Roslyn Times 2024_03_08

3 TITLE RUNS COME TO END

LANGONE SUIT AGAINST NORTHWELL TOSSED

Blakeman, AG trans ban fight court bound

County exec to file federal lawsuit after James issues cease and desist

BY CAMERYN OAKES

New York State Attorney General

Letitia James issued a cease-and-desist order against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman Friday, demanding he rescind his executive order banning transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams at county facilities.

“The law is perfectly clear: you cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression. We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” James said. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal. Nassau County must immediately rescind the order or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.”

Blakeman said James’ order is “contrary to the law” and stood his ground, claiming the executive order is legal, constitutional and protects women’s rights.

“We believe that not only is the law on our side, but the facts are on our side as well,” Blakeman said, expressing confidence in the order’s legal standing.

He said he is willing to discuss the matter further with James and her office.

Blakeman signed an executive order Feb. 22 barring transgender girls

and women from competing on female sports teams that play at county facilities.

Under the executive order, transgender girl and women athletes will now be forced to compete in the leagues that correlate with their sex assigned at birth, limited to competing only on boys’ and men’s teams or co-ed teams.

The county executive said the purpose of the executive order is to protect women’s and girls’ sports in the county by preventing transgender girls and women athletes from competing, saying transgender women and girls present an unfair advantage.

The ban only applies to transgender girls and women, as Blakeman said there is no advantage for transgender boys and men to compete on boys’ and men’s teams.

Blakeman said that he is not aware of any incidents involving transgender athletes in Nassau County, but that the order is to get the county “ahead of the curve.”

The cease-and-desist letter, signed by the attorney general’s Civil Rights Bureau Chief Sandra Park, said the executive order violates New York State anti-discrimination laws in discriminating against transgender women and girls.

Continued on Page 22

SUOZZI DISTRICT TO CHANGE IN FALL

Glen Head third graders celebrate their study of the rainforest. See story on page 21.

All Roslyn village races for trustee uncontested

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

East Hills

East Hills will be hosting an election for two trustee positions. Both Manny Zuckerman and Clara Pomerantz are running unopposed for their positions.

Zuckerman was first elected as a trustee in 2000 and was selected by Mayor Michael Koblenz to be deputy mayor in 2010.

Since his election in 2000, Zuckerman has acted as the supervising

trustee over security, working to alleviate East Hills crime.

Zuckerman is also the supervising trustee over emergency preparedness measures. He works on emergency responses within the village, such as ensuring the installation of a generator in case of storms.

Zuckerman works with the mayor to oversee and approve all village expenses as deputy mayor.

Clara Pomerantz has served as a trustee since 2010. She has served as supervising trustee over environ-

mental issues and supervising trustee over the park rules committee. She is also a supervising trustee over village-wide events and the Kids in the Park program.

Both incumbent candidates are running with the Unity Party for another four-year term as trustee.

The election will be held on March 19 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the East Hills Village Hall theatre area at 209 Harbor Hill Rd., East Hills.

Continued on Page 23

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE SCHOOLS

Town hires law firm in Islamic Center case

GOP board members who opposed expansion cast lone votes

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Town of North Hempstead hired an outside law firm Tuesday night after a lawsuit was filed by the Hillside Islamic Center challenging the board’s decision to deny its site plan proposal earlier this year.

The lawsuit is requesting a reversal of the town’s decision and to grant it site plan approval.

The hiring was approved along party lines, with only board Republicans voting in favor. The town’s Republicans – including Supervisor Jennifer DeSena – were also the only board members to vote to deny the Islamic Center’s application.

Councilmember Robert Troiano voted against hiring the law firm, alongside his fellow Democrats on the board, saying it is an unnecessary expense.

Councilmember Ed Scott voted in favor of the hiring because it will “take in consideration” the wants of the town’s constituents.

“Sometimes the Town Board has to turn around and say ‘you know what? We’re going to get sued over it and we’re going to get brought into

court, I’m going to stick up for my constituents first,’” Scott said.

The Hillside Islamic Center in New Hyde Park had proposed a plan to enlarge the existing mosque by building a third story on the two-story structure and increasing the square footage from 5,428 square feet to 6,600 square feet.

The proposal also included expanding the center’s parking lot onto the three surrounding parcels of land, which the mosque purchased, to provide 63 parking spaces. The expansion was intended to relieve congregation and ease traffic impacts on the neighborhood.

The Jan. 30 decision came after seven months of public hearings addressing the center’s site plan application, which was riddled with opposition from surrounding neighbors.

The town Republicans cited a “concern for safety” in its rejection of the plan because the center’s Friday services create traffic congestion in the neighborhood.

Troiano and fellow Democrat Councilmember Christine Liu voted to accept the proposal. Democrat Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte

abstained.

The lawsuit called the decision “political appeasement.”

The petition filed on Feb. 23 alleges that the Town Board “exceeded its power” in denying the application, alleging it is unable to “ prohibit a lawful use of property that meets thecriteria of Town Code.”

The center’s proposal was compliant with the town’s code and did not require any variances.

“Respondent thus acted in an arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable manner in failing to approve Petitioner’s application for site plan approval for the Amended Project,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also alleges that the board’s decision was not supported by expert opinion but rather by community opposition, calling its determination “arbitrary, capricious and irrational.”

The Islamic Center’s Board of Trustees chairman Abdul Aziz Bhuiyan previously told Blank Slate Media the town’s decision was not based on facts, leaving the mosque feeling

Continued on Page 22

TO REACH US

Flower Hill pushes for higher fees

Village seeks to raise permit charges

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Village of Flower Hill is seeking to change its permit fees in order to increase revenues in light of rising costs and unanticipated expenses amid its budgeting season.

“The costs for almost everything we do in this village – our insurance costs, our salt costs, all the equipment, the repairs that we need to do to our equipment, our own maintenance, everything even down to the coffee creamer in Village Hall – all the costs are going up on everything,” Mayor Randall Rosenbaum said at the Board of Trustees meeting Monday night.

While Rosenbaum said the village has been doing well controlling its expenses and focusing on cost savings, this has led to the village utilizing equipment as long as it possibly can.

But this year, Rosenbaum said, the village has had to deal with many unanticipated expenses like fixing the Village Hall’s heating system, upgrading its cooling systems, replacing a generator and an alarm panel.

He said these unbudgeted expenses have taken much of the village’s money, leading Rosenbaum

to believe there will not be a surplus at the end of the fiscal year in May.

Looking forward to the next fiscal year’s budget, Rosenbaum said that aging equipment is on the village’s mind, which means funds are required for additional replacements of items like trucks and mowers.

Instead of increasing taxes “significantly” to pay for these expenses, Rosenbaum said the village is instead seeking to increase its permit fees to accommodate these additional costs. He said this is the village’s second-highest revenue source behind taxes.

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.

In tandem with increasing fees, the fee adjustment will also simplify permit applications, Rosenbaum said.

Details of the permit fee increases have not been finalized but will be presented at the village’s meeting next month.

The board voted to hold a

Continued on Page 23

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HILLSIDE ISLAMIC CENTER

The Hillside Islamic Center in New Hyde Park.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PUBLIC DOMAIN

Flower Hill Village Hall in the Village of Flower Hill on May 26.

DeSena eyes changes to Building Dept.

Says reforms to take time after audit finds longstanding dysfunction, problems

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Town of North Hempstead’s Building Department has been plagued with issues that span over a dozen years, but now with the final results of the county’s audit, Supervisor Jennifer DeSena is looking into how the department moves forward.

“If you read this report, it’s clear that over 15 years of problems aren’t going away overnight,” DeSena said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “You don’t implement 83 pages of recommendations carelessly. It has to be done deliberately and with great attention to permanent fixes. No one said it was going to be easy, but we’re on the right side of it and we know exactly what our residents deserve.”

Now with a Republican-controlled Town Board, the GOP’s DeSena told Newsday the town will be implementing changes based on the audit.

In 2007, five Building Department officials were indicted after a 16-month investigation by then-Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice for receiving favors and payments in exchange for granting permits without inspections.

All five were later convicted, including former Commissioner David Wasserman. He was sentenced to one

in recent years. This included nearimmediate action by the supervisor, with proposals to address the department within the first three months of her taking office.

But the Building Department’s issues became embroiled in the town’s partisan politics, with criticisms from the board’s Democrats about DeSena withholding the department’s reviews from the board and blocking the supervisor’s department reforms.

DeSena said it was the prior town board’s dysfunction that exacerbated the issue.

“When I was elected and started examining the department, it quickly became clear that the old town board exercised outsized influence and wanted things swept under the rug,” DeSena said. “That’s why it was imperative that I ask Nassau County Comptroller Phillips’ office to perform the audit. To get to the heart of the problem, people needed to speak freely. That’s why we brought in an objective third party.”

year in jail in 2008 after pleading guilty to grand larceny and falsifying business records.

The department has also been criticized for its delays in approvals

that drag out processes for businesses and residents over years.

“The Building Department was the center of numerous controversies for years, and it’s no secret that resi-

dents were fed up,” DeSena said.

Since taking office in 2022, DeSena has said one of her focuses was fixing the Building Department as it took center stage in the town’s governance

Despite the partisanship, the town was able to take action in 2022 prior to the audit to address the department’s shortcomings. This included changing the department’s expedited permit review process that removes the Town

PHOTO BY BRANDON DUFFY

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena (middle) speaks in front of the town’s building department alongside Councilmembers Mariann Dalimonte (left) and Veronica Lurvey (right) in 2022.

Marinara tosses up LI pies with a twist

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Growing up, Gabe Weiser played pretend store-owner and set up shop with neighborhood lemonade stands, an entrepreneur from day one.

Now, at 35 years old, Weiser is the owner of seven Marinara Pizza locations, including the newest one in Roslyn.

Weiser, a Woodmere native, always knew he wanted to own his own store someday.

“I like to hear the register click,” said Weiser.

The Long Islander has been a food junkie since birth, but inspiration first struck when he was studying business at the University of Arizona.

The growth of new-style restaurants, like Chipotle and Chopt Salad Co., that popularized the classics during his college years pushed Weiser to question what voids he felt in the restaurant business.

That train of thought led to his first venture, Saba’s Pizza, a kosher pizzeria that he opened straight out of college.

“I said, why does kosher pizza have to be bad? Why can’t I make it look like every other regular pizzeria, make it look good?” said Weiser. “I’m a gambler. I like to take chances. When I believe in something, I’m gonna go the whole way.”

Weiser himself doesn’t eat a kosher diet, but he enjoyed the challenge of reversing a pizza’s damaged reputation.

And that gambling paid off. The success Weiser experienced from Saba’s Pizza gave him the courage to open his first Marinara Pizza location on 91st St. and Lexington Ave.

“I wanted something classic that’s an everyday item, but I wanted to throw a modern twist on it, and that’s how Marinara was born,” said Weiser. “Took a risk, rolled the dice, and the vision that I

But in Weiser’s opinion, the ranking of a pizzeria all boils down to the classic slice.

“You get judged off your regular slice,” said Weiser. “Your regular slice has to be fresh. Perfect. A little char on it. A little burn on it.”

In fact, freshness seems to be somewhat of a mantra for Weiser, who argues that pizzerias have to prioritize the finest ingredients. He doesn’t believe in keeping pizzas on the counter too long, saying that as soon as a pizza is not fresh anymore, it has to be remade.

“You gotta find the best tasting stuff and you worry about the price later,” said Weiser.

Rules make their way into his managerial style as well, with a large focus on keeping the store looking good. It is easy to see this for yourself, as an impeccably clean restaurant greets you as soon as you walk through the door.

“I want the counter to look like a Picasso,” said Weiser. “Like a beautiful painting, nice and clean.”

It is clear that Weiser leaned into customers’ nostalgia for the pizzeria’s décor.

The joint is decked out with black and white tiled floors, bright red pizza boxes and red vinyl booths, like a fantasy 1960s neighborhood hangout.

had came to life.”

While living and working in New York City, Weiser decided New York’s infamous pizza just wasn’t cutting it for him.

“There were a lot of pizza places coming out [in New York City] that just weren’t right. They weren’t right for me,” said Weiser. “They didn’t have the same style. I always believed that Long Island pizzerias are the best pizzerias.”

That classic, “red saucy” style is what kept Weiser yearning for Long Island pizza. So he decided to bring Long Island pizza to the city — with his own twist on it, of course.

North Shore district budget draft up 1.9%

$120,354,393.60.

The first draft of the budget includes a 3.96% increase in the tax levy. This increase is under the district’s tax levy cap, which is set at a maximum possible increase of 5.63%. The proposed tax levy is $92,621,506.53.

“I am concerned about the budget passing. We passed by a very small margin the past two years,” said Trustee Marianne Russo. “I think many people are much more savvy than they used to be in terms of understanding that a 4% increase could mean a 9% or 10% increase in their real estate taxes. Or less. It doesn’t equate.”

This variance in real estate taxes is a common conundrum.

While districts may adhere to a strict tax levy cap of 2%, for example, not every taxpayer would see the same 2% change on their taxes.

There is no uniform relationship between the tax levy and homeowners’ tax bills. An individual’s property taxes depend on individual factors, like a house’s assessed value.

Weiser’s favorite pick from the menu is the stuffed crust Sicilian pie, but he says a best-seller is the signature MVP pie.

The MVP (which has been “ripped off” plenty of times, according to Weiser, which he takes as the sincerest form of flattery) is a combination of homemade pesto, vodka and marinara sauces, creating a green, yellow and red striped effect on a regular or cauliflower crust.

Other standouts include their fresh chopped salads, which are a top seller for the restaurants, and their homemade pink Italian dressing “that people go crazy for.”

In the same way that Weiser believed New York City needed some new life among its pizzerias, he thought the same thing about Roslyn.

A Roslyn resident himself, Weiser noticed an empty storefront across from his neighborhood on his drives into work every day and decided that Roslyn would be home to the next Marinara Pizza.

It turns out it was a good decision, as Weiser says business is booming.

“For Roslyn, we wanted to make [the restaurant] the biggest. The best,” said Weiser. “This store is the flagship, and the biggest and best one, and I feel that the community feels the same way.”

Langone suit versus Northwell dismissed

BY CAMERYN OAKES

A Manhattan federal judge dismissed the trademark lawsuit by NYU Langone against Northwell Health Friday, which had alleged the New Hyde Park-based healthcare provider had copied its shade of purple in advertisements.

While dismissed, the judge’s ruling allows for Langone to amend its claims to try again.

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

The first proposed 2024-2025 budget for the North Shore Central School District is $122,648,900.09, which represents a 1.91% increase from last year’s budget of

These worries come in a district with one of the highest 2023-2024 budgets among North Shore Nassau County and certainly one of the highest spending per pupil with the district dishing out $47,609 per pupil in 2023-2024.

The proposed 2024-2025 budget would raise spending per pupil to $48,516.

Continued on Page 23

“We are pleased the court recognized that NYU Langone may have an actionable claim against Northwell’s imitation of NYU Langone’s distinctive advertising and look forward to providing the court with greater detail,” Langone spokesman Steve Ritea said in an email reported by Newsday.

The Manhattan-based hospital filed a lawsuit against Northwell Health in June accusing them of imitating Lan-

Advertising used by NYU Langone, left, and Northwell Health, right.

gone’s color scheme and using a similar shade of purple in their advertising and buildings. Langone said this was to capitalize on its “substantial investment in its brand.”

Northwell, which has 16 of its 21 hospitals on Long Island, is the state’s largest

healthcare provider with over 85,000 employees.

The lawsuit alleged that Northwell copied Langone’s advertising and marketing campaigns, color schemes, fonts, headline styles and visual identity.

Continued on Page 22

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Marinara Pizza Roslyn interior.

COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE SCHOOLS

North Shore School district Superintendent Christopher Zublionis.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

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New congressional maps aid Suozzi

Parts of Huntington added, Massapequa removed in revision approved by state Legislature

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The New York State Legislature approved a new congressional map Wednesday that benefitted some districts for Democrats but to a lesser degree than anticipated.

The Legislature, which modified a map drawn by a bipartisan redistricting commission, made noteworthy changes in some of Long Island’s congressional districts, including the 3rd Congressional District now represented by Rep. Tom Suozzi.

The 3rd Congressional District was redrawn to exclude Republican-dominated Massapequa and gained parts of Huntington and Huntington Station.

This change is expected to improve Suozzi’s chances in the fall when all House seats come up for a vote.

House Majority Pac, a Super PAC that works to elect Democrats to the House of Representatives, said in a statement they are confident the district will re-elect Suozzi in the fall under the new map.

Long Island’s 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts – which are currently represented by Republicans – are in turn gaining an even bigger Republican majority.

The 1st Congressional District, now represented by Rep. Nick LaLota, loses Lloyd Harbor and Huntington Bay, but gains the Moriches.

The 2nd Congressional District, which is currently represented by Rep.

once again undermined the intent and promise of theconstitutional amendment establishing the Independent Redistricting Commission by votingdown a new plan for congressional districts approved 9-1 by the bipartisan IRC and drawing its own new district lines,” The New York League of Women Voters said in a statement. “The recent actions, including the Legislature’s redrawing of maps, leads to confusion and uncertainty for voters and potential candidates as to election districts especially if those lines are challenged in the courts.”

New York State GOP Chairman Ed Cox called the new congressional map “fair” and said that it will not be further challenged in court.

The new congressional map garnered bipartisan votes in the New York State Legislature and was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

majorities in 22 of the 26 districts and was ultimately rejected by the State Supreme Court due to gerrymandering.

The Court of Appeals ordered a special master to redraw the maps for the 2022 elections, which aided the wins of Republicans in certain districts including on Long Island.

A new map was then crafted again after a New York State Court of Appeals ordered new maps to replace the ones created by the court-appointed “special master.” The decision stated that the prior map was only eligible for the 2022 election.

A bipartisan redistricting commission proposed a different map days before the final one was approved, but was struck down by Democrats who claimed flaws in the districting.

Andrew Garbarino, will be gaining Massapequa and losing the Moriches.

The 4th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, would remain nearly the same under the new map and continue to cover southern Nassau County.

With a recent win by Suozzi in the 3rd Congressional District, the House Majority Pac expressed confidence in the ability to also flip the First and Fourth Districts blue.

“House Majority PAC will be the

largest investor in New York Democratic campaigns in 2024, and we will flip these New York districts blue and take back the House,” the Super PAC said in a statement.

They said the way to gain a Democratic majority in the House is through New York State.

The New York League of Women Voters denounced the new maps for undermining the procedures in place to establish the congressional maps.

“The New York State Legislature has

Three state senators – two representing areas along Long Island’s South Shore – voted to approve the final map. The senate vote came out to 45-17.

More than a dozen Republicans in the state Assembly also approved the maps, bringing the total vote to 115-33.

However, the process of finalizing the congressional maps was wrought with challenges.

The Democrat-controlled state Legislature crafted new congressional maps in 2022.

The proposal gave Democrats strong

The approval of the new maps and the signing into law by the governor came just a day before the congressional qualifying period for the primaries began.

Two other election-related bills were passed on Wednesday. One changes the petitioning period for congressional primaries to begin Thursday and another limits potential Republican lawsuits against the maps to be filed in either Manhattan, Albany, Buffalo or Westchester County.

Democrats hold a majority of the congressional districts in New York, with 16 Democratic representatives and 10 Republicans.

PHOTO BY CAMERYN OAKES

The state Legislature approved congressional district maps that will strengthen the Democratic edge in the 3rd Congressional District, which recently elected Rep. Tom Suozzi.

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Suozzi sworn in, House margin narrows

CD3 representative center of national attention after he reclaims seat vacated by George Santos

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Newly elected Congressman Tom Suozzi was sworn in Wednesday night to officially claim the seat left by ousted rep. George Santos, narrowing the majority held by Republicans in the House of Representatives.

“Mr. Speaker, I never thought I’d be back here,” Suozzi said. “But the Lord works in mysterious ways and God made a way when there was no way.”

Two weeks before he was sworn in, Suozzi defeated his challenger Nassau County District 10 Legislator Mazi Pilip (R–Great Neck) in a special election to finish the term left by Santos.

With 100% of the precincts reporting, Suozzi had won 91,338 of the votes to Pilip’s 78,229 –nearly 54% to 46% – in a race with unexpectedly high turnout despite snow early Election Day.

Suozzi’s win represented the first significant victory in a major race for Nassau Democrats in three years and has national political implications as he shrinks the House’s Republican majority to a 219-213 split.

Suozzi, who had described himself as a middle-of-the-road Democrat, ran on a bipartisan platform and a promise to work across the aisle to deliver to his constituency.

These assurances were not left out of his speech after being sworn in, continuing his calls to find solutions through bipartisan compromise.

“Mr. Speaker, on the night of my election victory I promised the people of Long Island and Queens I would deliver a simple message to this

and omitted aspects he wanted – like pathways to citizenship for dreamers and TPS recipients – he advocated for its passage and continued to do so Wednesday night in calls for bipartisan solutions. The bill was struck down after being blocked by Senate Republicans in early February after former President Donald Trump expressed his opposition.

“Sadly, many of the people in America believe Democrats and Republicans can’t work together,” Suozzi said. “They’ve told me, ‘Tom, wake up. You’ve got to face the real world.’ But the real world is not something we must simply face. The real world is something that we as free men and women actively create. We make the real world.”

Suozzi took a moment during his speech to acknowledge the concerns of his constituents and the greater American public, including the rising cost of living, border security and the wars in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.

The newly elected congressman also called Johnson out on his statement claiming Suozzi ran a campaign “like a Republican.”

“I know you meant that as a compliment,” Suozzi said. “Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker: I am a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool, Democrat. But more important, like you, Mr. Speaker, and the men and women in this chamber, I am a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool American.”

Suozzi’s swearing-in was met with cheers and a standing ovation throughout the House floor for the returning Congressman, with Johnson seen joining in with applause. Notably, many House Republicans sat amid the praise.

chamber: ‘Wake up!’” Suozzi said. “The people are sick and tired of the finger-pointing and petty partisan bickering. They want us to work together.”

A front-running issue in the special election campaign was border security amid talks for a bipartisan Senate deal that would aid in securing the border.

While Suozzi said the deal was not perfect

“They look to Congress, and what do they see?” Suozzi asked. “The extremists are getting all of the attention. We are letting ourselves be bullied by our base. We aren’t getting anything done. We need less chaos and more commonsense.”

Johnson delivered the oath of office to Suozzi, which was administered on an 1803 Bible published in New York and loaned by the Library of Congress.

Suozzi directly spoke to the House Speaker in his speech referencing his prior calls for cooperation among representatives and asking for more of that to be advocated for in the House.

“The people of New York’s 3rd Congressional district have elected a representative with the experience, character and commitment to solve problems confronting everyday Americans and deliver for his constituents,” Nadler said. “ He’s the kind of person we need serving in this House at this moment and it gives me great pleasure to reintroduce him as our colleague.”

Suozzi will serve in the House to finish Santos’ term through the end of the year. The seat will be up for election again in November, which Suozzi previously said he would run for again.

“We all know what politics has become, let’s think about what it could be,” Suozzi said. “While I may be the only one being sworn in today, what if we all see this as a fresh start? What if we all took this chance to break some of our bad habits? What if today, we remembered why we ran for office in the first place? Let’s get back into the solutions business.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi

Blakeman says texts show Hofstra collusion

Claims university administration communicated with competitor of the Las Vegas Sands

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman produced text messages Thursday that he claims are evidence of Hofstra University’s collusion with a competitor of Las Vegas Sands.

Blakeman said Hofstra administration misled and lied to the public when Hofstra denied any kind of collusion with Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment Inc.

“The nickname for Hofstra is the pride. There’s nothing to be proud about today in the administration of Hofstra University,” said Blakeman. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s shameful.”

This is not Blakeman’s first accusation of collusion against Hofstra administration, specifically targeting Susan Poser, president of the university.

Hofstra continues to deny any form of collusion with competitors of Las Vegas Sands.

“The text messages shared by County Executive Blakeman reflect informal reactions to press articles with Hofstra University’s consultant and confirm the lack of merit to the Legislature’s ‘investigation,’” said a Hofstra University spokeswoman in a statement.

Hard Rock, together with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, has crafted a proposal to build a casino on the Citi Field parking lot.

This proposal is competing for the same downstate casino gaming license as Las Vegas Sands, which has proposed to build a luxury resort-casino at the Nassau Hub, near the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Howard Kopel, the presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, initially subpoenaed Poser on Jan. 16. This move came soon after an article in Newsday revealed an email hinting at communication between Hard Rock and Hofstra’s administration.

The email was sent by Michael McKeon, a registered lobbyist for Hard Rock, to Michael Sullivan, the chief of staff at Cohen’s asset management firm Point 72, and Sean Caffery, senior vice president

of business and casino development at Hard Rock.

In the email, McKeon forwarded a news article that divulged that Las Vegas Sands intended to use its previous lease for the Nassau Hub to move forward with the environmental review process in the Town of Hempstead.

“I am checking with Hofstra to see if they will oppose the move,” the email from McKeon said.

There is no proof whether McKeon did or did not follow through on connecting with the Hofstra administration. Efforts to reach both Hard Rock and Cohen’s firm for comment were unavailing.

After the initial accusation of collusion, Poser denied having contact with any representatives of other bidders in the downstate casino gaming license.

The casino wars first started back in May, when Nassau County legislators approved the Las Vegas Sands lease in a 17-1 decision.

Hofstra then sued the Nassau County Planning Commission, alleging that the committee violated the state’s open meetings law by failing to give the public advance notice about a public hearing on the Sands proposal in March.

Ryan Stanton, the executive director of AFLCIO, attacked Poser’s lawsuit Thursday as a “scorched earth” approach, saying she had no regard for the 450 people who are employed in fulltime equivalent jobs throughout the year at Nassau Coliseum.

Hofstra’s administration defended the lawsuit, saying that Nassau County should have abided by the open meetings law.

“Hofstra University continues to believe that the public has a right to participate in decisionmaking about redevelopment plans for the Nassau Hub,” said a Hofstra spokeswoman in a statement. “If Nassau County wished to embrace those principles, Nassau County would simply restart the process before the Planning Commission and the Legislature, as ordered by the Court.”

Hofstra’s first victory came in November, when Sarika Kapoor, a state supreme court justice, or-

dered Nassau to redo the process of lease transferal and conduct an environmental review before considering a new lease.

Most recently, Kapoor ruled on Feb. 23 that Las Vegas Sands lacks a valid lease to operate the Nassau Coliseum and the land around it.

But the Nassau Legislature is still backing the casino.

“We are committed in Nassau County to seeing this through and making sure that the men and women behind us, and the thousands more, get the needed jobs that this project will provide,” said Blakeman at a press conference and rally Thursday.

He said the county had to enter into an emergency use and occupancy agreement to keep scheduled games running at the coliseum since the judge’s decision.

At the press conference, Nassau County Legislator John Ferretti gestured toward three large poster boards with screenshots of text messages uncovered through the subpoenas against Poser.

“When there’s smoke, there’s fire,” said Feretti.

The legislator claimed messages sent between Poser and Robert McBride, a Long Island business consultant that Nassau legislators allege Poser hired to facilitate communication between her, Hard Rock and Cohen.

Feretti said the first group of messages show McBride sending a link to a New York Post article with regard to Cohen hiring attorneys on his behalf and Poser responding, “You made my day. How can we help him and vice versa??”

Feretti said the second group of messages show Poser texting McBride, “Someone needs to tell Steve Cohn that it is actually in his interest to agree with them. He can appear gallant and help himself at the same time.”

The reply, which Feretti said comes from McBride, reads, “Done!!!”

Blakeman said these messages suggest Hofstra University may be “in violation of the rules concerning applications to get a gaming license in New York State,” referencing a rule that prohibits

applicants for a downstate casino gaming license from colluding in an attempt to restrict competition.

Blakeman and supporters of the Las Vegas Sands proposal focused on the potential economic plusses.

The casino would bring in an estimated $5 billion annually to the county and thousands of permanent jobs, according to Kopel.

Vincent Alu, vice president of the local 66 labor union, called the casino a “transformational project.”

“I grew up here on the island and [the Nassau Hub has] been a dead zone for a long time,” said Alu, who is excited about the Sands casino.

Josh Slaughter, the political director of a Long Island labor union, said the casino could incentivize younger generations to stay on the island. “This is the kind of project that will give them careers and jobs to stay here and thrive,” said Slaughter.

But other Nassau County residents strongly oppose the casino plan. The Say No to the Casino Civic Association called the casino “predatory” and a harm to the community, claiming that it has little support outside of Nassau County legislature.

“The fact remains that there is virtually no community support for a casino,” said the association in a statement. “During the recent Town of Hempstead public hearing process … approx. 90% of written comments were in opposition to the casino.”

The association accused Blakeman of verbally attacking Poser.

“Mr. Blakeman needs to understand that he works for the people of Nassau County, not Las Vegas Sands,” said the association in a statement. “Mr. Blakeman’s false accusations today that Hofstra colluded with Steve Cohen is nothing short of defamatory.”

Both the civic association and Hofstra administration called on Blakeman to abide by the court ruling that rendered the original lease with Las Vegas Sands defunct in their statements.

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman speaks at a rally outside Nassau Coliseum Thursday.

Keiserman gains slew of endorsements

Port resident wins backing of past, current officials in state Senate bid versus Lafazan

BY CAMERYN OAKES

State Senate District 7 candidate Kim Keiserman has garnered a slew of endorsements from local officials, both past and present, and community leaders as she heads toward the June primary.

“I’m incredibly humbled by the support and excitement we’ve built around this campaign to give District 7 a real seat at the table in the state Senate,” Keiserman said. “We’ve proven that, when Democrats are unified, we have what it takes to flip the script on the Nassau County GOP machine. This district deserves leadership that will help build a safer, more affordable, and more welcoming community for all. The momentum is clearly on our side, and we are only just getting started.”

Port Washington resident Keiserman is running on the Democratic Party line in a bid to replace state Sen. Jack Martins, a Republican.

Keiserman is opposed for the Democratic nomination by former Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan, who was ousted from his seat after losing to Republican Samantha Goetz in November.

Efforts to reach Lafazan for comment were unavailing. Lafazan will be hosting a campaign “hometown fundraiser” Thursday evening at Chris and Tony’s in Syosset.

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

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

Keiserman’s endorsers include state Assemblymember Gina Sillitti, former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, Democratic National Committeeman Robert Zimmerman, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte, North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Christine Liu, former North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, North Hempstead Democratic Leader Wayne Wink, former North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman and community leader Weihua Yan.

“As the former state senator representing District 7, I am proud to endorse Democrat Kim Keiserman for state Senate because of her unwavering commitment to our community and her strong track record of grassroots advocacy on Long Island,” Kaplan said. “I know Kim will fight for better schools, reproductive freedom, sensible gun laws, and more affordable communities.”

Silliti called Keiserman the “capable partner” she needs to serve alongside her in Albany, touting her ability to unify people, deliver money to communities and advocate for legislation.

“Kim Keiserman is the leader Nassau County needs right now in the New York State Senate,” Zimmerman said. “She’s been a tire-

people together and get results.”

The announcement of endorsements from 10 past and present local officials comes a month after raising over $500,000 in her campaign’s first 25 days. This is the maximum a campaign can raise to receive the state’s total available matching funds.

Keiserman serves as commissioner for the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, works as an education consultant 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 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.

There are currently 63 state senators with Democrats holding a 42-21 advantage over Republicans. The only Democratic senator from Nassau County – the 6th Senate District’s Kevin Thomas of Levvittown – is running for the 4th Congressional District after being redistricted out of his current Senate district.

less fighter for our local communities. Kim’s groundbreaking work as an education advocate, an environmental leader and her leadership of the Port Washington Democratic Club demonstrates that Kim knows how to bring

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.

Gillen blasts Rep. D’Esposito on abortion

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Laura Gillen, a former Hempstead town supervisor running in the Democratic primary to represent New York’s 4th Congressional District, slammed incumbent U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) and warned voters that D’Esposito’s public stance on reproductive freedoms cannot be trusted.

Gillen said D’Esposito admitted he would back a national abortion ban while on the campaign trail in 2022, supported the overturn of Roe v. Wade and endorsed Donald Trump days after the Alabama Supreme Court in-vitro fertilization ruling.

She attacked D’Esposito’s track record, saying the legislator has accomplished close to nothing while in congress.

“The one thing [D’Esposito] did find time to do is repeatedly vote for Draconian antiabortion legislation, so it’s clear that [he] is a just another cog in the GOP wheel,” said Gillen.

Meanwhile, D’Esposito maintains that he is against a national abortion ban.

“Democrats’ misleading smear campaign cannot distort the fact that I’ve been fighting on Capitol Hill since day one to ensure women are empowered to make their own individual healthcare decisions by opposing any attempt to institute a nationwide abortion ban and advancing legislation that supports women’s access to important fertility resources like IVF treatments,” the congressmansaid in a statement.

These comments come in the wake of a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that ruled that frozen embyros can be considered children under state law. Embryos had previously been considered property by the courts,

not “unborn children,” as they are described in the new ruling.

The ruling could prevent patients from freezing, donating or destroying unused embyros, which would greatly affect individuals’ access to IVF treatments.

Jessica Mackler, the interim president of EMILYs List, said the IVF ruling harms every couple with fertility issues and single woman with the desire for children.

“When Anthony D’Esposito claims he supports IVF, he’s lying,” warned Mackler. “His actions and inactions speak louder than his words.”

EMILYs List is a group that works to get pro-choice Democratic candidates elected to office, and is endorsing Gillen.

Gillen said that opponents’ claims that Democrats use abortion rights as a talking point are “insensitive” and “ridiculous.”

“I had a fetal death where I had to have an abortion procedure when I was 18 weeks pregnant … so if I was not able to have it, it would put my ability to have future children at risk, it would’ve put my life at risk, so this is personal to me,” said Gillen. “I also have two daughters and the fact that my daughters might have less rights than my 82-year-old mother enjoyed most of her life is something that is frightening to me.”

D’Esposito continues to say that he is against a national abortion ban. Most recently, he signed on to a pro-IVF nonbinding resolution. The resolution calls on representatives to pass legislature protecting IVF.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called this resolution a “feeble attempt to cover up [the Republican] Party’s antiabortion, anti-choice track record.”

HERZLICH

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATE

Kim Keiserman, of Port Washington.

SCREENCAP BY TAYLOR

Laura Gillen, the former Democrat Hempstead supervisor now running for Congress in CD4, discusses the recent IVF ruling via Zoom.

What’s the matter with Nassau County?

Long Island boasts sandy white beaches, close proximity to New York City, many fine restaurants and, in Nassau County especially, some of the best schools in the country.

And yet from 2017 to 2022, Long Island lost more than 110,000 residents with the greatest loss coming in 2022 as 58,361 departed, data from the U.S. Census that was analyzed by the Long Island Association’s Research Institute shows.

Worse, the decrease was fueled by younger residents fleeing to other states. The average age of those leaving Long Island and going out of state was 29.

This trend, which began a decade ago, should raise red flags for residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties.

“Demographics is destiny and as a region if we’re not growing, we’re dying,” said Matt Cohen, president of the Melville-based Long Island Association, the most prominent voice of the region’s business community. “And to remain economically competitive with other parts of New York State, and other parts of the country, we need to stop this trend in its tracks.”

So what’s the matter with Long Island?

“This is a tough place to operate a business and is a high-cost region for families, young professionals as well as employers,” Cohen told Newsday.

The Long Island Association recently listed expanding options for affordable housing and affordable child care along with opposing costly new mandates on businesses among its top policy priorities for 2024.

This is consistent with the message that Gov. Kathy Hochul has been sending out, saying New York faces a shortfall of 800,000 housing units.

The impact of a lack of housing — affordable or otherwise — is basic economics. Lower supply than demand means higher costs – something that younger people are more likely to feel first.

Also working against younger people on Long Island is the lack of less expensive rental options in a county where about 85% of all housing is single-family.

Hochul has made two proposals to

increase new housing but pulled back after heated opposition from local officials who said they are better positioned than Hochul to fix the problem. We’ll believe it when we see it.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, pointed to taxes as the No. 1 reason for Nassau County losing population.

“It is not surprising that people are leaving New York State where taxes are some of the highest in the nation,” Blakeman said. The county executive did not offer specific solutions to New York’s high taxes.

In New York, the tax burden is divided mostly between sales, property taxes and state income taxes as well as federal taxes.

Blakeman ran for county executive, promising to cut county taxes but has yet to do so.

He has also failed to fix the county’s dysfunctional reassessment system, which has shifted billions in taxes from older, more affluent residents who challenge their property taxes to younger, less affluent owners who do not challenge them.

The share of property taxes that go to the county as well as special districts is actually a relatively small part — onethird — of what is paid by Nassau County property owners.

The rest, nearly two-thirds, goes to school districts. That is an area of spending that few are publicly opposing.

New York schools, which receive $35.3 billion in state aid, have the highest per-pupil spending of all 50 states, laying out $24,040 per pupil, approximately 90% above the national average.

On the North Shore per pupil spending is as high as $47,000 with many districts spending near or at $40,000.

By contrast, Florida, the No. 1 destination for New Yorkers leaving Long Island, spends $9,983 per pupil.

Ironically, some Long Island school districts have blamed their high spending per pupil on the high cost of living on Long Island – especially the high cost of housing.

Long Island school districts and

elected officials have also responded angrily to changes in foundation aid –money intended to ensure a basic education to New York students – that reduces their share.

Among their objections is Hochul’s proposed elimination of the “hold harmless” provision that has guaranteed a school district receiving at least as much foundation aid from year to year no matter the district’s need. Or population.

There is another solution to the decline in Long Island’s overall population and in schools thatcan probably be done much more quickly — immigration.

This also faces strong opposition.

Blakeman and other Republicans have repeatedly said the surge of migrants at the southern border under President Biden has resulted in rising crime in New York.

A flood of ads for Republican Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip in her failed congressional campaign against Democrat Tom Suozzi said the immigration crisis on the southern border resulted in blood in the streets.

Suozzi won the race by 8 percentage points after he supported and Pilip opposed a very conservative immigration reform plan to fix a broken immigration system following former President Trump’s call for House and Senate Republicans to turn it down.

This has allowed the Republican attacks on “migrant crime” to continue, led by Trump.

But a review of available 2024 crime data by NBC News shows overall crime levels dropping in cities that have received the most migrants.

This is consistent with previous studies that have found that immigrants commit fewer crimes, attend church more regularly, start more businesses than native-born Americans and take low-paying jobs that are hard to fill.

Recent studies have also shown that immigration has propelled the U.S. job market in recent years, aiding the country’s economic rebound from the COVID pandemic as the most robust in the world.

An Economic Policy Institute analysis of federal data shows that about 50 percent of the labor market’s extraordinary recent growth came from foreignborn workers between January 2023 and January 2024.

Even before that, by the middle of 2022, the foreign-born labor force had grown so fast that it closed the labor force gap created by the pandemic, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the surge in immigration is expected to increase the nation’s Gross Domestic Product by $7 trillion over the next decade.

”These immigrants are more likely to work than their native-born counterparts, largely because immigrants skew younger,” Washington Post columnist

Catherine Rampell recently wrote. “This infusion of working-age immigrants will more than offset the expected retirement of the aging, native-born population.”

On Long Island, “asylum-seekers have pumped millions into Long Island’s economy since arriving to the region by the thousands,“according to a report by the Immigration Research Initiative and the Ellis Island Initiative.

Blakeman, a Republican who has fiercely opposed efforts to relocate city migrants to Nassau County, said the group’s report tells only part of the story.

“The statistics don’t take into account that over $27 million in state and federal taxes are used to subsidize these migrants,” Blakeman said. “So for the average taxpayer it is a $24 million deficit, not a $3 million asset.”

In the short term, Blakeman may have a point.

The current asylum system does not allow migrants to legally work for six months. That was one of the fixes in the immigration reform package that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana won’t allow to come to the floor.

But more than 230 years of history provide the answer long term. We need more immigrants, not fewer, under an immigration system that protects our borders.

Add to that more places for immigrants and Long Island’s younger people to live.

Welcome to the age of long scraggily beards

In these strange gender-bending times, it’s odd to see so many young men sporting beards. I began to notice this trend while shopping for a new computer at Best Buy last week. With the exception of one Chinese guy, it seemed like all of the male salespeople and technical support staff had long beards. And I’m not talking about those neatly trimmed beards that George Michaels made popular back in the late ’70s. The new beard look for young men is long, ugly and scruffy. Kind of like Grizzly Adams.

David Letterman may be partially responsible for this ugly beard trend. Upon retirement from “The Late Show with David Letterman,” which aired for 30 years, he may have grown that beard to obtain some anonymity. This makes some sense to me. But the sales clerks at Best Buy are certainly not trying to hide from the public. So why do they want to grow these things?

Maybe they hope to save some time in the morning. Shaving takes at least 1 minute and 30 seconds. And the cost of buying razor blades is not cheap either.

I think those new Harry’s Razors cost about $17 for the starter kit. As we add this up, growing a long beard does begin to make some sense.

The most persuasive reason given to explain this long ugly beard trend was expressed on Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” One of his guests (I don’t recall who) was wearing a beard and when Seinfeld asked him about it, he said “growing a beard is the last thing that men can do that women can’t do.” Pretty funny.

The modern-day male identity is confused, embattled and in jeopardy. I have recently written about what they are calling “The Boy’s Crisis” on college campuses. Today there are more women in college than men and they are graduating in greater numbers than men.

Gender identity in high school is now fluid and the stats are alarming. In the 1960s gender was defined as male or female with occasional mention of bisexuality or homosexuality. Teenagers had relatively simple choices. Today the number of options is staggering. We begin with male vs. female or masculine vs, feminine. But that is only the beginning. Today gender can be agender, androgender, non-binary, bigender, pangender, gender expansive, gender outlaw, gender queer, omnigender, masculine of center or two spirit. We have bisexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism, but I’m not certain if those categories are now

nonsense. And should one need to make a phone call to a company, you are in for a nightmare. After I ordered my computer from Best Buy, the installer discovered that the mother board was defective. I rescheduled the installation, they said they would come the following weekend. This did not occur and when I called the number to once again reschedule, I went through a series of seven different conversations with sales representatives in various parts of the world just trying to reschedule the installation. And thank god I am considered one of their “Premier” customers.

Letterman’s beard is hideous, but he needs to hide from the public.

So we must say that those young men who like those long scraggily beards are at least holding bravely onto a semblance of their identity in this brave new world, which is far too complex and confusing for any of us to understand.

too passe. About 18% of teens consider themselves gender fluid whereas in the 1960s, only about 2%-3% were gender fluid.

I think today’s world is remarkably confusing for everyone and in every way. The overabundance of information and technological overload is seen at every turn. When I try to mail a large letter, I must answer a series of computer-driven questions on the post office pad about the content of the envelope, including whether it contains anything toxic, flammable or poisonous. The questions go on and on and we all must endure this

So in the end who can criticize these young men who are growing long beards. My guess is they are valiantly holding onto some semblance of a sane, simple identity in a world that has far too many options, avenues and choices. At least if they look in the mirror in the morning, they can say to themselves “OK, that’s me, my name is Johnny and I’m a young man, a young man with a beard.”

Yes, LeBron James has an ugly beard, but he plays great ball. Shane Lowry has an odd- looking beard, but he has a great golf swing. Gandalf’s beard was nasty, but he was a wizard. David

Gov. Hochul’s continuing budget gimmicks

In a column I wrote in January, I was pleased to point out that Gov. Kathy Hochul “appeared to acknowledge the state’s deteriorating fiscal condition.” The proof of her concern was in her proposed $230 billion budget that called for a modest increase in spending of $3.7 billion.

Then there was Hochul’s extraordinary pledge to protect taxpayers’ “hard-earned money from politicians who want to raise your taxes.”

I, for one, found Hochul’s budgetary proclamation most refreshing. Perhaps she finally realized that there can be dire consequences if the state government does not halt runaway spending.

Unfortunately, however, the governor’s public embrace of sound fiscal policies is nothing more than play acting.

Why, you ask?

Well, as always, the devil is in the details. And the analysis of Hochul’s budget proposal performed by the office of State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli reveals that it is loaded with illconsidered fiscal gimmicks that on the surface give the illusion of responsible

stewardship.

Here’s a summary of the comptroller’s findings:

First, the report states that New York’s “structural budget gap is projected to worsen over the next few years.” Accumulated deficits are expected to hit $20 billion between fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2027-2028.

Next there is the issue of the state’s reserve funds. While state statutory reserve funds have increased to $6.3 billion, there are $13.2 billion set aside as “informal reserves” for “economic uncertainties.”

The informal reserves can be spent at any time on favored projects or causes because they are under the governor’s “discretionary control.” The report notes, “There is no statutory basis for such designated funds and no accompanying guidelines or restrictions or deposits, balance levels, how or when the funding can be used or replenished.”

Very convenient, don’t you think?

This financial gimmick will permit the government to expend state dollars beyond the modest increase in spending she announced in January to much

resources” that will be expended to balance the budget. The utilization of “one shots” only augments the out year budget deficits.

Then there is the governor’s scheme to “obfuscate the state’s true debt burden.”

The budget circumvents the state’s debt cap “by utilizing a loophole in the New York Debt Reform Act.” It “misleadingly portrays the Gateway debt [authorized up to $2.85 billion currently estimated at $1.4 billion] as if it is not a part of the state’s direct debt burden.” The Gateway project will expand Northeast Corridor rail travel between Penn Station and Newark.

nors to her campaign treasury.

Finally, there’s the comptroller’s not so rosy outlook on the state economy.

While the national labor force has recovered from COVID, the state has not.

With New York not expected to return “to pre-pandemic employment until the second half of 2026,” this plus the ongoing loss of middle- and upperclass taxpayers to low tax states will the comptroller concluded, “continue to pose a risk to the New York economy and in turn its revenue.”

fanfare. Don’t be surprised if a significant portion of those discretionary reserves are used to pay for migrant services.

With recurring spending growing faster than recurring revenue, the governor is using an egregious gimmick to coverup the budget’s structural imbalance: “one shot revenues.”

There are $14 billion in “non-recurring

DiNapoli’s analysts also identified approximately $3.4 billion in spending that is exempt from a competitive procurement process and from the comptroller’s contract oversight authority.

“These proposed changes,” the comptroller rightly observes, “reduce transparency, competition, and oversight over a significant amount of taxpayer supported state spending.”

To put it more bluntly, the governor can approve without any oversight billions in contracts to cronies and do-

The governor’s talk about being fiscally responsible is merely empty rhetoric. Hochul’s budget is anything but balanced and the in balance will surely grow after the far-left Legislature finishes with it.

If history is a guide, Gov. Hochul will likely surrender to the demands of legislators to spend more on pork projects and on special interests.

Like many of her predecessors, Gov. Hochul is using sleight-of-hand fiscal tricks to finance her budget, leaving New York’s dwindling number of taxpayers to foot the bill.

PHOTO BY TOM FERRARO

How does on explain the trend toward the long scraggily beard?

The conundrum of the electric car

Electric cars are all the rage these days. Our streets are filled with Teslas, BMW i4s, Priuses and Polestars.

It’s all part of the green revolution, as our society moves away from burning fossil fuels to a more sustainable future. But while electric vehicles may seem like a great answer to our energy needs here at home, their production carries a hefty environmental and social justice price tag halfway around the world.

Let’s start with the clever alchemy that allows an EV to travel silently down the road. In the case of a moderatesized EV, that’s a giant battery weighing almost a ton. (Actually, the battery is made up of lots of individual cells, but I’m keeping this simple to make a point.) Included in this giant battery is about 30 pounds of cobalt, 40 pounds of manganese, 60 pounds of nickel, 25 pounds of lithium, 200 pounds of copper, and several hundred pounds of other materials like aluminum, steel, and, of course, plastic.

If you follow international news and are concerned about human rights, you already know that the Congo is the

primary supplier of cobalt. And you may also know that the environmental and worker protection laws in the Congo aren’t the strongest. As a result, mining for cobalt is associated with widespread habitat destruction and pollution, including water and soil contamination.

The majority of cobalt mining and processing is done by large international mining companies, mostly Chinese. But a significant portion is produced by “artisanal mining,” which is a nice way of saying local workers, including children, are climbing deep down handdug shafts and chipping away at the embedded rock.

According to Siddharth Kara, a fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and author of “Cobalt Red,” “Cobalt is toxic to touch and breathe — and there are hundreds of thousands of poor Congolese people touching and breathing it day in and day out. Young mothers with babies strapped to their backs, all breathing in this toxic cobalt dust.”

The average cobalt miner in the Congo makes less than $8 a day for their work. Which means that he or she would have to save every penny in earn-

ploitation have reared their ugly heads. Scientific research demonstrates that high-level exposure to manganese can be toxic, causing a wide array of neurological problems. In South Africa, home to the world’s largest reserves of manganese, workers report symptoms including memory loss, loss of muscle coordination and other symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease.

You might think that the EV manufacturers would find a way to use at least some of their astronomical profits to improve the lives of the workers whose labor supplies the critical elements that make electric vehicles go, but apparently the profit motive is stronger than the altruistic motive. Maybe a shareholder initiative is in their future?

a lot of the power being used to charge our EV batteries is coming from burning fossil fuels.

As we consider the quandary of the electric car, we might also wonder what ever happened to the 50 mile-per-gallon car? It wasn’t that long ago that car manufacturers competed on the basis of the mileage efficiency of their fossil fuel-powered vehicles. Today, European manufacturers make cars that routinely achieve 45 miles a gallon, while many Japanese cars get 50. Here in America, we love our giant SUVs, which, on a good day, achieve about 18 miles a gallon. It’s ironic to hear people complain about the price of gas while they fill the tank of their giant gas guzzler.

ings for more than 25 years to be able to afford the vehicle which depends on that labor to make it go.

Partly because of the issues surrounding cobalt’s production, manufacturers are increasingly turning to manganese for battery chemistry because of its lower cost, increased supply reliability and improved performance. But once again, the thorny matters of environmental degradation and worker ex-

And before we leave the electric car issue, let’s remember that the energy to recharge those giant batteries needs to come from somewhere. In New York, the power plants that account for almost three-fifths of New York’s generating capacity are fueled by natural gas. While the state has set ambitious targets for future generations to meet (100% renewable energy by 2040, a mere 16 years away), the fact is that right now,

As with many environmental issues, when it comes to which car is best, there is no perfect answer. We probably could have done better for the world’s environment by simply making our fossil-fueled vehicles much more efficient and using them less frequently while we figure out a way to make electric vehicles that don’t carry a heavy environmental and social justice price tag. Sustainable should mean sustainable for everyone.

VIEW POINT

Take up arms against widening war on women

It is not OK that Christo Nationalist lawmakers are trying to preserve in vitro fertilization by carving out limits to liability for fertility clinics and doctors even though it goes against their personhood scripture. (“We want more children!” “Families should be able to breed!”)

But once you deem a clump of cells – representing the “hope”, the “possibility” of a child – having “personhood” and establish that personhood over the personhood of the mother, you still expose her to prosecution under Alabama’s 1872 state law, the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, should she refuse to continue to pay the fees for storage, to refuse to implant an embryo that is not viable or has genetic defect or in fact fails to implant all the embryos that are collected in the hopes of having a pregnancy. While 10 percent of women seek fertility treatment, 2% of pregnancies result from IVF. And then you expose her to prosecution if the pregnancy fails in this burgeoning criminalization of pregnancy.

Women are already being prosecuted for miscarrying (one in four pregnancies result in miscarriage) – which will lead to women living in fear that they will be charged for infanticide if they are shown to have indulged in “risky” behavior like skiing during pregnancy, riding in a speedboat – while women are forced by the state to come to the brink of death or lose their future futility without receiving health care.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act requires hospitals to give emergency medical care, but states including Texas, Kansas and Missouri with

extreme abortion bans have decided that hospitals and doctors, on threat of prosecution, must ignore a woman’s plight, federal law, their Hippocratic Oath, and let her bleed to death in the parking lot or if she survives, lose her ability to become pregnant again. It is no coincidence that the states with the most Draconian abortion bans also have the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality.

Instead of hospitals and doctors worrying about being prosecuted by the state for providing care, they should worry about being sued for a woman dying or losing her fertility because of their failure.

Nearly two in three pregnancyrelated deaths are preventable, and one in three happen one week to one year after delivery, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Biden administration is enabling states to extend Medicaid, which pays 42% of U.S. births, to a full year after giving birth but two states, Idaho and Arkansas, have refused.

Nassau County women’s reproductive rights advocates protest after the Supreme Court issues its Dobbs decision, overturning the constitutional rights under Roe v Wade. New Yorkers will have a chance to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment into the state constitution in November © Karen Rubin/news-photosfeatures.com

Texas and Alabama are among the states that are trying to ban pregnant women from traveling out of state to places like New York State, even prosecuting family who might provide aid. It doesn’t matter, as the Justice Department

their health records or even have doctorpatient confidentiality anyone else gets — from the state or the bounty-hunters it has incentivized to terrorize pregnant women.

It’s only a pyrrhic victory that Walgreens and CVS will make available mifepristone, a drug used in 50 percent of abortions, but only in states that have not banned abortion, even as the Christo Fascists on the Supreme Court may actually ban mifepristone, despite its having been used safety and effectively for 20 years– effectively instituting a national abortion ban.

France to enshrine abortion rights into its constitution.

“It is always too late if we wait until a right is threatened to protect it,” Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti told France’s senators. “The freedom of abortion is not like the others because it allows people to decide their future. For democracy to control its destiny, women must be allowed to control theirs.”

“The rights of women are reversible — you are never sure to have really won,” said Geneviève Fraisse, a French feminist philosopher. “The proof is in the United States.”

is now arguing, that the Constitution protects the right to travel across state lines and engage in conduct that is lawful where it is performed and that states cannot prevent third parties from assisting others in exercising that right.

Missouri and three other states now ban a pregnant woman from obtaining a divorce, even if she is a victim of domestic violence and her life is in danger.

There’s a Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that went into effect in 2023 (thanks Biden-Harris) that requires employers to give reasonable accommodation to pregnant women, but Texas has decided it can ignore it.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is supposed to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed, but somehow women in Texas have no right to privacy – not on their cell phones, their computer records keeping track of their periods,

The religious zealot misogynists are resurrecting the Comstock Act from 1873 that defined contraceptives as obscene and illicit and made it a federal offense to disseminate through the mail or across state lines. Though the Act was amended in 1936 to allow physicians to legally mail birth control devices and information (and later birth control pills) – the Biden administration’s main way to preserve reproductive health care where stripped away — rabid Christian Nationalists want to reapply the law to bar abortion medication as well as contraception (though no problem mailing Viagra).

After Roe was stripped away, 27 million — one out of every three women of reproductive age — lost access to abortion, according to the White House’s Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access – but more than that, women lost access to reproductive healthcare and basic human rights.

The horror of what is unfolding here in the United States has even triggered

It should boggle the mind that Americans need to hear the rationale to restore women’s human rights from France.

Biden-Harris’ reelection is the only barrier to the dystopia that is already unfolding. But, clearly, the president can only do so much. We need a Democratic Congress to codify Roe and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. And finish ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment so protections are on firmer ground even against a Supreme Court determined to ignore constitutional rights when it suits them.

The New York State legislature, despite laws protecting women’s and gender rights, just passed an Equal Rights Amendment to the state constitution. The vote to ratify the NYS ERA will appear on the November 2024 election ballot.

The Westchester Women’s Bar Association of NY is holding a zoom conference on NYS’s ERA on March 8 at 1-2:15 pm (International Women’s Day). Register at www.wwbany.com

KAREN RUBIN View Point

DOUG WOOD Earth Matters

Trans athletes are none of government’s business

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s executive order on transgender athletes is an unwarranted instrusion into private activities. The physical qualifications for athletes is a matter that should properly be determined by sports teams and leagues, not the

government.

Many sports have physical qualifications. Boxing and wrestling classify athletes by weight. Little Leagues and senior teams have age qualifications. A female Kenyan runner with naturally high testosterone levels has been required to use testosterone lowering

drugs for certain track events. What constitutes fair competition can be a difficult issue.

The difficulty of deciding what is fair competition is a good reason for the government to keep out. People should be allowed to make the own choices rather than having the gov-

ernment impose choices upon them. Some leagues may bar trans athletes while others welcome them. Those who don’t like these choices may start their own teams and leagues that reflect their own desires or try to change the minds of those who disagree with them. That is the way a free society

operates.

Instead, Bruce Blakeman has decided to impose his choices on others by using his control over county athletic facilities.

Ryan Cooper Albertson

Parente backs Gallo, Lark in upcoming trustee vote

On Tuesday March 19, there will be a contested election in the Village of East Williston. Two trustee seats are open with three names on the ballot.

As the current mayor and grateful resident, I enthusiastically endorse Trustees James Lark and Anthony Gallo.

I am so hopeful that residents will know the importance of coming out to vote on election day to support these two candidates. It barely takes a minute to go the East Williston Village Hall between the hours of 12noon and 9pm to cast your vote.

Here’s why I am supporting James Lark and Anthony Gallo.

In 2019, when a Trustee Anthony Casella decided to step down midterm, I was faced with a task and an opportunity to make an interim appointment to fill the spot.

Trustee Lark was not a personal

friend (yet), nor was he a very close acquaintance. He was simply someone I knew in the community because he came to board meetings to make rational statements, was constructively critical during our Williston Park water discussions, and was becoming, at that time, heavily involved in scouting and other areas in our community.

I knew little else about him. I wasn’t looking for a trustee to be my wingman or someone to be necessarily agreeable. I wanted someone who took the issues seriously, someone who would challenge me, who would be willing to put the time in, and was ready to be a working member of a very busy board.

I chose right. Over the years, I am grateful that James Lark is willing put his personal cell phone number on our village answering machine for DPW and other emergencies after hours.

I am grateful that he, as the vice president of a large title company, has the expertise and resources to help our board navigate issues in his area of expertise, of which there are many. And I am in awe of the many times he has met village contractors, in person, on his own time, to oversee work in our village.

Soon after Trustee Lark’s appointment, at the next village election, Trustee Chris Siciliano made a decision not to run again. Chris is the best!

While I was incredibly disappointed, I had to acknowledge that he certainly deserved a reprieve. Few people have given to the community as much as he. After getting through my disappointment, I was delighted to hear that Anthony Gallo was considering running for the spot.

Anthony was known by Trustee Lark but I did not yet know him well.

I was impressed with his resume as a licensed professional engineer but was more impressed that as a young dad, he was already giving back to his community in the Little League and in scouting.

Four years later, I cannot believe, looking back, at how much Anthony’s expertise and dedication have helped our village.

Anthony works as a civil engineer, and dives deep into our infrastructure projects and contractor bids and translates them into a language we can all understand. He does this on his own time.

During the National Grid pipeline project, which seemed to exist forever in our small village, Anthony participated in weekly conference calls, for hours at a time, making sure the project was on target and being done properly.

During the holidays, when the fire

department was short a Santa, Anthony volunteered. On Christmas Eve, he helped make sure every block in our Village was visited by Santa.

Residents often ask me what I do as Mayor or as a member of the Board. It’s not easy to articulate all of the areas we are involved in. It seems the smaller the Village, the more involved the Board members need to be, since we don’t have a large number of employees and departments. All of our employees, board members, committee members and appointees really need to pull their own weight.

I can’t say they’re unappreciated because I appreciate each and every one of them. I hope residents do too. Please show your appreciation and come out on March 19th to support James and Anthony.

Bonnie Parente Mayor of Village of East Williston

My memories of friend Rabbi Martin Rozenberg

I’d like to salute the memory of a dear friend, Rabbi Martin Rozenberg, who passed away on Nov. 30 at the age of 95.

As many of you know, he served as senior rabbi at The Community Synagogue in Sands Point for close to 40 years. He was well respected for his scholarship, father-figure personality, and genuine care for his flock and for the Jewish people plus his legendary deep baritone.

We first met back in June of 1991.

I was a young of 24 years old, still living in Brooklyn. I would visit Port a few times a week to meet local people, and try to make inroads into the community with plans to move here that September in time for the High Holidays.

Goldie Greenberg (obm) was one of the first local people we met, and she did whatever she could to help. She called me up one day and announced with great excitement that her rabbi, Rabbi Rozenberg, wished to meet me.

I walked into the rabbi’s study with a good measure of trepidation. I had no idea what to expect. What would this seasoned rabbi have to say to a young Chabad’nik sniffing around in his territory.

Rozenberg could not have been more friendly and welcoming. “Rabbi Paltiel, I want you to know I’m very happy you’re coming to our town. I’ve been following the work of the Rebbe and Chabad for many years, and have visited 770 numerous times through Rabbi Butman, along with busloads of Community Synagogue Jews who want to experience Simchat Torah at Chabad Lubavitch.

“I’m also a fund-raiser for Yeshivas in Israel, including Chabad Yeshivas. I believe in your work and in your mission. Don’t hesitate to call upon me for any assistance. I will do anything I can to help you.” Aha not exactly what I had expected to hear.

And help he did. In many more ways than one. Including introducing me to some key local people he felt

would support our work.

Looking back after 32 years in town, many of my long-time relationships with some really special local people were as a result of Rozenberg’s introductions.

The following summer, in 1992, we honored him at a cocktail party at the home of Ema and Clem Soffer attended by Rabbi Butman, then-Congressman Charles Shumer and thenstate Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli.

Rozenberg surprised us yet again when he stood up and said, in the presence of many of his own congregants: “If any of my people want to move over to Chabad to get more Yiddishkeit, kol hakavod (all the power to them).” Wow again! How many congregational rabbis would make such a speech.

Rabbi Rozenberg retired just a few years later and moved to New Jersey. We did stay in touch to some degree (not enough), calling each other before Rosh Hashanah, and seeing each other during his infrequent visits to

Port Washington.

In 1998, shortly after moving into our new Shore Road location, I had the opportunity to give him a tour of the building during one of his visits. He could not have been happier and more proud. To quote him: “Rabbi Paltiel, I’m kvelling”!

He was born in Lithuania, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 11 in 1940.

As providence would have it, his family traveled aboard the same vessel as the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson (father-inlaw of our Rebbe).

During the voyage, his father brought him over to the Rebbe to ask for his blessing for the boy, which he received. Another fascinating “Yiddishkeit” connection was his Jewish name, Meir Simcha, named after the famous sage the Chofetz Chaim.

Rabbi Rozenberg was a true friend of mine and of our Port Washington Chabad. To him, it wasn’t about furthering the goals of one congregation

or the other, rather it was about fostering more Jewishness in any way he could.

One of my fondest memories of him is when he attended the Bris of our son Mendel (February 1995), and he came early for the morning minyan along with his own quality Tefillin set.

I’m happy to have been able to attend the funeral and offer my condolences to his wonderful children and grandchildren. He leaves behind a true legacy, a large family of actively involved Jews, carrying on the traditions of Torah and Yiddishkeit which were so near and dear to their father.

Farewell, my friend. Heaven surely is rewarding you for your mitzvahs and bold leadership. Rest in peace. You will long be remembered and beloved in our community by all who had the privilege of knowing you.

Rabbi Shalom M Paltiel Port Washington

Roslyn student to play in world games

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Luca Perna is a local basketball star. Soon to head off to Austria to play in the United World Games, the guy has been playing ball for nearly eight years.

A true competitor, Perna always arrives at venues at least 45 minutes before game time to shoot some hoops. He trains in the gym often, doing both basketball endurance workouts and strength training. And one more thing: He is only 12 years old.

Perna, a Roslyn Middle School student, found out he was going to the United World Games two months ago.

“I was really, really, really excited, because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Perna said.

The United World Games are an annual youth sports tournament held in Europe.

This year’s games will be held in Klagenfurt, Austria on June 19 to June 23. Perna is used to travelling for his sport, though not quite as far.

In fact, he says traveling is one of his favorite things about playing basketball.

“I have tournaments in Detroit and stuff,” Perna said.

The world games aim to bring young students from around the

world together to make friendships, build connections and play some awesome games.

Perna has been hard at work, practicing basketball for 12 hours per week the past few years to prepare for the big tournament.

“I’m really a competitive kid,” Perna said.

He might have inherited that competitive streak from his father, who played basketball in his own

Perna earned his spot to the games with his grades.

STUDENTathleteWorld selects students from around the country to represent Team USA in global tournaments. The selections rely on the student’s sportsmanship, grades and leadership qualities.

“I take my grades over everything,” said Perna. “Like, say my grades aren’t looking too sharp. Then I take a break from basketball to focus

“I take my grades over everything,” said Perna. “Like, say my grades aren’t looking too sharp. Then I take a break from basketball to focus on that.”

— Luca Perna

high school days. Perna says both of his parents have been extremely supportive of his basketball career. “My dad always pushes me to my limit, trying to make me better, and my mom drives me everywhere,” Perna said. But Perna’s dedication to basketball does not interfere with his commitment to his education. In fact,

on that.”

While Perna is looking forward to the games this summer, he is also looking toward the future, when he hopes to play basketball overseas for the NBA.

In the meantime, he encourages other kids to shoot for the stars. “Just keep working, and when times are tough, just push through,” said Perna.

Roslyn High to get $125,000 for security

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Roslyn board of education trustees approved a large grant set to fund a high school security booth Tuesday.

Nassau County legislator Samantha Goetz is offering the district $125,000 in the form of a grant to fund the new security booth at the high school, according to Superintendent Allison Brown.

“I just want to say an enormous thank you to the county of Nassau and to legislator Samantha Goetz for getting things moving from the lock jam over there so we can get this item taken care of as promised,” said Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy, president of the board of education.

Waxman Ben-Levy called the security booth “very necessary” and said the district has been planning this addition for a long time.

Herricks district ignored child sex abuse: attorney

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

The Herricks School District ignored reports of child sex abuse citing a school psychologist in the 1980s, setting the stage for later students to be victimized, attorneys argued in the first Child Victims Act cases against a Long Island school district to go to trial.

The 2019 Child Victims Act extended the statute of limitations for survivors of child sex abuse, granting survivors more time to press criminal charges against offenders. The act also applied to civil cases, allowing victims more time to file a claim for money damages.

“One of the things that’s happening is that victims are coming forward now, decades later, and they’re exposing the institutions and the predators themselves,” said attorney Jeffrey Herman, who represents the plaintiff in the Herricks trial that began Monday.

There are currently two trials against Herricks. Both cases are being heard by a jury in Nassau County Supreme Court. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages for alleged abuse by a school employee, claiming the district ignored initial reports of abuse in the 1980s, thus permitting the abuse to ensue.

Prior to the law, child sex abuse survivors had between one and five years to bring a civil lawsuit against their abuser, with that oneto five-year period starting after the victim turned 18 years old.

Following the act, which was in effect

through 2021, survivors could file a claim any time before they turned 55 years old.

Separate lawsuits were filed by 21 former students against the Herricks under the act. The former students allege they were abused by then-school psychologist Vincent Festa between 1973 and 1991.

Herman said the abuse his client endured could have been avoided if the district had investigated Festa and removed him from the district after a pair of students reported instances of abuse to the high school principal in 1980.

Knowledge of Festa’s alleged abuse was so rampant in the years that followed that he was widely referred to in school as “Festa the Molester,” according to Herman.

The current superintendent of the Herricks school district declined to comment, said an aide in the administration office.

In the trial that began Monday, the plaintiff, referred to as P.H. in court, said he was first abused by Festa as a freshman at the high school during the 1983-84 school year when he was sent to Festa’s office for acting out in class.

Festa shared pornographic magazines with the plaintiff while pleasuring himself and fondling the teen, said Herman.

Herman said the plaintiff had already been abused by a teen in his neighborhood a few years prior to the incident with Festa.

Continued on Page 23

COURTESY OF LUCA PERNA

Luca Perna is preparing to represent Team USA in the United World Games.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Roslyn Board of Education approved a large security grant Tuesday.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

Top essayist, writer Philip Lapate to speak on latest work

FOL University, the Friends of the Library’s scholarly lecture series, presents Phillip Lopate, America’s preeminent essayist, speaking on “The Personal Essay–Past and Present”on Sunday, March 10, at 2:30 pm in the Port Washington Public Library’s Lapham Room and on Zoom.

Lopate is the author of the seminal To Show and To Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction and the editor of the influential The Art of the Personal Essay. Heis also an accomplished poet and novelist, film and literary critic, writer about and lover of New York City, and renowned professor and mentor.

His latest book is “A Year and a Day: An Experiment in Essays.”

He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Public Library Center for Scholars and Writers Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts grants, and two New York Foundation for the Arts grants. He is a professor at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches nonfiction writing.

Copies of Lopate’s A Year and a Day will be available for purchase and signing. To register visit pwpl.org/events. For information email fol@pwpl.org.

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.

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Fri 3/08

Joe Gatto's Night Of Comedy

@ 7pm / $29.75-$59.75

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents The Great‐est Show On Earth @ 7pm / $20-$90

UBS Arena, 2400

Featured Featured Featured

Hempstead Turnpike, Belmont Park - Long Is‐land

Nate Charlie Music @ 7pm

EGP, 2823 Long Beach Rd, Oceanside

Screaming Orphans

@My Father's Place (The Roslyn) @ 8pm

My Father's Place, 1221 Old Northern Blvd, Roslyn

Bachman-Turner Overdrive

@ 8pm / $29.50-$69.50

NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury

The 90's Band @ 9pm Mulcahy's Pub and Concert Hall, 3232 Railroad Ave, Wan‐tagh

Sat 3/09

LIRRC Pot of Gold 3x2Mile Relay @ 9:30am / $30

Eisenhower Park Field 2, Park‐ing Lot 2, East Meadow. events @elitefeats.com

4-Leaf Clover 5K Trail Run/Walk & FREE

Kiddie Clover Fun Run @ 11am / $30

Bethpage Polo at the Park, Bethpage State Park Play‐ground, Old Bethpage. events @elitefeats.com

Queen of Jeans @ 6pm Spotlight NY Huntington, 370 New York Ave, Huntington

Jim Breuer: Survival with Laughter Tour @ 7pm / $29.50-$79.50

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

Joan Osborne @ 8pm Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St, Port Washington

Seconds Out: A Tribute to the Music of Genesis: Seconds Out Returns to Industry, Huntington @ 8pm Industry, 344 New York Ave, Huntington

Queen of the Night: A Tribute to Whitney Houston @ 8pm / $21.50-$59.50

NYCB Theatre at West‐bury, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury

Pearl Jam Tribute - Last Exit: Last Exit at Beau's Bar @ 8pm Beau's Bar, 54 Broadway, Greenlawn

Sun 3/10

Featured Featured Featured

Back by popular demand – Picasso Portraits at Gold Coast Arts for all ages and levels!

@ 1:30pm

Back by popular de‐mand – Picasso Por‐traits at Gold Coast Arts for all ages and levels! Gold Coast Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck. info@goldcoas tarts.org, 516-829-2570

Diana Krall

@ 8pm

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington

Mon 3/11

GCIFF Spotlight on Jew‐ish Film - ALL ABOUT THE LEVKOVICHES

@ 7pm / $16

A multigenerational dramedy explores the complexities of family, faith, and forgiveness. Manhasset Cinemas, 430 Plan‐dome Road, Manhasset. info@ goldcoastarts.org, 516-8292570

Tue 3/12

Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Champi‐onship - Session 1

@ 11:30am / $20-$65

Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn

Editor's Voice Featured

Archangel Michael Church Blood Drive March 12

@ 1:45pm

Emergency Blood Drive

Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, 100 Fairway Drive, Port Washington. mvlahos@optonline.net, 516-528-4791

Wed 3/13

Phil Smith

@ 7pm

Craft Kitchen & Tap House Huntington, 363 New York Ave, Huntington

Irish Comedy Tour: Feat. Mick Thomas & Sean Finnerty

@ 7:30pm / $25

Mulcahy's Pub and Concert Hall, 3232 Railroad Avenue, Wantagh

Saturday Mar 9th

The Northwinds Symphonic Band returns to Sands Point Preserve

@ 1pm / $5-$15

Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sandspointpreserve.org, 516-571-7901

Conductors Helen P. Bauer and Brandon Bromsey have planned a special program. Broadway actress Karen Murphy will host the con‐cert, which is designed to delight children and adults alike.

GCIFF Spotlight on Jewish Film - THE BOY IN THE WOODS @ 7pm / $16

A powerful saga of courage and compas‐sion. Manhasset Cine‐mas, 430 Plandome Road, Manhasset. info @goldcoastarts.org, 516-829-2570

Thu 3/14

Sarah Gross: Tap Room - Jericho (Covers) @ 6pm Tap Room, 1 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho

The Side Cars Band "A Tribute to The Cars" at The Warehouse @ 7pm

The Warehouse, 203 Broadway, Amityville

Featured Featured

New York's Finest a tribute to Sting & The Police: The Warehouse @ 7:30pm

The Warehouse, 203 Broadway, Amityville

A Chorus Line @ 7:30pm

The Argyle Theatre at Babylon Village, 34 W Main St, Babylon

Featured

Brit Floyd @ 8pm / $25-$89.50

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

Fri 3/15

Where Stars Collide NY @ 6pm

Lily Flanagan's Pub, 345 Deer Park Ave #2360, Babylon

Electrify Your Strings!: Electrify Your Symphony with Mark Wood @ 7pm

West Babylon School District, 10 Farmingdale Rd., West Babylon

Lovebirds Music Enter‐tainment: Lovebirds at Charlotte's Speakeasy @ 7:30pm

Charlotte’s Speakeasy, 294 Main St, Farmingdale

Blue October @ 8pm / $25-$59.50

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington

Hunter Root @ 8pm Industry, 344 New York Ave, Huntington

Disco Unlimited at Mulcahy's Pub & Concert Hall @ 9pm

Mulcahy's Pub and Concert Hall, 3232 Railroad Ave, Wan‐tagh

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

https://theisland360.com/local-events/ powered by

Roslyn Middle roller coaster carnival Rain forest study by 3rd graders

On Thursday, Feb. 15, 2023, third graders at Glen Head School celebrated with their parents, family members, Interim Principal Ms. Dugan and teachers their Rainforest Culmination. For many weeks, students researched Brazil and the Amazon rainforest in their social studies unit that combined learning with aspects of weather and climate as a part of their science learning.

During this in-depth, interdisciplinary Rainforest study, each child chose an animal living in the Rainforest including mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and/or fish and researched his or her specific creature by reading and taking notes. Additionally, the third graders worked on individual, creative projects at home (for example: a diorama, booklet, or poster) which were on display during the celebration.

GH 3rd grade teacher

Ms. Niland said, “I think our third graders are leaving this study better readers, writers, speakers, artists, world advocates, and reptile holders! Thank you for all your support along the way.”

At the culmination, the students sang songs and shared with their families and invited guests their completed projects and information about their animal characteristics, food, predators, how they live and survive in the rainforest, and adaptations. Additionally, they showed their guests the walls of their classrooms and hallways which were filled with beautiful artwork resembling an actual Rainforest!

Thank you to all of the third graders and their teachers for this extensive, interdisciplinary Rainforest Celebration!

9 Roslyn students qualify for Merit scholoarship finals

Nine Roslyn High School students have been named Finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship awards competition — Cole Goodman, Jacob Gross, Cayden Shen, Chloe Tseng, Lucas Weisser, Stephanie Yeh, Hanah Youn, Aasiya Zaidi, and Jacob Zwerling. All Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships to be offered later this spring.

Eight

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Seventh grade science students at Roslyn Middle School designed and constructed elaborate paper roller coasters for display in the school’s Fourth Annual Roller Coaster Carnival. Working in groups, students were tasked with creating coasters that transformed potential energy into kinetic energy.

A total of seventy coasters were constructed, each with a creative theme, such as: endless Cosmos, Get Out of my Swamp, and Love Tunnel.

“We are so proud of our roller coaster engineers,” said science teacher Ali Sparaco, who planned the lesson with fellow science teachers Jenna Ruber, Ann Marie Covino, and Brian Hoffner. “Each team applied what they learned in class and constructed paper roller coasters which safely transported a marble from the top to the bottom—effected only by the forces acting on it. What an honor it was to watch their learning come to life. All we can say is wow!”

Students had a chance to view each other’s work during a multi-day science carnival—held in the library just prior to the winter recess. Students sent marbles down each rollercoaster to test their construction, then voted for three top spots. Prizes were given to Lego Skyfall for Most Thrilling, Journey to the Stars for Most Creative and Gravity Falls for Most Likely to be Built at an Amusement Park.

“Journey to the Stars” won the award for most creative.

1st graders celebrate fairy tale ball

On Feb. 14, 2023, Sea Cliff School first graders took to the stage to celebrate the annual Fairy Tale Ball. This enchanting interdisciplinary event culminated over a month of literary studies in folk and fairy tales as part of the English curriculum. It also combined many lessons in art and music.

As part of the English curriculum under the Common Core, the first graders focused on story elements including: settings, story lines, characterization and problems and solutions. Prior to the celebration, they were taught all about the wonders of magic, repeating words, and happy endings.

Parents, families, and friends were invited to the magical Fairy Tale Ball where their children dressed up as characters in literature to become part of their favorite

fairy tales including Cinderella, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man, and Jack and the Beanstalk. During the celebration, activities included charming skits, poems, limericks, and fun songs.

Many thanks to music teacher, Ms. Ashley Hassett-Borders, who inspired students to learn numerous songs, and Ms. Lisa Giurlanda, who helped first graders create artifacts relating to the folk and fairy tale stories.

Bravo to all of the first-grade teachers who helped their students not only learn the wonders of fairy tales but engaged all of the parents and family members in attendance to a captivating Fairy Tale Ball Celebration!

Sea Cliff first graders attend the fairy tale ball.

Two North Shore Merit finalists

North Shore Counseling Director Dan Doherty said, “I am happy to report that Claire Tao and Noah Lee have been named as National Merit Finalists through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. This means they are still in the running to win a National Merit Scholarship, which will be announced in late March 2024.”

In September, Claire and Noah were designated Semifinalists.

All Merit Scholar designees are chosen on the basis of their abilities, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, the nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

About 95% of the Semifinalists are expected to gain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title. Principal Contreras had remarked, “We are proud of Noah and Claire on their terrific accomplishment. They are stellar members of our North Shore community. They are intellectually driven, talented musicians, multilingual leaders who bring out the best in those around them. We celebrate their recognition as National Merit Finalists.”

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. It was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the

annual National Merit® Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 440 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT

of the nine finalists with Roslyn High School principal Scott Andrews and Tanya Baptiste, director of guidance and counseling.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE SCHOOLS

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE SCHOOLS

Claire Tao and Noah Lee, North Shore finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Blakeman trans ban fight court bound

Continued from Page 1

Blakeman has five business days to repeal the executive order and provide James’ office with documents related to the order. If not done, her office said further legal action would ensue.

“Nassau County will abide by the law, we will follow the law, we will follow the state and federal constitution,” Blakeman said. “However, there may be a controversy with respect to this matter which may have to be adjudicated at some time in the future.”

James’ office said the executive order encompasses three requirements that “effectively prohibit” transgender girls and women from participating on teams that coincide with their gender.

First, the executive order requires teams to designate themselves as male, female or coed and for players to participate on teams that correlate with their biological sex designated at birth.

James’ office said it also prevents female teams with transgender girls and women from playing at county facilities, yet allows male teams with transgender boys and men to do so.

The AG’s office said the order defines gender as the athlete’s sex assigned at birth and limits the type of birth certificate that can be accepted. New York State laws allow transgender individuals to change the sex designated on their birth certificate upon an application and notarized affidavit from a health-care provider.

“The order’s immediate effect is to force sports leagues to make an impossible choice: discriminate against transgender women and girls, in violation of New York law, or find somewhere else to play,” Park said in the letter.

Blakeman in a statement Friday said the executive order still provides transgender women and girls the ability to participate in sports only on male or co-ed teams. He said the order is not discriminatory because of this.

Park said the order is also an “invasive policing of the sex and gender identity and expres-

and girl athletes from beyond Long Island who seek to play in Nassau County sporting events.

Park said the discrimination is perpetuated through the permit requirements of Blakeman’s executive order, which requires teams to comply with the county’s classification of sports teams and the athletes who can compete on them before receiving a permit to play at a county facility.

She said the permit requirement barring transgender women and girls from competing on female sports teams will subject athletes to “intrusive and inappropriate inquiries or verification requirements that will harm cisgender and transgender women and girls alike.”

“No New Yorker should feel unwelcome to participate in any event hosted on public property or in public facilities, including sporting events, based on a protected characteristic,” Park said in the letter.

The executive order was met with opposition from Democrats and LGBTQ+ organizations, which denounced Blakeman’s transgender ban and called it out as discriminatory.

In response to James’ demand for the order to be rescinded, many Democrats have also joined in to support the cease-and-desist.

sion of all girls and women,” constituting discrimination and violating human and civil rights laws.

According to New York State human rights laws, it is illegal for places of public accommodation, such as parks, to discriminate based on sex or gender identity or expression. Park said this also applies to public accommodations owned or operated by a government entity.

This law, according to Park, also prohibits a compulsion for others to discriminate based on sex or gender at these accommodations.

Sex-based discrimination is prohibited under New York State civil rights laws and the

Equal Protection Clause in the state’s constitution, Park said.

“These prohibited types of discrimination are exactly what the order imposes on transgender women and girls participating in women and girls’ teams in the county, as well as teams, leagues, and other sports entities and organizations that welcome the participation of transgender women and girls, but which will have to discriminate against them to comply with the Order’s terms,” Park said in the letter.

The Attorney General’s Office claims that the executive order will also be a deterrent to inclusive sports teams and transgender women

Town lawyers up in Islamic Center suit

Continued from Page 2

treated unequally and violated.

The lawsuit claims that the town’s decision harms the Islamic Center’s congregation in its ability to use the place of worship. Bhuiyan previously told Blank Slate Media the town’s decision makes worshipping more difficult for congregants.

“Under New York law, religious use of property is presumptively beneficial to the commu-

nity and is entitled to preferential treatment in land use determinations, pursuant to which municipalities must strive to exercise greater flexibility when considering an application for religious use and make every effort to accommodate religious use,” the lawsuit states. “Respondent’s Resolution failed to comply with, or even acknowledge, the presumption and preference that should have been afforded to Petitioner’s religious use, and therefore must be reversed.”

The petition also claims that the Town has not filed a written decision with the Building Commissioner explaining the board’s decision in denying the application, which the center is alleging violates the Town’s code.

“There is nothing in the record or in the application that would warrant or justify the denial of the Petitioner’s site plan application for the Amended Project,” the lawsuit states.

The Town opted to hire Uniondale-based

Judge dismisses NYU Langone suit

Continued from Page 4

“Northwell’s conduct is not only unfair, but by hitching its brand to NYU Langone, Northwell has created a likelihood of confusion as to the affiliation, connection, or association of Northwell with NYU Langone to the detriment and harm of NYU Langone,” the lawsuit said.

Presiding Judge Valerie Capron ruled that the claim of copyright infringement was too broad, according to Newsday.

“Even among ads that are predominantly purple, the shade of purple varies; some have all-cap white writing; some have all-white sentence case writing; and some have a mix of

white and other color writing,” Caproni wrote in her decision. “The court cannot ascertain specific fonts, colors, or headline styles from NYU Langone’s description of its trade dress.”

Caproni also denied Langone’s complaint that Northwell Health had committed false advertising in claiming to be the best hospital in Manhattan and “NYC’s only hospital in the Nation’s Top 50,” based on Healthgrades’ ranking.

Langone said this was an untrue claim as it was ranked No. 1 in New York State and the New York City Metro area by U.S. News & World Report.

Caproni called these claims “non-action-

able puffery” and said that they are protected under federal law.

Northwell filed a motion to dismiss the suit in August, which Caproni said she expected Langone to respond to by being more specific in its infringement claim. She said this did not occur.

“While we are pleased by these rulings, we are disappointed in NYU Langone’s continuing waste of resources and funds and diverting the attention of the communities we both serve with such baseless allegations,” Northwell’s marketing head Ramon Soto said in an email reported by Newsday.

This includes Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold Drucker, who called the executive order “unlawful, mean-spirited discrimination.”

“County Executive Blakeman must live up to his oath to protect all Nassau County residents and immediately rescind this order,” Drucker said. “Failing to do so will place Nassau on a collision course with costly litigation that we are likely to lose, and there are so many worthwhile things that we should be spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on instead of defending this divisive political stunt.”

Despite the outcry, Blakeman said county residents are “overwhelmingly” in favor of the ban.

law firm Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz Coschignano PLLC in the land use litigation. Town attorney Richard Nicolello said they were selected from a panel adopted by the Town and were chosen from that panel due to their expertise.

Nicolello said the firm has already begun working on the case, with the approval Tuesday night granting the agreement retroactive to Feb. 15.

The law firm will cost the Town $265 an hour for all the attorneys on the case.

The Hillside Islamic Center is being represented by Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP in the lawsuit, the same firm that represented them in the pursuit to get their site plan approved by the town.

Nicolello said the finding of facts will be presented at the board’s next meeting on March 12.

In other news, the board’s Republicans voted against Troiano hiring a new administrative assistant for his office, which led to the councilman walking out of the meeting after the vote was taken.

“I take offense to me, personally, to my district, that I can’t hire a person I want,” Troiano said. “I can’t imagine what objection Mr. Scott has to my hiring of my own person.”

Both Troiano and Dalimonte said the decision by the town’s Republicans is nothing they have seen before while serving on the board.

No board member explained why they voted against the hiring.

The Town of North Hempstead Board will reconvene March 12 for a public hearing at 10 a.m.

PHOTO BY KAREN RUBIN

Protestors rally in front of the Nassau County Legislative Building in opposition to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s ban on transgender women and girl athletes from competing on female sports teams.

DeSena eyes changes to building dept.

Continued from Page 3

Board’s ability to override the department’s decisions – speeding up decisions within five days.

Also implemented that year were monthly reports from the town’s Building Department. Prior reports were only given annually.

In July 2022, DeSena announced that she had sent a letter to Philips requesting an audit following a review of town operations since she took office earlier in the year.

The audit was supported across party lines, with Democratic Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte and former Republican Councilmember Veronica Lurvey standing alongside DeSena in the July announcement.

it was ultimately granted by the county’s comptroller’s office in August 2022.

The audit was conducted over a period from Jan. 1, 2020 through the present.

During the audit process, the county comptroller’s office spoke with residents, members of the town’s administration, commissioners

and staff, architects, engineers and contractors. They also conducted two customer satisfaction surveys.

In its results released on Feb. 27, the comptroller’s office revealed a slew of inefficiencies that were holding back the department.

“We found significant operational deficiencies and have provided detailed recommendations that can help the Building Department improve efficiency and increase transparency,” Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips said.

“In addition, the audit revealed that an attitude shift toward prioritizing constituent service would benefit the town, its residents and business professionals.”

Findings in the audit include “significant problems” with the department’s online permit portal that underutilized software features, a lack of standardized procedures and operational oversight leading to operational inefficiencies, a lack of communication and transparency with permit applicants, and a lack of standardization

for permit expedition procedures.

The audit also states that the town’s “bifurcation” during the 18-month audit had a negative impact on the implementation of the Building Department portal.

The county said that the software available for the Building Department can modernize permitting processes for department employees and permit applicants.

It said the department is not utilizing this software “to improve process flow, facilitate communication and enable constituents to easily track their permit applications online.”

If utilized more, the county said this software would “improve constituent and employee satisfaction, increase efficiency and transparency, and help the Building Department to standardize processes and implement quality control.”

Roslyn village elections uncontested

Continued from Page 1

Roslyn

Roslyn will be holding an election for two trustee positions. Both Marshall Bernstein and Craig Westergard are running unopposed for their positions.

Bernstein was first elected as a trustee in 1996 and has served as deputy mayor for the past 18 years.

Craig Westergard was first elected as a trustee in 2000.

Both incumbent candidates are running with the Community Party for another two-year term.

The election will be held on March 19 from 12

p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Roslyn Village Hall at 1200 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn.

Roslyn Estates

Roslyn Estates will be holding an election for two trustee positions. Both Brian Feingold and Stephen Fox are running unopposed for their positions.

Feingold was first elected as a trustee in 2008.

Fox was first elected as a trustee in 2017.

Both incumbent candidates are running with the Evergreen Party for another two-year term.

The election will be held on March 19 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Roslyn Estates Village Hall at 25

The Tulips, Roslyn.

Roslyn Harbor

Roslyn Harbor will be holding an election for a mayoral position and two trustee positions. Sandy K. Quentzel is running unopposed for mayor. Both James Friscia and Jasun Fiorentino are running unopposed for the trustee positions.

Quentzel was first elected as mayor in 2020.

Friscia was first elected as trustee in 2013. Fiorentino was first elected as trustee in 2016.

All three incumbent candidates are running with the Roslyn Harbor Party.

The election will be held on March 19 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Roslyn Harbor Village Hall at 500 Motts Cove Rd. South, Roslyn.

North Shore proposed budget up 1.9%

Continued from Page 4

The district is expected to receive $9,242,612 in state aid for the 2024-2025 year, not including universal pre-kindergarten aid.

Superintendent Chris Zublionis and Assistant Superintendent for Business James Pappas acknowledged the large bump in state aid that North Shore has received in recent years. The state aid for 2021-2022 was $5,879,774, while the state aid for 20232024 was $8,839,828.

However, both administrators emphasized budgetary challenges and restrictions for the upcoming school year, specifically citing the recent settlement between Nassau County and Long Island Power Authority.

The settlement agreement will lessen the taxes LIPA pays for its Island Park and Glenwood Landing power stations by approximately 46.5% over the next five years.

Since the Glenwood Landing LIPA taxes contributed to the North Shore school taxes, the district is prepared to take a hefty hit in revenue loss.

The district will lose out on a projected $2,388,670 in revenue from LIPA’s taxes in the 2024-2025 budget, according to Zublionis and Pappas.

“We’re starting in the negative and then

we have increases in cost like everyone else,” said Zublionis. “So we have a much bigger distance to travel than most districts.”

One of these increased costs is a hike in health insurance, a hindrance multiple Nassau County districts have cited.

Overall, Zublionis stressed that the district’s purse strings are tight and he laid out an attack plan for the 2024-2025 budget, including instructional cuts, refraining from adding any new teaching positions and limiting elective course offerings.

The superintendent said that while the $2.5 million in cuts may lead to slightly larger class sizes, it should not negatively affect student experience as a whole.

Russo thought the district could do better.

“We can be more efficient than this budget is,” said Russo. “I’m sure I may be the minority on that up here [on stage with the board members], but I may not be the minority in the community.”

Russo listed a few suggestions to tighten the budget, like merging Glen Head Elementary School’s four kindergarten classes of 15 students into three classes of 20 students.

At least six teaching positions could be cut at the lower level by merging elementary school classes, according to Russo.

Flower Hill seeks permit fee increase

Continued from Page 2

public hearing on the matter at its April meeting.

Rosenbaum said in light of the village’s financial situation, the village may also need to exceed the tax cap for the 2024-2025 budget. Its cap is set at 2%.

The mayor said this is a discussion the board will be having, but no decision on the tax levy increase has been made yet. He said this will be addressed at the budget presentation meeting held later this month.

A special meeting will be held March 26 at 6:30 p.m. when the village’s 2024-2025 budget proposal will be presented to the board.

The Village of Flower Hill will also be holding a public hearing for two local laws, one regarding fences and another addressing the tree code, April 1. The April meeting will also be the village’s annual reorganizational meeting and the date the board votes on its 2024-2025 budget.

The board held a moment of silence for Rhoda Becker, a 50-year resident of Flower Hill who formerly served as its historian, landmark commissioner and the village’s first female trustee. She died on Feb. 7 at the age of 88.

In honor of Becker, the village will be planting a tree in her memory.

Herricks abuse case faces trial

Russo said the cost of merging elementary classes was worth the benefit to the budget, especially if it only meant a larger class size of 23 students.

“It’s not gonna keep your kid out of Harvard,” said Russo. “It’s not some tragedy.”

But other board members strongly disagreed.

Trustee Lisa Colacioppo acknowledged that the district is not in bad standing, praising its highly ranked, award-winning schools. Yet she also referred back to her purpose as a board member.

“[During] my board training, I was told that we are not tasked with maintaining the status quo. We are tasked with improving upon our school, even if our schools are already excellent,” said Colacioppo.

As a result, she argued that small elementary class sizes should be prioritized among board members.

Russo agreed that small class sizes are beneficial, but reiterated that community members are being forced out of the districtby high taxes and the budget may need to be lowered.

“I think people still want to support the schools…but you can’t eat the shingles, right?” said Russo.

Continued from Page 16

“He goes to see Festa because he thinks he’s going to get help and the opposite happens,” said Herman.

The plaintiff is seeking $10 million in damages.

The district’s attorney, Jessica Palmese, said the district has never “condoned or accepted child abuse.” She questioned the credibility of the witnesses, pointing out that the plaintiff has a history of credit card fraud.

The other Herricks trial opened Thursday. The plaintiff referred to as J.G. is seeking $14 million in that trial. The plaintiff claimed that Festa abused him for eight years, starting when he was a student at Herricks Middle School.

Festa was arrested in 1993 after he was accused of sexually abusing six teenagers in his Ronkonkoma neighborhood.

He was sentenced to five years of probation and required to register as a sex offender. He was later charged with one count of Sex Offender Registration Violation after failing to register his email addresses and internet service providers. He died in 2011 at 82.

The district has paid $1.1 million to settle four of the 21 claims thus far.

READERS WRITE

Will 3rd time be a charm for Harold Interlocking work?

The next phase of a major reconfiguration of the Harold Interlocking, which will start with new LIRR schedules starting March 4, will be disappointing to Babylon branch riders. Harold interlocking is a series of switches west of the Woodside LIRR Station in Sunnyside, Queens. It is where LIRR tracks to Grand Central Madison and Penn Station converge with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to New England.

The MTA invested $11.6 billion in direct costs for construction of the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access to Grand Central Madison. Part of the scope of work involved upgrading the Harold Interlocking and signals west of the Woodside Station. This cost over $1 billion. (These capital assets were previously updated in 1991 at a cost of over $100 million.) The most recent work included upgrading and expansion of the signal system to ac-

commodate new LIRR service to Grand Central Madison.

It is disappointing that one year later, there is still the need for another round of capital improvements for the Harold Interlocking. The MTA claims that this new work will improve reliability for Amtrak and LIRR riders. Why wasn’t this commitment completed under previous Harold Interlocking investments? The LIRR will once again be dependent on sufficient track out-

ages and Amtrak Force Account (track and signal employees) to complete this work on time and within budget. This new work will inevitably result in canceled, combined and delayed trains just like previous work at the same location.

Will acting LIRR President Robert Free, unlike his predecessors, finally get the Harold Interlocking right this third go-around under his watch? Taxpayers, commuters, transit advocates,

funding agencies such as the Federal Transit Administration, MTA Board members and elected officials should expect nothing less.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

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

Chaos and dysfunction in Manorhaven once again

Manorhaven Village Board of Trustee meetings would make for fine reality TV, but they are no place for civil discussion. The most recent village meeting, held monthly presumably to educate the village residents on current projects, pass legislation and hear comments from the public, descended into complete chaos and was forced to end as a result.

I have lived in this village over 20 years and am disgusted by the lack of professionalism shown by the current mayor and several trustees. Numerous times trustees talked over another trustee while he was speaking. The mayor accused the same trustee of calling him a liar. You would have needed multiple court reporters to track the dialogue since so many voic-

es were talking over each other. I cannot imagine taking minutes. In this show of infighting, there is no possibility of the transparency the mayor says exists.

The beginning of the end of the meeting began when a village trustee brought up an item that was not on the agenda regarding a large waterfront project currently underway on Manhasset Isle. The trustee seemed to be asking that the residents be kept aware of the progress of its development given its scale and impact on the village. Despite the trustee’s stated intention, it quickly became clear that the unusually large crowd in attendance contained people ready to respond, including the attorney for the development, a belligerent and disruptive attendee and shockingly

several trustees.

The trustee who brought up the matter was immediately accused of ill will and hidden agendas. As someone who had no idea what to expect at this meeting, I was certainly in for a drama that devolved rapidly. It became an accusatory, inflammatory blame game and anyone there to listen to village business instead got playground bickering. For doing his job, the trustee was roundly met with unsubstantiated accusations from several unruly attendees and snark from his fellow trustees.

It is outrageous that one disruptive attendee, a local business owner who is at every meeting yet does not even live in the village, is allowed at these meetings at all given his repeated outbursts—many of which have

been reported on in the past. And it is unclear why he is so angry.

Neither the mayor nor the village attorney could restore order and no one in charge seemed to consider removing the person screaming over everyone so that the meeting and public comments could continue. The person speaking when the meeting was brought to an abrupt end was the developer on the project. He was one of few who showed decorum, yet he had to be cut off because the disruptive attendee was talking over him to shout at the trustee who brought up the matter at all to accuse him, in addition to random people in attendance, of hidden motivations.

On my way out, the same person was cursing in someone’s face. I briefly contemplated calling 911 —it was

that outrageous. Perhaps these meetings could use a police presence.

The acrimony in this village is unfortunate yet longstanding and well known. It should not be too much to ask, though, that the mayor and trustees work together professionally, especially in a public meeting, even if they have differences of opinion. And certainly the residents, who pay additional taxes for incorporated villages, and other interested parties including trustees, should be able to speak and be heard without being shouted down by others, whether members of the public or fellow trustees, who have no interest or ability to engage in civil discourse.

Francesca Zahner Manorhaven resident

No county for old men when writing columns

The readers of this newspaper are indeed fortunate to have an editor as conversant in public policy as Steven Blank. When compared to Newsday’s limp editorials, Mr. Blank demonstrates a grasp that escapes Long Island’s newspaper of record.

Few would have noticed the data that contradicted the common wisdom that the wealthy were leaving New York but were actually migrating back in. Seems you can’t do much deal-making in Bumstuck Village, so back to Emerald City we go.

Two of this newspaper’s regulars: George Marlin, ostensibly a “Conservative” and Adam Haber, who, to my endless amusement, fancies himself a “progressive,” both issued a cri de coeur over the plight of billionaires forced into refugee status by higher state income taxes.

You would think they were Okies out of a Steinbeck novel, loading up their Escalades with all they had, wearing out their Fratelli Rosetti shoes, trudging their

way to….Miami.

Anyone could have figured out the SALT cap cost the wealthy more than a miniscule hike in the State income tax.

If SALT didn’t trigger an exodus, a tax increase wouldn’t. And I pointed out that the policies these two tolerated were exacting a heavy price on people of lesser means. And they couldn’t have cared less.

Moreover, there are ways to cut taxes in this state. But that would derail the gravy train so many of their cohorts depend upon.

Which brings us back to the housing problem. It’s time to admit that Long Island’s housing template has outlasted the reality on the ground.

Mr. Marlin wrote: “It is my firm belief that owning a single-family home on a plot of land in suburbia gives people true independence of mind and soul and is the only real independence from the state and their own collective lot.”

My God, man. Get a grip. Or at least go condo.

He wrote of his valiant struggle to buy a house in 1983 when interest rates were high.

Fortunately, the high rates also depressed home prices and Mr. Marlin was able to refinance just two years later owning a property with reflated value and a lower carrying cost. The Battle of Fort Marlin was not quite the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi as he portrayed it.

In fact, far from being the result of diligence and hard work, Mr. Marlin was simply born at the right time. Housing costs were about 4.5 times a person’s income back then. Today it’s 11 times.

He also failed to note the population of the United States in 1983 was 260 million. Today, it’s 332 million.

But Nassau’s unthinking fealty to the Levitt template has put it in a death spiral.

Consider the bizarre results: A county of 1.3 million people with less than 3% of its housing stock dedicated to young

singles, the unmarried and the widowed. That’s not normal.

This is a recipe for creating the very social dysfunction Mr. Marlin regularly rails against. The result is a nation like Japan has fewer than 4000 homeless. We have over 500,000 because the policies Mr. Marlin prefers have caused untold misery. Mr. Marlin thinks homelessness is a sign of a moral failing. It is.

It’s the very housing policy he advocates.

In the end, this has strangled Nassau County, and the tourniquet it has placed itself in will only get tighter because the demographic reality we are living in will continue to manifest itself to the County’s detriment.

I can’t forget one of the local doyennes boasting- boasting! – that they were successful in blocking senior housing in Manhasset, and when it came to the proposed Brookfield project on the Macy’s parking lot, the attitude was “well, we’ll see about that!” The narcissism of

these people never ceases to amaze me.

Neither does their self-destructive shortsightedness.

Oddly, while opposing residential development, they said nothing as hospital monopolies threw up millions of square feet in office and treatment facilities, with barely a single dwelling built to house the employees. The result is a heavily polluted and gridlocked mess.

But when someone proposes adding 30 apartment units, there’s always some yutz at a Town meeting with an Elmer Fudd voice whining “But what about da noise and da twaaaaaaafic?”

That’s why Gov. Hochul felt she had to take the keys away.

The truth is people don’t hate housing. They hate people.

What can be done? There’s one obvious remedy the County can take.

To be continued

Donald Davret Roslyn

Business&RealEstate

Reviewing insurance policies can save money

It appears that we may have missed another real winter with milder weather, less than 7 inches of snow, far fewer broken pipes, and probably fewer accidents and broken bones from falling on black ice.

However, property sales increased in January, due to unusually milder temperatures and almost non-existent snowfall, with slightly lower rates for those who were qualified for a mortgage depending on your income, credit, and debt/income ratios.

Some still think that climate change isn’t real. Oh really? Just do your research and check the most recent severe “atmospheric river” that had provided excessive 8-10-plus inches of rainfall in California recently, and the 10-plus feet of snow that had piled up in the Sierra Nevadas 6,500 elevation and even one to two feet at the 4000-foot level.

How about the 1,200 tornados, that occur yearly in the U.S. (as per the National Severe Storms Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), that have been rampant across Tornado Alley (Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota are the main targets), but can also include North Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri,

Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

That surely is quite a lot of area where not only there is loss of life, but millions to billions of dollars of real estate that are affected yearly. Moreover, parts of Florida and in and around the Gulf of Mexico have been very prone to these natural disasters produced by hurricanes.

Hurricanes can occur almost anywhere else, and even in the past few years, Long Island has experienced extremely intense microbursts that have carved out a severe path of destruction on the Gold Coast of the North Shore of Nassau County.

Floods are another prime dilemma for homeowners who have seen in recent years, incredible damage and total loss, which generally is not covered by homeowners insurance.

Hurricanes, hail, and wind are usually covered under most policies as well as lightning strikes, fire, smoke, heat damage, and puffbacks from oil burners.

Real estate is a major factor and commodity that is very much affected by the excessive costs to repair and rebuild, creating a burden on the local, state, and federal governments. This is the major reason why insurance costs in those affected states have at

PHILIP A. RAICES

Real Estate Watch

least doubled and in some cases up to 10 times, especially in coastal areas in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and other states, according to Money Magazine. Based on data from Quadrant, the average cost of homeowner insurance for a typical 1,800 sq. ft home has risen to $2,417 per year.

Hawaii residents have the lowest cost of insurance at $762 per year. Oklahoma has the most expensive policies with an average yearly cost of $5,839. However, location, credit

scores, claims history, dwelling age, deductible, and overall risk level can have a pronounced effect on your insurance costs per year. This information was derived from marketwatch. com in its March 1 article reviewed by the Insurance Information Institute.

I happen to choose to take the highest deductible on my homeowner’s and auto (combo policy will provide the most economical cost) that I feel comfortable with to gain the lowest rates. This will all depend on your history of claims and your comfortable risk tolerance. However, over several years it can pay off with the excellent savings that you will derive.

I suggest that you check your policies and make sure they are up to date. Make certain that you have more than adequate coverage in the event of a hurricane, microburst, gale wind lightning strike, hail or a tree falling on your home. For the majority of homeowners, your home is the most valuable asset that you will own in your lifetime that has helped build your long-term wealth, so it is extremely crucial to make sure that your homeowner’s insurance provides you with the most complete and maximum coverage across the board at the most economical price.

Also, make sure that you are in-

suring your home and not the land, as I have seen some insurers include the land in the policy. However, 99.9% of the time your land doesn’t need insurance as it doesn’t burn or experience any damage unless it’s a flood, which is next to impossible to get that type of coverage! You need to review your policy yearly as homes have increased in value over the last 10 years and you want to be certain that you have more than enough coverage in the event of a claim.

Lastly, you might want to look into an additional umbrella policy, which is an excellent add-on as it is another layer of coverage in the event of a major claim. As the adage says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Always shop your insurance as you just might save money. If you need any advice or guidance in choosing an insurance company with the best rates and coverage, call me anytime for a free consultation.

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:https://WWW.Li-RealEstate. Com

TECH TERMS to know

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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.

HELP WANTED

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ASSISTANT for busy L.I. Law Firm. Handle accounts receivables and payables, bank deposits and admin tasks to support Accounting Director. Must be willing to work in office, detail oriented and accurate with strong organizational skills. Knowledge of Quickbooks & Excel a plus. Send resume to: jobs@scahillpc.com

SITUATION WANTED

Health Aide/Companion

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kinds of people.

Families have told me I created a lovely environment, more than they could have hoped for. I am seeking work in Nassau County or Manhattan.

I have my own car. I’ve worked mostly in the Great Neck area.

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CERTIFIED CNA/HHA LOOKING FOR JOB. Available for Elderly care. Meds reminder, Dr. appts.

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CARETAKER AVAILABLE Ukrainian woman seeking position as Housekeeper, Caretaker. Available all week. Excellent Cook. Hardworking and well organized. Efficient, fast, resourceful and communicative. Loves pets. Preferred location Garden City, Uniondale, East Meadow, West Hempstead. Speaks English, Polish (intermediate), Ukrainian, Russian (fluently). Very good references. Call Catherine: 516-547-6554

EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED

SEEKING LOCAL COLLEGE

STUDENTS Math-Accounting Majors for part time permanent position in accounting department at Garden City business. One full day per week or 2 half days. $19-$21/hour Send Resume to: GardenCityOffice@aol.com

The Proactive Technology Group LLC (Greenvale, NY) is looking for a Test Engineer. Bachelor’s Degree in Arts or Science (foreign degree is acceptable). 12 months experience as a tester. Please send a resume to proactivehr@yahoo.com.

SITUATION WANTED

AIDE/CARE GIVER: Caring, Efficient, Reliable. Available FT Live In nights & 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

MARKETPLACE

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Help Us Determine What “Make Us, Us!” Join Superintendent, Dr. Chris Zublionis; Assistant Superintendent for Business, Mr. James Pappas; Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Dr. CarolAnn Smyth along with members of the Board of Education for five important upcoming meetings in March on the following dates:

· Middle School Parents, Wed, March 6 (Virtual Meeting, 7 pm)

· Business Associations/Groups, Thurs, March 7 (MS Library, 7 pm)

· High School Parents, Mon, March 11 (HS Cafeteria, 7 pm)

· Elementary School Parents, Mon, March 25 (Virtual Meeting, 7 pm)

· Community Members, Wed, March 27 (HS Cafeteria, 7 PM)

Dr. Z, Mr. Pappas and Dr. Smyth will be leading conversations with individual groups (listed above) that help determine the important things that “Makes Us, Us” and keeps us the North Shore School District. These are essential discussions as our community faces difficult circumstances and choices.

The North Shore Middle School and Elementary parent meetings (3/6 and 3/25 respectively) will be virtual. Dr. Z will send out Zoom links prior to each meeting. The others will be in-person. Topics will be specific to each group and Dr. Z will answer your questions. More information about each meeting will be forthcoming. Please check your mailboxes for postcards.

Please don’t miss these meetings and remain engaged as we have discussions that can impact our students, schools, and community. We look forward to seeing you! Visit the school website at www.northshoreschools.org

If you would like to be added to the District email list, please subscribe at the top of the website where it says “Update Your Contact Information” at https://northshoreschools. org/subscribe/email_landing.html at https:// northshoreschools.org/subscribe/email_landing.html

North Shore School District Superintendent Christopher Zublionis.

be served. SSNY should mail process to Jonathan Cheris: 224 Overlook Terrace, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Roslyn Estates on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 25 The Tulips, Roslyn Estates, New York 11576, to hear:

Case #649, Application of owners of premises at 64 Diana’s Trail, Roslyn Estates, NY 11576, in R-12 zone, also known as Section 7, Block 254, Lot 22 on Nassau County Land and Tax Map, for variance from Village Code Section 200-11(C)(4.), to permit construction of an outdoor deck attached to existing single family home in side yard that will provide a southerly side yard set-back of only 9 feet, where minimum required set-back is 12 feet.

At the public hearing, all persons will have opportunity to be heard. Files may be reviewed during Village business hours. Persons planning to attend meeting who require special accommodations because of disability should notify Village Clerk no less than 48 hours prior to meeting.

BY ORDER OF ZONING

BOARD OF APPEALS NICK RINALDI, CHAIRMAN March 4, 2024

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE SCHOOLS

Herricks breakfast survey notification

The Herricks School District will be conducting a survey of parents and guardians of students in Kindergarten through sixth grade who attend the Center Street, Denton Avenue, and Searingtown Elementary Schools and the Herricks Middle School to determine if there is any interest in a school breakfast program.

If insufficient interest is determined, an exemption to participate in the breakfast program will be requested by the Herricks Board of Education to the New York State Education Department.

Parents and taxpayers are asked to share their concerns regarding the district’s survey and exemption by contacting Kimberly James, District Food Service Director at Herricks High School, 100 Shelter Rock Road, New Hyde Park, or by calling 516-305-8752.

E. Hills School Valentine’s Day

East Hills Elementary School students in Ms. Parmakian’s fifth grade class enjoyed some fun Valentine’s Day activities that encompassed a variety of skills from STEAM education. Working in teams, they built towers out of toothpicks and gummy hearts and experimented with solubility

by placing and observing conversational hearts in water at varying temperatures.

Ms. Lee’s third-grade class made valentines addressed to themselves. They wrote about their accomplishments, successes, and all of their good qualities to promote self-love and high self-esteem.

Alberson-Heights Republican Club

The monthly meeting of the Albertson-Roslyn Heights Republican Club will be at the Williston American Legion, Post 144, 730 Willis Ave., Williston Park, NY 11596 on Tuesday, March 12 starting at 7 PM.

Nassau County Legislator Samantha Goetz will be the guest speaker.

Club meeting are held on the 2nd Tuesday each month. Elevator access from the south side parking area!

All Welcome!

E. Hills celebrates Black History Month

Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society — from activists and civil rights pioneers to leaders in business, politics, science and culture.

In collaboration with the Black History Month theme of 2024 — African Americans and the Arts — East Hills Elementary School students explored the influences that African Americans have had in the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, film, music, architecture and other forms of cultural expression.

East

E. Hills hosts e-pledge closing ceremony

East Hills hosted an e-Pledge closing ceremony in February. It was the culmination of a project that was initiated by Gary and Lynne Falkowitz on World Kindness Day in honor of their son Ethan. World Kindness Day is an international holiday observed annually on Nov. 13 as a day devoted to the positive potential of large and small acts of kindness.

Ahead of the closing ceremony, school social worker Stephanie Liebowitz visited classrooms to distribute oversized tennis balls and hearts, on which the students wrote different ways to show kindness at home, school, or anywhere else. Students shared their hearts during the closing ceremony. The tennis balls will remain on display in classrooms to serve as a reminder to be kind. Students also painted kindness rocks, which they were free to give to someone, keep as a reminder, or place somewhere in the community.

G. Landing community culmination

Second grade classes at Glenwood Landing School recently had a Community Culmination where each child became a member of their community including

a veterinarian, doctor, nurse, fire person, police officer, baker construction worker, chef, and teacher — just to name a few!

As part of the celebration, the stu-

dents sang and acted in their own version of “This Land is Your Land” and “Would You Be My Neighbor.” Additionally, their parents were invited to watch a video about their “Community” study and then come back to their classrooms to read their individual books with their families.

Students not only learned about different communities, but each child researched and created written booklets about their respective members of the community. In class, their teachers emphasized that communities are interdependent and need one another and the people who live inside to remain happy, healthy and safe.

In addition, the second graders studied the following: urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods, rules and laws, goods and services, needs and wants, and public and private places.

Bravo to the entire second grade and their teachers for learning all about their community, singing songs, and working so hard during the months leading up to the culmination.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hills students celebrate Black History Month.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT

East Hills students attend the e-pledge closing ceremony.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT East Hills students with their Valentines.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE SCHOOLS

Glenwood Landing second graders had a community culmination.

PORT STYMIED

Swarming Baldwin defense proves too much

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

Hundreds of Port Washingtonians packed Farmingdale State College Saturday night, hoping to see some history.

Some of them wore blue and white paint on their chests and screamed their lungs off from the student section. Others were parents and grandparents and interested locals, like Schools Superintendent Michael Hynes.

Not since 1947 had Schreiber High School boys basketball won a county title, and this team was their best shot in a long time. They’d won 20 of their 22 games this season, with a strong core of seniors backed by an excellent junior class.

The stars all seemed aligned for history to be made.

But unfortunately, the title drought will last at least one more year.

Undone by swarming Baldwin High School pressure defense and self-inflicted turnovers, the Vikings simply couldn’t score enough to stay in the game and lost 46-26 in the Class AAA title contest.

“It was like trudging through mud,” Port Washington head coach Sean Dooley said. “They threw everything they had at us, so many different looks, and we never could get going. No rhythm, nobody could do anything on offense.”

The final score was a bit deceiving, as the two offensively challenged teams stayed within six points of each other for the first three quarters.

Last year’s final between the two teams,

played at Hofstra, was exceedingly low-scoring, with Baldwin nabbing a 45-39 win, but this one was even more starved for buckets.

With each defense swarming ballhandlers, clogging the paint and the referees letting a lot of contact go, each made field goal seemed like a minor miracle. In fact, the halftime score was only 16-10, Baldwin.

The Vikings (20-3) were their own worst enemy for much of the night, committing turnovers and missing sorely-needed breakaway layups, along with going 2-for-8 from the free throw line.

“We just never could get any kind of spark, like two baskets in a row,” Dooley said. “We’d score, then go 4-5 possessions with bad turnovers or missed shots. We could never string together enough baskets to really get going.”

Down six at the break, the Vikings kept it close in the third, with a Kenny Daly rebound and layup bringing them within 5, at 25-20.

But Baldwin, aiming for its fourth straight county championship, started to pull away in the fourth. Leading scorers Chase Timberlake (16 points) and Peyton Howell (12 points) began heating up, and the lead stretched to eight, 29-21 early in the fourth.

Port leading scorer, senior Trevor Amalfitano, never could get it going Saturday, as he made two field goals while battling foul trouble, finishing with five points.

When the senior guard picked up his fifth early in the fourth quarter and the Vikings down by six, things looked exceedingly bleak.

“My heart bleeds for that kid because this is now how he deserves to go out, sitting and watching from the bench the last five minutes of the game,” Dooley said. “He’s a special player and a special kid, and for the last three years he’s been so great for us.”

One last spark for the Vikings came on a John Spinoso 3-pointer (he led Port with six points) that cut the deficit back to five, but Port could get no closer, and for the second straight year had to watch the Bruins and their fans celebrate at mid-court.

Dooley, while of course frustrated, made a point to praise the crowd and community support he and his kids have received.

“It’s been awesome; so many messages of how great the season’s been, wishing us good luck, the whole town’s rooting for you,” he said. “We can’t thank them enough. We wish we could’ve given them something to celebrate.”

He also effusively praised the senior class for helping the Vikings reach two straight county title games.

“Just awesome,” he said.” Kids like Mac Tiger, Jake Chainani, who maybe don’t get the recognition or playing time, are still out here working so hard in practice every day. “They’re all a part of this and all helped us have one of the best seasons in Port Washington history. It’s very tough now, but we had such a great year and lot to be proud of.”

N. Shore boys fall just short

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

The tooth lay there on the hardwood floor, and for a second everyone in the arena just stared at it.

Moments before, it was in the top row of the mouth of North Shore High School senior Danny Lenney.

But as he grabbed a rebound in the second quarter of the Vikings’ Class A county championship game against Friends Academy Saturday, an elbow from Friends’ Josh McKenzie had dislodged the chopper.

This is what playing for a championship sometimes entails: you have to give some blood.

The chopper was recovered, and so did Lenney, after grasping his mouth following a pass up the floor.

Unfortunately for North Shore, Lenney’s lost tooth didn’t lead to a crown.

Despite leading for most of the game, the Vikings couldn’t quite grasp the first Nassau county title in school history, as the Quakers rallied in the fourth quarter and snagged a 55-49 win at Farmingdale State.

In beating North Shore (18-5) for the third time, Friends earned its second title in three seasons.

“That’s the kind of kids we have; he loses a tooth and comes right back in to play,” said North Shore head coach Harrison Berglin. “These kids gave me everything all season, and I love them to death. It sucks that we couldn’t win today.”

Friends had dominated the first two meetings of the season between the two teams, taking a 62-42 decision on Jan. 11, and then losing the rematch 68-50 at North Shore.

But Saturday’s tilt was tight from the start. North Shore, led by senior star Vasilis Triantafyllou (20 points, eight rebounds) held a 22-19 lead at the break and did a terrific job defensively on Friends Academy leading scorer Jackson O’Brien.

Despite foul shooting woes (North Shore made only 13 of 23 from the stripe Saturday), the Vikings were able to stay in front and led by 5, 32-27, midway through the third. They hit a cold snap there with a chance to extend the lead, and the Quakers started to climb back.

Continued on Page 35

PHOTO BY JAMES MAGUIRE/SKYBOX IMAGES

Port Washington’s John Spinoso dives for a loose ball during Saturday night’s Class AAA championship game against Baldwin.

Manhasset girls rally falls short

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

First, there were tears.

There always are when a season and a dream ends.

But then, there was singing. Really, really loud singing.

The Manhasset girls basketball team was in their locker room Monday night at Farmingdale State around 7 p.m., and the dozen teenage girls belting out Alessia Cara at the top of their lungs could be heard through the walls.

And you don’t have to change a thingThe world could change its heartNo scars to your beautifulWe’re stars and we’re beautiful

Kids are pretty resilient, and so after a valiant comeback fell short in the Class AA county championship game, and East Meadow had finished

celebrating a 69-66 win, the Manhasset players were still trying to keep their chins up.

“We have so much to be proud of,” senior Lauren Perfetto said.

A great season that saw the defending county and Long Island champs get back to the title game, despite many obstacles: Leading scorer and do-everything guard Caitlin Barrett graduated. Head coach Lauren Sadeh missed most of the year on maternity leave, returning late in the season as an assistant to head coach Chuck Collyer.

And returning starter Nicoletta Tsiamis, a tenacious scorer and rebounder during last year’s run to the state final four, tore her ACL in November and missed the season.

Given all that, and the fact that it struggled mightily against the East Meadow swarming defense Monday, it’s a heck of an achievement to

get this far.

“We got everything we wanted from these kids every day, just tonight we couldn’t overcome our mistakes, and East Meadow played the way they had to to beat us,” Collyer said.

The No. 7 seeded Jets dominated the middle two quarters of the game and looked to be en route to an easy win, leading 61-47 after a banked-in 3-pointer from the top of the key from Kayla Lederer. There were only 5:10 left to play, the East Meadow fans were smelling the first county title in girls hoops, and everything said the game was over.

Except it wasn’t. A quick five points by Manhasset cut it to nine, then a layup by Chrisi Ladopoulos brought the score to 63-56 with 2:40 to go.

East Meadow was suddenly forcing shots

Port boys bested by swaming ‘D’

Continued from Page 34

“We did such a great job on defense and then had some looks there (in the third) that normally go down,” Berglin said. “Everybody talks about how great (Friends Academy) is but we played them hard right to the end.”

Once Friends (19-4) took the lead back in the final minute of the third quarter on a jumper by Kyle Kramer, 34-33, the Quakers didn’t relinquish it again.

In the final period, with O’Brien on the bench the first four minutes due to foul trouble, North Shore hung around but couldn’t get close enough.

Two free throws by Matt D’Aversa cut the deficit to 44-41 with 1:55 left, but then the Quakers scored on back-to-back trips, with a Kramer three from the right corner providing the dagger, giving Friends a 49-43 lead with :55 left.

“We got good looks, they didn’t go in; they had some good looks that went in,” Berglin said. “We gambled a couple times on defense there and they made us pay.”

D’Aversa finished with 13 points, while senior Jack Molesky grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for the Vikings.

For the North Shore seniors, the loss brought finality to one of the best teams in

and making turnovers under some full-court pressure defense, and Manhasset was capitalizing.

Freshman Danielle Perfetto was sensational all night, scoring a career-high 19 points, and her 3-pointer from the right side crept Manhasset to within 63-59 with 120 seconds left.

Senior Mia LoPinto (12 points) drained another three from the right side and it was 65-62, and now the Manhasset fans came alive.

Then, down three, Lauren Perfetto (15 points 10 rebounds) sank a putback layup to pull Manhasset within 67-66, with 8.6 left.

But East Meadow’s Charlotte Viola hit two free throws to push the lead to three, and with sharpshooter LoPinto having fouled out seconds earlier, Manhasset was unable to get off a gametying three.

“(At 61-47) I was thinking ‘we better not lose by 20,’” Collyer said. “But we hit some 3’s and got some momentum, forced them to use timeouts, and had a chance. But even in the comeback, we had a few mistakes with turnovers, and when you’re down that much, you have to be perfect to come back and win.”

Turnovers indeed were the bugaboo for Manhasset (19-4), as momentum swung wildly throughout the game.

Manhasset looking poised and polished in the first quarter, led by sophomore center Lauren Connolly’s nine points in the opening eight minutes (she finished with 14 and 10 boards), and grabbed a 20-12 lead through one.

But East Meadow battled back behind a torrent of threes, making 11 on the night, and turnovers killed Manhasset.

“We weren’t smart at times,” Lauren Perfetto said. “We needed more consistency with ballhandling.”

East Meadow’s Allison Twible (20 points) and Viola harassed Manhasset’s guards and just kept bombing away from behind the arc, and by the second and third quarters they were falling.

Offensively Manhasset failed to take advantage of the height edge Lauren Perfetto and Connolly had, and Collyer said getting away from that, and static movement on offense, was Manhasset’s undoing.

Still, after the furious comeback fell short, Manhasset’s players appreciated what they had done. Perfetto and LoPinto will graduate, but Sadeh is coming back to be head coach (Collyer said he’s happy to slide back to assistant), and with a young core led by Danielle Perfetto and Connolly, Manhasset will likely be back contending for a county crown next year.

“We just want to continue on and build on what they did,” Danielle Perfetto said. “My sister was amazing and the other seniors did so much for us, winning last year and doing great this year. We have to keep it going and I know we can.”

school history.

“It’s a great group; the last two years we’re like 33-11,” Berglin said. “This senior group are such good basketball players, and off the court they’re amazing kids. I’ll never forget them, and I thank them for getting us here.”

PHOTO BY KRISTIN PERFETTO

Manhasset sophomore center Lauren Connolly (14) drives in while Danielle Perfetto (10) looks on during Manhasset’s loss to East Meadow Monday.

PHOTO BY LUKE DIXON North Shore senior Matt D’Aversa drives in for a layup attempt against Friends Academy in the Class A championship game at Farmingdale State on Saturday.

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