Portwashington120216

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Serving Port Washington

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Friday, December 2, 2016

Vol. 1, No. 40

Port WashingtonTimes

U EG

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEW

PEACE RALLY HELD IN PORT

NIFA REJECTS COUNTY BUDGET

PAGES 29-36, 53-60

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PAGE 6

Football finishes unscathed

T H A N K S G I V I N G D AY R U N

No injuries with new schedule BY ST E P H E N ROMANO After switching to an independent schedule to combat injuries and match up with teams of equal size, the Paul D. Schreiber High School football team ďŹ nished its season with no concussions and no major injuries. Stephanie Joannon, director of health, physical education and athletics for the Port Washington School District, called the season an “absolute success.â€? “The biggest factor for us,â€? she said, “was that there were no injuries and we were competitive in every single game. Yes, we went 1-5, but there wasn’t one game we were completely out of. At halftime, for every game, we weren’t down by more than a touchdown.â€? During the 2015 season, six Port Washington players suered concussions, the most in Nassau County, and seven starters were sidelined by injuries. The Vikings started with 35 players and ďŹ nished with 23, and the team reContinued on Page 85

PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT WASHINGTON COMMUNITY CHEST

Runners take off at the starting line during the 41st annual Thanksgiving Day Run. See story on page 3 and photos on page 68.

How pols give millions to local projects State legislators in majority have power to hand out grants B Y N O A H M A N S K A R Landmark on Main Street in Port or for another oďŹƒce. A new scoreboard for Williston Park’s Little League baseball ďŹ eld. Resurfaced tennis courts in New Hyde Park. A power generator for a theater in East Hills. Performances for children at

Washington. These projects and initiatives, along with 102 others on the North Shore, have received money from state grant programs through members of the Assembly and Senate. The lawmakers often promote them with news releases and appear at ribboncuttings when they’re complete — sometimes as they run campaigns for re-election

Those lawmakers have discretion over who receives hundreds of millions of dollars in grants each year through three programs: the State and Municipal Facilities Program, the Community Projects Fund and supplemental grants to school districts and libraries known as “bullet aid,� according to state legislators, their aides and publicly available documents. More than $1.5 billion has been appropriated for the State

and Municipal Facilities Program alone since its inception. North Shore municipalities and nonproďŹ t groups have been designated to receive at least 109 grants worth nearly $6.9 million since 2014, according to lists published by the Senate and Assembly. Ranging in size from $5,000 to $350,000, they are meant to pay for projects from after-school programs to road repairs and maContinued on Page 74

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