 years and works in the fields of golf, tennis, soccer, baseball, football, wrestling, lacrosse, figure skating, gymnastics, softball, fencing and more. He has helped professional teams, Olympians and elite young athletes learn how to manage the intense pressure of competitive sports. He appears on both TV and radio and has sport psychology columns in 5 different newspapers and has been featured in The New York Times, Wall street Journal and the London Times. Golf Digest includes him in their list of top mental game gurus in America. For a consultation see below: Williston Park Professional Center 2 Hillside Ave, Suite E. Williston Park NY 11596 (building parallel to

“It’s still predominately a male world,” Messina said. “You know taekwondo is from Korea, and so you’re talking about a whole culture. Changing a whole culture.”

It is easy to imagine why Messina founded Female Fighters Matter Too, a movement focused on creating opportunities for female athletes after years of enduring gender inequalities at taekwondo tournaments in the 1980s.

“The training is eight to 10, 11 hours a day, and you bring yourself to a physical place where you throw up, you replenish and continue. And that’s what it takes to be a champion,” Messina said. “We don’t do it any different than the male does it. We don’t pay any less money. It costs the same. We bleed the same. We do everything the same.”

And yet at some tournaments, women participants cannot compete on the stage. At some tournaments, there is no women’s division. Messina recalled being told at one tournament without a women’s division that she should just enter the juniors’ division and compete against the children. “It was such a kick in the face,” Messina said.

And at many of the tournaments Messina attends, the cash prize for female competitors is much less than male competitors, despite all participants paying the same entry fee.

At one world kickboxing commission in particular, Messina realized the women’s prizes were just a fraction of the men’s.

“I was like, somebody’s gotta do something,” Messina said. “And I was waiting for the change. It didn’t happen, so I did it myself.”

While Female Fighters Matter Too accepts do-

Continued on Page 43

Messina’s latest foe: tournament rules Sport Psychology

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGGIE MESSINA

Maggie Messina, owner of Taecole Tae Kwon Do studio in Albertson and founder of Female Fighters Matter Too.

Jacobs endorses Keiserman in Senate bid

Backs Port resident in District 7 Democratic primary to pick challenger to Jack Martins

BY CAMERYN OAKES

New York State and Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs has endorsed state Senate District 7 candidate Kim Keiserman, adding to the slew of endorsements the Port Washington resident has garnered in her election bid.

“Kim is a proven leader in our communities, and the unifying force we need to flip SD 7 in November,” Jacobs said in a press release. “She will be an invaluable asset to her constituents and will undoubtedly deliver tangible results for her district.”

Keiserman, a Democrat, said she was thankful for the endorsement from the party leader, taking the endorsement as a vote of confidence in her candidacy.

“Nassau Democrats have proven that when we come together, we have what it takes to win,” Keiserman said in a press release. “I am committed to fighting for the needs of District 7 residents and will provide the active representation they deserve in the State Senate. Our solutions-oriented campaign, driven by hope over fear, and unity over division, will pave the way to victory in November.”

Keiserman faces Brad Schwartz in the race to replace state Sen. Jack Martins – a Republican.

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 PhD in public policy.

The district, which includes much of the North Shore and the Town of Oyster Bay as far east as

sau County Legislature in November when he was defeated by his Republican opponent Samantha Goetz.

Keiserman has also garnered endorsements from other local Democrats including state Assemblymember Gina Sillitti, former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, Democratic National Committeeman Robert Zimmerman and Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.

Keiserman, who is an education consultant, serves as a commissioner for the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and is the chairwoman of the Baxter Estates Planning Board.

She also is co-president of the Baxter’s Pond Foundation and president of the Port Washington Democratic Club.

She said she plans to advocate for increased public school funding, sensible gun policies and combatting climate change to “create a future that reflects shared aspirations and ensures a fair, inclusive, and prosperous Long Island for all,” her campaign said.

The filing deadline for the state Senate election is April 4.

The primary election for party nominees is June 25. The general election will then be held on Nov. 5.

Woodbury, is currently represented by Martins, who flipped the district red in 2022.

Jacobs’ endorsement comes two weeks after former Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan suspended his campaign. Lafazan endorsed Keiserman when he announced his withdrawal from the race.

“I am going to do everything in my power to help Kim win this race and I look forward to hitting the campaign trail with her as we work to flip this seat in November,” Lafazan said. Lafazan was ousted from his seat in the Nas-

“Kim will provide true representation in Albany for SD 7 and will always fight tirelessly for issues of the highest priority — increased affordability, public education, community safety, reproductive freedom, and environmental conservation,” Jacobs said. “She has my full support.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIM KEISERMAN’S CAMPAIGN

New York State and Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs endorsed Kim Keiserman in her bid for State Senate District 7.

Weber students snag 2nd on History Day Upcoming events at the Port Washington Public Library

Eighth-grade students Aliyah Brodsky and Sophia Sobel from Weber Middle School have secured second place in the prestigious Long Island History Day Competition, the regional round of the prestigious National History Day® competition.

Each year, this competition chooses a theme around which students research topics of their own choosing and present them in a variety of manners. This year’s theme is Turning Points in History.

In addition to earning second place in their category, the duo’s documentary earned a special award sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County.

Their accomplishment at the regional level now propels them forward to the New York State History Day Contest, scheduled for April 14, 2024, at SUNY Oneonta. There, they will represent Weber Middle School and vie for top honors among other state-level contenders.

The Port Washington School District extends its congratulations to Aliyah Brodsky and Sophia Sobel for their outstanding achievement and wishes them the best as they advance to the next stage of the competition.

On Sunday, March 24, Aliyah and Sophia competed against their peers from schools across Long Island in the junior group documentary category. Their documentary, “Legacies of Controversy: Role of Balfour Declaration Influence in Middle Eastern Geopolitical Affairs,” was researched and created independently over the course of three months. The students had the support of Weber Social Studies Chair, Thomas Barbara.

Weekly Scrabble Meetup, 04/05/2024 @ 1:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Drop in and play a game of Scrabble. No registration is required.

The Channel Islands: California’s Underwater Jungle, 04/05/2024 @ 12:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room & Zoom. Join Eco-Photo Explorers as they explore the kelp forests of California’s Channel Islands. These magnificent kelp forests off California’s coast are filled with dense groves of mesmerizing plants and harbor some of the most beguiling temperate marine life found anywhere. Sponsored by FOL. Register at pwpl.org/events

SAT Crash Course, 04/06/2024 @ 10:00am | Online. This course will cover the English and Math sections of the test and teach students about the different types of questions that appear on the test—sponsored by FOL.

SoundSwap: Folk Artists Gathering Time, 04/06/2024 @ 2:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Long Island-based trio Gathering Time blends ’60s and ’70s classics with original songs. Their sound is influenced by The Byrds, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Joni Mitchell. Registration is required. Sponsored by FOL.

Violionist Risa Hokamura, 04/07/2024 @ 3:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Risa Hokamura began studying the violin at the age of three and, by the age of ten, captured top prizes in competitions throughout her home country of Japan. Sponsored by the Music Advisory Council. Registration required.

Solar Eclipse Watch Party, 04/08/2024 @ 2:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room & Terrace. Join us for a Solar Eclipse watch party. A limited supply of eclipse glasses will be available for those joining us on the Library’s outdoor terrace. No registration is required.

Hypertension Screenings, 04/09/2024 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm | Joan and Arnold Saltzman Reading Room. Blood Pressure Screenings are provided by St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center volunteers.

Art Lecture- Ugolino and His Sons by Jean Baptiste Carpeaux, 04/09/2024 @ 12:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Join museum educator Alice W. Schwarz for an indepth exploration of a romantic 19th-century sculpture by French artist Jean Baptiste Carpeaux. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Weekly Chess Meetup, 04/09/2024 @ 3:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Come in and join us for a game of chess.

Budget Vote/Trustee Election, 04/09/2024 @ 7:00am | Lobby. Budget Vote/Trustee Election

Naloxone Training, 04/09/2024 @ 7:00pm | Lapham

Meeting Room. Acquire the skills necessary to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose. Following this event, attendees will receive a free Naloxone kit. Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Services will present the training.

Sensory Friendly Craft: Glow in the Dark Shaker Jars, 04/10/2024 @ 11:30am | Children’s Room. Create your own sensory cosmic glow-in-the-dark shaker jar. For elementaryage children with a supervising adult. Registration required.

Needlecraft BYOP Night, 04/10/2024 @ 6:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Bring your craft project to this weekly gathering. Share ideas with fellow crafters and get inspired by our pattern and instruction books collection. Sponsored by FOL.

Nonfiction Book Club, 04/11/2024 @ 1:30pm | Hagedorn Meeting Room. Join fellow readers at the Library for an engaging discussion of Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper. Copies of the book are available on Libby and may also be picked up at the Information Desk. Better Living Through Birding is the 2024 Long Island Reads selection. Registration required. Reserve tickets to see Christian Cooper at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library on April 21, 2024, at 2 pm.

The College Process, 04/11/2024 @ 6:45pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Learn about the various components of the college process, courses students take in high school, and ways that students can craft a robust transcript. Kitty R. Klein, College Advisor/Consultant, will facilitate this event.

Weekly Scrabble Meetup, 04/12/2024 @ 1:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Drop in and play a game of Scrabble. No registration is required.

Sandwiched In- Madame Restell: The Wickedest Woman in New York, 04/12/2024 @ 12:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Join Professor Ron Brown for his series on famous New Yorkers. Madame Restell started a controversial but successful business as a “Female Physician” helping pregnant women. She faced numerous legal battles and was dubbed “The Wickedest Woman in New York” by the Fifth Avenue elite.

Alzheimer’s Information Session, 04/12/2024 @ 2:00pm | Hagedorn Meeting Room. Parker Institute’s representatives will be available to provide information on their services to Alzheimer’s patients and their families.

AAC Reception: Carole Freysz Gutierrez, 04/13/2024 @ 2:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. An art reception for Adler Gallery artist Carole Freysz Gutierrez. Her work, “PODS,” is on view in the Adler Gallery through April 29. Sponsored by the Art Advisory Council.

Compass makes donation to The Nicholas Center

Port Provides Powered by The Nicholas Center received a generous donation from Compass Realty in Manhasset.

Compass partnered with The Nicholas Center, inviting their realtors to make a holiday donation. The response was overwhelming, resulting in boxes and boxes of diapers.

Port Provides offers donations of items to local food pantries not covered by the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) such as cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items, including muchneeded diapers.

“As a resident and business owner, I feel a strong commitment and responsibility to give back to our community and assist those in need.” Shared Traci Conway Clinton of Compass Realty said. “I take great pride in my team at Compass for their recent initiative to partner with The Nicholas Center and the pantry program, Port Provides Powered by The Nicholas Center for this year’s Holiday Diaper Drive helping local families struggling to afford basic needs. I am sincerely impressed and humbled by the incredible work this organization and the staff put in each day to make so many lives brighter in our local communities. We are grateful for having the opportunity to assist and very much look

forward to future collaborations.“

“The Nicholas Center is grateful for Compass Realty and all our community partners,” said Lee Anne Vetrone, Development Director, “with their help, we are able to offer varied and important experiences to the Autistic participants we serve and make a real difference in our communities.”

The Nicholas Center has revolutionized the way Autistic adults learn, live and work — offering vocational training, supported employment, meaningful community projects and vital peer connections.

Port Provides is an innovative program pairing two underserved and often marginalized populations – those with Autism and those struggling in our communities.

The Nicholas Center procures, packages and delivers essential items — personal hygiene, cleaning supplies and meat to 2,000 neighbors-in-need via local food pantries.

Participants gain valuable vocational skills and build confidence as they interact with community members at the pantries…the food pantries receive vital donations and assistance from our team! A win-win.

For more information or to get involved, visit TNCnewyork.org.

PHOTO BY PWSD

Beth Javeline, Weber Middle School principal; Aliyah Brodsky, Sophia Sobel, Thomas Barbara, Weber Middle School Social Studies chair

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NICHOLAS CENTER Diaper Drive supports pantry program for local neighbors in need.

Life-changing care starts with your details

We know you. We focus on every detail, including your other health conditions and emotional and physical needs. We know cancer. We combine extensive clinical expertise and advanced technologies to create truly comprehensive and innovative care. We know your cancer™ . Leaving no stone unturned, we start with the genetic makeup of your tumor and consider every factor to provide a highly personalized care plan. It’s because we know that considering all the details can add up to a life-changing difference.

Learn more at chsli.org/cancer or call us at (844) 86-CANCER.

WE KNOW YOU WE KNOW CANCER WE KNOW YOUR CANCER

Responding to crime in Nassau County

Areport obtained by Blank Slate Media last week showing a nearly 6.5% drop in major crimes in Nassau County in the first 11 months of 2023 is good news and not-sogood news.

The good news is that compared to the first 11 months of 2022, there was an 18% decrease in stolen vehicles, a 16% decrease in residential burglaries, a 7% decrease in grand larcenies, a 30% decrease in rapes and no change in murders, which totaled six.

The only blemishes were an 8% increase in a category called robbery other, a 14% increase in commercial robberies and a 5% increase in felony assault.

The not-so-good news is that as of this week no year-end numbers have been made available by the Nassau County Police Department for all 12 months of 2023 and no information was made available by precinct.

The Police Department posted yearto-year comparisons for the first five months of 2023 in June on its Strat—Com website, only to take it down a few months later.

This continued the department’s longstanding history of only sporadically releasing crime statistics to the public, including county legislators.

Blank Slate Media has been forced in the past to submit Freedom of Information Law requests for crime statistics that can take weeks or months for the newspaper to receive.

In contrast, the New York City Police Department releases crime statistics monthly, often with an explanation of how it plans to address problem areas.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman did report in a recent newsletter that major crimes were down over 6% for the entire year, but only cited residential burglaries, stolen vehicles and grand larceny. No precinct breakdowns were included.

Blakeman credited “intelligence-led policing strategies and financial investments in police” for the decrease in crime.

This is less impressive than it sounds since the 6% decrease in major crimes in Nassau in 2023 follows a 41% increase in 2022 led by a spike in property crimes.

This compared to a 15% increase in major crimes in Suffolk County and a 22%

jump in 2022 in New York City tempered by a year-end drop

New York City showed a very slight decline in 2023 despite significant drops in the number of shootings, murders, robberies, burglaries, sexual assaults and grand larcenies.

The Nassau County police appear to have taken a major step forward by posting year-to-year crime statistics for January 2024 through Jan. 29 on the StratCom police website, which does include breakdowns by precinct.

The results are encouraging, showing a 10.5% decrease in major crimes countywide led by stolen vehicles and grand larceny, both down 18%.

But we’ll see how long it takes them to post the rest of January and the full months of February and March and what the results are before celebrating.

It remains a mystery why county legislators of both parties have said nothing publicly about the lack of information provided on crime. This topic has dominated Nassau County politics in recent years and is important to voters.

Blakeman, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly and Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips swept to victory in 2021 in a campaign that blamed cashless bail laws approved by Democrats in the state Legislature for a sharp rise in crime in New York.

Blakeman was joined by then-Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin in focusing on bail reform during Zeldin’s 2022 campaign for governor.

Nassau County Republican Legislator Mazi Pilip recently focused her congressional campaign on immigration, claiming that migrants were responsible for “blood in the streets” and other crimes — even as the crime rate dropped

And just last week, Blakeman literally held an umbrella for former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nomineefor president, at the wake of slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller in Massapequa.

“We have to stop it, we have to stop it,” Trump said with Blakeman and Nassau County Police Commissioner Pat Ryder looking on. “We have to get back to law and order.”

This was the height of hypocrisy on

the part of Trump, who had orchestrated an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that resulted in more than 140 Capitol and District of Columbia police being injured and five deaths in an effort to overturn the presidential election.

For three hours, Trump watched on television without taking action while police were being beaten, pepper sprayed and tased. He expressed sympathy for the rioters and concluded by saying: “We love you, you’re very special.”

The father and brother of Brian Sicknick, one of the police officers who died following the Jan. 6 riots, blasted Trump’s appearance at the wake as a highly inappropriate political stunt.

The family members were correct. Trump was also dishonest in implying crime was going up. After a sharp rise in crime nationally following COVID, the nation’s crime rate has come down dramatically with 2023 showing fewer crimes than 2019, which was the best year of the Trump administration.

But raising fears about crime is a common tactic for Trump and Nassau Republicans so expect it to continue through this election season.

This tactic may explain why Nassau County did not release crime statistics for the second half of 2023. It’s hard to talk about blood in the streets with six homicides — the same as the year before.

During his campaign for county executive in 2021, Blakeman repeatedly questioned U.S. News and World Report for twice calling Nassau County the safest county in the United States.

Blakeman again criticized bail reform

in his recent taxpayer-funded newsletter on crime in Nassau County titled “BLAKEMAN ADDS MORE COPS TO NASSAU STREETS.”

Blakeman said cashless bail laws “continue to threaten our safety” and called for them to be entirely repealed.

“Recent reports indicate that 12,000 people were arrested in 2023 and released from jail without bail due to “dangerous Cashless Bail Laws approved by Albany lawmakers,” he said. “A significant percentage of those released were re-arrested for committing additional crimes.”

Bail laws enacted in 2020 eliminated cash bail for misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes in the state, which had resulted in tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly black and brown, being imprisoned for weeks, months and years because they were poor.

The imprisonment resulted in lost jobs and broken families for people innocent in the eyes of the law. It is impossible to ignore the racial component of this.

But the bail reforms were poorly written, giving judges too little discretion and exempting too many crimes from bail.

They have since been amended twice to correct the deficiencies.

Could the laws be further improved? Probably. But so could how judges and prosecutors handle the sentencing of those found guilty of committing a crime – particularly those with a history of having committed crimes previously.

A study by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and various media found that reform has played no more than a small part in the rise in crime in New York.

If the Republicans have any proof otherwise, we are still waiting to hear it.

The same can be said for Blakeman’s claim that 12,000 people were arrested in 2023 and released from jail without bail due to “dangerous Cashless Bail Laws approved by Albany lawmakers.”

If they were, that was the point of the legislation – to prevent thousands of people charged with misdemeanors and non-violent crimes from being imprisoned while others with greater financial resources get set free.

The question is whether those releases increased crime.

Blakeman does not give the actual percentage of those released who were rearrested, the source of his claim or the percentage of people who made bail who were rearrested for committing additional crime.

He has also been silent about people like the last Republican Nassau County executive before him.

Ed Mangano remained free three years after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, federal program bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

That’s three years after he was convicted – not merely charged — of serious federal crimes committed when he was county executive.

The safety of Nassau County residents requires an honest accounting of crime presented in a timely fashion. Not rhetoric intended to scare and divide us.

Easter at The Carlyle, a wonderful time

Rather than do the same old thing this Easter I decided it was time to properly celebrate spring by doing something special. Long gone are the days of being satisfied by getting an Easter basket filled with chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. The older I get the more I require more complex pleasures. So this year I decided perhaps an overnight stay in New York City might be fun.

I didn’t want to see another ballet and I wasn’t consumed by an urge to see a Broadway show, but suddenly I had an image of Bobby Short singing Cole Porter on piano. I had always wanted to see him perform live and had procrastinated on this impulse for years and years. I knew he played at the Café Carlyle and wondered if he was alive and well and still there. I looked up the Café Carlyle on the internet and discovered that although Bobby Short had passed on many years ago, the Café Carlyle was going strong with torch song singers, and even the likes of Wood Allen playing his clarinet on Monday nights.

I then began to explore the Carlyle Hotel website and though I had known nothing about this hotel, I could see that it had a massive history and panache and was the hangout for uber cool celebrities like George Clooney, past presidents like John Kennedy and his wife Jackie and royalty from around the world like Princess Diana. I knew that there was little chance I would run into any celebrities, but the place looked enticing enough for me to book a suite, pack my bags and head in to Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side the Saturday afternoon before Easter Sunday.

When I arrived in my suite, I noticed one of those nice looking coffee table books titled “The Carlyle,” which provides a history of this high-style hotel along with many photos of the dignitaries and celebrities who have called this place their home away from home while staying in New York. I have been spoiled and privileged my whole life and I’ve spent time in the world’s best hotels, including The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Cipriani in Venice, The Hotel Quisisana in Capri and Ritz in Key Biscayne. Therefore I know what superb service is all about.

At the Ritz in Key Biscayne on the first day there we left the hotel in the early afternoon and returned later that night. As we re-entered the gates of the hotel the doorman said “Welcome back to the Ritz, Dr. Ferraro.” Somehow within half a day the staff had not only recognized me but had memorized my name.

So I am fully jaded and no longer easily impressed. I was to meet some friends on the first night at the Café Carlyle for dinner and the show with John Pizzarelli, the longtime opening act for Frank Sinatra. As I meandered towards the café I passed by lots of those wonderful Ludwig Bemelmans sketches. Bemelmans was the author and illustrator of the Madeline children’s books and his murals in the Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle are still there for one and all to view. The fact that the hotel uses Bemelmans murals and sketches is perfect for both Bemelmans and The Carlyle to represent the glamor and joy of hotel living.

What I observed consistently throughout my stay was the relaxed ease, charm and grace of the staff. The captains

there for decades. I was once told by the hotel manager at the Beverly Hills Hotel the same thing, which was that their staff had longevity and most had been there for decades, a sure sign that the hotel had been managed properly and was a good place to work.

Needless to say, I was very pleased that I had decided to come to the Carlyle for an overnight stay. It is in walking distance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and to Central Park. The service was kind and warm, welcoming and sophisticated. The food was scrumptious, the surroundings were classy and the history of the place was unbeatable.

check out. I waited patiently for the elevator door to open and as it opened I noticed that there were three other people already in there. One guy was in the back left corner, another big guy in front of him and then a lady on the right side.

were all handsome, not condescending and responsive. As an example of how much fun they were, my brunch companion on Easter Sunday remarked that the captain of the main restaurant looked like Sean Penn. I wagered $10 that no one but her had ever noticed that. So when the captain next came to our table, she asked: “So, Mirim, has anyone ever said that you look like Sean Penn, to which he answered, “Yes, I get that all the time.” So much for my betting luck.

Then the charming general manager, Illianna Nieto, engaged me in a conversation about my camera. I told her I might be doing a piece on the hotel for one of my newspaper columns and she immediately said she would love to read about it. This remark was said with such sincerity that I decided right then that I would do this week’s column on the hotel.

Over and over again I was impressed with the service, gentility and finesse of the staff many of whom had worked

True, I had not seen any celebrities but what the heck, you can’t really have it all can you? So with some sadness I went back to my room on the tenth floor, packed my bags and made my way to the elevator to go down to the lobby and

I walked in, the door closed behind me and then I did a double take at the guy in the far left side. There was Robert Downey Jr., the actor who just won the Oscar for his role in “Oppenheimer.” I stared at him and blurted out “Robert Downey Jr.?” He said, “Well, hello there. Nice camera you have there. Take any good pictures today?” I didn’t know what to say to that and then all of a sudden, the doors opened up and out he went with his trainer/body guard.

So I guess it’s true that The Carlyle has history, glamor and class and it’s also the home away from home for celebrities as well.

Stop New York State’s pension giveaway

Buried deep in the state Legislature’s budget is a frightening proposal that if signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul would increase the pensions cost for state and municipal employers to the tune of $4 billion.

To understand the impact of the Legislature’s sleight of hand ploy, a walk down memory lane will be helpful.

At the turn of the century, combined annual taxpayer contributions to the state’s defined benefit pension system was $1 billion. By 2010, that figure grew to a staggering $10 billion. (In recent years the cost has been about $16 billion annually.)

To address the ticking pension “time bomb,” Gov. David Paterson persuaded the Legislature to support a modest modified pension plan known as “Tier 5” that covers employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2010.

While the Tier 5 benefit would cost less, there was a major flaw: New York City employees were not included in the plan.

So, in 2021 Cuomo proposed “Tier 6” to further contain defined benefit pension costs. That bold reform was projected to save state and municipal governments $113 billion over 30 years.

Tier 6 benefit changes included:

• An increase in the minimum full benefit retirement age from 62 to 63.

• Higher employee contribution rates, ranging from 3% to 6%, for those earning $75,000 or more.

• An adjustment in the final average salary calculation to cover five instead of three consecutive highest paid years, effectively reducing the base in most cases.

• A $15,000 cap, indexed to inflation, on pensionable overtime, which was unlimited for pre-2010 hires.

In addition, unlike Tier 5, it included New York City police and firemen hired after April 2012.

On the 10th anniversary of the Paterson–Cuomo reforms, the Empire Center for Public Policy released a report in December 2021 titled “Tiering Up: The Unfunded Business of Public Pension

After taking office in 2011, Gov. Andrew Cuomo realized that the Paterson initiative was not enough to shore up the pension system.

Reform in New York,” prepared by E.J. McMahon.

In his report, McMahon wrote “The Tier 5 and Tier 6 changes combined are saving New York state and local governments outside New York City more than $1 billion this year, reducing total employer contributions by about 15% compared to what would have been billed to cover workers under previous plans.”

This is all well and good; nevertheless New York’s public pension system plans are very generous. Benefits are in the range of 50% to 75% of final average salaries. On Long Island, for example, several retired school district superintendents are receiving north of $200,000 a year. And don’t forget recipients are exempt from paying New York State and municipal income taxes on their annual benefit.

That’s not all. “State and local employees in New York,” McMahon pointed out, “also belong to the federal Social Security system supported by combined employer and employee payroll taxes whose benefits can raise their annual post-retirement incomes to more than 100% of pre-retirement earnings.”

Not a bad deal.

But the public employee unions are never satisfied. Hence, in an election year, they are using their clout to pressure legislators to sweeten the pension pot for members who have been employed since 2012.

On March 26, the New York Post reported “state lawmakers are set to make

it easier for teachers, cops and other state workers to pad their pensions— and leave taxpayers footing the nearly $4 billion bill….”

Under Tier 6, a retiree’s final benefit is based on average salary over the last five years on the job.

Under the new legislation, the final average salary will be based on the last three years of service.

Empire Center analyst Ken Girardin has written that the new rule “would retroactively increase the pensions for a small group of people who have retired in the past two years and raise the future pensions for roughly half of New York’s public-sector workforce.”

This is an outrageous tax burden to place on civilian taxpayers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet and do not have a guaranteed defined benefit pension plan.

Contact your state legislators and tell them this expensive and unfair sop to the unions must be rejected.

The New York Conservative Party, of which I am a member, should deny its nomination to any Republican who supports the pension giveaway.

PHOTO BY TOM FERRARO

A mural on the walls of the magical Cafe Carlyle

Plastic in newborns reminds us of our crisis

It’s spring, and I know it because the din of the incredibly noisy leaf blowers around the neighborhood sometimes makes it hard to think. Leaves and other winter detritus are being liberated from their winter hideaways and gathered into piles –and this is where the trouble starts – stuffed into thick black plastic bags and put out on the curb awaiting the next visit of a garbage truck.

Leaves are one of nature’s miracles. They are harbingers of spring, provide shade in the summer, put on a spectacular fall show, and protect the roots of our shrubs and flower beds all winter. The following spring they’re ready for their final duty — providing us with rich compost. All we have to do is gather them together and let them slowly decay. Nature will provide the microbiology and do all the work; we just have to stand back and admire.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should know that scientists have now found tiny pieces of plastic pretty much everywhere on Earth, from the deep Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean to the top of Mount Everest. And now the list of places we’re finding plastic includes you. Your blood, your lungs, your brain…nano plastic finds a home actually anywhere in your body. In fact, they’re even finding bits of plastic in human placentas, so babies are now being born with pieces of old plastic bags inside.

Not all of that plastic may be coming from black plastic bags holding leaves, but at least some of it is. A lot more of it is coming from plastic bottles. This morning I watched as my neighbor unloaded several giant cases of plastic water bottles from her SUV, all wrapped in more layers of plastic wrap. And I wondered, will tiny pieces of those plastic bottles eventually

But, alas, that is not the fate of tons of leaves being collected during spring cleanups. Instead, as if thumbing our noses at Mother Nature, we will pack those leaves into plastic bags and send them off to the local landfill or incinerator. There they will either be burned, releasing toxic fumes into the air, or lie dormant for years until the elements finally succeed in breaking the plastic down into tiny bits.

DOUG WOOD Earth Matters

end up in some newborn baby halfway around the world? Sorry, kid, we just couldn’t stop buying our water in plastic bottles!

The happy ads for the plastic industry feature a trio of ethnically diverse young people, all smiling broadly as they claim, with a straight face, that their plastic bottles are made to be remade. I’m sorry, but that’s a lie! There is no technical, economically feasible way of making a used plastic

VIEW POINT

bottle into another plastic bottle. Suffice it to say that once plastic has been manufactured using a recipe of fossil fuels and toxic chemicals, there is no way to un-make the plastic and tease out its individual components. The chemicals are baked-in and will stay with the plastic forever.

The kicker, of course, is that the giant petrochemical companies are expanding, not reducing their output of plastic, as the worldwide demand for fossil fuel-based energy ebbs. Plastic is the growth industry for Exxon/ Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP, and all the other petrochemical companies that are driving the stock market to new heights.

New giant petrochemical plants are being constructed, mostly in Texas and Louisiana – places where the local black and brown communities have resigned themselves to much higher cancer rates and much shorter life spans than the rest of us. The new plants will get giant tax breaks from state governments, because apparently it’s a good use of taxpayer dollars to support industries that are harming the people in fence line communities.

Black plastic bags and cases of plastic water bottles are symbols of our inability to fix an obvious problem. They’re both completely unnecessary and obviously causing havoc with our environment and now our own health. Lots of towns mandate the use of paper bags for leaves and grass clippings, so that the entire bag can be composted. Why don’t we do that here?

And lots of people filter their own water at home and take their reusable containers with them when they go out instead of buying (and throwing away) more plastic water bottles. Sports teams would be much better off giving kids paper cups of water from a big cooler rather than helping them contribute to the plastic crisis.

And a true crisis it is. Like the frog sitting in the slowly boiling water who doesn’t realize he’s being cooked, we’re sentencing ourselves and all future generations to a lifetime of health problems, just because we weren’t really thinking about it when we put our leaves in that plastic bag or hauled a case of plastic water bottles home from a big box store.

Beware of politicians describing ‘Bad Jews’

In the not-so-old-days, Jews were attacked as being un-American because it was assumed they would support Israel and Zionism over America.

The week before Easter, Trump turned that antisemitic trope on its head and called out “bad Jews,” saying that Jews who vote for Democrats hate their religion and Israel because some Democrats — among them President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (the most powerful elected Jew in history) — have questioned Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership of Israel and the way Israel is prosecuting its war with Hamas.

This from the man who said Hitler did some good things, pronounced the Charlottesville Neo-Nazis who chanted “Jews will not replace us” “good people,” invited notorious antisemites like Nick Fuentes to dinner, and after Oct. 7praised Hamas as “smart.”

More than half of Israelis – who came out by the thousands this weekend to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (See: Benjamin Netanyahu Is Israel’s Worst Prime Minister Ever, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/03/benjaminnetanyahu-worst-prime-minister-israelhistory/677887/)

Indeed, Netanyahu and Trump are two peas in a pod, both desperate to retain power at any cost to save themselves from prison, both willing to upend democracy so they can exert autocratic power.

Jews, including Schumer and Congressman Adam Schiff, bristled at anyone questioning their faith or morality

for criticizing Netanyahu, correctly noting that Trump is the antithesis of Jewish values – “tikkun olam” – the call to repair and improve the world. It is American Jews’ inclination to support civil, social, economic, political and environmental justice that so offends the wannabe kleptocrat.

Trump, who so cruelly separated migrants at the border, jailed children and made them orphans, has said migrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and claimed some migrants were “not people” — violating Exodus 22:21: “You must not oppress a stranger in any way; remember, you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.” And he has called liberals and Democrats (actually any political opponent) “vermin” who should be “rooted out” (and worse).

Ahead of Easter – a traditional time when pograms and antisemitic violence were unleashed on Jewish communities – Trump is hawking his official “God Bless America Bible.” It is the King James version embellished with the Constitution, Bill of Rights. Declaration of Independence, and Pledge of Allegiance (which added “God” in 1956 to counter the Soviet Union’s communism).

“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country,” Trump declares in the commercial hawking the $59.99 merchandise. “And I truly believe that we need to bring them back and have to bring them back fast. I think it’s one of the biggest problems we have. That’s why our country is going haywire. We’ve lost religion in our country.” He adds, “It’s my favorite book. I’m proud to endorse and encourage you

Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and “crooked Joe.”

In contrast, in his Easter message, President Biden, a devout Catholic and moral human being, said: “Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating Easter Sunday. Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ’s Resurrection. As we gather with loved ones, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. We pray for one another and cherish the blessing of the dawn of new possibilities. And with wars and conflict taking a toll on innocent lives around the world, we renew our commitment to work for peace, security, and dignity for all people.”

Ever the opportunist and con artist, Trump’s aim is to keep evangelicals, orthodox, fundamentalists, and Christian Nationalists (Neo-Nazis) in his fold, and ignore the fact he is a serial adulterer, sex abuser, fraudster and idolator who preaches hate, bigotry and violence and has broken all Ten Commandments. It is the height of audacity and blasphemy that he has taken to calling himself chosen by God (“I am your savior”) and to put himself on the cross of political persecution, just like Jesus.

to get this Bible. We must make America pray again.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock, the Georgia Democrat who is an actual working pastor, countered: “The Bible does not need Donald Trump’s endorsement, and Jesus in the very last week of his life chased the money changers out of the temple, those who would take sacred things and use them as cheap relics to be sold in the marketplace.”

On Good Friday, Trump reposted a video depicting President Biden, bound and gagged on the back of a pickup truck – yet another exhortation to political violence against his opponents, including political foes, judges, prosecutors, witnesses even jurors and their family members.

Trump spent Easter Sunday posting 77 messages on his “Truth” Social site, attacking federal special counsel Jack Smith, “deranged” Manhattan District

Meanwhile, MAGAs attacked Biden for issuing a proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility, which has been marked on March 31 every year for 15 years, and only coincidentally took place on Easter Sunday. But it is part and parcel of perverting the message of Christianity against inclusion and respect for “all God’s children” (the celebrated image of Jesus cleansing a leper), which has become a fundamental tenet of their anti-woke political scheme.

“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates stated. “Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”

“Claiming godlike authority or an endorsement from God for a political candidate means that person cannot be questioned or opposed without also opposing God,” said Russell Moore, the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public-policy arm. “That’s a violation of the commandment to not take the Lord’s name in vain.” (https:// www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/ politics/trump-2024-religion.html)

It’s made me see how antithetical to American values orthodox religion and fundamentalism of any stripe is. America is based on individualism, critical thinking, the ability to challenge authority. Organized religion requires blind obedience, idolatry to whoever self-appointed authority figure claims to have a direct line to God.

It is no wonder that the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian has fallen from 91 percent in 1948 to 68 percent in 2022, according to a Gallup poll cited in The New York Times. Meanwhile, 71% of adults support same-sex marriage while a mere 13% say abortion should be illegal.

KAREN RUBIN View Point

Kudos from David Kufeld to Village of Great Neck

Former pro basketball player and Village of Great Neck resident Dave Kufeld extends his warm appreciation to VGN Mayor Dr. Pedram Bral, Deputy Mayor Barton Sobel and the Board of Trustees for designating next Sunday, April 7, as “David Kufeld Day” in recognition of his forthcoming induction to the Jewish Sports Heritage Association’s Hall of Fame.

According to Kufeld, “My inclusion in the JSHA Hall of Fame is thanks to so many individuals and institutions who have helped me along the way, and I am grateful to JSHA Director Dr. Alan Freedman for his leadership and foresight.”

Kufeld added, “As a player I was proud to continue the often-overlooked tradition of Great Neck basketball, extending back to the late Phil Hankinson of Great Neck North who played for the NBA’s Boston Celtics. For all the young players who diligently play at VGN’s Memorial Field courts, I say keep plugging away since you never

know how far the game will take you.”

Information about the Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be found at www.jewishsportsheritage.org.

David Kufeld Great Neck

L is for loyalty to Village of G.N. and Louie Massaro

Show me a town or village in Anywhere USA, and I’ll show you a revered group of wise men who quietly, or not so quietly, are in charge. They decide things. They make budgets. They hire qualified individuals to carry out their vision. Perhaps some are great thinkers.

But sometimes, in a rare instance, the wisest man of all — the man who is humble and disdains the public spotlight – the man who claims neither a Ph.D., M.A. or even a B.A. — is the most essential. This man, unlike the rest, possesses hands-on infrastructure knowledge.

He fixes things. He runs things. Essential things like snow plow equipment, sanitation equipment and sanding equipment. His duties also encompass village streetlights and stop signs, sewer drain equipment, cesspool installation, tree planting, tree removal and tree stump equipment.

Heard he had heart attack two years ago? No problem. Louie was back at work and in action in a matter of weeks.

Flooded streets impacting commercial business on Middle Neck Road? No problem. Louie is familiar with every drain pipe, every nook and cranny, and

he’ll easily advise you how to fix it.

This man is Louis Massaro. For the past 40 years, this loyal individual has been serving the Village of Great Neck, most recently as superintendent of Department of Public Works. But Louie, as his friends and colleagues refer to him, wasn’t simply serving between normal business hours of 9 to 5. It was not uncommon for him to be at his desk at 11 p.m. tending to administrative paper work. Louie was making certain that contracts with vendors were all in order. Making certain his house, the Department of Public Works, was all in order. It was a matter of pride.

Good Friday, March 29, was Louie’s final day working for the Village of Great Neck. Perhaps the other wise men in this great village will decide to retain Louie as a consultant. In light of the fact, that the Village of Great Neck is currently undergoing its most ambitious growth and infrastructure challenges, it stands to reason the most experienced individual, possessing 40 years of village knowledge, be retained.

MTA’s Mineola soccer field project blew the deadline

There was more to “Pereira slams Newsday article on Third Track” in your recent issue.

The later story, “MTA paid $1.7M for Mineola soccer field, other projects to win Third Track support, records show,” appeared in the Sunday, March 24, edition of Newsday.

Contrary to what was contained in Newsday, the project was not really completed on time and within budget as announced by Gov. Hochul, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and Acting LIRR President Catherine Renaldi in October 2022. We never learned what happened to the so called $100 million in savings that reduced the cost from $2.6 billion to $2.5 billion. How were these dollars reprogrammed to other projects within the MTA’s $51 billion 2020 — 2024

Five Year Capital Program.

There was still outstanding work remaining. At the Westbury Station, this includes renovation of the station building, both pedestrian overpasses, some elevators, and the south parking lot. There was also remaining work at other stations and landscaping that would not be completed until Spring 2023. In addition, there was also the need to complete 100% of all contract punch list items (to insure the contractors built the asset to meet design and engineering contract specifications), receipt of all asset maintenance manuals, payments for outstanding bills, and release of contract retainage to contractors. Only then was the project really complete In 2005, the project was following the federal

National Environmental Protection Act with the intention of applying to the Federal Transit Administration for construction funding. In response to both community and political opposition from local elected officials, the project was canceled by that generation’s MTA & LIRR Management team.

In 2016 the Third Track Environmental Impact Statement to support the project was in compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQUA). Without compliance with NEPA, the MTA forfeited the opportunity to access FTA or Federal Highway Administration funding.

I woke early in winter’s bare mountains and left my tent. The deer were hidden in the remote woods but I knew they were there watching me.

I had almost entered a large clearing as the fog rolled in, when they slowly came out into the open to paw through a thin layer of snow and feed on sweet grass—silently, peaceful.

A cautious few at a time, entering and exiting in groups through their own folding curtains of lulling mist, smooth as silk.

I saw about 80 in a few hours, something to behold as I watched hidden behind a wall of trees at forest edge. I clearly remember their scent.

Morning filled with cold lazy rain dripping from the leafless trees, twig by twig, flashing tiny bell-notes of refreshing pleasure.

By afternoon the clouds cleared. Blue sky. Bright sun!

I, too, vanished, and was renewed. Desire ran away with them without misgiving.

Until they return again, hidden behind summer’s wall of green, to grow old there, no longer a stranger.

Stephen Cipot Garden City Park

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.

Funding for the project primarily came from a $3 billion MTA 2015-2019 Five Year Capital Program Amendment. This action increased the MTA agency budget from $29 billion to $32 billion. They are paid for by adding $1.6 billion in long-term MTA debt buried on the operating side of the budget. None acknowledged that $100 million in savings doesn’t account for millions in annual debt service payments over the years to come to cover the cost of borrowing money for financing this project in the first place.

Red Deer

Author’s note: ‘80s, Grant County, West Virginia. The first overthrust folds of the Appalachian Mountains held naturally fractured deep Devonian dry gas reservoirs.

As geologist for the Kerr McGee Corporation, I was responsible for the pre-exploration geology, well logging, drilling and flow testing, approving well completions or sealing “dry holes.” KM and partners also hoped to duplicate Texaco’s northern Pennsylvania deep wildcat that hit a 16 billion cubic foot reservoir in Ordovician sands—so heavily fractured one well could drain it all.

Geophysicists said the seismic showed a “bright spot” that looked like the prolific reservoirs of the deep Gulf of Mexico.

KM had also drilled a deep dry wildcat on Brown’s Mountain anticline (WVA) that encountered the same section three times, one was completely overturned. I remembered this because college texts often said the Appalachians didn’t have major overthrusts like that—how wrong could they be? In truth, oil, gas & mining companies didn’t like to share data unless it was purely transactional.

I really wish I had kept that well log. The company had also partnered with Amoco to drill two very prolific Mississippian age asteroid impacts located at depth in the northern mid-continent that were not at the time in college texts.

Anyway, Brown’s Mtn had multiple gas traces, but it was before the advent of uber fracing that might have produced the gas.

I countenanced drill sites made a mess of the environment, clearing trees, the toxic fluid pits that remained, production fluids dumped on the ground, massive gas flares, miles of gas pipelines from well to well extending to transmission lines to utilities and to us. We were glad to be doing America’s pride of place business. (There are millions of miles of old gas pipelines

in the US alone.)

Still, I considered myself something of a Henry David Thoreau, my early mentor. Geology got me outside a lot, working, hiking and camping in some of the most beautiful parts of our great country. I briefly considered the forestry service, but at the time it was mostly about harvesting and culling trees.

This story of the remote clearing with the deer was halfway up a mountain that had a new drill site near the top—an abandoned field cleared during the depression, there was an old farmhouse near the edge.

Families had moved up into the mountains to escape the drought-stricken valleys to take advantage of cooler temps and water-laden mists to sustain meager crops.

The farms are long gone but a few fields remain, relished and mowed by deer. I also ran across hunter’s blinds; that West Virginia and Pennsylvania could field a few divisions of hunters we tended to avoid drilling in deer season.

Interestingly, Google Earth presently shows that some of the same West Virginia mountain tops have large wind turbines because they can be very windy.

Drilling one well I faced a hurricane-force blizzard with a windchill of minus 60F and got stuck a while. Google Earth also reveals that a nearby large coal-fired power plant closed, local sources say it was old, inefficient, and burning coal was no longer economical. I recall its massive piles of coal and humongous coal ash waste pits. Even for WVA, there’s progress, at last.

I soon made a switch to the USEPA’s Region 2 office where I became a Superfund project manager. Satisfaction and pride of place were to investigate and “remediate” the refuse left by modern industry that’s based on consumption. Which is a story for another time.

Judy Shore Rosenthal Great Neck

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

My Father’s Place opens in Roslyn as rock venue for adults

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

My Father’s Place, the iconic Roslyn-based club that helped launch the careers of music legends like Madonna, The Ramones and Blondie in the 1970s and 80s, has transformed into a “rock club for grown-ups” at The Roslyn Hotel.

Michael “Eppy” Epstein has turned the Long Island landmark into a refined supper club in the basement of The Roslyn Hotel.

“It’s important to let people know that there is a place – forget about the history. There’s a place they can come to now to hear great new music in an intimate setting in what we call a supper club, which is a place that their grandparents and great-grandparents used to go to,” Eppy said. “It’s a different experience than going into Brooklyn, going to listen to music and standing up in a basement.”

Eppy and his associate, Dan Kellachan, operate My Father’s Place through a close partnership with Sumeer Kakar, the hotel owner.

Kakar streamlined the dining options for the supper club, replicating the exact menu offered at the hotel’s restaurant next to the supper club where customers can grab a drink and food before the show.

This way, audience members don’t need to worry about booking a reservation at a restaurant and rushing to grab the best seats when doors open, since the supper club offers first-come, firstserve seating.

“The menu changed dramatically as the audience aged,” Kakar said. “We’re much more of an eclectic menu now as opposed to a bar food crowd.”

From small plates like shrimp cocktail, buffalo wings and mussels to sushi, soup, pasta, burger and chicken and steak options, the food at My Father’s Place is not an after-thought.

Eppy and Dan said the chef at the hotel is “wonderful,” and they have not received one complaint from customers about the food since they opened the venue.

The club is already booked for 37 shows through June of this year and Kellachan hopes to reach 120 shows by the end of the year.

Some upcoming shows include Steve Forbert, who will be returning to My Father’s Place on May 11, and Long Island blues guitarist Kerry Kearney, who will be playing with a group of blues guitarists in a tribute to Robert Johnson on May 2.

A full list of shows can be found on the My Father’s Place website.

The venue reopened at The Roslyn Hotel in September and Eppy is thrilled to have My Father’s Place back in Roslyn.

Although he is still focused on featuring new, young artists, his years-long ban on cover artists has loosened.

“What seems to be in huge demand is cover bands,” Kellachan said. “Neither of us [Kellachan or Eppy] was brought up on doing cover bands but the truth of the matter is that even some of the biggest bands in the world right now are literally cover bands with one original member, like Journey.”

Another shift is the move toward community performances. What was once a rock and roll club that had young girls screaming at Eppy in pursuit of Joey Ramone is now seeking out school parties and bat mitzvahs.

The venue has an upcoming Broadway villains-themed performance by the Royal Crown Players of Roslyn High School, as well as a “Bring Your Daughter to a Princess Day” brunch event.

But one aspect of My Father’s Place that has always stayed the same is how Eppy and Kellachan treat the performers.

“When the talent comes in, we are attentive to them and [we] treat every artist who comes in

here to play as if they are a nationally known [or] international act,” Kellachan said.

This VIP treatment includes a greenroom for performers to wait before their set and a hot meal from the hotel restaurant.

Eppy has always had an affinity for up-andcoming artists, from hosting Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen to Billy Crystal and Eddie Murphy at the original My Father’s Place. He recalled one interaction with a new artist from years ago.

One winter, a young female artist arrived at My Father’s Place in a limo to promote her new record. She was set to perform that night, despite the frigid cold that had swept in through Roslyn. Electric wires froze and the power went out across town.

And as luck would have it, her band’s bus broke down in the ice storm, leaving her and the band stranded in Roslyn.

But the show had to go on. She performed with the musicians who had already made it to

the club that night. While she had only been scheduled for one performance, hundreds of fans were waiting outside in the freezing cold, hopeful for an encore performance.

Eppy asked the artist to sing another song as the crowd chanted her name, but she said that the band didn’t know any other songs. So Eppy wrote the lyrics to “Heatwave” by Martha and the Vandellas on a piece of paper for the singer and reminded the guitarist of the rhythm.

Years later, that artist, Linda Ronstadt, would release “Heat Wave” as a single, reaching number 5 on the Billboard charts.

Her record producer later called Eppy, promising him a gold single in the mail – which never arrived.

But the shift in venue and performers makes sense, since Eppy really grew up alongside My Father’s Place. He was only 22 when the original venue opened in 1971.

“It’s the club that wouldn’t die,” said Eppy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN KELLACHAN

My Father’s Place venue in The Roslyn Hotel basement.

Don’t miss your opportunity to submit your nominations for the Top Business Leaders 2024.

Blank Slate Media is recognizing the most influential and accomplished individuals in business, finance, education, law, not-for-profit, and media who continue to find ways to lead and inspire.

To nominate, or to find out details on how to be a corporate sponsor visit www.theisland360.com/nassau-countys-top-business-leaders

Tribute to Tony Bennett at Elmont Library theater

Steppin’ Out With My Baby: A Tribute to Tony Bennett stars Steve Leeds who started singing at the age of

10 and was performing on ABCs “The Children’s Hour” as well as NBC’s variety show “Star Time.” Eventually Steve

joined the Larry Elgart Orchestra and toured all over the U.S. and Canada and performed regularly at the famous Riverboat in the Empire State Building.

A regular at New York venues, Steve has performed at The Rainbow Room, the Waldorf and The Plaza showcasing such songs as “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “Rags to Riches,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” For Once in My Life” and “The Best is Yet to Come!”

The performance will take place on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Elmont Memorial Library Theater at 700 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont.

Tickets are $40.00 ($35.00 seniors) plus $5.00 ticket processing fees.

‘The Supermajority…’ in the Supreme Court

Please join us Sunday, April 14 at 3:00 PM, when Michael Waldman, former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and author of “The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America,” will be guest speaker, dialoguing with our moderator, NY1 News anchor, host of Inside City Hall, and CNN political analyst Errol Louis.

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.

Waldman is president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to revitalize the nation’s systems of democracy and justice.

He was director of speechwriting for Clinton from 1995 to 1999 and is the author of “The Second Amendment: A Biography” and “The Fight to Vote.”

In his current bestseller, “The Supermajority ”, Michael Waldman explores the tumultu-

ous 2021-2022 Supreme Court term.

Over three days in June 2022, the conservative supermajority overturned the constitutional right to abortion, possibly opening the door to reconsider other major privacy rights, as Justice Clarence Thomas urged.

The court sharply limited the authority of the EPA, reducing the prospects for combatting climate change. It radically loosened curbs on guns amid an epidemic of mass shootings. Waldman asks: “What can we do when the Supreme Court challenges the country?”

Waldman was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. A graduate of Columbia College and NYU School of Law, he comments widely in the media on law and policy.

This program is funded by Elaine & George Malin.

Temple Emanuel of Great Neck is located at 150 Hicks Lane in Great Neck. RSVP — Call 516.482.5701.

Michael Waldman will discuss his book, “The Supermajority” with Errol Louis, followed by a book signing.

POLISH NIGHT CELEBRATION!

Saturday, April 27th 7PM -11PM

One of our most popular events is Polish Night.

We’ll be serving traditional Polish fare from start to finish.

Your chairman Ray Smolenski, PDDGER

$50pp, Payment by April 20

Reservation a must Contact the Lodge 516.352.6620

ELKS LODGE

901 Lakeville Road, New Hyde Park, NY 11040 516-352-6620 | www.nhpnselks.com

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: aioeventstudio Whether

For booking or more information, Call: 516-620-6160 or email: info@aioeventstudio.com

Fri 4/05

Family Night Hike

@ 7:30pm

Apr 5th - Apr 6th

COME ON A GUIDED EXPLORATION OF THE WOODS IN THE DARK

AS WE SEE WHAT NOCTURNAL NEIGH‐

BORS WE CAN FIND!

BRING A FLASHLIGHT!

1450 Tanglewood Rd, 1450 Tanglewood Road, Rockville Centre. helpdesk@cstl.org, 516764-0045

Alexa Tarantino Quartet

@ 7:30pm / $42

An intimate perfor‐mance by the awardwinning saxophonist and her Quartet of origi‐nal compositions and modern takes on clas‐sic standards and fa‐vorites. Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

April Fools Comedy Jam @ 8pm / $36-$231 Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Let's Sing Taylor - A Live Band Experience

Celebrating Taylor Swift @ 8pm / $25-$49.50

The Paramount, Huntington

Sat 4/06

Legal & Financial Planning Conference @ 9am / Free

You're invited to join us for a free-in person conference for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's or another demen‐tia, care partners and family members. Hilton Long Island/ Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville. longislandchap ter@alz.org, 800-272-3900

Wilderness Survival Series @ 10am / $40-$46

Join us for the Saturday Wilderness Survival Skills, a new program for 2024! Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sandspoint preserve.org, 516-5717901

Celebrate April's National Poetry Month @ 3pm

Free poetry reading by Willa Carroll at the historic home of William Cullen Bryant, the "Fa‐ther of American Poetry," with an open mic segment and re‐ception The Friends of Cedarmere, 225 Bryant Avenue, Roslyn. robertbsargent@ aol.com, 516-695-8460

Storybook Stroll: "Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms" by Julia Rawlinson @ 10:30am / $15

Open your ears to a modern tale as we stroll the Gardens and, later, create a unique take home craft. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury. mramirez@oldwestbury gardens.org, 516-3330048

The Peking Acrobats @ 2pm / $30

The acrobats perform daring maneuvers! Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

Diamond Groove NY: Diamond Groove Rocks Dox @ 7pm Dox, 10 Broadway, Island Park

Jim Breuer @ 7pm / $29.50-$79.50

The Paramount, Huntington

Karen Jonas @ 7pm Still Partners, 225 Sea Cliff Ave, Sea Cliff

Nate Charlie Music @ 7pm EGP, 2823 Long Beach Rd, Oceanside

Jaime Lozano y La Familia: Songs by an Immigrant @ 8pm / $50

Heralded by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda as “the next big thing,” Mexican composer-di‐rector Jaime Lozano’s newest work, Songs by an Immigrant, is a show about diversity and in‐tegration. Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

Port Washington - FAST Flag - K - 2nd - 11:30am - 12:20am - 7 Classes @ 11:30am / $240

Apr 7th - Jun 9th

PAL Field Port Washington, 325 Main St, Port Washington. 516801-3533

Back by Popular Demand — Create Your �wn Sun�ower Tote! @ 1pm

Join us for a fun afternoon painting your very own sun‐�ower tote bag! Gold Coast Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck. info@goldcoas tarts.org, 516-829-2570

CMS: String Magic @ 3pm / $73.50

Spanning from 1797 Vienna to 1933 Paris, this all-string pro‐gram takes audiences on a journey through the astounding breadth of chamber music repertoire. Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

Wednesday Apr 10th

Trailblazing Women of Country: From Patsy to Loretta to Dolly @ 7:30pm / $45

Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boule‐vard, Greenvale

Female vocalists and musicians pay homage to Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, who revolutionized country music and blazed a trail for future generations of female artists.

Mon 4/08

Alzheimer's Community Forum @ 12pm / Free

Join our upcoming community forum in North Babylon North Babylon Senior Citizens, 438 Spangle Drive, North Babylon. longislandchapter@alz.org, 800-272-3900

Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair, Westbury

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tue 4/09

Gold Coast Cinema Series: Rally Caps with director Q&A! @ 7pm / $16

A heartfelt coming-of-age story for the entire family starring Judd Hirsch. Manhasset Cine‐mas, 430 Plandome Road, Manhasset. info@goldcoas tarts.org, 516-829-2570

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers @ 7pm / $65-$458

UBS Arena, Belmont ParkLong Island

Cuthbert Live: Solo Billy Joel Theme Night @ 7pm Beginnings, 1986 Park St, At‐lantic Beach

Donna the Buffalo @ 7pm Boulton Center For The Per‐forming Arts, 37 W Main St, Bay Shore

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Wed 4/10

North Shore Audubon Society

Presents Talk on Bird Photography @ 7:30pm

The Photography Club of L.I. is hosting a pre‐sentation on Bird Pho‐tography by the North Shore Audubon Society on Wed. April 10 at 7:30 PM in the Lapham Room at the Port Washington Public Li‐brary. Port Washington Public Library, 1 Library Drive, Port Washington. susantiff18@gmail.com, 516-484-8554

Sun 4/07 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles @ 8pm / $22-$99.50

Thu 4/11 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Martina McBride @ 8pm / $39.50-$99.50 Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair, Westbury

Kelli Baker LIVE (solo acoustic) at Crabtree's in Huntington, NY @ 8pm Crabtree's NY & Main, 330 New York Ave, Huntington

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Fri 4/12

Fleetwood Macked The Ultimate Tribute to Fleetwood Mac: The Warehouse welcomes back Fleetwood Macked and Echoes of the Eagles! @ 6:30pm The Warehouse, 203 Broadway, Amityville

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

powered by

Blank Slate Media has partnered with LocalEdge, the digital division of Hearst Publications, to answer all of your website and social media needs.

We can now bring you state-of-the-art digital services to our award-winning newspapers and expertise in the local market to help you grow your business.

l Website design

l Search engine optimization

l Paid search marketing

l Social media

l Email marketing

l Full motion video

l Reputation management

l Geo targeting/display advertising

l All controlled by your very own online dashboard.

Take the first step and call us to schedule a consultation. (516) 307-1045 ext 201

Business&RealEstate

Meeting with your legislators worthwhile

Many Realtors went up to Albany on March 27-28. This was our yearly pilgrimage and ritual to discuss and have a dialogue concerning proposals for new laws and regulations and their effect on real estate. It was also the chance to explore current laws and ways to enhance and upgrade them for the current business environment in New York State.

Their effect can be dramatic and costly for consumers and purchasers. Laws that are enacted sometimes harm Realtors involved in the real estate industry in New York State.

One of the major topics was the power that co-op boards have over purchasers, especially having to fill out an immense amount of paperwork providing a large amount of personal information. This is not a requirement when buying a condominium, townhouse, or HOA.

As many as 1,500 pages are sometimes required and created by the purchaser. There is a lot of time involved in compiling and putting together some board packages that must be organized, tabbed by sections, and set in hard-cover presentation folders. However, some management companies today are using online applications that are making the process much more seamless and have truly simplified the process.

Paying the mandatory application fees isn’t a guarantee that you will pass the co-op board review and there are

no refunds. I did convey in last week’s column that it is understood that managements earn a portion of their income from their board application fees. In addition, since the COVID-19 pandemic, a NYS law was enacted that said buyers were only required to pay a maximum of $20 per credit check inquiry. Previously I experienced fees ranging from $50-$125 per applicant! Some gouging was happening and that new law saved buyers a lot of money. This showed me that the new regulations, enacted by our NYS Legislature, were working for the purchasers.

The boards in Nassau County, are not required to let a buyer know why he or she failed to pass a board review. We explained that this is unjust and unfair, especially without a partial refund.

I brought up the idea of having a buyer of residential homes who was approved for a grant of $39,000 to be able to do a full inspection, as is normally done when purchasing a home. However, when receiving a grant, it is currently mandatory to have a complete inspection. If it is a foreclosure, then 99.9% of the time the houses are winterized all year long.

PHILIP A. RAICES

Real Estate Watch

than earning money and not assisting in truly benefiting the communities being served.

As of March 20, we now have a NYS law that requires the homeowner to fill out the 48-question Seller Property Condition Disclosure form if they aren’t in contract by that date. Also, the $500 fee previously required to be paid to the buyer by the seller, if the questionnaire wasn’t filled out, has now been eliminated. However, I am pushing for the requirement to be waived if someone is impaired with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or a mental disability.

burdensome for those in real estate as well as purchasers and sellers, too.

So going to Lobby Day yearly is a crucial date for all Realtors to consider showing up and attending. We have more power in numbers. So if you are a Realtor or are licensed, watch for our next Lobby Day, most likely in February 2025, and participate in having your voice heard by your Legislators.

I proposed that the buyer put up $500 to turn on all the utilities, and then be able to have their home inspector do a proper, thorough, and complete inspection. Then the individual or company that turned all the utilities back on can now winterize the home again. So in the event the buyer changes their mind, at least the home is now protected once again, from potentially frigid weather and having to contend with broken pipes.

This would enable more buyers of foreclosures, being end users to purchase and then over the years build roots, friends, and connections in the community where as investors do nothing but buy, fix, and flip or buy and hold and rent. They are not necessarily building roots or friendships. Building a community is more important in the short and long run

I was able to have several varied discussions with state Sen. Jack M.Martins (7th District); Jennifer Slagen, legislative director for Assembly member Gina L.Sillitti (16th District); Assembly member Amy R. Paulin (88th District, Westchester); Michael J. Kelly, director of Government Affairs for New York State Association of Realtors; and Marlo Paeventi, chief lobbyist for Long Island Board of Realtors, who presided with others, over one of our meetings.

RPAC (Realtors Political Action Committee) is our local LIBOR committee that raises funds yearly enabling our local LIBOR to lobby and fight against specific rules and regulations, brought to the Legislative floor in consideration of creating a new law or updating others. Some of the laws could make it more difficult and

P.S. Have you entered my contest yet? Whoever provides the correct answer as to how many interest rate reductions or possible increases will occur this year plus the total percentage reduced or increased will be the winner. Your reward will be a dinner with my wife and me and a special surprise bonus! The contest was going to end on 3/15/24, but we have extended our contest until 4/15/24 at 11:59 PM as the absolute final date to provide the additional time for all to enter as the final drawing will be on 12/28/24.

Hoping you, your Family, Friends, and Business associates have a Healthier, Safer, Happier, and more Lucrative 2024!

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. For a 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 viahttps://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.

SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS

Robert J. Mitchell CPA, EA

Theresa Hornberger CPA

Marvin Goodman CPA, (ret)

(516) 248- 9323 (718)

▼ EMPLOYMENT, SITUATION WANTED, MARKETPLACE

To Place Your Ad Call

Phone: 516.307.1045 x 218

e-mail: dflynn@theisland360.com

In Person: 22 Planting Field Road Roslyn Heights, NY 11577

We’re Open: Mon–Thurs: 9am-5:30pm Fri: 9am-6pm

Deadlines

Monday 2:00pm: Classified Advertising

Tuesday

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.

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

A HOME HEALTH CARE AIDE Irish trained woman with 10 years experience and excellent checkable references available. Honest and reliable. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 347-307-5193

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 888-514-3044

DIRECTV Sports Pack 3 Months on Us! Watch pro and college sports LIVE. Plus over 40 regional and specialty networks included. NFL, College Football, MLB, NBA, NHL, Golf and more. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918

Get Boost Infinite! Unlimited Talk, Text and Data For Just $25/mo! The Power Of 3 5G Networks, One Low Price! Call Today and Get The Latest iPhone Every Year On Us! 844-329-9391

Get DISH Satellite TV + Internet! Free Install, Free HD-DVR Upgrade, 80,000 On-Demand Movies, Plus Limited Time Up To $600 In Gift Cards. Call Today! 1-866-782-4069

AIDE/CARE GIVER: Caring, Efficient, Reliable. Available FT Live In, Nights, Overnights & Weekends to care for your sick or elderly loved one. Cooking, tidy up, personal grooming, administer medications. 15 years experience. References available. Fully Vaccinated. Please Call 516-951-8083

HEARING AIDS!! High-quality rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45-day money back guarantee! 855-598-5898

PUBLIC NOTICE We, Edward & Lisa Castellano, bring forth our land patent benefits. The complete Patent can be viewed at landpatentpower.com

MARKETPLACE

A.T. STEWART EXCHANGE

CONSIGNMENT SHOP 516-746-8900

Antiques-Furniture-Jewelry-Silver-Mirrors-Lamps-Artwork Come to Consign & Stay to Shop Visit.... Our Shop

109 Eleventh St. Garden City Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed till 6) Saturday 12-4 Shop Our Online Store ATStewartExchange.org

Items to Consign? Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange.

org All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society Like us on Facebook & Instagram

INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY

JORDAN is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week!

SERVICES

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

TAX PROBLEMS: IRS/NYS. Business / Personal. Tax Letters. Audits. Unfiled Returns. Wage & Bank Levies. Call TaxKingUSA.com at 631-743-4829 for a Solution and Peace of Mind.

ATTORNEY

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

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

ALARM SYSTEMS FIRST CALL SECURITY Serving Garden City & Surrounding areas for over 20 years. Free Switchovers We Service All Brands Installation, Expert Service Control Your Alarm With Your Smartphone No Phone Line, No Problem! Call Now For Free Estimate.. 516-747-9111

AQUATEC LAWN SPRINKLERS SPRING TURN ONS Backflow Device Tests Free Estimates Installation Service /Repairs Joe Barbato 516-775-1199

Cutting, Old Wood Refinish, Staining, Wallpaper Removal & Hanging, Paint Removal, Power Washing, Wood Replacement JOHN MIGLIACCIO Licensed & Insured #80422100000 Call John anytime: 516-901-9398 (Cell) 516-483-3669 (Office)

JV Painting, Interior/Exterior plus Handyman. Licensed and Insured. Please call John 516-732-8937. PARTY HELP

LADIES & GENTLEMEN RELAX & ENJOY Your Next Party! Catering and Experienced Professional Services

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable pricesNo payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

CHIMNEY KING ENT. INC. FREE

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

MADE IN THE SHADE CUSTOM

WINDOW TREATMENTS Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies Top Brands at Discount

The things you love doing are more than just passions. They’re what make you “you.” This is why at The Bristal, our expert team members dedicate their time, attention, and energy to creating customized social activities that ensure each resident continues being the unique person they are. And, in the process, create the one-of-a-kind community we are, too.

See for yourself. Explore all of our locations in the tri-state area. thebristal.com

Flower Hill approves 14.1% village tax hike

Continued from Page 2

Special items, or insurances, are budgeted to cost $132,000.

Employee benefits are budgeted to cost $534,550, increasing by 14%.

The largest expense for the village is sanitation, which amounts to $902,000. This expense is not increasing and will be 22% of the total budget.

The second highest expense is fire protection at $730,500, which fell by 11% from the current budget. Flower Hill contracts with both the Port Washington Fire Department and the Roslyn Fire Department.

Additional expenses for the village are equipment replacements, which Rosenbaum said is necessary. These will be paid for through

$15,000 of the village’s capital funds and $186,000 of federal COVID-19 relief money.

Equipment to be purchased includes a plow and salt spreader, pickup truck, payloader with a backhoe, ride-on mower and ride-on blower.

After the capital expenditures on equipment, the village will not have any more COVID-19 relief funds and $85,000 will remain in the capital reserve fund balance.

In tandem with approving the budget, the board also approved three local laws Monday night.

The three law changes included amending its fee schedule, amending the village’s chapter on fences and replacing a tree chapter.

Rosenbaum said Flower Hill has one of the lowest fee rates compared to other villages, and

that its fee schedule is “way behind” in terms of being updated.

The change to the fee schedule would update all the village’s fees, including building permit fees.

The Building Department’s permit fees would instead be based on the square footage of the project, which Rosenbaum said is comparable to other villages, instead of an additional 1% of the project’s expected cost.

Rosenbaum said at the March meeting that the increase in fees will also aid the village in combatting rising costs and preventing even greater increases in taxes.

The board adopted the fence chapter amendment, which added verbiage to the law only permitting a maximum fence height of six

Cops withold records from DA

Continued from Page 3

blood alcohol count of 0.15 four hours after his arrest with cocaine in his system.

His truck struck an Alpha Romeo occupied by four teenagers, all Roslyn High School boys varsity tennis players, resulting in the death of young tennis stars Drew Hassenbein, 14, and Ethan Falkowitz, 14.

Singh was charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated vehicular homicide, assault, driving while intoxicated, driving while impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and a drug, reckless driving and a felony count

of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, authorities said.

He denied a plea to the top count of aggravated vehicular homicide within his 15-count indictment, which carries a sentence of 8-1/3 years to 25 years in prison.

On March 22, presiding Judge Helene Gugerty denied the police’s attempt to rescind the subpoena for their records on the case. She ordered the files to be supplied the following Monday.

Singh’s defense said these records may help their case.

office

PBA attorney Brian Mitchell said during a March 14 hearing for a grand larceny and drunken driving case that the police do not have confidence in the district attorney’s ability to protect these records from defense attorneys and their clients, Newsday reported.

But the district attorney’s office said this impacts the prosecution of cases.

“The NCPD’s refusal to provide all underlying disciplinary records essentially gambles with valid prosecutions,” Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ryan wrote, as reported by Newsday.

Police unions have argued that releasing

N. Shore urges FAA air traffic changes

Continued from Page 8

The air noise decibel readings above New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, Herricks, Mineola and Floral Park are unacceptable levels for personal health and safety, Cutrone claimed.

“FAA must do better because plane noise is impacting communities, schools, businesses, long term, day and night,” Cutrone wrote.

When asked whether he would reach out to the FAA and demand changes, Martins said it is not just the FAA who should shoulder the blame.

“We do have to continue to put pressure on the FAA, but I do think that the Port Authority has some jurisdiction here as well with regard to their responsibility to ensure that their routing of airplanes in airports does not affect the health and safety of communities like ours,” Martins told Blank Slate Media.

Martins was unable to give a timeline for when residents could expect changes from the

FAA. He acknowledged it is “slow going, certainly, dealing with the FAA as a federal agent.”

Martins attended a meeting hosted by East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz March 21 to discuss the issue of air traffic noise. Koblenz has long advocated for changes to be made to FAA regulations to mitigate noise over the village.

Most attendees at the meeting were local officials, though some residents were present.

“I think the consensus between the various mayors, supervisor, and other stakeholders and civic leaders that were at the meeting would attest to [changes being needed],” Martins said, “that the FAA has to be pushed, forced, into taking action.”

But it is not so easy to force a federal agency into action. A study was commissioned to gauge the exact noise levels from planes over local towns and its findings were supposed to be made available on Sunday, according to Mar-

tins. The state senator said he had not yet received that report as of Monday evening.

“The FAA is supposed to be enforcing the rules. They’re flying too low before landing. And they’re flying the wrong route,” East Williston Mayor Bonnie Parente said. “But they’re getting away with it because nobody’s challenging them.”

In East Williston, newly sworn-in Trustee Rushi Vaidya will act as the liaison for air traffic noise issues.

Parente acknowledged that while air traffic noise is a problem in East Williston, noise levels in town are not nearly as bad as they are in East Hills.

One option Koblenz discussed during the air traffic noise meeting March 21 was a possible lawsuit, Parente said. Other municipalities, including a town in Arizona, have sued the FAA over noise levels and won their cases; however,

feet for properties along Port Washington Boulevard, Middle Neck Road and Northern Boulevard.

The tree code change was to enhance tree protections, Rosenbaum said.

The board also approved a residential lot line adjustment for a Birch Lane homeowner to install a sport court. Provisions were added to the approval in the instance the home is sold, requiring the original homeowner to remove it or the new homeowner to file a building permit to legalize the structure within 120 days after the sale.

After last month’s election, without any opposition, all the incumbents who ran for re-election were sworn in before the meeting to begin their next two-year term Monday night. This included Mayor Randall Rosenbaum, Trustee AJ Smith, Trustee Gary Lewandowski, Trustee Claire Dorfman and Justice Dennis Reisman.

The Village of Flower Hill Board of Trustees will convene again on May 6.

these documents could violate the officers’ privacy, jeopardizing their ability to enforce the law and their lives, Newsday reported. But, there is no evidence that these scenarios have played out.

But with the repeal of a law that kept police disciplinary records private, or 50A, the police’s argument to protect these records is weakened.

In 2020, 372 allegations were reported against Nassau County law enforcement with just 12 determined to be founded. Five reports regarded unprofessional conduct, three for improper tactics, one for neglect of duty and three for other undefined allegations.

Data from 2020 is the latest available information for complaints filed against the Nassau County Police Department.

the rules are still not being enforced in that Arizona town, Parente said.

Another village in Illinois filed a lawsuit against the FAA to compel the agency to review alternatives that would deliver relief from overnight airplane noise in October 2023, according to the Village of Elk Grove website. But the village dismissed the lawsuit in December.

It is unclear whether local municipalities will move forward with the lawsuit. The suit would require a number of local villages to participate, since it would cost around $1 million, Parente said.

But from New Hyde Park to East Hills to East Williston and beyond, local mayors and government leaders agree that overhead air traffic noise is an issue worth tackling.

“I don’t know what’s going to come of this, but I think we owe it to our neighbors in East Hills and to ourselves because [air traffic noise] does affect us at times to pay attention to it,” Parente said.

Nassau major crimes continue to drop

Continued from Page 1

Blakeman’s calls specifically targeted the state’s bail reform laws, which he previously had blamed for the 75% surge in major crime Nassau County saw in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year during an interview with Blank Slate Media.

Those same calls for public safety initiatives in response to rising crimes carried into the 2023 election campaigns, with both Republican and Democratic candidates citing a need to address the safety concerns of residents.

A mailer sent by Blakeman’s office touted the county’s reductions in crime “even with Cashless Bail Laws and the National Border Crisis [sic]” which have been consistently referenced as driving factors for greater crime.

Multiple publications have reported that data does not support claims of a migrant crime wave, including the New York Times and the New York Daily News.

In Nassau County, no murders, rapes, criminal sexual acts or sexual abuses were reported in January. None of these crimes were reported in January of 2023 either, amounting to neither an increase nor a decrease in these four major crime categories.

Stolen vehicles and grand larcenies were reported with the highest decreases county-wide. Only 49 vehicles were reported stolen, about an 18.33% decrease, and 283 grand larcenies, or 17.97% fewer.

While residential burglaries throughout the county fell by 2.17%, with 45 reported in January, non-residential burglaries rose by 2.78% with 37 cases reported. Both of these categories amounted to a single case in difference from year to year.

Other crime categories also reported increases county-wide.

For all of Nassau County, 17 commercial robberies were reported in the first month, a 70% increase from the year prior, and 18 other robberies were reported, an 80% increase.

Artist Richards’ crafted images at JCC

Continued from Page 8

and my past uncles and so on.”

“Lost in Thought” by Alan Richards.

Richards begins his artistic process by sifting through thousands of photos until the right one catches his eye, scouring through public domains.

What he’s looking for is not easy to describe, Richards said, but he finds himself typically seeking out photos of interesting people with apparent displays of self-confidence.

“When I see it, I know it,” Richards said. “I don’t look for beautiful, I don’t look for fat, tall, skinny. I’m just looking for normal people who feel good about themselves and are real people, not beautiful. I don’t need beautiful.”

From there, a second image – or a reimage – is crafted around the photo as Richards applies his craft to the photo.

To start, he asks himself: “What can I do with this particular person or image? How can I develop it into something different but yet not so different that it’s from a different era?”

Richards’ piece captures the day-to-day aspects of life as in “Counter Intelligence,” which

features a man and a woman enjoying beverages at a diner counter.

The art piece is created from a June 1943 photo of a larger diner scene, with Richards’ art singling out just two of the diners at the counter and bringing color and stylization to the blackand-white image.

Some of his work delves into surrealism like “Window Shopping,” which depicts a mother and daughter observing a window display of clothes while cats paw at the next window over filled with water and swimming fish.

Richards created this piece by taking a photo of a mother and daughter shopping and a photo of an old storefront, piecing together the two and adding his imaginative retelling of the scene.

His depiction of regular people in his art is inspired by artists who also take a similar approach in choosing their subject matter, like Hopper, an American painter most known for his piece “Nighthawks” – another artwork depicting a diner scene.

“Reading Beauty” by Alan Richards.

Inspirations for his art style are derived from other artists, though, like English pop artist Hockney and Belgian surrealist artist Magritte.

“It’s a little bit of a combination of all of them,” Richards said.

While Richards was raised in a household where both his mom and dad worked as artists, it was not the path that he initially chose for himself.

He said growing up surrounded by artists, he was always interested in the fieldbut also knew its struggles.

“So art never really came up on my horizon until much later,” Richards said.

Richards was inspired 30 years ago to begin crafting his artistic talents, starting with pencil drawings, but it wasn’t until about 15 years later that he stepped into his art profession.

While his work is on display at the JCC now, Richards said his aspiration is to bring his artwork to an even larger audience and display his pieces in an expanded multimedia format.

Richards’ art will be on display at the JCC through the end of April, with original art pieces or prints available for purchase.

Messina’s latest foe: tournament rules

Continued from Page 10

nations, Messina is still funding the difference between male and female cash prizes out of her own pocket.

Messina is a fighter in every sense of the word, pushing to keep her business alive after signing the lease on her first Albertson studio the day after 9/11, then facing the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pan-

demic years later.

And when it comes to survival, Taecole studio is an outlier in the industry, as Messina said 60% of martial arts schools in New York have closed since the pandemic.

It seems taekwondo instilled the same benefits upon Messina that she says she teaches her students.

Taekwondo givesd students “a self-belief

that they can do anything as long as they work hard,” Messina said. “We just have to find our way and find our ‘how’ and make it happen and not take failure as an option.”

Her studio accepts new students yearround and her new memoir, “Tattered Laces,” will be available on Amazon this Mother’s Day, May 12.

Felony assaults also increased in January by 6.67%. In January of 2024, 32 assaults were reported whereas 30 were reported during the same period the year prior.

The 3rd Precinct includes Albertson, Bellerose Terrace, Bellerose Village, Carle Place, East Garden City, East Meadow, East Williston, Floral Park Center, Garden City Park, Herricks, Mineola, New Cassel, New Hyde Park, North New Hyde Park, Roslyn Heights, Salisbury, Searingtown, Stewart Manor, Uniondale, Westbury and Williston Park.

This precinct reported a total drop of 11.41% in January of this year. In total, 132 major crimes were reported, with 149 reported in January of 2023.

Three non-commercial robberies were reported, which amounted to a 200% increase from the year prior when just one was reported in the month. Commercial robberies also increased – by 50% – with six reported in January and four in January of 2023.

Felony Assault in the third precinct fell by 16.67%, with 10 cases reported in January of this year and 12 reported during the same period the year prior.

Residential burglaries fell by 53.85%, with only six reported. While that crime fell, nonresidential burglaries increased by 70% with 17 total cases reported.

Only six vehicles were stolen, amounting to a 60% decrease, and 84 grand larcenies were reported, a 10.64% decrease.

The 6th Precinct covers East Hills, Flower Hill Great Neck Plaza, Harbor Hills, Manorhaven, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome, Plandome Manor, Plandome Heights, Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock, Sea Cliff, Thomaston, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Great Neck, Greenvale, Manhasset, Roslyn Heights and University Gardens.

Total major crimes in the sixth precinct fell by 22.64%. In total, 41 cases were reported this year, whereas 53 were reported in January of 2023.

In the 6th Precinct, five vehicles were stolen, a 44.44% decrease, 18 grand larcenies were reported, a 37.93% decrease, and one non-residential burglary occurred, a 66.67% decrease.

Some major crimes did increase in the sixth precinct but have been historically low. This includes one commercial robbery in January of 2024 when none were reported the year prior during the same period, and two non-commercial robberies with only one reported the January prior.

Residential burglaries increased by 30% in January of this year, with 13 reported in 2024 and 10 in 2023.

The only precinct reporting a rise in major crimes was the 5thh, which encompasses Elmont, Franklin Square, West Hempstead, Valley Stream, North Valley Stream, Lakeview, South Floral Park and Garden City South.

The 5th Precinct reported an 18.67% increase in major crimes during January compared to the year prior.

PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. Nassau County reported an overall 12.9% drop in crimes during the first month of the year.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Town of North HempsteadBoard 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, April 17, 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 #21522 - Zahid Khan (John Doko); 162 Cow Neck Road, Port Washington, Section 4, Block 95, Lot 71; Zoned: Residence-B Variance from §70-100.2(A)(2) to legalize fencing in the front yard.

APPEAL #21482 – Phyllis Scobbo; 1212 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington; Section 5, Block 25, Lot 4; Zoned: ResidenceC/Business-B Variances from §§ 70-51.A, 70101.1.B, 70-208.F and 70100.2(4)(a)[5] to legalize a twostory rear addition too close to a side property line and expanding a non-conforming dwelling, a roofed-over patio too close to a side property line, and a fence that is too high on a property with a non-conforming dwelling in a business district being reviewed under the rules of the ResidenceC district pursuant to § 70-208.K. 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 e-mail 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.  Comments are limited to 3 minutes per speaker. Written comments are accepted by email up to 60 minutes prior to the hearing. Timely comment submissions will be made part of the record.

DAVID MAMMINA, R.A., Chairman; Board of Zoning Appeals

Port budget to surpass tax cap

Continued from Page 1

increase over the 2023-2024 budget set at $184,265,295.

While the state has implemented a 2% tax cap on the budget, Manuel explained that the district’s tax levy growth factor is only at 1.02%, meaning that the allowable tax levy to increase is $5,240,635- an increase of 3.39%.

The 2023-2024 tax levy limit amounted to $154,523,228 while the newly presented tax levy limit would amount to $161,546,663, a 4.55% increase.

This would exceed the allowable tax cap by 1.15%.This would require approval by 60% or more of voters in May.

“We’re landing in terms of the numbers in a place that makes sense in a world of bad choices,” said Trustee Rachel Gilliar. “None of this is our ideal, we wanted to be having conversations about how we could expand our program and improve our program”

“I’m excited that there’s a little bit in here [the proposed budget] that are things that we really needed to improve, given the fiscal cliff and the financial climate I really think that this is a balance in keeping our school intact but also being responsible to the taxpayer as best we can”, said Gilliar.

If the numbers hold and the district does not receive a 60% approval by voters, the school board may adopt a final budget with no growth in the tax levy from the prior year or resubmit the original or revised budget.

If a resubmitted budget is defeated, the district must adopt a final budget with a tax levy that is no greater than the levy of the prior year.

Districts may also pass separate referenda on individual programs which, if they cause the levy to go over the cap, would each need to receive a 60 percent vote to pass.”

Manuel attributed the budget increase to several fiscal challenges including, a

The Port Washington School District administration presented their proposed budget plan for the 20242025 school year that will be up for adoption April 16th.

minimal increase to state foundation aid, increases in health insurance premium rates over 10%, increases to employee retirement system contributions of 19%, an increase to transportation costs of 15% and the second year of an increase in general insurance premiums by 18%.

Manuel presented two scenarios at the prior March 19 Board of Education meeting. The board consensus was to accept the first scenario to exceed the tax cap.

This proposed budget reduces expenditures by $2,127,483. Additionally, it cut the positions of 9.5 full-time employees.

It includes additional expenditures to address students’ mental health and class sizes with the addition of 2.0 full-time employees.

According to Tuesday night’s budget presentation, the proposed budget is expected to ensure that staffing levels meet

the educational needs of students by continuing support for elementary literacy and new mathematics programs, continuing support of Pre-K, PEP, CTE, Twilight, and ICT programs; and supporting the district’s commitment to provide devices, tools, and infrastructure necessary for technology-enhanced teaching and learning.

Funds will be maintained at the same level as the previous year for field trips and clubs, in addition to funding made available for a summer music program for district residents and funds for a 55-passenger bus.

Although the proposed budget has additions, additional reductions include prioritizing juniors and seniors in the twilight program, reducing Pre-K from five sections to four, as well as reducing Pre-K buses back to two as in previous years.

For residents, assuming the assessed values remain flat, the estimated tax rate amounts to $1,703.91, an estimated yearly difference of $207 for the average household. These numbers are based on a house assessed at $1.1 million in Port Washington.

The Port Washington School District is estimated to receive $20,268,574 in 20242025 under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state aid proposal. This is a 5.56% increase from the district’s state aid last year of $19,201,487. State aid official numbers have not been finalized.

As of March 27, the Port Washington School District has an enrollment of 5,335 which is 65 more students than last year.

The board will reconvene on April 16 where the proposed budget is presumed to be adopted. There will be a budget public hearing on May 7 and a budget Q&A on May 9.

The annual budget vote is on May. 21 from 6. a.m. to 9 p.m. at Weber Middle School.

Employee criticizes town hiring

Continued from Page 4

Councilmember Ed Scott, who represents the largest portion of Roslyn, was not chosen to fill the position. She said councilmembers have historically served in such roles.

DeSena said she chose someone from her office as it is common for staff to fill positions, such as the Port Washington Fire Department where Dalimonte appointed a staff member to serve in her place to avoid conflicts of interest. A supervisor staff member previously was the Roslyn Fire voting member.

In other news, a slew of other resolutions were passed by the board including a T-Mobile contract for lower-cost phone services and to approve a bid for improvements to the HVAC system at the town animal shelter.

Multiple residents spoke critically of the improvements to the animal shelter, which would cost about $1 million, arguing that funds should also go towards a new cat shelter. The town’s animal shelter only houses dogs.

“Why can’t you find one penny to renovate the existing shelter to accept cats,” resident Nina Gordon said.

Gordon also expressed opposition to County Executive Blakeman seeking

armed property and business owners to be deployed as special deputy sheriffs office during emergencies.

“I don’t want any licensed firearm owner deputized,” Gordon said. “I think this is a dangerous thing. I think this puts communities of color and minority groups at risk.”

While DeSena said the issue does not concern the town, Gordon said the town supervisor’s close relationship with Blakeman offered her an opportunity to address the issue with him.

Gordon and Councilmember Dennis Walsh then began to argue with raised voices which escalated after the councilman told Gordon “Nobody wants to hear from you.”

Sabine Margolis piggybacked off Gordon’s concerns, saying her German citizenry taught her to be aware of the onset of fascism. She said these emergency special deputy sheriffs are examples of the beginnings of fascism.

“We need to not have a militia in our county, and I ask you all to take action,” Margolis said.

While the town approved multiple resolutions, the board opted to continue its resolution without a future date to designate parking spaces in Port Wash-

ington for electric vehicle charging stations.

DeSena offered the resolutions to be pushed forward to conduct further research on setting fees for the charging stations.

The parking spots in Port Washington are the first charging stations to be implemented before more are implemented throughout the town in the future.

The supervisor said this resolution would set the fee schedule for future electric vehicle charging stations.

An RFP from the company Blink was already accepted by the town to implement the charging stations. The board talked about considering a new RFP or picking a different vendor for the project as well.

Troiano argued against continuing the resolution without a date so the matter does not get neglected.

Troiano voted against the motion and Liu abstained from voting, saying she did not know the background of the project due to her newness to the board.

The Town of North Hempstead will convene again on Tuesday morning to hold its upcoming public hearings.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT WASHINGTON SCHOOLS

Dr. Samer Al-Homsi, an internationally known leader in hematology, has been appointed as system chief of blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, which treats more New York residents for cancer than any other provider in the state.

He will also serve as director of faculty and academic affairs in medical oncology at the Cancer Institute.

In his new position, Al-Homsi’s clinical responsibilities include treating people with blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, and benign bone marrow failures disorders with a focus on blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy. As system chief, he will oversee the growth of the cancer institute’s existing Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and guide the transfer of the inpatient units and facilities from North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset to Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park, the home of the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Hospital, the only cancer hospital on Long Island.

“Dr. Al-Homsi is a distinguished clinical investigator and leader whose expertise will rapidly expand our ability to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary care within our Blood

and Marrow Transplant Program and facilitate the development of novel cellular therapies to treat patients with both hematologic and solid tumor malignancies,” said Dr. Richard Barakat,physician-in-chief and executive director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. “His expertise and vision will be critical to the growth of the Northwell Cancer Institute and the integration of our Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program as a central element of the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Hospital. In addition, he will continue to lead cuttingedge research, working with the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research to make the therapies he provides both safer and more effective.”

Prior to joining Northwell, Al-Homsi served as executive director of transplantation and cellular therapy at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health for seven years, where he was professor of medicine at New York University, Grossman School of Medicine.

Throughout a career spanning nearly three decades, Al-Homsi’s cutting-edge research has achieved notable progress in his field of expertise. His research is focused on innovations in the prevention of graft versus host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell trans-

plantation.

His research has been supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Millennium Pharmaceutical and Spectrum Health.

In his position, Al-Homsi will participate in clinical research at Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, with which Northwell has a strategic affiliation. He will also hold an academic title of professor of medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/

Northwell.

Al-Homsi has served on the editorial boards of Frontiers of Immunology, Clinical Hematology International, the Journal of Experimental Hematology, the Austin Journal of Clinical Immunology, Stem Cells International and the Journal of Disease Markers. He has been an active member of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, serving on its clinical standards subcommittee, clinical outcomes improvement committee and functioning as a lead inspector. He also is a founding member of the International Academy for Clinical Hematology and American Arab Assembly of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

He is currently the president of AAACTT. AlHomsi has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts, books, book chapters and abstracts.

Al-Homsi earned his MD degree at the University of Damascus in Syria and obtained postdoctoral training in hematology and clinical cancerology at the University of Tours and Paris VI in France.

He completed his internal medicine residency at Advocate Health and hematology and medical oncology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts.

Northwell appoints chief of blood and marrow transplant Partnership targets physics students

Increasing participation among underrepresented students in high-energy physics while promoting research engagement between faculty at SUNY Old Westbury and scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory are the goals of a new grant earned jointly by the University and the national lab.

“The Long Island High Energy and Astrophysics Undergraduate Pathway (LEAP-UP)” earned an award of $1.15 million over three years via DOE’s “Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce for High Energy Physics” program.

The program annually will enable five SUNY Old Westbury students pursuing the campus ’Physics degree to prepare for and take part in some of the most notable current research projects in the world involving leading scientists in BNL’s high-energy physics program.

Along with the student-centric focus of LEAP-UP, the joint effort will create an active bridge between the theory expertise of the Old Westbury faculty in areas like string theory, high-energy theoretical physics, astrophysics, and radio astronomy with the experimental expertise of BNL’s researchers.

“For our students, this is a life-changing opportunity to be involved with world-leading scientists engaged in research of some of the most interesting, and potentially impactful science of our times,” said John Estes, assistant professor of physics at SUNY Old Westbury and principal investigator on the grant. “As a campus committed to serving students from widely diverse backgrounds, we are proud that the academic, research and financial support these students receive will remove a variety of obstacles that might otherwise force them to choose another path in life.”

Through the grant, the Old Westbury students during their junior and senior years will take regular trips to BNL to visit and learn about the high energy physics research program and hear from the BNL personnel involved, will prepare through group projects and other extracurricular activities — including building a muon detector — for the roles they will play in the research, and, during the summer between their junior and senior year, participate in a 10week summer research program at BNL.

“We are excited to welcome students from Old Westbury to Brookhaven Lab, where they will use our world-class scientific facilities and expertise of our scientific staff to learn how to detect and study elementary particles and uncover new laws of Nature that govern the world at the smallest and largest observable distances,” said Dmitri Denisov, Brookhaven’s deputy associate laboratory director for high energy physics. “Our goal is to work with Old Westbury to incorporate BNL- and DOE-related work into the college’s curriculum to encourage a sustained stream of students interested in particle physics and potential future employment at Brookhaven or another national lab.”

Having started their preparation through LEAP-UP this January, the founding cohort of students will also participate this summer in the Eighth African School of Fundamental and Applied Physics, planned for July 7-21, 2024, at Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco.

The initial students are Gabriella Anzalone, New Hyde Park; Asad Imam, Deer Park; Brandon Imhof, Old Bethpage; Eishan Singh, Hicksville; and Adrian Taveras, Copiague. Working with Dr. Estes on the project at Old Westbury are

LEAP-UP students Eishan Singh, rear, and Gabriella Anzalone, front, work alongside fellow student Amy Lopez Calderon at the campus’ four-sided dipole radio antenna, a radio astronomy device located at SUNY Old Westbury and used by the campus’ faculty and student researchers.

Dr. Michael Kavic, associate provost and Dr. Matthew Lippert, assistant professor of physics.

The BNL projects in which the students will engage are among some of the most notable in the world:

ATLAS/Large Hadron Collider: Working alongside BNL mentor Dr. Kétévi Assamagan, students will participate in building components for the ATLAS Detector at the Large Hadron Collider, which is the world’s highest energy accelerator, located at CERN in Switzerland.

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment(DUNE): Led by BNL’s Dr. Mary Bishai, co-spokesperson for the international experiment, and Dr. Mateus Fernandes Carneiro da Silva, students will build and test neutrino detectors used deep in a mine in South Dakota to seek out new subatomic phenomena and potentially transform our understanding of neutrinos and their role in the universe.

Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night): With Dr. Anže Slosar as their BNL mentor, students will build components for a radio telescope to be located on the far side of the moon, to observe the conditions that relate to the early existence of universe.

The LEAP-UP funding provides the students with full-tuition scholarships, stipends to support their studies during the academic year, a summer stipend to support them during their research engagement at BNL, and also covers travel and registration costs to scientific conferences.

Town officials attend ‘Spring Fling’ senior dances

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and members of the Town Board recently attended the Town’s Senior “Spring Fling” Dances at Charles Fuschillo Park and Clinton G. Martin Park on March 15 and March 22.

Nearly 300 seniors were welcomed with open arms to the events by the Town of North Hempstead’s Department of Community Services who provided afternoons of dancing, food, and games.

These events are part of the department’s full slate of programming for seniors that take place all year at multiple Town locations. If you or someone you know wants to learn more about senior events, please call 311.

Dr. A. Samer Al-Homsi

North Hempstead Supervisor, Jennifer DeSena and members of the Town Board welcomed attendees to the Senior Spring Fling dance at Clinton G. Martin Park

PHOTO BY GABRIELLA ANZALONE

Albertson-Roslyn Hgts. Republican Club

Nassau County Legislator Samanta Goetz was Albertson-Roslyn Heights Republican Club guest speaker at its March 12.

Town to host energy savings webinar

North Hempstead Town Supervisor, Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board are inviting residents to a virtual, one-hour webinar titled “Home Energy Savings” on Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m.

The special, online event was designed to help residents learn about sustainable energy options from the comfort of their own homes.

The webinar kicks off with a local resident discussing their transition to renewables and highlighting their resulting energy and financial savings. Then, experts from PSEGLI, the New York Solar Energy Industries Association and Drive Electric Long Island will share details on:

• Free home energy audits

• Energy efficient appliances and lighting

• Renewable heating

• Solar programs

• Electric vehicles

• State and federal rebates, incentives, and tax credits

The webinar will conclude with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County’s new Long Island wide Community Energy Advisor program, which provides residents with free information and resources to help them make informed, clean energy decisions.

“The good news is there are lots of renewable energy options for North Hempstead residents, but that much information can also be overwhelming,” said Supervisor DeSena. “This free webinar is a simple, step-by-step approach that ensures you know exactly how to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while keeping your costs down.”

The Home Energy Savings webinar is free and open to the public. Those interested in learning more can visit NorthHempsteadNY.gov/ClimateActionto register.

DeRiggi-Whitton, state, Port Library partner on workshop

Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) and New York State are partnering to host a New York State Emergency Preparedness Workshop at the Port Washington Public Library at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 16.

Presented by the State’s Citizens Preparedness Corps, the workshops equip residents with the tools and resources to prepare for any type of natural or man-made disaster, respond

accordingly, and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions.

Each family participating will receive a free Citizen Preparedness Corps Response Starter Kit filled with emergency prep essentials.

“As severe weather events become more frequent and more devastating, it’s so important for families to prepare for the unexpected,” DeRiggiWhitton said. “That is why I regularly partner with New York State to bring

this training in our community, and I am thank the Port Washington Public Library for hosting this important workshop.”

Pre-registration is required, and capacity is limited to 150 registrants. For additional information and to register, visit www.prepare.ny.gov. Once there, click on the link for the training calendar, and then scroll down to the link for the May 16 session in Port Washington.

Town, Northwell partner to offer free Narcan training

North Hempstead Town Supervisor, Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board are pleased to announce that the town is partnering with Northwell Health to hold a free opioid overdose prevention workshop for residents on Monday, April 8 at 3 p.m. at the “Yes We Can” Community Center, 141 Garden Street in Westbury.

“There’s no doubt that the opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing issues we face in this country today and Long Island is not immune to it. It seems as if every community has experienced these tragedies,” said DeSena. “That’s why North Hempstead has joined our long-time partners in care at Northwell to teach our residents how to use Narcan. The course is open to anyone, but if you do know someone with an opioid addiction, this might help you save their life.”

The program will teach partici-

pants how to prevent, recognize, and respond to an overdose.

All who complete the program will be provided a free Narcan (Naloxone) kit. Narcan is a prescription medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose in persons with breathing problems, severe sleepiness or when the person is not responsive.

It works by attaching itself to opioid receptors and reverses and blocks the effects of opioids, quickly restoring normal breathing to a person whose respiratory function has slowed due to the overdose.

To learn more, please call 311.

Youth police academy for high school students in Port

North Hempstead Town Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, Nassau County Police Department and the Port Washington Police Department are teaming up to offer high school students, grades 9 through 12, the opportunity to learn more about the operations of local law enforcement.

The youth police academy will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch is provided) at the police academy headquarters, 1 Law Enforcement Way in Garden City.

“Each and every day members of our local police departments work tirelessly to keep our communities safe,” said Dalimonte. “There is a tremendous amount of work involved in safeguarding the welfare of residents across our wonderful town, and I believe the youth police academy will give our young leaders terrific insight into the daily operations of law enforcement. I encourage any student who is interested to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to learn from Nassau County’s and Port Washington’s finest.”

The youth police academy will provide a vast amount of information that will give our young citi-

zens a thorough understanding of how our police departments function. The Youth Police Academy will include:

• Education about various policing units, including aviation, mounted and K-9 Physical training, defensive tactics, and an obstacle course

• Education about procedures, leadership, ethics, teamwork, and effective communication

• A police academy certificate will be presented to each student at the conclusion of the event.

Registration is required. To register, please visit https://forms.gle/vtTDUJeKPG4DMQxq5.

Pictured left to right military color guard Peter Gong, club leader Henry Golis, Nassau County Legislator Samantha Goetz, club treasurer Peggy Karazia and club secretary Lorraine Bello.

Upcoming events at the Port Washington Library

“Afternoon on Broadway: Celebrating Chita Rivera” is an event scheduled for April 15th, 2024, at 3:00pm. The event will be held in the Lapham Meeting Room. Join us as awardwinning director Stephen Nachamie celebrates the legendary Broadway career of Chita Rivera, spanning seven decades with iconic roles in West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie,and Chicago—registration required.

Weekly Chess Meetup, 04/16/2024 @ 3:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Come in and join us for a game of chess.

Smart Phones for the Perplexed, 04/17/2024 @ 2:30pm | Hagedorn Meeting Room. Get more out of your smartphone or tablet. This class is for adults with little to no experience with technology. Registration starts April 3.

Needlecraft BYOP (Bring Your Own Project) Night, 04/17/2024 @ 6:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Bring your craft project to this weekly gathering. Share ideas with fellow crafters and get inspired by our pattern and instructional book collection. Sponsored by FOL.

Board of Trustees Meeting, 04/17/2024 @ 7:30pm | Hagedorn Meeting Room. Board of Trustees Meeting. All are welcome.

Art Lecture: The Whitney Biennial 2024, 04/18/2024 @ 3:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Professor Thomas Germano will present a visual lecture about the latest 2024 Whitney Biennial. It is the longest-running exhibition of its kind, making the March 2024 exhibition its eighty-first installment.

RCP — Reanimación o Resucitación Cardiopulmonar, 04/18/2024 @ 6:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room Clase de CPR (por sus siglas en inglés) en español. En este curso aprenderemos técnicas y pasos para prestar los primeros auxilios a una persona en situación de emergencia. Este evento es patrocinado por “The Friends of the Library”.

Weekly Scrabble Meetup, 04/19/2024 @ 1:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Drop in and play a game of Scrabble. No registration required.

Sandwiched In with Author Kelly McMasters, 04/19/2024 @ 12:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Join Port Washington’s Kelly McMasters, an accomplished essayist, bestselling author, and Hofstra professor, as she discusses her new book, The Leav -

ing Season: A Memoir in Essays. McMasters writes about navigating marriage and motherhood, art and ambition, grief and nostalgia, and the elusive concept of home. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Sponsored by FOL.

Earth Day 2024 Celebration at Sunset Park, 04/20/2024 @ 2:00 pm. An outdoor Earth Day celebration at Sunset Park featuring a concert of Beatles hits at the Sousa Bandshell. Town of North Hempstead representatives and Port Washington environmental organizations will be on-site with information about their latest sustainability initiatives. Participate in our community art project, enjoy fun eco-friendly crafts, and take home some cool eco-friendly swag. Visit PWPL.org/earthday for more information. Rain Date: 4/27.

Defensive Driving Course, 04/20/2024 @ 9:30am | Hagedorn Meeting Room. The Empire Safety Council defensive driving course will be offered from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Seating is limited. Registration is required and begins on April 1. Priority will be given to PW cardholders.

St. Francis Bus: Health Screenings, 04/23/2024 from 10:00 am- 2:00 pm | Parking Lot. The St. Francis Outreach Bus will be in the parking lot from 10 am — 2 pm. Health screenings include a brief cardiac history, blood pressure check, and simple blood tests.

Weekly Chess Meetup, 04/23/2024 @ 3:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Come in and join us for a game of chess.

Needlecraft BYOP (Bring Your Own Project) Night, 04/24/2024 @ 6:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Bring your craft project to this weekly gathering. Share ideas with fellow crafters and get inspired by our pattern and instructional book collection. Sponsored by FOL.

Adventures in Classic Readings, 04/24/2024 @ 6:30 pm Hagedorn Meeting Room. The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Copies of the book will be available at the Information Desk. All registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the book provided by the Friends of the Library’s Ruth D. Bogen Memorial Fund (while supplies last).

For the Record: Paul McCartney and Wings’ Band on the Run, 04/24/2024 @ 7:00 pm Lapham Meeting Room. Join Tony

Traguardo for a closer look at Paul McCartney and the Wings’ album “Band on the Run” backstory and triumph. Celebrate its 50th anniversary by reviewing the newly-released “Underdubbed” mix.

Poetry Discussion, 04/25/2024 @ 1:30pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. New Book Club! Join fellow readers for a new poetry discussion led by 2022- 2024 Nassau County Poet Laureate Paula Curci. Copies of the selected text for April will be available at the Information Desk. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library’s Ruth D. Bogen Memorial Fund.

Homebrew Music Coffeehouse Series, 04/25/2024 @ 7:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. These unique informal gatherings of musicians and music lovers come together to enjoy a live performance by one or more group members.

Weekly Scrabble Meetup, 04/26/2024 @ 1:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Drop in and play a game of Scrabble. No registration required.

Sandwiched In — Illustrators on Expedition to the Frontier, 04/26/2024 @ 12:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. Join award-winning teacher and art historian Dennis Raverty as he continues his series on the history of illustration. Registration is required.

Sensory Friendly Family Movie: “Luca”, 04/26/2024 @ 3:00pm | Lapham Meeting Room. The lights will be dimmed, and the volume will not be too loud, so you can feel free to be yourself and enjoy the movie! No registration is required. 2021 (98 min.)

SoundSwap- Mad Agnes: Fine Modern Folk Music, 04/28/2024 @ 3:00 pm Lapham Meeting Room. Enjoy some fine modern Folk music at the Library! Sponsored by the FOL. Registration required.

Weekly Chess Meetup, 04/30/2024 @ 3:00pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Come in and join us for a game of chess.

Fiction Book Club, 04/30/2024 @ 7:30pm | Mezzanine Meeting Room. Join fellow readers at the Library for an engaging discussion of Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan. Copies will be available at the Information Desk or on Libby; registration is required.

Port Meat Center makes donation to Nicholas Center

Proprietors of Port Washington Meat Center, Elias and Helen Moraitis, recently donated chicken and meat and 170 pounds of fish to the Port Provides Powered by the Nicholas Center pantry program. These donations will go directly to families in need in our community.

The Meat Center works on best pricing to partner with The Nicholas Center to provide chicken and meat to over 1,600 neighbors in our area each week.

As part of the Port Provides program, Autistic adults from The Nicholas Center source, package and deliver meat as well as cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items to food pantries in Port

Washington including Our Lady of Fatima Parish Outreach, Littig House and St. Peter of Alcantara Parish Social Ministry.

“The Nicholas Center and the local pantries we serve are grateful for the support of the Port Washington Meat Center and Mr. and Mrs. Moraitis…this is community working together in action!” Lee Anne Vetrone, The Nicholas Center’s Director of Development, said.

The Nicholas Center has revolutionized the way Autistic adults learn, live and work by offering vocational training, supported employment, meaningful community-based projects and vital peer connections.

Port Provides Powered by The Nicholas Center is an innovative

program pairing two underserved and often marginalized populations – those with Autism and those struggling with food insecurity in our communities.

The Nicholas Center procures, organizes and delivers essential items — personal hygiene and cleaning supplies and meat to 2,000 neighbors-in-need via local food pantries.

Participants gain valuable vocational skills and build confidence as they interact with community members at the pantries…the food pantries receive vital donations and assistance from our team! A win-win.

For more information or to get involved, visit TNCnewyork.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NICHOLAS CENTER

Meat and Fish benefit

Port Washington Food Pantries.

SPORTS

LATEST TO OLD SPORT

Herricks, Port join girls flag football craze on Long Island

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

If you’ve never in your life heard someone smile while blood gushes from a wound in their leg, well, let me introduce you to Emely Medina.

The Herricks High School senior was happily recounting life as a new flag football player, and some of the bumps and bruises she’s gotten so far.

As she excitedly spoke, her enthusiasm oozing through the phone, she casually mentioned she was currently applying pressure to a nasty scrape on her leg, acquired from practice a few hours earlier.

“It’s just a little inconvenience, and it’s actually really awesome,” Medina cheerfully shared. “I mean, yeah, it hurts a little bit but it’s so amazing. I will never, ever regret picking up a football, even if I get injured a little.”

Medina is just one of hundreds of girls now playing flag football in Nassau County.

This spring Herricks and Port Washington’s Schreiber High School are the latest to add the ever-growing sport, bringing the total high school teams in the county to 21 (Roslyn added flag last year).

And judging by the comments from Medina’s teammates, and those on the new Port Washington team, flag football has been the greatest thing since Taylor Swift started making music.

“I played field hockey, lacrosse and gymnastics, but this is a whole different thing, and so much fun,” said Port Washington senior Ashley Yee, a wide receiver and quarterback. “To be a part of history, and know we’re the first girls in the school to ever get to do this, is incredibly exciting.”

Both Port Washington coach Ryan Proper and Herricks coach Ken Davis said they were surprised at the huge enthusiasm for flag among the school; Port Washington had 45 girls sign up and 30 stick around to play, while Herricks has a healthy 28 players, more than enough to field seven-person offense and defensive squads.

While very few of the players had ever played football, grasping the fundamentals has been pretty smooth.

“Football is harder than it looks, but I think we’ve mostly picked it up pretty quickly,” said Port Washington freshman Nillie Taniak. “The environment, being out here and all of us starting from the same point (in learning), has been super helpful.”

The physical contact of flag has

definitely been eye-opening; the Vikings players said they were “shocked” at how much hard-hitting there was in their opener, in a sport where tackling isn’t allowed.

“Yeah, the Plainedge game, that was way more physical than we expected,” said junior Alexa Benun. ” But we got used to it and will be much more ready next time.”

One player who has had zero issues with the physicality is Herricks senior linebacker Drishti Patel. That’s because for four years she’s been a member of the Highlanders varsity boys football team, as a linebacker and safety.

For Patel, the intensity and speed of her football training meant an awkward transition at first.

“Yeah on one of the first plays she ran up and tackled me really hard,” said Herricks quarterback Ava Lorenzana, laughing. “Coach had to remind her that she’s not allowed to do that here.”

“Yeah, that was my fault,” Patel said. “I honestly was pretty hesitant about playing flag, because I’m so used to tackle football. But I was so wrong because the girls are so much more fun to play with.”

Davis, the Herricks coach, said he’s been very impressed with how quickly his team has picked up football terminology, though he admitted it’s been a big adjustment for him as a coach.

“It’s an adventure for me as well, having only coached boys in tackle before,” He said. “You draw up a play and say ‘this should work,’ and then it doesn’t because the rules of this sport and the people you’re coaching are different. But so many of these kids have picked up the rules so well that they’re really instructing me at times, on what we can and can’t do.”

Neither team has picked up a victory yet as of March 30, but there’s still time. Port Washington’s next home game is Saturday, April 6 at noon against Bellmore, while Herricks is next home on Monday, April 8 at 5 p.m. against Syosset.

The enthusiasm the players have felt from the school communities has been overwhelming, players at both schools said.

“People in school, kids I don’t know, random teachers I’ve never had are coming to the games and telling me in school how excited they are about the team,” Herricks’ Lorenzana said. “It’s been wonderful to get so much support for something that’s never been at the school before. We love being a part of this history.”

PHOTO BY JIM PETRICCA

Herricks football player Ella Ledwith, 4, runs with the ball during a recent game. Herricks and Port Washington have both added girls flag football as a varsity sport this spring.

#1 Agent by GCI

#1 Agent by Volume

Pinnacle Award

Top 3% of Agents Nationwide ©

Douglas Elliman Real Estate takes immense pride in Maggie’s remarkable achievements year after year. As our consistent top producer for over a decade, Maggie’s dedication has made an indelible mark on our company and community. We are thrilled to honor Maggie’s ongoing success with sincere joy! Maggie Keats, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker