Williston Park 2022_12_16

HOLIDAY

Mineola board okays zoning to aid development

Overlay districts to ease rules to build residential units above retail

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The Mineola Board of Trustees voted unanimously to create two business overlay districts on part of Jericho Turnpike and downtown to give the village more flexibility when considering future developments.

The vote accomplishes something Mayor Paul Pereira said he wanted to do early in his administration when he was elected this year.

“When I became mayor, one of the first things I did was call our urban planner, Paul Grygiel, to come to Mineola and walk the turnpike and walk downtown,” Pereira said Wednesday night. “Over the next few months, we worked on a plan to come up with ideas to reinvigorate the village and think of alternative ways to develop the vacant spaces.”

Specifically, the districts take place on the strip of Jericho between Willis Avenue and Marcellus Road and downtown on Main Street, First Street and Second Street between Mineola Boulevard and Willis.

The first public hearing for a proposal that would use the new downtown overlay district is set for Wednesday, Dec. 14.

If approved by the board, future developments can now exceed the maximum height of 25 feet but not

go above 40 feet within the districts, which places a cap on what the village’s master plan enacted in 2005 allowed.

Pereira added the districts allow the village and developers to “think outside the box.”

“The motivation for me is not to build higher, build denser and add more congestion, it’s quite the opposite,” Pereira said. “The motivation for me, as someone who grew up here, I remember seeing outside village hall a hardware store, liquor store, clothing stores. Those other businesses are not coming back and what we have is empty storefronts.”

The board began the process to consider the districts in December when Grygiel, a city planning and development consultant with experience in the village, presented his findings on how to revitalize different parts of Mineola.

Grygiel noted then that the master plan labeled the Jericho Turnpike area as an appropriate place for pedestrian-oriented development, mentioning specifically that some outside-the-box methods of increasing development would be mixedresidential buildings, a conference space, hotel or movie theater, among other possibilities.

debut of the new “2022 New York State Champions“ street sign at Mineola Village Hall. Mineola District Supervisor of Fine and Performing Art Karen Bernstein, left, and Mineola High School Band Director Christopher Toomey.

Chaminade staff saves student’s life at practice

BY BRANDON DUFFY

A Chaminade High School basketball player’s life was saved last week after he collapsed to the floor during a practice before be-

ing resuscitated by members of the staff.

P.J. Kellachan, a 17-year-old varsity player from Rockville Centre who is committed to play basketball at the University of Scran-

ton in Pennsylvania, had a seizure and went into cardiac arrest Dec. 6 on the school’s Activities and Athletic Center Court.

For approximately 10 min-

PHOTO COURTESY OF RENEE K. PRODUCTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY

The

Mirabile appears to win GCP race by 1 vote

Giordano elected Albertson Water District commissioner

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The Garden City Park Fire and Water district commissioner race appears to have been won by 1 vote, with Rob Mirabile defeating Joe Wendling in the Tuesday election, the district said.

The numbers are unofficial and will be finalized at the Tuesday commissioner meeting, the district said. A total of 303 votes were submitted in the race, according to the district.

Janell Giordano was elected commissioner for the Albertson Water District in a race she was unopposed.

Mirabile first became chief of the Garden City Park Fire Department in 1991 when he joined Hillside Heights Engine Co. 3.

Professionally, he works with the department of public safety at Adelphi University, operates the food truck Roscoe’s Roadside serving oldfashioned hot dogs and is a content creator on YouTube for Axle’s Garage.

The Garden City Park Fire and Water district covers parts of Garden City Park, Manhasset Hills, parts of New Hyde Park, parts of Mineola, parts of North Hills, parts of Roslyn, parts of Williston Park, parts of Albertson and parts of Garden City.

“I’ve held every rank over the years including chief of the department,” said Mirabile in a previous interview with Blank Slate Media. “I have intimate knowledge of how the board of commissioners interacts with the chiefs and rest of the department.”

The New Hyde Park native said he wants to give the department the space and resources necessary to do its job.

“Sometimes I saw that the board would overstep and run the department instead of the chiefs,” Mirabile said. “I feel that the chief who’s elected by the members of the department should be running it and have the board provide resources he or she needs.”

Mirabile defeated Wendling, a resident of the district for 52 years, who said he’s running with the main priorities of safety and responsible spending.

“I will do our best to serve our

community, keep our water safe and healthy and prevent both unnecessary expenditures and building in our district,” Wendling said.

Professionally, Wendling is a private investigator for the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School District, the same role he held for Herricks over a decade ago.

Wendling is a former NYPD detective, a position he retired from in 1987 after over 18 years on the police force after having enlisted in the Marines in 1966. On top of his police

service, Wendling was previously the director of operations of Mount St. Michael’s Academy in the Bronx.

Giordano is new to the position and she will replace Kenneth Vey. She works as a real estate salesperson for Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The Albertson Water District serves a diverse community and provides water to both residential and commercial sites, with a daily capacity of 7.7 million gallons. About4.5% of their 4,069 connections are commercial in nature.

Mineola Marching Band honored

Undefeated squad won state title

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Mineola, the village of champions.

Wednesday night saw village, town and elected officials congratulate the Mineola Marching Band for taking home the No. 1 spot in New York earlier this year.

On Oct. 30, the band capped off an undefeated run and scored their highest rating of the season for their performance, “The Scarlet Bandit,” at the New York State Field Band Conference in Syracuse.

Mineola received a 93.675 rating for the top spot in Small School Division 1, just ahead of New Hartford, which received a 93.150 rating.

The win is Mineola’s third championship in five years, with two Division 2 titles racked up in 2018 and 2019.

“To see our name, our high school and our community on this trophy that has traveled the state and will do so in the future, knowing our name will be etched there forever is priceless,” Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira said. “This is really something worthy of recognition.”

The marching band is made up of eighth through 12th graders and is led by band director Chris Toomey, who first started in 2016 and has seen the program grow from 74 to 135 students.

“Coming in 1st place @NYSField-

Band has been a crowning achievement for our band, but moments like this town hall meeting remind us all of the bigger picture — work hard, make lifelong friendships along the way, be kind, and enjoy the memories. #MineolaProud @MineolaFineArts” Toomey tweeted following the meeting.

Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Councilman Dennis Walsh, state Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) and Nassau County Presiding Officer Rich Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) were on hand to share their congratulations with the students, who represented Williston Park and Mineola almost evenly.

“Congratulations on a great achievement. It’s nice to hear that you were successful in Division 2 and continued that after moving up,” Ehrbar said. “Maybe we’ll be back next year.”

Each official presented the band with a certificate of achievement from their respective governments on top of the village presenting a large street sign for the school “so when people walk in they know they’re entering the home of champions” Pereira said.

“Whether it is the marching band or an athletic team or individual doing any of the great things that we do in the district, it’s a source of pride for us because we know all the hard work you do to get it done,” the mayor said.

516-307-1045 x215 • bduffy@theisland360.com

Manhasset Times: Robert Pelaez 516-307-1045 x203 • rpelaez@theisland360.com

Roslyn Times: Steven Keehner 516-307-1045 x214 • skeehner@theisland360.com

Williston Times: Brandon Duffy 516-307-1045 x215 • bduffy@theisland360.com

Port Washington Times: Steven Keehner 516-307-1045 x214 • skeehner@theisland360.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF (RENEE K. PRODUCTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY

Mineola Marching Band was honored with a ceremony at Mineola’s Village Hall.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATE

Rob Mirabile of the Garden City Park Fire and Water District.

NCC drops mask mandate after phone call

School officials reverse decision hours after announcement following discussion with Blakeman

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

Nassau Community College reversed course and dropped a mask mandate policy Friday after discussions with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, officials said.

The college, which has almost 14,000 students, announced that face coverings would be required beginning Monday regardless of vaccination status because of rising levels of COVID-19 in the county. But hours later officials reversed their decision and instead issued a recommendation.

“The college recommends that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask while indoors on campus,” the college website reads. “CDC states that wearing a mask can help prevent severe illnesses and reduce the spread of respiratory viruses including the flu, [respiratory syncytial virus] and COVID.”

The abrupt change came after meetings between the college president and Blakeman, according to a statement from the Nassau executive.

“After strong and evidence-based discussions with the College President, Nassau Community College is withdrawing their premature decision to mandate masks,” said Blake-

man. “At this time we are monitoring the spike in COVID diagnoses and have, importantly, not seen a spike in hospitalizations. As we have seen in the past, there is very little value in mandating masks to prevent the spread of COVID.”

New York Times COVID-19 data shows Nassau’s seven-day average of new cases was 553 Dec. 12 — an increase of nearly 59% from 348 on Nov. 12.

State officials said Long Island had the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and new infections in the state last week. They warned that the increase, combined with current influenza and respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks, could make for a challenging winter.

“We are surrounded by people who have COVID,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Because so many have been vaccinated, even more should be getting the booster. The effect is not as dire but can still spread to people in a vulnerable situation.”

Hochul ended the state mask requirement in schools in March. She made this decision after consulting with health and education experts, as well as parents, teachers and school administrators and after analyzing several key COVID-19 data trends.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Nassau Community College in Uniondale. According to officials, the college reversed course and dropped a mask mandate policy on Friday after discussions with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

F.P. police can go to arbitration: court

Officers who worked during height of pandemic permitted to fight for double-time pay

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Floral Park police officers who worked during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have a right to go to arbitration for double-time pay they said their contract calls for, New York’s Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court has ruled.

The Floral Park Police Benevolent Association in September 2020 began an arbitration proceeding, a process in which a third party helps settle labor disputes, against the village in seeking a “Contract Interpretation” for a provision in their collective bargaining agreement titled “Additional Paid Holidays,” according to court documents.

The holiday provision says when the mayor, or designated representative in their absence, declares a holiday for village employees for either an emergency or other reasons, “the members who have reported to work prior to such declaration or actually worked thereafter shall have such time worked payable at the option of the Village Board on either a cash basis or as compensatory time.”

Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald said during the Dec. 6 board of trustees meeting that the PBA’s claims are “without merit.”

“It was and is the village’s position that the CBA’s “Holiday” pay provisions are inapplicable, were never triggered in this instance, and that the PBA’s claims are without merit,”

Fitzgerald said in a statement. “The New York State Supreme Court, Nassau County, agreed with the Village and enjoined the PBA’s arbitration from proceeding. However, the New York State Appellate Division ruled recently that the merits or lack of merit of the PBA’s claim should be determined by an arbitrator and not

the courts.”

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The village had paid the officers $153,306 in overtime pay when the union filed the grievance, according to the Nassau County Supreme Court ruling.

But because Mayor Thomas Tweedy had declared an emergency during Sandy, the PBA argued their contract with the village entitled them to more compensation.

The state Appellate Division court ruled in 2015 the police union was entitled to arbitration because its collective bargaining agreement with the village provided for it and no law prohibits it. The ruling reversed the county Supreme Court’s denial of the arbitration from October 2013, which the village requested because it said the police union did not follow its grievance process correctly.

In 2019, the grievance was settled in accordance with a fully executed stipulation of settlement, according to court documents.

While the litigation remains ongoing, Fitzgerald said the village cannot comment on it.

This is not the first time the village and its PBA disputed pay.

The police asked the village for extra compensation in December 2012 for their work during and in the aftermath of Sandy between Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 of that year.

“The village may need to arbitrate the PBA’s claim that they are entitled to the additional ‘holiday’ pay during COVID. The Village’s position remains that the PBA’s claim lacks any merit,” Fitzgerald said. “We will continue to keep the taxpayers advised of any future developments when they occur, but understand due to the current litigation no further comments will be made at this time.”

Hadassah’s historic convention in Israel

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

As a young teacher in Great Neck more than 40 years ago, Rhoda Smolow said she never thought of being a leader in the Jewish community while her grandmother envisioned it differently.

Smolow, who moved to the peninsula in 1978, was a reading teacher in Glen Head involved in the Great Neck community. She recalls her grandmother being a member of

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which brings women together to promote change in a variety of prominent issues facing the global Jewish community.

Following a chapter event in New York City, which her grandmother’s group attended, Smolow, a fifth-generation Hadassah member, fell victim to something millions can relate to — being embarrassed by a grandparent.

“My grandmother turned to all of her friends and said, ‘My granddaughter will be the national president of Hadassah’,” Smolow told Blank Slate Media. “To this day, I think she had a foreshadowing or something that saw what I didn’t see. And I hope she’s still watching.”

More than 40 years after her grandmother’s prediction, Smolow became the 27th president of what is now the nation’s largest Jewish women’s organization in America in early 2020. While being president was not an aspiration when she was first starting out in one of Hadassah’s Great Neck groups, Smolow said her continuous involvement and passion for working with people led her to this position.

“I really, truly am a people person,” Smolow said. “I love working with people, I love mentoring people and I am a diplomat. So often I’ve been called in to be someone who can help find solutions to issues or challenges. There are no problems, there are only challenges that have solutions.”

PHOTO

Floral Park Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald, left, and Trustee Frank Chiara give their reports during the Dec. 6 meeting.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HADASSAH

Hadassah National President Rhoda Smolow addresses Hadassah’s 100th National Convention in Jerusalem.

Herricks gives updates on relief funds at board meeting

BY JESSICA TAYLOR

During the Herricks Board of Education meeting Thursday night Superintendent Dr. Tony Sinanis touched on some concerns about the Federal Stimulus Funds and how “other school districts are not necessarily using all their funding.”

Sinanis opened the floor to Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Elizabeth Guercin for an update about these funds and how Herricks has used them in the last year.

Guercin said that in 2020 the district received $1.1 million in Covid-19 Federal Stimulus Funds, which included $350,000 under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act and $785,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act.

She said that based on feedback after holding meetings with the public and constituents, the funds were designated for initiatives focused on learning loss, social-emotional learning support and health and safety initiatives as required in the grants’ funding.

Some 60% of the funding is going toward learning loss and social-emotional

learning initiatives, which is far higher than the 20% minimum required by the state. The remaining 40% will go toward health and safety initiatives.

Using the American Rescue Plan Act funding, learning loss initiatives include the district’s 1-for-1 Chromebook initiative, summer programs, recovery services, an occupational therapist and a behavior specialist, among others.

Health and Safety initiatives include univent reconditioning, PPE supplies, an LED sign for the community center and a part-time nurse.

The social-emotional initiative is $96,847 going toward the district’s middle school wellness center, which is being expended during the 2022-2023 school year. Some $459,823 was used during 2021-2022, $288,346 in 2022-2023 and only $37,198 will be used in the grant’s third and final year during the 20232024 school year.

For the Corona Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act, $149,948 was spent during 2021-2022, $164,495 will be spent during 20222023 and $35,000 will be spent next school year.

A full 50% of the funds were expended during the 2021-2022 school year and 40% is being expended during 20222023, most of which has already been utilized, Guercin said.

Guercin was happy to announce that the district will have a “phenomenal” amount left to cover the 2023-2024 school year. The figures are already posted on the district’s website and updates will continue to be posted.

President Jim Gounaris commented that “we just wanted to make sure that people understood that we used our money” unlike some other school districts where the funds went unspent. “We made sure that it went to the health and safety of our kids” and staff members, too.”

Gounaris continued, “We put our best efforts forward to utilize all that money. So for those who may read and hear that school districts are sitting on a ton of money, we are not sitting on any of it. We spent it according to the guidelines, rules, policies and procedures that were offered through those grants.”

He thanked the board for their transparency. The next Herrick’s Board of Education meeting will be held on Jan. 5.

Manhasset Hills man stole relief funds: Feds

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

A Manhasset Hills man and his nephew were indicted for allegedly stealing more than $1.6 million from coronavirus pandemic relief programs, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. announced Friday.

William Felcon and his nephew, Thomas A. Felcon of Howard Beach, received federal loans for their companies beginning in April 2020 through June 2021, officials said. William Felcon owns A L One Inc., classified as a single-family housing construction business online, and A L One Consulting Inc., officials said.

Both companies are located in New Hyde Park, officials said. Thomas A. Felcon allegedly aided both New Hyde Park companies with the hiring, supervision and payment of subcontractors while also con-

trolling The Nebula Group and GPT Property Consultants Inc.

The two allegedly created fraudulent IRS forms that incorrectly reported the number of employees for each company and the amount of each company’s wages and payroll taxes, the DA said. The companies received more than $600,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds from a variety of private lenders, loan advances and more than $1 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, officials said.

“The Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs were available at the height of the pandemic when New Yorkers needed immediate financial support to keep their businesses afloat. These individuals allegedly defrauded the system and lined their own pockets at the expense of others during a dire economic situation,” Bragg

Oligarch’s cousin donates to Santos

Andrew Intrater, relative of Russia’s Vekselberg, gives GOP candidate’s campaign $29K

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Republican congressman-elect George Devolder-Santos received nearly $30,000 in campaign donations from the American cousin of a Russian oligarch, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.

Andrew Intrater, who heads the investment firm Sparrow Capital (formerly Columbus Nova), donated $29,500 to Devolder-Santos’ successful campaign against Democrat Robert Zimmerman for the state’s 3rd Congressional District in November. Intrater is the cousin of Viktor Vekselberg, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose net worth is $7.65 billion.

Vekselberg, who was born in Ukraine, made his first million from selling scrap copper before purchasing several aluminum smelters and forming the conglomerate Sual Holding in 1996, according to Forbes. Vekselberg merged Sual Holding with Russian Alumnium to create UC Rusal.

Columbus Nova described itself as “the U.S.-based affiliate” of the oligarch’s Renova Group, according to Securities and Exchange Commission documents in 2007.

The rebrand of Columbus Nova to Sparrow Capital came in 2018, following the U.S. Department of Treasury’s

freezing of nearly all the company’s assets.

The oligarch’s $90 million, 255foot yacht was seized by the Spanish government in April at the order of the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice said the yacht “was subject to

forfeiture based on violations of U.S. bank fraud, money laundering, and sanction statutes.”

Federal officials stressed the importance of monitoring the activity for individuals and organizations that fueled Russia to continue the war against

Ukraine launched earlier this year.

“Together, with our international partners, we will do everything possible to hold accountable any individual whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unjust war,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B.

Garland said in a statement following the seizure.

Devolder-Santos, who recently attended a press conference to welcome Ukrainian Consulate General Oleksii Holubov to Long Island, described Ukraine as a “totalitarian regime” to the Washington Post earlier this year.

“Look, if the Ukrainians really hated Russia so bad, the eastern border of Ukraine wouldn’t have welcomed Russians into their provinces,” Devolder-Santos said in a February article. “They feel more Russian than Ukrainian.”

Less than a week before the Washington Post article was published online, Devolder-Santos tweeted “Pray for Ukraine!”

Efforts to reach Devolder-Santos for comment on the matter were unavailing.

Election commission filings also showed Intrater donated $11,600 to Santos for his 2020 congressional campaign, which ultimately resulted in a loss to current U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove).

The Daily Beast publication said Intrater gave $56,100 to committees tied to Santos, but Blank Slate Media could not confirm those figures on the Federal Election Commission’s campaign financing page.

PHOTO BY BRANDON DUFFY

Congressman-elect George Santos during his election night watch party.

Manhasset to wait for state’s guidance on mascot decision

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

The Manhasset School District, like Sewanhaka, will also be awaiting further guidance from the state’s education department before making a decision on potentially changing its mascot.

The state DOE released a memo on Nov. 17 ordering school districts to stop using mas-

cots, team names or imagery depicting Native Americans by the end of the 2022-2023 school year or risk losing state aid.

Manhasset Superintendent Gaurav Passi did not commit to changing the district’s “Indians” mascot in a statement to Blank Slate Media Friday.

“We are awaiting regulations that the State Education Department indicated they

would be putting forth in the coming month clarifying the District’s obligations,” Passi said in a statement.

Sewanhaka Superintendent James Grossane said at the district’s Dec. 1 Board of Education meeting that they are also waiting to receive regulations from the education department. The district mascot is also the “Indians.”

“This was a topic of great discussion at the county’s superintendent meeting last week and the advice we received and are following is we are waiting for the regulations,” Grossane said.

The Sewanhaka superintendent also made mention of online petitions that circulated in 2020 to have his district and Manhasset change their mascots. Manhasset’s petition, organized by alum Jo Trigg, has gained nearly 6,000 signatures since it was launched two years ago.

“To prove how wrong this mascot is, consider a mascot called the Blacks, the Jews, the Caucasians, the Asians, image and all?” Trigg wrote in the petition. “If it sounds completely ridiculous and offensive, it is because it is. There’s no way to justify the mascot as it is.”

Trigg recently told Patch.com that the state’s education department made a memorandum more than 20 years ago that schools that depict Native American imagery should stop doing so.

G.N. native to host New Year’s comedy show

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Great Neck native and comedian Talia Reese is coming back to her roots for New Year’s Eve, hosting a comedy night and soiree at Colbeh, a Kosher Mediterranean restaurant in her hometown.

Reese, who has been featured on Comedy Central, Sirius XM and more, cut her chops as a comedy troupe director before making a move into bankruptcy law. Her passion for comedy, she said, made her presence a bit more felt than others on her legal team.

“I definitely had too much personality for a junior associate in my department in bankruptcy law,” Reese told Blank Slate Media.

Being a strong writer and researcher made the transition from comedy to law easier than one might assume, she said. While some skills seam-

lessly translated from the world of comedy to the world of law, she said, the tedium of her daily routine and long road to being a trial lawyer or partner nudged her back into comedy.

The transition from sketch comedy to stand-up performances, Reese said, was difficult in some ways, mainly because there isn’t anyone or anything else to work with. At the same time, doing stand-up shows and routines for almost the past 10 years makes her dread sharing a stage at the same time as someone else.

“Being alone on stage and having to pull in all the laughter without a scene partner, doing crowd work and doing a little improv were skills I really had to hone in on,” she said.

“Now, I can’t even imagine having someone else. I’d be like, ‘Get off my stage, what are you doing?’ It’s crazy.”

PHOTO BY SAMUELE PETRUCCELLI

The Manhasset School District will await guidance from the state before making a decision on its “Indians” mascot, Superintendent Gaurav Passi said.

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Fighting for rights long protected in law

The House vote last week to approve legislation to mandate the recognition of samesex and interracial marriages across the United States was notable in several ways with large implications nationally and for New York.

For one, the measure’s success reflected a stunning cultural and political shift on the issue of same-sex marriage over the past 20 years.

The legislation overturned the 2016 Defense of Marriage Act, which banned federal recognition of samesex marriage by limiting the definition of marriage to the union of one man and one woman.

The legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.

By contrast, the 259-169 House vote for the Respect for Marriage Act was bipartisan with 39 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the legislation.

The 39 Republicans included five from New York, including Long Island Rep. Andrew Garbarino, whose district covers parts of Nassau and Suffolk, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of the Republican conference and strong supporter of former President Donald Trump.

The 39 House Republicans joined 12 Republican senators who approved the legislation a month ago.

President Biden who signed the legislation into law on Tuesday had earlier called Congress’ support “a critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry the person they love.”

Congress’ vote comes at a time when an ultra-conservative Supreme Court majority is actively removing the rights of people approved by previous courts — regardless of precedent.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin and the first openly lesbian official elected to Congress, had sponsored the legislation after Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in his

opinion in the June ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which had established a constitutional right to abortion, that the court also “should reconsider” precedents enshrining marriage equality and access to contraception.

The legislation appeared at the time as an effort by Democrats to highlight social issues during the midterm elections.

But an unexpectedly large number of House Republicans announced their support for the legislation.

The vote also showed how changes in attitudes among the public can drive public policy.

Over the past 20 years, same-sex marriage has become widely accepted with polls showing that more than 70% of voters support same-sex marriage.

Baldwin’s proposed legislation was supported by a bipartisan group of “proponents in the Senate — boosted quietly by a coalition of influential Republican donors and operatives, some of them gay — to find the at least 10 Republican votes necessary in that chamber to move it forward,” according to The New York Times.

We would like to think that the public’s overwhelming support for gun safety will also translate into further action on issues like universal background checks and preventing sales of all firearms to people reported as dangerous to law enforcement by a mental health provider.

The same-sex marriage legislation also showed the large cultural differences in this country with most House Republicans condemning the legislation as immoral.

“This bill only serves to further demonize biblical values,” Rep. Vicky Hartzler, Republican of Missouri, said. “This is yet another step toward the Democrats’ goal of dismantling the traditional family, silencing voices of faith and permanently undoing our country’s God-woven foundation.”

We couldn’t disagree more with

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Hartzler, but her comments do serve to illustrate the basis of movements that can be seen in recent years on Long Island.

This includes opposition to books, primarily on LGBTQ subjects, by a slate of candidates to the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees. That slate was recently defeated by candidates who opposed censorship in the library and defended the right of librarians to choose what books to offer the public.

It also includes efforts by wellfunded conservative groups to challenge what is being taught in public schools about subjects like slavery, Jim Crow and even the Constitution

For the record, the word God is never used in the U.S. Constitution. Religion is mentioned in the First Amendment, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Nowhere is the Bible cited as a ba-

REPORTERS

sis for laws.

Instead, the Constitution vests the power in “We the People.”

In the case of the Respect for Marriage Act, people’s rights are expanded by legalizing marriage between people of the same sex. It does not ban marriage between a man and a woman.

Still, these types of conflicts can be expected to become more frequent as a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court overturns decades of precedent in decisions like Roe v. Wade.

That most recently applied to New York’s century-old law strictly restricting the concealed carrying of firearms.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority also seemed inclined during oral arguments last week to rule in favor of a graphic artist who is an evangelical Christian and does not want to create wedding websites for same-sex

couples

Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted this would mark “the first time in the court’s history” that it permitted a commercial business open to the public to “refuse to serve a customer based on race, sex, religion or sexual orientation.”

Sotomayor and the other liberal justices noted that there is no obvious principle limiting when religious convictions could allow exemption from anti-discrimination laws.

The current makeup of the Supreme Court means that laws that have protected individual rights for many years could be overturned and that it will be up to Congress, state Legislatures and even school and library boards to defend them.

The vote for the Respect for Marriage Act shows that this is possible, but only if members of the public make their voices heard at every level of government.

Should we care about botched executions?

There has long been debate about whether the death penalty is inhumane, violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment, fails as a deterrent and is economically and racially biased.

What we do know is that capital punishment is irreversible.

Defenders of capital punishment maintain that it represents justice, accountability and retribution for certain crimes; protects society; and helps to maintain the moral order.

While it is not the primary focus of this column, it should be noted upfront that according to the Death Penalty Information Center, “since 1973, 190 former death-row prisoners have been exonerated of all charges related to the wrongful convictions that had put them on death row.”

WHEN LETHAL INJECTION FAILS

Looking beyond the pros and cons of capital punishment, should we be concerned when lethal injections are administered and repeatedly fail?

On Nov. 21, the Associated Press reported that Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey sought a break in executions and ordered a comprehensive review of the state’s capital punishment system following an unprecedented third failed lethal injection in two days.

The governor made her decision after the uncompleted execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, which was the state’s third such instance of being unable to put an inmate to death since 2018. One execution was completed in July 2022, after a three-hour delay because of the same difficulty starting an IV line.

Do botched executions constitute cruel and unusual punishment, given that they are likely to intensify the agony for the inmate as well as their family members, friends, and official onlookers?

The Supreme Court held that the use of lethal injection, in and of itself, does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. However, it is unlikely that, early on, they considered the extent of the fallout when lethal injections go wrong.

Perhaps it is my failure of character or absence of divine grace, that I cannot envision myself forgiving someone that murdered a loved one, let alone be disturbed if a lethal injection failed and led to additional distress for the perpetrator.

Yet, I am in awe of those that are capable of extending forgiveness under the most dreadful circumstances; such as the surviving parishioners and family members at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, where a gunman opened fire and murdered nine people on June 17, 2015.

Could I muster any sympathy what-

ANDREW MALEKOFF The Back Road

soever for the subject of a botched execution? If I was an aggrieved party, a surviving family member, might I welcome even harsher punishment to satisfy a deep desire for vengeance and extended suffering that could be meted out, if even inadvertently?

These are not easy questions and, as you can see, I am struggling with my answers.

Should a murderer’s extended suffering matter to me, given the heinous nature of their crimes? Perhaps not.

Nevertheless, botched executions affect more than death row inmates.

“Botched executions have been ordeals for the men on the gurney, their families, friends, ministers, and attorneys, and all the men and women working at the prison and involved in these botched attempts. The trauma of these executions extend widely to everyone that they touch,” said Bernard Harcourt, attorney for another Alabama death row inmate in a failed execution.

Many capital punishment adherents believe perpetrators of certain crimes “should suffer deaths as painful, if not more painful, than the deaths to which they subjected their victims,” says Bharat Malkani, senior lecturer, School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.

“They are therefore unlikely to change their minds about capital punishment just because a murderer has suffered,” Malkani adds. Indeed, the briefest review of the acts of many death row inmates’ crimes makes it difficult to feel sympathy for them.

A 2018 study published by Cambridge University Press examined, “Why have accounts of botched executions not played a larger role in the struggle to end capital punishment in the United States?”

The investigators “examined newspaper coverage of botched executions to determine and describe the way they were presented to the public and why they

have contributed little to the abolitionist cause.”

MISFORTUNE OR INJUSTICE?

They found that “although botched executions reveal pain, violence, and inhumanity associated with state killing, newspaper coverage of these events neutralizes the impact of that revelation. Throughout the last century, newspapers presented botched executions as misfortunes rather than injustices.”

According to Austin Sarat, reporting for SLATE magazine on Nov. 21, lethal injection was adopted with great fanfare in 1977 by Oklahoma and “hyped as the most humane execution method—has proved to be the least reliable of all. From 1977 to 2009, more than 7 percent of all lethal injections were botched.”

Lethal injection is dependent on unreliable drug combinations, compounded by state execution procedures that fail to adequately control what goes on in the execution chamber. Although the Eighth Amendment forbids cruel and unusual methods of capital punishment, it does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death.

In fact, reports Sarat, “the Oklahoma legislators who first proposed it promised that death by lethal injection would be accomplished with “no struggle, no stench, no pain—just a quick, merciful snuffing out of life.”

It looks like they got it all wrong.

Books for political junkies this Christmas

For folks who give books at Christmas to political junkie friends and relatives, here are my 2022 gift book picks.

“One Damn Thing After Another” by William P . Barr. Americans were fortunate Bill Barr agreed to serve a second stint as U.S. attorney general. The memoir of this brilliant lawyer describes how he was not afraid to stand up to President Trump and how he kept the Justice Department from being politicized. Barr bluntly told Trump after the 2020 election there was no evidence of fraud. He pointed out to the angry president that he “had underperformed among certain Republican and independent voters in some key suburban areas in the swing states [and] ran behind Republican candidates below him on the ballot…. It seemed this shortage could explain the outcome.”

“The Divider: Trump in the White House” by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. This book on the Trump administration is top drawer. This meticulously researched work vividly describes Trump’s management by tantrum. The authors reveal that, Trump, who is not dumb,

was dangerously uninformed. Trump “did not know that Puerto Rico was part of the United States…. [He] did not understand the basics of America’s vast nuclear arsenal, did not grasp the concept of constitutional separations of powers, did not understand how courts work…. He seemed genuinely surprised to learn that Abraham Lincoln had been a member of the Republican Party. ‘He knew nothing about most things,’ observed one top aide.”

“The New Yorkers” by Sam Roberts. The author is one of the Big Apple’s most revered reporters. He served as city editor at The Daily News, and since 1983 he has been at The New York Times writing on urban affairs. His latest work describes the lives of 31 unique New Yorkers who helped make and define the city. The personages profiled include John Jay, president of the Continental Congress; New York’s first archbishop, John Hughes; the noted political boss Charles Murphy, as well as mobsters, actors, and civil rights activists.

“Campaign of the Century: Kennedy, Nixon and the Election of 1960” by Irwin F. Gellman. This is the distin-

ON THE RIGHT GEORGE J. MARLIN On The Right

guished historian’s third volume on the life of Richard Nixon. It is a wellbalanced, very readable, history of the famous battle for the White House. Gellman utilizes previously unexamined archival material, FBI records et cetera. The author makes clear that in his work, “Kennedy will not come out as a saint; his campaign was far more corrupt and ruthless than has been presented. Nixon

will not come out as the villain or the foil; he ran a far cleaner operation than has been described. While the extremes of white and black occasionally surface, this narrative is mainly colored in shades of gray.”

“Democratic Justice: Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court and the Making of the Liberal Establishment” by Brad Snyder. This is an extraordinary biography of a Jewish immigrant from Vienna who arrived in America in 1894 at age 11 and went on to become a renowned Harvard law professor, an adviser to presidents, and an associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. As a brilliant young lawyer Frankfurter befriended Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Stimson, Louis Brandeis, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. As a law professor he secured for his top students (i.e., Dean Acheson) clerkships with Supreme Court justices and later top jobs in Franklin Roosevelt’s administration. Frankfurter, who served on the Supreme Court bench from 1939 until 1962, was not your typical knee-jerk liberal jurist. A proponent of judicial restraint, he believed that “the American

people should seek political and socioeconomic change not from the Supreme Court but from the democratic political process . [He] was extremely skeptical about judicial vetoes of state and federal legislation….” “Democratic Justice” is a big book—the narrative encompasses 710 pages—but it is a worthy read.

“Come On Man: The Truth About Joe Biden’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Presidency” by Joe Concha. A longtime media and political columnist for “The Hill,” Contra makes the case that Biden “has been a guy who usually padded his resume, boosted his hard scrabble credibility and will say or do anything that is politically expedient.”

And thanks to accommodating journalists, Biden has gotten away with his mishaps and lies. Protecting Biden from scrutiny, Contra describes how the mainstream media has given little coverage to the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the crime surge in American cities, 2 million immigrants crossing our border, inflation hitting 40-year highs, 400 people a day dying from COVID-19, the opioid overdose crisis, and “his unsteady grip of the truth or reality.”

OUR TOWN

High fashion comes to the sneaker world

Well, men, if you are out and about and wondering what to get your wife for the holidays, the answer is usually simple. That is, if you have $2,500 to spare and live near the Miracle Mile. All you have to do is walk into Burberry’s, Louis Vuitton, Fendi or Gucci with a bewildered look on your face and you will promptly be approached by an extremely pleasant salesperson who will guide you toward the handbag area where upon you will be shown some exquisite looking luxury handbags and, voila, your decision-making is done.

But what if you’re a puzzled wife who is shopping for the man in your life and realize that he has more ties, shirts, scarfs and sweaters than he can possibly use. What to do? What to do? Your troubles are over because thanks to the ascendence of men’s fashion in America, you too can spend large sums of cash to adorn your man in the latest in sneaker apparel.

Welcome to the world of high-end, luxury sneaker fashion. For years I have been aware that certain entrepreneurial and enterprising young teens were engaged in buying and then selling the latest sneaker line of Air Jordans. But I was stunned to see how fashion houses were now in the serious business of designing and selling luxury sneakers for men. Or to put it more accurately, for

wealthy men.

I was prompted to write this column after walking through Neiman Marcus in the Roosevelt Mall last week and noticed some truly odd-looking, hand-painted sneakers with silver studs by Dolce & Gabbana. I turned them over to see the soles and there was the price tag for these beauties at the cost of $1,500. Wow! Things have changed since I was a kid and the only things available to buy were those black high-top Converse sneakers for $12.

DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town

To do more research, I went back up to the Miracle Mile in Manhasset and waltzed into Louis Vuitton with the naïve assumption that one of those friendly salespeople would be happy to chat with me about sneaker fashion.

Silly me, I should have known that since there is so much invested in LV branding, each salesperson is instructed to respond to a journalist’s questions with the line: “Why certainly, sir, I will be more than happy to get in touch with our PR corporate division and get back to you within a week or so.” Gee, thanks.

My next move was to exit stage left and saunter on down to Gucci and try my luck there. Naturally I put my camera, pen and pad away, walked in and asked where their men’s sneaker

EARTH MATTERS

department was. I was promptly escorted to the right place. The service in any of these high-end Miracle Mile stores is different than what occurs if you walk into Century 21. At Century 21 you feel lonely and lost, but in a luxury fashion store you feel happy, enchanted, accompanied, and very welcomed. Sometimes, actually frequently, they will offer you bottled water. At Gucci’s the salesperson was engaging and pleasant and answered all my questions.

At this point I was able to understand the categories of sneakers on display. Each luxury brand used their familiar logos. Louis Vuitton used the “LV” insignia. Gucci used that “GG” and the green and red stripes, Fendi uses “F” and Dolce Gabbana uses there famous “DG” But that’s only the beginning of the fun. They have sneakers for walking, sneakers for jogging and sneakers for evening wear.

In days gone by the only guys who would have had the guts to wear sneakers at all times were Howard Hughes and David Boies. But Hughes was the world’s richest man and David Boies is one of the nation’s most well-known, powerful and brilliant attorneys. In case you don’t recall, Boies was the guy who represented Al Gore in that Supreme Court case.

But now it seems that sneakers are

an in thing for almost all occasions. Or as the salesperson told me at Gucci: “There are no longer any rules in fashion.” That is if you have the cash or credit to spend on these sneakers. I think that enough money allows you to break any rule you want.

So, if you are a woman looking to buy your man something he certainly does not have yet, go out and buy him some high-end sneakers. They look good, seem to be fun to wear and are made to last with quality material. And one hopes that, unlike women’s handbags, these cute little puppies will not go out of style too quickly.

Which brings up another question regarding women’s fashion. How is it possible that each year the styles keep getting better, more interesting, and more appealing? It doesn’t seem possible for this to occur, but it seems to happen every year. The colors get better, the use of materials gets more unique, the way the stuff gets put together is more fun. This was a question I posed to one of the Gucci salespeople I spoke to.

I asked how fashion just keeps getting better and better every year. He paused, thought for a moment, smiled at me and said: “Isn’t it remarkable what the combination of money and creativity can do.”

I guess it is remarkable.

Wireless antennas and the rights of citizens

There has been a growing concern over the past few years in communities across Long Island regarding the deployment of new “small cell” wireless antennas designed to meet the expansion plans of the nation’s telecoms. The use of 5G technology requires close proximity to the user, and as a result some people are coming home from work to find an antenna sitting atop a telephone pole just outside their home.

Our phones can now do lots of amazing things, and people want to be fully connected at all times, in all places, but that kind of wireless connectivity doesn’t come without a significant risk. Residents, aware of media reports of wireless radiation harm, are showing up at town hall meetings in places like Flower Hill, Manorhaven, Upper Brookville and Lake Success demanding to be heard.

Ever since Samuel Morse figured out how to transmit patterns of electrical signals over a wire back in the 1830s, the quest for ever-faster and more flexible means of communications has driven amazing technological progress. Marconi invented the radio, Bell invented the telephone, his corporate progeny developed television, Steve Jobs gave us the personal computer, and in 1973, the Motorola company developed the DynaTAC 8000X, a wireless hand-held telephone that

could operate anywhere—if there was an antenna nearby.

Fast forward to today, and wireless technology can be used to stream movies while we walk the dog, wear a virtual reality headset out in the backyard, and allow giant 18-wheel trucks to barrel along an interstate at 70 miles an hour without a driver. Talk about progress!

But as I mentioned, there’s a risk to all this wireless technology, and local citizens are right to be concerned. It’s something the military has known since the very early days of radar: exposure to the radiofrequency (RF) radiation that is emitted from all wireless devices is not harmless. In fact, thousands of published, peer-reviewed studies have identified mechanisms by which exposure to RF radiation can cause biological harm, resulting in cancer, DNA and heart damage, as well as acute symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, memory loss and difficulty concentrating.

The massive deployment of new “small cell” wireless antennas in communities across Long Island transforms the issue of exposure from a personal choice (for instance, deciding to hold your cell phone against your ear for hours each day) to an involuntary one. When an antenna is placed just outside your home, you have no control over the radiation exposure which you and

PATTI WOOD Earth Matters

your family will receive 24/7/365, whether you use the service or not.

Studies show that children are much more vulnerable than adults to almost all kinds of environmental exposures, and RF radiation is certainly no exception. Their smaller bodies, thinner skulls, higher water content and rapidly developing physiology put them at much higher risk than adults. If your child’s bedroom happens to be near one of these new antennas, he or she will be exposed to the radiation all night while they sleep.

Well, you might say, certainly our federal agencies would not allow something potentially dangerous like that on the market without pre-market testing

and strict regulations. I’m sorry to say, you’d be wrong.

The human RF radiation exposure limits currently promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission were developed back in the 1980s, based on limited studies of rats and monkeys. At that time, the only concern was heat: how much RF radiation would it take to raise the body temperature of the animals? Believe it or not, that is still the standard we are living with today. It’s the standard for every phone, every antenna, every router and every VR headset. A thermal-only standard based on science from the 1980s.

There is no pre-market testing of phones or antennas. No government agency is monitoring the power output of the hundreds of thousands of antennas that have been deployed over the past few years in neighborhoods across the country. No government agency is testing the cumulative RF radiation levels in our school classrooms, where our children spend a large part of their waking hours. The Food and Drug Administration, which has the legal responsibility to set science-based standards for human exposure to RF radiation has actually never done so.

So, what can communities on Long Island and elsewhere do? There are three very important things every community can do: Adopt a protective code, adopt a protective code, and

adopt a protective code.

In the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which governs the deployment of all wireless technology in this country, Congress reserved for local communities the right to control how that deployment is managed. But communities don’t get those rights automatically. They get them through the adoption of a protective local zoning code.

The telecoms are fond of telling local politicians that their hands are tied, and that there is nothing they can do to stop a telecom from putting up its antennas wherever it wants. This is not true. The non-profit group Americans for Responsible Technology has a checklist of things every community could and should do to take advantage of the powers given to it by Congress.

While a good code can’t totally prevent the deployment of wireless antennas in every community, it can certainly give local officials the power to prevent the most egregious and hazardous placement of antennas, and force telecoms to prove that the locations they have chosen are the best and least obtrusive ones available.

Nobody is advocating going back in time, but there are safer and better ways to get connected than putting an antenna right outside someone’s home or apartment. You can bet that none of the telecom execs have antennas on their property!

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DR. THOMAS FERRARO

Wondering what to get your man for the holidays? How about these Burberry waterproof walking sneakers?

Dollars but no sense to gun violence epidemic

This week marked the 10th anniversary of the massacre of 20 sixyear-olds and their six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

President Biden attended what has become an annual Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence in Washington, D.C., last week — the first president to attend since Obama (Trump is the poster child for promoting gun violence).

Just this year alone there have been 622 mass shootings, which is more than two mass shootings each day. Guns are the highest cause of death for children in this country. But except for the gun legislation Biden managed to get through – the first in 30 years – significant legislation to address the gun violence epidemic has yet to become law on the following points: outright ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; universal background checks; licensing/registration every five years; liability insurance; tougher red-flag laws. It’s harder to adopt a pet or vote (which is actually in the Constitution) than to purchase a weapon of war.

While we tend to focus only on the dead, we rarely consider the victims and survivors who add 100-fold to the numbers or to the calculation of actual cost –that is, beyond the immeasurable cost of pain, suffering, loss, intimidation, terror, impact to diminish rights of free speech, protest, assembly, fair elections — of coddling a gun industry and its lobbyists and enablers.

Let’s try to tally the costs.

The sum of $557 billion a year, ac-

cording to a study by Everytown for Gun Safety examining the direct and indirect costs from all gun violence in America, fatal and non-fatal.

The $557 billion each year includes everything from the immediate cost at a shooting, such as the police response, investigation and ambulance services, to the long-term health care costs, Eric Westervelt reported on the “All Things Considered” broadcast on NPR. It also includes things like a victim’s lost earnings, the price of mental health care and more. The report also tries to calculate seemingly less tangible and hard-to-pin-down costs. It estimates society loses some $1.3 billion every day for “suffering and lost well-being of gun violence to victims and their families.” The true annual figure is likely higher.

“This is honestly a very conservative estimate,” Sarah Burd-Sharps, research director at the gun control advocacy group, asserted. “It covers directly measurable costs. It doesn’t cover things like the trauma of children who don’t return to their school, the impact on businesses or on property values and taxes. It doesn’t cover any of those wider reverberations.”

It also doesn’t take into account the lost productivity, not only by losing a loved one, but the physical and mental injury to those who survive a shooting, and the cost to the family in losing that source of income and productivity, each year and for years, perhaps a lifetime afterward. That could be millions of dollars lost to that family.

Add to that $557 billion the billions

KAREN RUBIN View Point

of dollars spent each year to “harden” vulnerable targets – schools and college campuses, synagogues and churches, office buildings, government buildings, shopping malls, airports and transit hubs – with infrastructure and ongoing security. The school security industry alone has grown to $3.1 billion a year, an amount expected to grow at a rate of 8 percent annually.

All this to support a gun industry that racked up $70.5 billion in total economic activity in 2021, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is proud to claim. 2021 was the second highest year for gun sales, when 5.4 million Americans bought 18.5 million firearms. Smith & Wesson, alone, had $1 billion in sales, up from $520 million in 2020.

Americans make up 4 percent of the global population, but possess 46

MY TURN

percent of the guns in civilian hands. In 2018, there were 393.3 million weapons in American hands, which works out to 120.5 guns per 100 residents, making the United States the only country with more civilian-owned firearms than people, according to Bloomberg.

The number of guns has increased exponentially since 2018 to well over 400 million. Americans set the all-time record of 21 million guns purchased in 2020.

The biggest sellers have been assault weapons that the gun industry happily markets as putting in your hands a weapon built for war.

“The American gun industry has reaped an estimated $1 billion in sales over the past decade from AR-15-style guns, and it has done so by using and cultivating their status as near mythical emblems of power, hyper-patriotism and manhood,” the New York Times editorial board wrote this week, “America’s Toxic Gun Culture”

In 1994, when the assault weapons ban went into effect, there were some 1.5 million assault weapons in American civilian hands; today there are an estimated 25 million, with 4.5 million more just since the last survey, The Reload gun enthusiast publication excitedly reports.

“This is a truly significant figure that demonstrates – again – the popularity of this commonly-owned style of rifle,” Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President, said in a statement to The Reload. “The firearm industry responds to market demand and this shows that during the elevated period

of firearm sales that began in 2020, this particular style of rifle is the top choice for law-abiding citizens for hunting, recreational shooting and self-defense.”

“There are more MSRs [“modern sporting rifle”, is what the industry calls assault-style weapons] in circulation today than there are Ford F-Series trucks on the road.”

Mass shootings, far from quelling demand for guns, actually spur purchases from those concerned that lawmakers could enact gun-control measures, the FBI checks have shown repeatedly, Bloomberg reported.

Include in the dollars and no sense is the amount that gun rights groups spend on lobbying: a record $15.8 million in 2021 and $2 million in the first quarter of 2022, the transparency group OpenSecrets reported. “From 1989 to 2022, gun rights groups contributed $50.5 million to federal candidates and party committees,” the group found. “Of that, 99 percent of direct contributions went to Republicans.”

That’s a pittance – taxi fare – compared to the $70 billion in annual gun sales, so quite a ROI.

During the ban, the average number of deaths from shootings was at 4.8 per year, in the decade after, the number tripled, to 23.8 per year.

It is estimated that had the ban that had been in effect from 1994-2004 continued, the number of mass killings would have decreased by 70 percent.

Tell that to the survivors and victims, both past and future.

Librarians are also essential workers

During the Covid pandemic, we began calling certain jobs “essential”. These included physicians, nurses, ambulance drivers, EMTs, teachers, food delivery people, trash haulers, and others on the front line of service to the public. I would add librarians to this cadre.

Andrew Carnegie recognized more that a century ago that free public libraries were important places of congregation, education, and leadership.

Carnegie thought that access to information and knowledge would permit those from limited household circumstances to find advancement in careers and civic engagement.

That certainly was the case for me. I recall my mother taking me to the Mount Vernon, N.Y. Public Library for Saturday afternoon Children’s Hour of stories and to borrow books to read with me during the week.

Librarians are licensed professionals, experts in disseminating good information and ensuring that we can gain knowledge. They are crucial resources who not only encourage an appreciation for literature but also help communities strengthen their digital literacy skills and circulate credible information. Businesspeople and professionals as well as stu-

dents use the library, and seek the help of librarians, for research assignments.

According to a national report, “the American library … is a barometer of where we currently stand as a society when it comes to access to knowledge and information, as well as a catalyst for the enlightenment and coalescing of communities and individuals across the nation.”

However, against this backdrop of historical and contemporary acclaim for libraries and librarians, we see increasing instances of attempts at book banning and even book burning. In the year 2021-2022, PEN America found 2,532 instances of individual bans which covered 1,648 unique books in 138 school districts in 32 states, including Long Island.

In the past, such efforts were isolated and local.

Now, they are ideologically motivated and politically advantageous. Some of these campaigns simply compile lists of books whose subjects or authors, especially black authors, are deemed questionable without any evidence they were even read.

How can this be when so many cite the Biblical verse, “The truth will set you free”?

ROBERT A. SCOTT, Ph.D. My Turn

This verse means that the light of truth is the only reality. Lies, falsehoods, cheating, and deceptions may be someone’s reality, but that does not make them true. The library is a temple to truth.

Yet, it seems that increasing numbers of people question the expertise of librarians, just as they question the expertise of doctors and scientists.

None of these professions is infallible, of course. What sets them apart is that they are honor-bound to change their conclusions when new evidence is

discovered or uncovered.

For the librarian, this means curating as well as collecting and storing sources of information, whether on discs, in the cloud., or in books.

The Swedish designer, Josef Frank, has a wonderful quote about books. He said, “The world is a book, and the person who stays at home reads only one page.” The librarian is our travel guide to new vistas.

While is high school and college, I worked each summer at a public pool in Mount Vernon. For two days each week, I had the evening shift in the Pump House, meaning that I had only to test the water every hour.

As the pool was closed, except for an occasional kid who tried to hop the fence, I had uninterrupted time to read the books I had borrowed from the library.

I was interested in law and the librarian introduced me to Clarence Darrow and the book, “Attorney for the Damned.” I probably read around two-dozen books each summer on various topics.

In college, I worked in the library 20 hours per week, asking for the Saturday afternoon hours when in the fall most students were at the football game. This gave me quiet time to talk with the librarians and peruse the books on reserve for

classes in all subjects. (My schedule did not curtail my social life, however, as I went to the after-game parties. I just couldn’t discuss the heroic plays of my classmates.)

In the Navy, I borrowed books from the base library to catch up on reading that was not finished in college and to learn new topics. Never great in math, I remember studying calculus with material the librarian recommended.

At Adelphi, I realized that the librarian was a critical resource in curriculum and program development. The librarian was someone who could tell faculty and deans in different departments that they were considering the development of similar programs and could collaborate on the purchase of materials.

After retiring from Adelphi, I was a visiting scholar at the New York Public Library where the librarians helped me find books and articles for a book, and a book chapter, I was writing on university governance and leadership.

For these and so many more reasons, I think of librarians as “essential” to each of us as citizens and professionals. They deserve our respect and support.

Robert A. Scott is President Emeritus at Adelphi University

Party with Nazis you are a Nazi

Anote to George Santos and the others who attended the Young Maga-Fascist Trumplican Cult “Gala” this past weekend in New York City – if you party with Nazis, you’re a Nazi!

Eric Cashdan Sands Point

Two O’clock in the Afternoon

On days like this when winter’s wind sweeps in my hopes can go astray.

Here the tranquil sunlight wraps us in its promise, and we sip tea with honey to sweeten the tongue.

No one bothers us, the tyranny of the week is gone. If the world wants to remind of its history of grievances the voice is muted. Tomorrow I’ll deal with my tempest in tea cup storms.

Bright crimson and white blossoms of geraniums fill the living room window. Petals fall onto the floor which I collect.

Down the street a traffic light turns red, if for a moment, dangling over another precipice.

I don’t know what the future holds, maybe now I don’t want to basking in the glow of conversation we two humans create for our use.

You say,“It’s clear, perfect. I understand fully.” I am content and say “Thank you.” How little is enough.

READERS WRITE

‘Torso Killer’ story omitted murder victim

This serial murderer, Richard Cunningham, known as “The Torso Killer,” committed horrific crimes and devastated the lives of many families. Our deeply felt sympathy is extended to the families of the victims.

Completely omitted from the Great Neck News report was the murder of Sheila Heiman by Cunningham in July 1973 to which he admit-

ted before the judge Dec. 5. Immediately Leon Heiman, her spouse, became the primary suspect in the murder investigation.

Mrs. Heiman left behind three young children, who were at summer camp when this horrific event occurred. For more than 30 years “Lee” Heiman lived with this shadow every day of his life. He passed away in 2004, never to learn the

truth. For the Heiman children it is relief for the final closure to the death of their mother and the total vindication of their father.

Now the news report can be more complete for other readers of the Great Neck News

Alan Altman Great Neck

Reparations for slaves not kosher

How disappointing to learn state Assembly members Taylor Darling and colleague Michelle Solgaes, who chairs the New York Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, wants Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature to fund a commission to study reparations for ancestors of slaves. It would be similiar to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Reparation Task Force that has been studying past racism. They estimate that California decedents of slaves are owed $569 billion. This makes no sense. It comes to $223,200 per individual. Our nation faces a $31.4 trillion, long-term national debt. California and local municipalities have a longterm debt of $1.6 trillion.

Since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the private sector, along with city, state and federal government at all levels, have spent trillions under various programs which benefited African-American citizens. This included minority quotas for both employment hiring and admission to college, awarding of

contracts to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, minority business mentoring programs, work place mentoring programs for promotion to higher positions and others.

Every glass ceiling in both the workplace and government was broken years ago. There are African-American CEOs of multibillion-dollar corporations, billionaires and millionaires. We elected Barack Obama president 14 years ago in 2008. California Sen. Kamala Harris was elected vice president, Antonio Delgado was elected New York’s lieutenant governor, Andrea Stewart Cousins serves as state Senate majority leader, Carl Heastie serves as Assembly speaker, Letitia James was elected state attorney general, David Dinkins and Eric Adams were elected NYC mayor, Jumanne Williams was elected NYC public advocate and Adrienna Adams was elected NYC Council speaker.

It has been common for decades to find African-American citizens holding senior management positions in government and business. There are 1.7 African-American million-

aires today. There is now a large, growing and prosperous African-American middle class.

My Jewish ancestors did not own any plantations and did not poison any slaves on Hebrew National Salami. They were too busy running away from the Cossacks and the pogroms.

Several African-American generations have benefited and grown since 1964. It is time to move on rather than go back over 157 years to relitigate the 1861-1865 Civil War. We have all grown to look beyond the color of a person’s skin, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or age and accept each person for who they are today.

The late Civil Rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Larry Penner Great Neck

We must name enemies on all sides

Reader Charles Schneider laments “missing” condemnations by local persons — including me — of Trump and his recent Jew-hating dinner guests. I cannot speak for the elected officials he mentions — nor can I be expected to personally issue press releases regarding my declarations and opinions as, at this moment, I am neither an elected official nor representing one.

That said, I have been contacted by several publications and electronic media and have said the following long prior to Mr. Schneider’s prompting:

Regrettably, while there were many positive outcomes of the Trump administration’s policies, we are paying a stiff price for them. Since the 2020 election, the former president has reverted to all manner of negative and irresponsible behavior for

which he was known. Included in his misconduct, now coming on the heels of false “stolen election charges,” incitement to violence, and so forth, is his participation in facilitating the normalization of antisemitism through the invitation of — and failure to dismiss — execrable Jew-haters from his dinner table.

Israeli politician and human rights activist Natan Sharansky has stated repeatedly that Jew hatred and general extremism cannot be arrested by one side shunning and condemning only the miscreants of the other side. It can only be so when all persons of both parties shun their own extremists as well.

I have not hesitated in condemning President Trump’s conduct since the 2020 election including this aforementioned dinner, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and a number of other nut

cases. I am still waiting for my Democratic locals to condemn Jew-hating Tlaib, Omar, AOC, the “Democratic Socialists” and the other detritus on the left.

Yes. All persons of decency should consistently condemn and work to defeat all leftist and alt-right extremists.

Finally, I recall a rally several years ago on the Village Green, organized when the jihadist-American ingrate Ilhan Omar — prompted the event with her gross attacks on Jews and Israel. At that time, the Democrats were in charge in Nassau and they all came to speak out against antisemitism— but would not utter her name.

We must know and name our enemies — not some of them, but all of them.

Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld Great Neck

Blakeman governing from the fringe

Despite winning a razor-thin victory over a very effective incumbent, Laura Curran, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman continues to approach his duties as if he had a mandate to ignore the majority of the electorate, which happens to be Democrats.

I am so disappointed by the comparatively low turnout by Dems in that election, which resulted in this unfortunate result, one that I hope will be corrected in the next election.

Meanwhile, we will have to endure his non-governance and silence in the wake of antidemocratic and antisemitic extremism, contin-

ued threat of Covid, and hostility to those who don’t agree with his MAGA point of view.

Roslyn Heights

Stephen Cipot Garden City Park

PHOTO BY STEPHEN CIPOT

Peter Block

For a list of all locations in the tri-state area, visit:

THEBRISTAL.COM

Licensed by the State Department of Health. Eligible for Most Long Term Care Policies. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Girls clothing sought for Long Island charity

Ethical Friends of Children, a free shop for Long Island children in need, is requesting donations of girls’ clothing, sizes 2 to 5.

This outreach program, run and supported by the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island in Garden City, assists more than 2,500 children and their families each year by providing them with clothing, backpacks for school and infant furniture.

The service is set up like a store so people can select what they want from a wide variety of clothes. “As we’ve set up our winter store, we are finding a gap in our supply of clothing for little girls,” says Ethical Friends of Children Director Jim LoPresti of Massapequa Park.

Ethical Friends of Children, established in 1985, is staffed entirely by volunteers and there is no charge for any services. Individuals, fami-

lies, or community groups donate gently used clothing and other things children may require, such as backpacks. Any cash donations go entirely towards the purchase of needed items for children, such as diapers and formula.

“Customers” are referred by many of the area’s social service organizations and are supported by both religiously affiliated and private agencies funded by Nassau and Suffolk Counties

Volunteers are always welcome to help sort, organize and deliver clothing and goods.

To volunteer or donate, please contact office@ehsli.org Or call the Ethical Humanist Society of LI at 516-741-7304.

People can also make a monetary contribution to EFC through https://www.ehsli.org/ social-action/ethical-friends-of-children/

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

BOLLYWOOD ACTOR’S

N. SHORE HOMECOMING

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

When Prashantt Guptha and his wife Mansi returned to Manhasset this summer from Mumbai, India, he explained that the relocation was necessary for his family.

During his 15 years in India, he appeared in over 12 films, two web series, four short films and several commercials. Yet he said a “ray of hope” awoke when he and his wife agreed on the move despite once hesitating to return.

“In Mumbai, I reached a point of extreme anger over the pollution and infrastructure, the education system and overall feeling small on my full potential,” said Guptha. “I felt New York would break the shackles and allow me to explore multiple facets of my life, eventually land my wife a deserving job once she has her working papers in a few months and place my kids in a beautiful academic community. And was I right or what? What an amazing community to be a part of.”

Guptha’s father, Kedar, first came to New York in 1974 in search of the American dream. The next year he would found Quintessence Jewelry Corp., which is now based in Great Neck Plaza.

Guptha, whose real name is Prashant Kumar Gupta, was born on May 27, 1982, in Queens. He decided he wanted to be a movie star during his senior year of high school and enrolled in his first acting class.

“As supportive as my father had been of my cinematic pursuits, he advised me to attend a business college as a backup plan as opposed to a perfor-

mance and theatrical university,” he said. “Frankly, I treated my college years as a formality to get a degree in finance, which in those days seemed like the safe and standard thing to study along with accounting.”

Every week he would complete his classes in three days and spend the other two weekdays attending acting workshops. He also met his now wife, who is from Mumbai, at Baruch College during this time.

“We continued to live in

Manhasset and moved to Mumbai in 2007 with our firstborn in hand so I could start the pursuit of my Bollywood Dreams,” said Guptha. “Meanwhile, my wife played every role from homemaker, raising two kids, a certified teacher, a dessert chef and HR consultant. Truly a multi-talented lady.”

After relocating, he landed his first break with a cameo appearance in a film produced by Rajshri Productions. What followed was several tough years.

But he eventually landed a role in “Neerja” (2016), which

was produced by 20th Century Fox’s Indian division. Guptha said the film gave him exposure and that despite his brief role it was crucial to the story.

“A brief part in a huge film will do you more good than a lead role in a film that may never see the light of day,” he said about the experience.

Following “Neerja,” he appeared in several other projects. These included “The Tashkent Files,” a Disney web series called “Special Ops” and his self-described biggest hit, a recent web series called “Aash-

ram.”

But the film closest to his heart is “A New Christmas” (2019), his first and so far only international film. He explained that the English feature film arose from a desire to establish a presence in the West and tell an ethnic Christmas story.

“In 2018, my producer partner, Rashaana Shah, and I met to discuss an ultra-lowbudget feature film that we absolutely had to make,” said Guptha. “We knew we couldn’t exceed $150,000, I would be

the lead, we’d shoot in New York and we had to complete it in 12 days.”

Guptha plays Kabir, a lonely medical student in New York who is estranged from his wife and mourning the death of his mother. When he meets Kioni, a charming Kenyan film student, she persuades him to show her the city’s Christmas decorations. This leads him to rediscover the magic of the holiday season and reclaim his life.

They shot the film at the Manhasset LIRR station, on the train, at his home and at an Airbnb in Glen Cove and Manhattan.

“This film is dearest to my heart because I’ve always loved Christmas and holiday movies,” said Guptha. “And now I was the star and producer of one.”

When the final copy was completed, he sold it to a Los Angeles-based distribution company. The film became eligible for a New York State tax credit and was accepted to over 15 film festivals. One can watch it on Amazon Prime.

Guptha is now looking to complete more films under his company Mulberry Films. He also wants to work with the Nassau County Film Commission to bring more Bollywood projects to his new home.

“I’d love to see South Asians like myself rise in mainstream entertainment, be it news, media, theatre, commercials, film or TV,” he said. “In fact, I feel so loyally attached to Manhasset that I dream of seeing it as a popular shooting location and all of Long Island growing in terms of its fame and presence across America. I, for one, would love to be a torchbearer of that.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRASHANTT GUPTHA

Prashantt Guptha and his first feature film poster, “A New Christmas.” He appeared in over 12 films, two web series, four short films and several commercials during his 15 years in India.

Experiential gifts gifts for seniors

Holiday shoppers know that, seemingly every year, there’s one person on their shopping list who’s hard to shop for. Seniors may fit that bill, as many have already accumulated a lifetime’s worth of goods and gadgets. That’s why experiential gifts can be such a good fit for seniors come the holiday season.

Experiential gifts are wildly popular. In its 2021 Winter Holiday Shopping Report, the market research firm Mintel revealed that nearly half of individuals surveyed for the report felt that experiential gifts are superior to tangible items. Seniors who already have everything they need might be even more enthusiastic about experiential gifts, which may encourage them to get out of the house or pursue passions they’ve long had a passing interest in. This holiday season, shoppers can consider these experiences as they look for something new and unique for the seniors on their shopping lists.

Biplane flight: Few experiences are as exhilarating as a flight in an open cockpit biplane. Biplane flights are unique to each company that offers them, but some planes can accommodate two passengers (in addition to the pilot), making this an ideal gift for senior couples who aren’t afraid of a bird’s eye view.

The length of a flight depends on shoppers’ budgets, but no matter how long seniors are in the air, they’re sure to return to the ground having enjoyed a truly unique experience.

Hot air balloon ride: If riding shotgun with a pilot in a tiny plane is more adventure than your favorite senior may be seeking, a hot air balloon ride may be more suitable.

Hot air balloon rides provide a truly stunning way to experience idyllic settings and a calm way to take to the skies on a beautiful day. Rides tend to last around an hour, but companies typically offer various packages and may even let shoppers customize rides for their loved ones.

Theatre tickets: The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy for anyone, but seniors were among the groups most vulnerable to serious infection if they caught the virus. As a result, many seniors strictly adhered to social distancing guidelines prior to getting vaccinated. Now that seniors are eligible to be fully vaccinated and even receive two rounds of booster shots, a trip to the theatre can reignite their passion for live entertainment and make for a memorable night out.

Cycling tour: Modern seniors are among the most physically active demographics. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that, within months of the pandemic being declared, adults age 65 and older averaged 100 more minutes of physical activity than the next closest cohort. A cycling tour can make for a perfect gift to active seniors. Tours may be designed to visit local places of historical significance, idyllic natural settings or local eateries. Wherever the tours ultimately end up, they’re sure to put a smile on active seniors’ faces. Experiences can make for the perfect holiday gifts for seniors who have it all.

Eco-friendly gift ideas for green giving green

Giving eco-friendly gifts is now easier than ever before. As more and more people are conscious of reducing their impact on the planet, the demand for environmentally conscious products and services has grown.

Choosing earth-friendly gifts is not only generous, but gift-givers also can rest assured they’re doing their part to safeguard natural resources for future generations. The following are some gift ideas for the eco-conscious people on your holiday shopping list.

Locally made products

Locally made products make great holiday gifts. Such gifts are not produced halfway around the world, meaning they don’t contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming like products that need to be flown or driven across the globe. Craft fairs and artisan shops are good sources for locally made gifts, which also are a great way to support businesses in your community.

Gifts of service

A massage or music or tutoring sessions are examples of gifts of service. These gifts do not require much use of natural

resources, and recipients find their personal nature very thoughtful. Gifts of service also can include tasks you do yourself for the gift recipient, rather than paying another person to handle. For example, teach a senior member of your family how to navigate their new smartphone or agree to help them shop for groceries.

Recycled goods

When many people think of recycling, they tend to picture piles of discarded

plastic bottles, glass jars and aluminum cans. While the end product of many of these recycled pieces is new cans, bottles and jars, recycled materials also can be turned into new and unique pieces. Trivets and spoon rests made from recycled and melted wine bottles make for clever and attractive gifts. Recycled fire extinguishers have been turned into vases, and you can even find bike parts that have been used to make wind chimes and belts if you know where to shop.

Natural gifts

Natural gifts are among the most environmentally friendly ones you can give. Foodies may appreciate an herb-growing kit that enables them to experiment with freshly picked basil or thyme in the kitchen, while tree-growing kits and flower seed packets are nice stocking stuffers for budding gardeners. Offer to purchase a living Christmas tree for a relative, so that he or she can plant the evergreen after the holidays have come and gone.

Antiques

New, shiny gifts are not the only ones that have appeal. Gifting a sentimental piece of family history is an earth-friendly way to share the holidays. Pass down a cherished piece of jewelry or, if you do not have anything in your own collection, browse antique shops for items that have interesting histories.

The holiday season is often a time of excess, but giving doesn’t have to be detrimental to the environment. Givers can seek out earth-friendly gifts and share even more this time of year.

Music lessons and other gifts of service do not require a great deal of natural resources, making them ideal eco-friendly gifts.

Flowers Say It All…

FLOWERS | GIFT BASKETS Serving the Community for Over 60 Years

What to get What to get for the family beach bum beach bum

Sandy beaches and the sounds of waves lapping against an idyllic shoreline may not be the first images people think of during the holiday season. But the beach is never far from a beach bum’s mind, and that’s something holiday shoppers can keep in mind as they look for perfect gift for loved ones who can’t wait to dip their toes in the sand.

If the weather outside is frightful, these beach-themed gifts can be just what beach lovers want to see under the tree this holiday season.

Beach shade/tent: Beach shades and tents can make a day at the shore that much more enjoyable by protecting beachgoers from the sun. Many beach shades and tents offer significant sun protection, making them the perfect places to look to for a riverside or oceanfront nap. Shades and tents also provide a welcome respite from the sun while eating or reading summer’s must-read novel.

Beach hammock: Individuals or couples who want to take beach napping to the next level would undoubtedly appreciate a beach hammock. A beach hammock strung between two palm trees is the stuff tourism brochures are made of. When shopping for beach hammocks, look for one with durable tree straps and an attached bag that makes setup and takedown a snap.

Sand-free towel: Perhaps the only nuisance of spending a day at the beach is bringing sand home with you. Enter the sand-free beach towel. Sand-free towels are typically made with microfiber that

prevents sand from accumulating on them. That helps beachgoers ensure sand on their towels doesn’t make it to their cars and homes.

Foldable blanket: A foldable blanket folds up and zips into a tiny rectangle and makes for the perfect place to enjoy a picnic at the beach. Foldable blankets that can be zip-closed can fold up into the size of a small pillow, making them highly popular among beach lovers who are accustomed to serving as sun-soaked sherpas each time they visit the beach. Sand-free fabrics make these ideal for people who want to leave the sand behind when it’s time to go home.

Beach wagon: Beach wagons make getting from the car to the sand with your gear in tow that much easier. Collapsible wagons can fold up and fit easily into vehicle trunks when not in use. Depending on the size of the wagon, it may be able to carry more than 100 lbs. of cargo, including beach chairs, coolers, towels, and more.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day might not be peak beach season, but it’s a great time to find items that can make beach lovers’ trips to the beach that much better.

How to gift the people who aren’t family who aren’t

Come the holiday season, many people find it’s not just family and friends on their shopping lists. Coworkers and acquaintances often land on such lists as well, and it’s not always easy deciding what to get those people who aren’t close friends or family members.

Boss

Gifting the boss is a sensitive subject and should be dictated by company protocol. If you are the only employee to buy your boss a gift, it may seem like you are trying to curry favor. However, if everyone else is gifting and you fail to offer a gift, you may be caught off guard. Some business etiquette experts say that it is customary for bosses to give gifts to employees but not the reverse. However, employees who are especially close with their bosses or who work closely with them each day may want to offer a small token of appreciation. When selecting gifts for bosses, do not give anything too personal, such as clothing, perfume or jewelry. Food or gift cards are a safer bet. Experts say a gift in the range of $10 to $25 is adequate. Chipping in for a gift with other employees may be the best course of action so you don’t inspire resentment among coworkers.

Babysitter or nanny

Caregivers play important roles in the lives of children. Once you have found a sitter or nanny who you trust, you want to ensure you

keep that person content. If you regularly use a nanny or sitter, money is always a great gift. For a full-time nanny, one week to one month’s pay is adequate. For a regular sitter, consider a gift equal to two nights’ pay.

Coach or club leader

Children today are involved in many different activities, and chances are parents’ schedules are filled with sports games and practices. A small gift of $10 to $20 can show your appreciation to a coach or club leader. This is another instance when it might be nice to pool your resources with fellow parents to purchase one large gift.

Mail carrier

If your mail is delivered by the same mail carrier week after week, you may want to spread some holiday joy. Mail carriers have an extra workload during the holidays, when they are tasked with delivering packages and greeting cards in addition to more routine mail. Civil servants may be forbidden from receiving cash. In such instances, a gift card makes a great gift.

Trash collector

Hauling garbage is neither an easy nor glamorous job. Many garbage collectors appreciate a tip for their hard work. Take notice of who collects the trash from your home. If it is the same people each week, take the time to personally deliver an envelope with a small tip of around $20.

Certain people feel right at home in the great outdoors. With the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair, rock scramblers and kayaking buffs simply can’t get enough of being outside in the elements.

Outdoor enthusiasts need reliable gear to make their experiences that much more enjoyable. Brandon Gaille Small Business & Marketing Advice reports that $230.6 billion was spent worldwide on sportswear and outdoor apparel in 2021. However, there’s always room to improve on adventures large and small, and holiday shoppers can keep these

items in mind as they look for items for their favorite nature lover this season.

• Plasma lighter: A plasma lighter can start fires in conditions that aren’t conducive to other fire-starting measures. Plasma lighters are water- and wind-resistant and work in nearly all weather conditions. Saberlight even makes a rechargeable option with USB charging cable.

• Lantern: Outside magazine recently named the BioLite AlpenGlow 250 as its new favorite road trip item. It can be used in a variety of settings, including inside a

tent or at a hunting cabin, and produces customizable illumination.

• Backpack cooler: Yeti is known as a leader in coolers, and the Yeti Hopper Backflip Soft Cooler makes carrying food and beverages even more convenient. This product is a backpack and a cooler, so it’s a hands-free and portable option when out in nature.

• Hiking socks: Keeping feet cool and comfortable is essential on hiking trips. Injinji socks are made from CoolMax fibers that help provide a blister-free wilderness experience designed to minimize friction.

• Waterproof backpack: Whether a loved one spends time in or near the water or just wants to safeguard his or her belongings in inclement weather, a waterproof backpack is the ideal outdoor gift. It’s easy to clean and keeps items inside dry. IDRYBAG Waterproof Backpack is

one to consider.

• Lightweight sleeping bag: Maybe someone’s sleeping gear needs an overhaul? Enlightened Equipment offers an 850-fill, zero-degree sleeping bag that is warm, but only weighs 1.5 pounds. That helps free up space and lessens hikers’ loads when carrying gear on the trail.

• Power bank/solar charger: Many people can’t live without their devices, even when out in the great outdoors. Since you can’t plug a phone into a tree, a portable solar charger and power bank is key. The BioLite SolarPanel 5+ comes with its own built-in battery, so a person can capture the sun’s rays during the day and save some power reserves for charging after sunset.

These are just a few of the innovative items that can appeal to outdoor enthusiasts on your holiday shopping list.

4 gifts 4 for the busy professional on your holiday list list

The life of a successful professional can be hectic. Demands at work force many professionals to work long hours, and those days could be even longer for remote workers. In fact, a 2020 study of 2,800 workers by the staffing firm Robert Half found that 70 percent of workers who transitioned to remote work due to the pandemic now work on the weekends. The survey also found that 45 percent of workers indicate they now routinely work more hours during the week than they did prior to the pandemic.

With so much on their plates, busy professionals may not have time to shop for products that can make their lives a little easier. That makes the holiday season a perfect time for people to consider what to get the hardworking professional on their shopping list. These four gifts can each make it easier for busy professionals to handle long days at the office.

1. Portable phone charger

Modern professionals rely on their smartphones to check and send work emails, keep track of their busy schedules and answer calls from colleagues, among other things. But those phones are only useful when their batteries are charged. Portable phone chargers are lightweight and easy to use, making them ideal for on-the-go professionals who need to keep their phones charged all day long. Professionals who spend lots of time in their vehicles may love a solar-powered portable charger, which ensures their phone batteries stay charged even when they forget USB cables at home.

3. Cleaning service

Few chores are less appealing after a long day at the office than cleaning a house. Many cleaning services offer weekly or monthly packages, and professionals would undoubtedly appreciate someone taking this time-consuming task off their to-do list. Ask a relative or two to pitch in and help pay for the service if it’s beyond your budget.

2. Wireless headphones

Though some models can cost of hundreds of dollars, a reliable set of wireless headphones can be found for as little as $50. These headphones can be especially useful for professionals who work from home, as many are designed to cancel out ambient noise, making it easier to participate in Zoom calls or other meetings even if the kids are being rowdy right outside a home office door.

4. Slow cooker

Slow cookers allow users to put everything in a pot in the morning and then arrive at night to a readyto-eat, homecooked meal. These can be especially valuable to professionals who work long hours and don’t have the time to prepare a meal from scratch at the end of a workday.

Whethers it’s portable tech, some help keeping their homes clean or a device designed to simplify homecooking, various gift ideas can help make busy professionals’ lives a little less hectic.

Gift to get kids off the couch

screens and encourage kids to be more physically active.

Lessons: Whether it’s surfing, boating or music lessons, various courses do not require devices or even allow them to be used during sessions. Parents and loved ones of children can look for lessons that inspire youngsters to pursue a new passion that promotes physical activity and encourages kids to get up and go.

Devices can be hard to ignore.

Seemingly always within arm’s length, devices such as tablets and smartphones are as popular as ever. In a survey designed to gauge smartphone ownership, the Pew Research Center found that 85 percent of Americans owned a smartphone in 2021. That reflects a significant increase since 2011, when 35 percent of Americans owned a smartphone.

Adults may recognize the potential pitfalls of spending too much time on their devices, but those pitfalls are not nearly as apparent to children. For instance, a 2021 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry found that excessive smartphone use is associated with various health problems in adolescents and young adults. Such issues include psychiatric, cognitive, emotional, medical, and brain changes. A separate 2021 study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that children have a 62 percent greater risk of developing a binge-eating disorder for each additional hour they spend on social media.

Parents know that gettings kid to put down their devices is no small task. However, the holiday season can be the perfect time to find fun gifts for kids that have nothing to do with

Trampoline: Aunts and uncles should definitely clear this one with mom and dad before purchasing it. However, no kid, including tweens and newly minted teenagers, can resist a good trampoline. Modern trampolines are safer than yesterday’s models, especially when shoppers choose ones with enclosures that prevent kids from falling off the trampoline and onto the hard ground below.

Sports equipment: Organized sports instill lessons about sportsmanship, hard work, overcoming adversity, and the value of working as a team, all the while promoting physical activity. Young children who haven’t yet participated in organized sports may be compelled to do so if a new baseball mitt or basketball hoop is waiting under the tree this holiday season.

Kites: Kites can be perfect for kids who don’t take to sports or those who simply need a break from competition. Kites can help young children develop their gross motor skills and instill in them a love of the great outdoors that lasts a lifetime.

Getting kids to put down their devices is no small task. But parents and loved ones can do their best by giving gifts that encourage kids to get off the couch and be more physically active.

Gifts for holiday hosts hosts

The season of entertaining is in full swing, with family, friends and coworkers gathering at various locales to enjoy some holiday spirit together.

When celebrating the holidays, it is customary to offer hosts a token of appreciation. During the season of giving, it may be challenging to find a gift that stands out in the crowd. However, some of the best gifts for hosts focus on their love of entertaining family and friends.

Music speaker: Music often is an integral part of entertaining, but not every party host is equipped with a stellar sound system. Today’s Bluetooth-enabled music speakers run the gamut from handheld options to speakers that combine mood lighting with sound to large units. Shoppers can find speakers that suit the space hosts have to work with and ones that won’t bust shoppers’ budgets.

Bar tools: Toasting the season (or any occasion) is par for the course at a party or get-together. Avid entertainers can benefit from having new bar tools, such as mixers and serving glasses, to make sure guests’ cups are never empty.

Party games: Keeping guests content often involves having plenty of beverages and food available. However, for the hosts who want to go above and beyond, game night or other entertainment-based

activities can add flair to special events. Board games, physical games (like horseshoes or bean bag tosses), games for video gaming systems, and even karaoke machines can fit the bill.

Cake stand or serviceware: Hosts may want to put foods on display, and a decadent cake stand or serving plate will make occasions more glamorous.

Spa gift certificate: Hosting can be hard work. After the guests have come and gone, hosts will no doubt need some time to rest and recuperate. This can be achieved more easily with a gift card to a nearby spa or massage therapist.

Cleaning service: The gift of a cleaning service saves hosts from having to do the post-party cleanup, and giving such a gift in advance of the party can be the helping hand hosts need as the chore list grows in the days before the party.

We wish you & your family a Joyful holiday season & a Healthy New Year

Herricks Teachers' Association

Working together for our students and with our community.

Gifting ideas for budget-conscious families

The holiday season is a magical time of year when many people celebrate their faith and express their love and appreciation for their families. Such expressions are often made through the exchange of gifts, which can stretch families budgets.

Staying within budget is not impossible during the holiday season. It might take a little creativity and discussion among family members, but there are ways to exchange gifts and avoid debt this holiday season.

Embrace a “Secret Santa” exchange. Large families can save money by engaging in a Secret Santa exchange. Rather than asking each member of the family to buy gifts for one another, a Secret Santa exchange asks each participant to pick a name out of a hat and then only buy gifts for that person. This is a

Homemade items, such as those created by amateur woodworkers, often make for unique, thoughtful and inexpensive holiday gifts.

great way to save both money and time, and it saves participants from the potential hassle of returning gifts after the season.

Establish spending limits. Whether families embrace a Secret Santa exchange or not, they can save money by agreeing on a spending limit for each gift. Families participating in a Secret Santa exchange can set their spending limits a little higher than those families who will be buying gifts for multiple people.

Share experiences in lieu of exchanging gifts. Adults tend to be more difficult to shop for than children, as many adults can simply buy their own gadgets, clothing and other items commonly given during the holiday season. To save money, adults can forgo gifting traditional gifts to one another, instead

resolving to provide an experience for a loved one. Invite a loved one over for a homecooked meal or offer to take a family member out to dinner once the holiday season has come and gone and there’s more room in the budget.

Connect with your creative side. In lieu of purchasing a gift made by someone else, make your own gift. Skilled crafters can create a one-of-akind gift out of supplies they already have on hand, while woodworkers can follow suit. Such gifts are thoughtful and inexpensive, and they will likely prove more memorable than another video game or sweater.

Budget-conscious families don’t have to sit out of holiday gift exchanges, as there are plenty of creative ways to express your love and appreciation for family without breaking the bank.

Get to know favorite wines for giving

• Cabernet Sauvignon: This is a fullbodied red grape heavily planted in the Bordeaux region of France. Cabernet generally has high levels of alcohol and tannins.

• Merlot: The smoothness and mild flavor of this red wine make it a great option for those who need an introduction to red wine. This wine is lower in tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, and it tends to have a more fruity flavor profile as well.

• Cabernet Franc: This is a light- to middle-weight wine that features a high acid content and savory flavors.

• Malbec and Carménère: Similar to Merlot, these grapes originated in France but then made their way to other regions of the world. Malbec is most popular in Argentina, while Carménère is grown in Chile.

Chianti, which comes from the Chianti region in Tuscany, is made exclusively with Sangiovese grapes, or at least 80 percent of them and other blends.

• Chardonnay: This is a medium- to fullbodied dry white wine. The Chardonnay grape is a white grape from the Burgundy region of France.

• Sauvignon Blanc: Citrus-driven and often light-bodied, Sauvignon Blanc is another dry white grape planted widely in France. It also is a parent grape to Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio: Pinot Grigio is a zesty, dry white wine that is particularly associated with Italy even though it originated in France, where it is thought to be a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. Pinot Grigio skins are not green like other white grapes, but have a gray hue, hence the name.

Aglass of wine makes a nice accompaniment to a meal or something to enjoy and sip while conversing with friends in social situations. Many people have a favorite style of wine, and some even have a favorite vineyard. In addition, the popularity of wine makes it a versatile gift for the holidays or something to bring along to a holiday party as a hostess present.

Novice wine enthusiasts may be interested in learning more about wine so they can choose their wine selections for gifting and enjoyment more readily. According to the experts at Wine Enthusiast, learning to taste wine and differentiate between flavors is similar to appreciating art or music. Understanding the varietals can simplify the process of selecting wines.

• Zinfandel: Although mostly associated with the rosé wine White Zinfandel, Zinfandel is actually a medium-bodied red wine that originated in Croatia.

• Pinot Noir: Soft tannins and high acid give this light-bodied red wine its appeal. The grapes were first widely planted in France but can now be found elsewhere.

• Chianti: Chianti is the most famous Italian red wine in North America. It’s a dry red that pairs very well with food.

• Reisling: Those who prefer a sweet white wine can opt for Reisling, which can be traced to Germany. It can be a good match for those who appreciate other sweet white wines, such as Moscato or Gewürztraminer.

There are many wines to tempt palates. When gifting, the selections mentioned above can tempt foodies and budding sommeliers alike.

Steps to take before giving pets as gifts

It’s not uncommon for families to welcome a new pet into their homes during the holiday season. Parents may give their children their first pet during the holidays, but those who choose to give a pet to someone outside their immediate family or to someone they don’t live with should consider the following advice before going through with that decision.

Consult the eventual recipient first

The element of surprise is part of what makes the holiday season of giving so special, and few things may inspire more enthusiastic responses than new pets under the tree. But however appealing you may find such reactions, it’s still best to first consult the intended recipient before buying or adopting the pet. Pets make wonderful additions to a home, but some people may be allergic to certain animals or simply not have the time or energy to devote to pet ownership. No one wants to return an animal to a kennel, and forcing a loved to take on the unwanted responsibility of pet ownership does not make much of a gift.

Let the recipient choose the pet

Aunts or uncles may think a cute puppy is an ideal holiday gift for their nieces and nephews, but it’s best to let those youngsters’ parents choose the pet rather than going it alone. Once mom and dad have given you the greenlight to gift their kids a pet, let them decide which type of pet will become the newest member of their households. Parents may not feel their children are ready to handle the significant responsibility of dog ownership, and they may prefer their

kids first receive a more low-maintenance pet, such as a fish.

Pay for everything

Pets are expensive, even those that are adopted from nearby shelters. Cats and dogs adopted from local shelters or even animals bought directly from breeders will need some immediate medical care, including shots and initial examinations at the veterinarian’s office, as well as food, dishes, leashes (if giving a dog), and bedding. When giving pets as a gift, men and women should fit the bill for these additional expenses, which can be significant. Recipients may not be able to afford these additional expenses, especially during the holiday season, nor did they ask to take on such a financial burden. So men and women giving pets as gifts should be capable of handling the oft-overlooked costs of adopting or buying a new pet.

Be willing to take the pet

Some households simply are not a good match for pets. Men and women looking to give pets as holiday gifts should be willing to take the pet into their own homes if things are not working out with the recipient. This does not mean giftgivers have to keep the pet forever, but they should be willing to temporarily care for the animal until it finds a new home.

Pets sometimes make wonderful gifts, but men and women who are considering giving pets as gifts this holiday season should not approach such gestures lightly.

Overwhelming support for Toys for Tots drive

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was once again transformed into Santa’s workshop on Sunday, Dec. 4 as thousands flocked to Uniondale to support an event that has grown to become America’s largest one-day Toys for Tots drive.

As it has been since its inception, the 12th annual drive was spearheaded by Glen Cove businessmen Joe LaPadula and Jon Holzer of Martino Auto Concepts.

Featuring food trucks, music, plein air artists, family activities and more amidst hundreds of exotic and vintage vehicles, officials estimated that the event generated more than 166,000 individual donations were gathered, which will equip Toys for Tots in its 75th anniversary year to meet requests for assistance in Nassau County and throughout our region.

“During the holiday season, a toy can mean so much more than just being a gift under the tree — it can be a symbol of caring and a beacon of hope for brighter days in the future,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “For the last 12 years, Joe LaPadula and Jon Holzer have worked so diligently alongside USMC Major (Ret.) Chuck

Kilbride to unite us in support of a cause that brings joy to so many deserving children and families in our region. For me, this event is one of the highlights of the holiday season, and I am eternally grateful to everyone for continuing to support such a crucial charitable mis-

N.Y. Islander players visit NYU Langone

In what’s become an annual tradition, members of the New York Islanders paid a pre-holiday visit to children at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island in Mineola.

The marquee players signed autographs, and brought toys, Island-

ers’ pillows and blankets to cheer up patients at the NYU Langone Cancer Center for Kids and the pediatric unit at the hospital. The fan favorites included Mathew Barzal, assistant captain Josh Bailey, Ilya Sorokin, and Semyon Varlamov.

sion.”

Key sponsors of the 2022 Toys for Tots drive included: the U.S. Marine Corps; the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences; Gabrielli Truck Sales; First City Project; Bolla Market; Universal Autosports; Hunter Roberts

Construction Group; Long Island Sports Cars; Ryan Friedman Motor Cars; PCarMarket Automotive Enthusiast Marketplace; Ferrari Club of America Long Island Chapter; Race the North; Rally Point East; NYSpace Finders; RXR; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Maserati Long Island; Porsche South Shore; Oyster Bay Property Management; Serendipity 3; Ferrari of Long Island; the Hofstra Motorsport Engineering Club, and an array of local automotive clubs and community stakeholders.

Nassau County Police Department officers, under the command of NCPD Commissioner Patrick Ryder, kept traffic moving briskly as a team of volunteers collected and sorted donations.

Members of the Glen Cove Fire Department provided additional assistance, and the Uniondale and Hempstead Fire Departments used their trucks to stage the American flag arch at the entrance of Nassau Coliseum.

There’s still plenty of time to support Toys for Tots this holiday season. Visit toysfortots. org to find a drop-off location near you or to make a monetary donation.

Menorah lighting in Manhasset

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, the Town Board, the Chabad of Manhasset, and the Manhasset Park District will be hosting a Hanukkah festival on Sunday, Dec. 18 starting at 3 p.m. at Mary Jane Davies Green in Manhasset.

The event, which is sponsored by North Shore University Hospital at Northwell Health, will feature musical performances including a performance by the Manhasset High School band, live ice carving of a menorah, a chocolate gelt drop with assistance from the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, and the lighting of the menorah.

“This event has become a wonderful annual tradition to celebrate together as one community,” said Rabbi Mendel Paltiel of the Chabad of Manhasset.

Hanukkah, which runs this year from Sunday, Dec. 18 to Monday, Dec. 26, celebrates the rededication of the

Holy Temple in Jerusalem, when it is said that one day’s worth of sacred oil lasted for eight days.

Mary Jane Davies Green is located on Plandome Road across from Town Hall at 220 Plandome Road in Manhasset. Parking will be available in the Town Hall parking lot and in a portion of the Manhasset Park District’s lot behind Mary Jane Davies Park.

For more information, please call 311.

Cost of Medicare goes down

BY BARRY KLITSBERG, Nassau County Medicare counselor, FCA

For those of us who are enrolled in the Medicare program, there is good news on the horizon. Medicare has made significant changes to its premiums and deductibles, lowering the cost to the beneficiary. While the cost of just about everything has gone up, the monthly Medicare Part B premium has been reduced for the first time this century, from $170.10 to $164.90, for a yearly saving of $62.40.

What’s more, the Medicare Part B deductible has gone down from $233 per year to $226. These two reductions have broken a string of yearly increases. Medicare Part B generally covers medically necessary services, that is, services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice. Part B also covers a wide range of preventive services from shots to screenings to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect

it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best. In addition, due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare will finally be able to negotiate prescription drug costs directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers.

While this section of the law doesn’t go into effect until 2025, in the interim, beneficiaries who are insulin dependent can have their insulin costs capped at $35 per month. This

can save hundreds of dollars a month. Also, the Inflation Reduction Act calls for out-of-pocket prescription expenses to be capped at $2,000 annually. In order to determine which type of plan works best for you, you should call the Nassau County Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program, HIICAP hotline.

This is a free service that will guide you to the best plan for you. We have no affiliation with insurance companies, agents or brokers.

Our number is 516-485-3754. While we are quite busy during Medicare Open Enrollment Season, we strive to return every call on our voice mail within two working days, and usually call sooner. FCA can help. Answers to your Medicare questions are just a phone call away.

Barry Klitsberg is an assistant Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Coordinator at FCA in Garden City and an Aging Services Program Specialist at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NYU LANGONE

READERS WRITE

G.N. should stick to suburban roots as it grows

Great Neck’s elected officials are united in a vision for how to improve Great Neck: transform it into a high-density urban area to create strong foot traffic for local struggling businesses.

It’s questionable if those who moved to Great Neck because of good public schools will be willing to risk school overcrowding for the sake of more good restaurants on MNR. It’s questionable if those who bought single-family houses in a quiet suburb will be welcoming apartment houses next door just to have a shopping center on the corner.

We have a couple of excellent restaurants in Great Neck and we can drive 10 minutes down to Northern Boulevard in Manhasset or Little Neck to get more. We also can order DoorDash. We live only 15 minutes away from Americana Manhasset. And Amazon deliveries are working well, too.

I understand that it’s a problem for owners of commercial real estate on Middle Neck Road and I wish them good, but not that I’m ready to pay the price for it in high taxes, overcrowded schools, traffic, etc.

While tax-exempt apartment buildings are a profitable solution for poor commercial real estate investments, they are also a very heavy burden for the community that sits on a peninsula with only two narrow roads connecting it with the highway. It’s a heavy burden for a community that drinks water from underground wells. It’s a heavy burden for a community with a suburban sewage system and a limited stormwater capacity.

Are we ready to build new schools, connect our water supply to NYC pipes, invest in urban sewage and wastewater management and widen our streets — all extremely expensive projects? I hear people complaining about high taxes, but suddenly we want to pay even more just to get new restaurants in town. Are we really ready to sacrifice the quality of suburban life, including award-winning schools, for the sake of a shopping spree not farther away than a five-minute drive? Or are these developers and commercial property owners who push for it?

Saying this, I agree that Great Neck needs transformation, a push to move forward, to attract youth, to shine. But I disagree that shine comes from restaurants or shopping malls. We need to think about how to make the town more attractive for youth, how to make it more affordable, how to ease traffic jams, and how to bring more foot traffic to the businesses. The answer to all these questions is in making the town more bike-friendly with protected bike lanes. More and more bikers park at the train station and many school children bike, too. Families could bike to ice cream shops and to the playgrounds. But only if they feel safe on the streets. Protected bike lanes would be an excellent solution for the peninsula one can cross on a bike in 20 minutes.

We need to think about how to

bring businesses that are needed to the diverse town population and are not limited to shops and restaurants that are suffering from online competition and from the local segmented food market. Our town is very much education and family-centered. We

need child care, both daycare and after-school center. Parents drive kids to Little Neck and Roslyn for afterschool and enrichment. We maybe need more sports clubs and entertainment, and I think the STEM center would be great. (If nothing works, I’m

happier with status quo than with a ruined town. Great Neck is desirable and homestead values are up thanks to the No. 1 school district.)

Most of all we don’t need nine villages with nine town halls, nine mayors, nine sets of trustees, nine village

clerks, nine building inspectors, nine secretaries, and nine tax entities. Especially not if all nine of them start building apartment houses.

HAPPY HANUKKAH

Kate Goldberg Great Neck

Business&RealEstate

How Fair Housing laws actually work

In the United States everyone is entitled to purchase a home who is gainfully employed and has adequate income, credit, and debt-to-income ratios to qualify under the Fair Housing Act. However, discrimination and ownership disparity still occurs and exists between white and black households as per an article by The National Association of Realtors back on March 3. Here is a link to the article, which explains in greater depth the housing disparity among white and minority groups: https://www.nar.realtor/ blogs/economists-outlook/racial-disparitiesin-homeownership-rates

According to the article, Black homeownership has increased to 43.3% but is still lower than it was 10 years ago. Moreover, Hispanic and Asian households have increased their holdings drastically over the last decade through 2020.

Banks have been a sore spot for fair housing laws through the Department of Housing and Urban Development Administration. Some lenders have and, in some instances, continue to discriminate today against minority populations, even though their qualifications are as good as their white counterparts’. Very substantial fines have been levied if a defendant has been convicted of discriminatory practices. Everyone must be treated fairly regardless of their legal status.

There are 18 protected classes and they are as follows:

Alienage/Citizenship Status

Status as a Victim of Domestic Violence

Renting appears to be a slippery slope for many prospective tenants and landlords, however. This is due to discrimination and a lack of awareness, consideration, and knowledge about the legally protected classes in Fair Housing laws. Here is a link for tenants and landlords to gain greater knowledge of those classes: https://www.avail.co/education/guides/fair-housing-laws/fair-housingprotected-classes

In 2022, a HUD memo said the use of criminal records in screening and blanket housing denials across the board will not be considered an acceptable practice. But there are a few exceptions based on time elapsed since time served and the type of conviction. Also, based on the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988, if a qualified prospective tenant has a disability and reasonable accommodations and modifications are required, then denying a person a rental is against fair housing. Here is another link expanding on the law:

PHILIP A. RAICES

Real Estate Watch

Fair Housing for People with Criminal Records

There are occasions when an applicant has a voucher from social services. If the amount that is provided satisfies the rent (sometimes it must include utilities to qualify), then the tenant cannot be rejected in New York State. However, this can vary from state to state predicated on the state and local laws. In NYS if the landlord resides in one of the units, he or she can reject the voucher applicant. The government unequivocally guarantees the monthly rent while a regular tenant can never provide this guarantee. Then why would landlords feel uncomfortable with providing the necessary rentals that are so desperately needed and in high

demand over the last few years?

Discrimination and maybe sometimes fear and a non-caring attitude are the only reasons I can surmise. A contributing factor to the serious problem is the pandemic and the previous economic slowdown, losses and layoffs that have followed in some sectors of the economy. Due to the severe lack of rentals, there is a greater possibility for the situation to get worse in 2023.

More people are in need of greater assistance and are seeking out government help. Their voucher enables them to afford the rental price that is being asked. The final approval is completed when social services have to inspect the unit to make sure it qualifies, that everything functions properly, and that there are fire and smoke detectors installed. Lastly, commissions are paid to the brokers by social services, so there is no cost to the landlord.

Brokers and agents are required to take 3.5 hours of Fair Housing continuing education prior to their license renewal. I have done a few voucher rentals in the past, and the individuals and families were fine respectable people. Landlords should not be afraid to provide their rentals to those in need, as they will always receive their money electronically on a very timely basis through the state or federal government. They tend to be longer-term tenants as compared with those who use a rental as a short-term stopping-off point prior to purchasing. This gives landlords more consistent cash flow. However, here is a link to define situations that allows landlords to reject an applicant: https://www.avail.co/education/guides/

fair-housing-laws/valid-reasons-to-rejectapplicants

Fair Housing is an extremely complicated and concerning issue today and cannot be totally explained here in this short column. One must use common sense and be as pragmatic as possible in determining the qualifications of a tenant and learn as much as possible via the links that I have provided. Lastly, asking for the advice of a very knowledgeable broker or your attorney will be your best bet in keeping within the Fair Housing Laws.I want to wish all my readers a healthy, happy, and relaxing Chanukah and holiday season.

Continue to Donate to the Ukrainian Crisis and save a life or 2:

IOM’s Ukraine Response

OR The International Organization for Migration a 501(c) 3 Corporation: OR:http://donate.iom.int

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

TECH

The “Internet of Things” and Smart Clothing

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

the future is now

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

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

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

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

Cyber Security

Oligarch’s cousin donates to Santos

Continued from Page 9

The congressman-elect was also scheduled to attend the New York Young Republican Club’s annual black-tie gala event Dec. 11, along with Donald Trump Jr., U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani along with a number of far-right individuals.

Devolder-Santos has been criticized by Democratic officials for his ties to far-right politicians such as Greene. Greene was criticized for saying at the Young Republicans dinner that the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol building would have featured “armed” rioters if she and Steve Bannon, the chief strategist under former President Donald Trump, had organized it.

“If Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won,” Greene said during the event. “Not to mention, it would have been armed. Yeah. See, that’s the whole joke isn’t it?”

Greene, in a subsequent statement, said her comments were sarcastic and denied having any involvement in the insurrection.

“My comments were making fun of Joe Biden and the Democrats, who have continuously made me a political target since Jan. 6th,” she said in a statement.

The White House described the congresswoman’s comments as “violent rhetoric” and a “slap in the face” to those who defended the Capitol against rioters and, in several cases, lost their lives doing so.

Santos, a Trump supporter, urged officials to intervene in the counting of Electoral College votes following the insurrection. He is also quoted as saying he was “at the Ellipse on Jan. 6,” the day of rioting at the U.S. Capitol, and is quoted on video saying he “wrote a nice check for a law firm” to aid the rioters who stormed the building.

Mineola OKs zoning changes to aid downtown

Pereira clarified for the audience Wednesday the districts do not mean there is going to be an influx of unwanted development. For Jericho, He said he does not envision it changing drastically in the near future but said the village has more options both now and decades in the future.

“This does not mean there is going to be a hotel on every corner or three and four-story buildings up and down Jericho, quite the contrary,” Pereira said. “If we are presented with something that doesn’t fit with the view of the board or the character of the neighborhood, we can always say no.”

For additional residential

units to be developed, current regulations outside the districts require parking spaces to be put in place. With the new districts, the board can require future developers to pay toward a parking trust fund that the village can use in the future to buy land and create more parking.

Pereira also added that he hopes to see owners that are not taking care of their properties use the new possibilities to start doing so or welcome new ones to fix the vacant storefronts.

“I’m passionate about this, I’m passionate about our village and I’m passionate about taking it forward,” Pereira said. “I think this gives us the tools to try and fix this.”

Historic homecoming for Hadassah, G.N. leader

Smolow did have presidential experience within the organization on the chapter level for Great Neck and on the regional level. She also held a handful of other committee and leadership positions before her national presidency.

Hadassah, founded in 1912, utilizes the two hospitals of their medical organization in Jerusalem, Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem and Hadassah Hospital Mount Scoups, to aid more than 1 million people every year and with cuttingedge and highly touted medical research. The 300,000-member organization also helps combat antisemitism and ensure Israel’s security.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck just weeks after Smolow was sworn in as president, the organization and its newly appointed leader were faced with an unprecedented health challenge. Despite the hardships brought into the world due to the virus, Smolow said, she viewed it as another challenger that must have a solution.

“I can’t explain why, it’s just something inside of me, but I looked at this challenge and every challenge as something that can be overcome,” she said. “It was also about how we could help the country and all of our women maintain what they were doing for Hadassah, including fund-raising and maintaining relationships with each other, Jewish education and

advocacy.”

Smolow said the organization helped its members learn how to adapt to Zoom and allow for presentations and speakers to be consistently featured to provide updates with the hospitals. She lauded the staff who made everything remotely accessible but did not downplay the work and challenges the entire organization normally encounters.

Advocating for hospital funding, speaking with high-ranking government officials and providing relief efforts for communities facing natural disasters are some of the other roles Hadassah carries out on a consistent basis.

Smolow said she wanted to have Hadassah’s 100th National Convention in Israel during her installation speech in Orlando before the pandemic struck. Despite the global spread of the virus halting almost every gathering for the foreseeable future months after her installation, Smolow said she still predicted that Hadassah would have its centennial convention in Israel in 2022.

“People thought I was crazy,” she said. “And there were a lot of naysayers. There were a lot of people around us and all over the world that were scared and no one knew when it would end.”

With foreshadowing reminiscent of her grandmother’s, Smolow still pushed forward

with plans to hold the convention in Israel in 2022 as vaccines became more widespread and gatherings slowly began to ramp up. Last month, Smolow’s plan was fulfilled as more than 400 attendees met in person for the first time since 2019.

The convention in Jerusalem, titled “Together In Israel: Our Pride. Our Purpose. Hadassah’s 100th National Convention,” included speeches from Israel President Isaac Herzon, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas R. Nides, Israel Ministry of Health Director-General Nachman Ash and more.

Officials lauded Smolow and the organization for being a beacon in Israel’s health-care system and providing care to any individual who needs it, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or creed.

“Health care in Israel wouldn’t be what it is without Hadassah,” Ash said.

The convention also featured a moving reunion of a Ukrainian native who escaped the country during the war against Russia and his mother. Other speakers and testimonies from hospital patients and medical students highlighted the positive impact Hadassah has had.

The organization also handed out a pair of awards during the convention, including one given to a past president, Marlene Edith Post, the first woman president of Temple Judea in

Manhasset. Post received the Henrietta Szold Award, the organization’s highest honor named after its founder.

“My personal family and my Hadassah family are the two pillars on which my life stands,” Post said.

The organization also handed out its inaugural Power of Esther Award, named after the Jewish heroine Queen Esther. It is given to an individual who utilizes the determination and intelligence to speak out on behalf of the Jewish community. The award was presented to Michal Herzog, the first lady of Israel.

When asked what advice Smolow would give to her younger self just starting out in the Hadassah world, she said to not say “no” and to not worry about the level of involvement or commitment joining an organization like Hadassah would entail.

“When you find out what it’s all about, you’ll find the way you can be involved,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be the way your mother or grandmother did it, but there is a way for you to feel empowered and a part of something bigger than yourself.”

A mother of three children, now full-grown adults, Smolow said Hadassah allowed her to do so much more for her kids, her community, her synagogue and the greater good than she ever thought possible.

PHOTO BY BRANDON DUFFY

Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira gives his board report during the Dec. 7 meeting.

Chaminade staff saves student’s life during game

utes, assistant coach Bob Paul and athletic trainer Jorge Vargas performed CPR on Kellachan after shocking him with an AED device when his heart stopped.

“Thank you to the amazing athletic and training staff at Chaminade who saved my life after seizing and losing a heartbeat. Unequivocally something I will never be able to repay them for. Flyers rule,” Kellachan tweeted two

days later with a picture of himself, Paul and Vargas.

Kellachan was taken to NYU Langone that night and the senior forward returned to school Friday.

Since the incident, the team has shown no signs of slowing down. Standing at 4-1 on the season, the Flyers earned wins against Kings Park Dec. 8 and High School for Construction Dec. 10.

Manhasset to wait for state on mascot ruling

Continued from Page 12

“Many other states with significant Indigenous populations made these mascot changes back in the ’90s,” Trigg told Patch. “We have to ask ourselves what has taken so long?”

The history of Manhasset’s “Indian” mascot is traced back to the Matinecock Indian Tribe, a group that occupied a majority of the Town of North Hempstead.

The Matinecocks were forcibly removed from the territory, with Manhasset keeping the “Indian” mascot name along with having an orange feather attached to the “M” in their logo and calling their newspaper “Indian Ink.”

More than 30 members of the Manhasset High School’s Class of 2021, including student government representatives and varsity athletic team captains, co-signed an email last year that accused the Board of Education of making a change to the mascot without informing the rest of the public.

“Rumors of a new image circulate throughout the school, but also clear changes have been made around the building,” the email said. “We urge the school board and administration to immediately stop proceeding with the backdoor termination of our Indian image and rather speak with the proud Manhasset community before any changes are made.”

The group of students claimed that the Manhasset students metaphorically wore the “Indian” name with pride and passion.

“Manhasset students represent this culture with the utmost respect,” the letter said. “Not

once at any school or community event have we witnessed the Indian name be tarnished or demeaned in any way, rather, we watch as students and community members proudly boast the name, chanting ‘We are the Indians’ for anyone in the nearby vicinity to hear.”

In a statement responding to the student’s letter, the Manhasset Justice Initiative, an online organization comprised of current and former Manhasset school students, claimed there was a disconnect on how to appropriately honor native tribes and communities to the area.

“By claiming “We are the Indians,” we are claiming that we have the shared experience of the hardship the native communities faced and paying homage to a caricature that doesn’t accurately represent them,” the initiative said in a statement last year. “When the Native Americans said “do not forget us,” it wasn’t to keep the mascot but make sure that their cultures are depicted accurately and respectfully with educational components accompanying any decision the school makes.”

The memo from the state’s education department came on the heels of a court case involving Cambridge Central School District, which voted to retire its “Indians” team name, logo and mascot in June 2021 before reversing its decision a month later after new board of education members took office.

Albany County’s Supreme Court ruled that public schools violate the Dignity Act when using Native American mascots.

Manhasset Hills man stole relief funds: Feds

said in a statement. “I am grateful to the prosecutors in my office for protecting the integrity of these critical public programs by pursuing accountability in this case.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office launched a wiretap investigation in October 2020 until June 2021, officials said. The wiretap investigation was prompted by law enforcement

officials noticing suspect financial transacations by various drywall construction companies based in New York City, the office said.

William Felcon is charged with one count of second-degree grand larceny, one count of third-degree grand larceny, one count of seconddegree attempted grand larceny, one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree, one count of fifth-degree conspiracy and nine counts of

falsifying business records in the first degree, prosecutors said.

Thomas A. Felcon is charged with five counts of second-degree grand larceny, three counts of third-degree grand larceny, two counts of second-degree attempted grand larceny, one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree, one count of fifth-degree conspiracy and nine counts of falsifying business records in the first

G.N. native to host New Year’s Eve comedy show

Nearly a decade later after her switch, Reese said, her decision to pursue comedy was a wise one, getting steady work on Long Island, especially due to her knowledge of the area. Being an Orthodox Jew, she said, also gives her more niche material that she’s able to expound upon in certain areas.

“I have my regular club material and then I have more niche events where I can talk about Jewish rituals and traditions and I’m able to poke fun at the religion or being married to a really observant man,” Reese said.

Being a native of Great Neck, she said, it’s a great feeling to know a lot about a certain area when performing because the jokes can be relatable

to much of the audience. The politics of local elections and heated school board debates surrounding curriculum are some of the aspects Reese said she loves to tailor sets around for local audiences.

“Instead of people debating issues, I want them to come together and laugh,” she said. “I think in this community, we have more in common than we don’t and that’s what’s so great about comedy.”

Poking fun at both extremes of a certain topic or heated debate, she said, is key to having the entire audience engaged and laughing at what’s going on. Not pitting one group of people against another and acknowledging the ridiculousness of both sides, Reese said, leads to everybody

enjoying the set.

The event begins at 8:30 p.m., with all-inclusive admission costing $126 per person. Reese said she has worked with Colbeh before and attendees can expect a stocked open bar with premium spirits to go along with a night full of laughter and dancing.

Reese emphasized that the show is not just for Great Neck residents and hoped others throughout the North Shore and Long Island would spend the holiday with her at Colbeh, located at 75 N. Station Plaza. Other comedians featured at the event include Erik Bransteen, Eli Lebowicz and Eman Morgan. To register or to find more information on the event, visit: taliareese.com.

degree, officials said.

The two entered not-guilty pleas and were released on their own recognizance, officials from the district attorney’s office said. Both were due back in court Feb. 10, officials in the DA’s office said.

William Felcon’s attorney, Murray Richman, told Newsday his client “is a really good man,” while declining to comment further.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

Chaminade’s P.J. Kellachan experienced cardiac arrest during practice on Dec. 6.

COURTESY OF TALIA REESE

Great Neck native and comedian Talia Reese will be hosting a New Year’s Eve comedy night and soiree at Cobleh on Dec. 31.

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Town officials attend Village of Mineola tree lighting

Happening at the Williston Park Library

The library is collecting donations for Island Harvest’s Turkey & Trimmings Campaign. Donations of the following would be greatly appreciated: canned vegetables, boxed stuffing, peanut butter, vegetable, olive and canola oil, beans, rice, canned soups and stews. Flyers and donation box are located inside the library. Donations will be accepted until Dec. 30. American Legion scholarship applications are now available at the library. If you’ve borrowed a museum pass, we ask that it be returned in the library by 10am on the due date to ensure timely pick up for the next patron on the waiting list. If you wish to return the pass prior to the due date and the library is closed, please put in the book drop. We appreciate your cooperation. The library is distributing Covid-19 self-test kits while supplies last.

New titles added to the collection: High Notes—Danielle Steel Killing the Legends—Bill O’Reilly Old Place—Bobby Finger Moonlight & the Pearler’s Daughter—Lizzie Pook

Growing Up Getty—James Reginato Big Truth—Major Garrett

Adult Programs

Reiki Circle—Thursdays—December 15; January 5 & 19—6 pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. $10 p/person, p/session. Call the library (742-1820), email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com or stop by the library to register.

Empire Safety Driving Course—Wednesday—January 11, 2023—10 am-4 pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. $30 p/person. Limited to 25 participants. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Book Discussion—Wednesday—January 11—7 pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall and via Zoom. Copies of Redbird Christmas are available at the Circulation Desk.https:// adelphiuniversity.zoom.us/j/96885670102?pwd=VGtSYnky UW9acVJyV0tyNUtUZnMyZz09 Meeting ID: 968 8567 0102 Passcode: WPBookClub Or just call 1-929-205-6099 on your phone and it will ask for the meeting id and password above.

Children’s Programs

Story Time for Tots—Tuesdays—December 13; January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7 & 14—11-11:45am in the library

for children ages 1-4 with a parent or caregiver. Call the library (742-1820), email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com or ask at the Circulation Desk to register. Maximum of 15 children. No walk-ins!

Sign Language for Babies & Toddlers—Wednesday—December 14 & 21—11 am in the library for children ages 3 months-3 years old. Per vendor, limited to 15 children. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@ gmail.com to register.

Petra Puppets Holiday Talent Show—Tuesday—December 27—10:30 am in the Assembly Room of Village Hall for children of all ages. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

STEM Lego: NASA Day—Friday—January 27—4-5 pm in the Children’s Room for ages 5+. Per the vendor, limited to 12 children. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Valentine Wreath—Saturday—January 28—10 am in the Children’s Room for ages 10+. Per the vendor, limited to 15 participants. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Council Members Peter Zuckerman and Dennis Walsh attended the Village of Mineola’s Tree Lighting held at the Village of Mineola Community Center on Dec. 2.

The event featured musical entertainment from Chaminade High School and a visit from Santa Claus. Town officials joined Village of Mineola officials as they kicked off the holiday season with residents.

Challenge Day at Herricks Herricks senior honored by BOCES

Herricks High School senior Lucas Rodriguez was recently named Student of the Quarter by the Nassau BOCES Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center. The Herricks senior was celebrated at a luncheon along with his proud parents, Celso and Juderca and Herricks High School guidance counselor Caryn Krucher.

Lucas is in his second year of studying exercise medicine and personal training. He is preparing for a career in sports management, a field that was identified by the New York State Department of Labor as one of the top 24 emerging occupations. “Lucas maintains perfect attendance and grades, while serving as a role model for all in his program, and in his class,” said Krucher. The high school counselor went on to share, “This is only the beginning for Lucas. He is bound for success, and we are so incredibly proud of him!”

Herricks Middle School recently hosted Challenge Day for the school’s eighth graders. To accommodate the entire eighth grade student body, the day-long workshop took place over three days at the end of November and was held in the school’s gymnasium.

The activities of the day were centered around five areas: selfmanagement, social awareness, selfawareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Through innovative programs and approaches, students unlearned harmful habits, discovered strengths in vulnerability and experienced the social and emotional rewards of full expression through the lens of compassion, connection and diversity.

Challenge Day Senior Program Manager Enrique Collazo shared with the group, “My passion is teaching the practice of mindfulness and social and emotional learning to teens.” Challenge Day is a nonprofit organization committed to building empathy and compassion.

East Williston hosts mock trial E.W. shows home, school connection

On Nov. 30, East Willison School District brought together parents and educators for the Special Education Parent Council (SEPC) Fall Event. This annual conference, which began in 2018, showcases the educational strategies and initiatives that are driving engagement and success at the three district schools: The Wheatley School, Willets Road School and North Side Elementary.

A primary focus of this year’s SEPC conference was the importance of the home-school connection in fostering a passion for learning

and increasing student outcomes. Attendees shared ideas and tool that help engage students and allow parents and teachers to be more closely aligned in the educational process.

Following the event, feedback from parents highlighted their appreciation for the informative sessions, including mindfulness and movement strategies, family game night ideas and the innovative responsive classroom strategy, a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline.

East Williston’s Wheatley School hosted its Mock Trial Tournament on Nov. 30, continuing a nearly 40-year tradition in the district.

The competition was organized by The Wheatley School Mock Trial Team in coordination with Wheatley’s School Within a School (SWS) Mock Trial class and included students from four neighboring schools.

Student teams acted as plaintiffs and defendants during the tournament, honing their argument, critical think-

ing, communication and teamwork skills, while lawyers who volunteered their time acted as judges and evaluated the performances based on predetermined criteria. The teams with the best scores were selected to compete in the finals at the end of the day.

The tournament began with the dedication of The Wheatley School law room to Mr. Robert Bernstein, a longtime faculty member of The Wheatley School and adviser to the Mock Trial Team.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Herricks High School senior Lucas Rodriguez was recently named Student of of the Quarter by Nassau BOCES Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Herricks Middle School hosted Challenge Day for the school’s eighth graders.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST WILLISTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST WILLISTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

Sports

Barbot twins dominate for state champs St. Mary’s

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

They say it only happened one time, but Taryn and Taylor Barbot remember the details exactly.

The 17-year-old twin basketball stars were playing an AAU game a few years back, and an opponent was getting a little rough on Taryn.

Fouls were called, but the physical play kept up. Finally, Taylor, the younger sister by one minute, went up to the opponent with some harsh words.

“I told her to knock it off and got up in her face a little bit,” Taylor said.

“And that was the end of her fouling me hard,” Taryn said with a smile.

The Barbot twins are as easygoing and friendly as you could imagine off the court, but the Manhasset St. Mary’s seniors are certainly not to be messed with on it.

The Floral Park kids who’ve been wowing spectators since they were in first grade, earning the nickname “The Tornado Twins” are back for one final season with the Gaels.

And they’ll have to work very hard to create an encore to their magical junior season in 2021-22. With 5-foot-9 Taryn playing every position and scoring at will, and 5-foot-8 point guard Taylor dishing out assists and defending hard, St. Mary’s captured its first Catholic High School

Athletic Association state championship since 1994.

In the state championship game, Taryn was unstoppable, scoring 19 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and six assists.

It was a triumph three years in the making, and the girls said they’re not finished, not at all.

“It was really special because we’ve been working hard to bring a title back here; they’ve had so many great teams in the past,” Taylor said before a recent preseason practice. “And now that we’ve won one, we know we have a target on our backs, and you don’t want to let up. You want to do it again.”

St. Mary’s coach Kevin White, who has been scouting and watching the Barbots since they were playing on the Brooklyn Stars AAU team in middle school, said he’s the “luckiest coach” to have gotten to direct them.

“You always want good athletes and more importantly good people from good families, and they have just been so great for our program,” White said. “Taylor, she’s a pass-first point guard who always makes good decisions and gets people to their spots.

“And Taryn, she’s a Swiss Army knife, she does a little bit of everything for us, scoring, rebounding, defending, she can guard all five positions.

“I probably rely on Taryn too much,

but she’s just really good at everything.”

The Barbots’ basketball journey began in Floral Park, where they’re from, when mom Theran and Dad Thierry started trying the girls out in different sports.

Hoops quickly became their favorite,

and the battles on the driveway and in the neighborhood playgrounds were fierce.

“Our parents would have to separate us sometimes,” Taryn recalled.

“It could get pretty violent,” Taylor chimed in. “But once we got inside the house, we were friends again.”

“But still,” Taryn said, “Coach Kevin won’t let us guard each other in practice now. He doesn’t want to know what might happen.”

The Barbots arrived at St. Mary’s as freshmen and saw their season interrupted by Covid, which turned out to be partially a blessing, Taylor said.

“We got to practice more and work on our games,” she said.

White said both arrived at St. Mary’s with very strong bases of skills, and that each worked their way into the starting lineup toward the end of the abbreviated freshman season.

“I did tell them then and still tell them now, they look for each other on the court a little too much,” he said. “But they’re really good at getting everyone involved, and making sure the team is ready to play at all times.”

All that skill caught the eye of many Division I college coaches, with Richmond, Albany and Fairleigh Dickinson in hot pursuit.

But it was the College of Charleston, a solid mid-major D-1 program, that pursued the Barbots the hardest and won their names on a scholarship.

“They were always checking in on us and watching us and really showed us a lot of love,” Taylor said. “And the campus is beautiful. I’m excited to go there.”

Taryn said she’s undecided on a college major, but Taylor is confident of her career path: She wants to be an OBGYN and help African-American women as much as possible.

“There’s a lot of history of black women being treated unfairly in the medical community, and a lot of doctors not believing their pain is real, and their symptoms are real,” Taylor said. “Black women die at a higher rate in childbirth than (non-black women). So I really want to see if I can help with that.”

St. Mary’s senior basketball player Taryn Balbot helped lead her school to a CHSAA state championship last season.

Last season Taylor and Taryn took their games to a new level, with Taylor averaging eight points, eight assists and four boards per contest, while Taryn poured in 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game.

A noble goal for the future, no doubt. For now, the Barbots will try to bring one more banner to their little school on Northern Boulevard.

“It would be really nice to get another chip,” Taryn said. “Everyone at this school has been so supportive and so nice, that it would be so great to go out with one more.”

47th Community Chest Thanksgiving Run winners

Almost 3,200 runners and walkers took part in the 47th Annual 2022 Port Washington Thanksgiving Day 5-Mile Run presented by the Community Chest of Port Washington and the Town of North Hempstead.

The top race finisher was 19-year-old Luke Ellwood with a time of 25:19, followed by 22-year old Matthew Fusco (25:36) and 18-year old Colin Funk (26:10), all of Port Washington. The top female finishers were 37-yearold Theresa McCabe (29:00) of Manhasset, 27-year-old Jessica Donohue (30:40) of Glen Head and 27-year old Gillian Lowden (31:37) of Port Washington. In the male 9-12 age category, Port runners reigned supreme with Cub Romero of Port Washington in first (36:01), Kush Taparia in second (38:52) and Hudson Elders in third (38:59). Port runners also took the top three spots in the female 9-12 age category. Alyssa Scheinzbach came in first (36:47), followed by Addison Ahmuty (39:50) and Sofia Vinti (44:58).In the male 13-15 age category, Julian Kimball of Sands Point finished first (30:19), followed by Will Ahmuty in second (31:00) and Riley Funk in third (31:26). In the female 13-15 age

category, Ashley Carillo (32:14) of Port Washington and Lucy Thomas (34:11) of Baton Rouge, La. finished first and second. In the male and female 16-19 age categories, Luke Ellwood (25:19) of Port and Sheyla Zakashansky (31:43) of New York came in first; Colin Funk (26:10) and Eve Siff-Scherr (34:44), both from Port, came in second; and William Schimitsch (29:06) and Caroline Schimitsch (38:09), both of Little Neck, came in third.In the female 20-24 age group, Port Washington’s Ellie Davis (31:51) finished first and in the female 30-34 age group Woodbury’s Esther Lok (33:25)

finished first.The top three finishers in the Men’s 50-54 age group were all Port Washington residents: Chris Elders (34:00), Daniel Valderrama (34:27) and Seth Mondschein (35:04). Meanwhile in the female 35-39 age group, Theresa McCabe of Manhasset finished first, followed by Port’s own Alisa Holzer and Devon Bordenick.Awards were given to the top three finishers overall (male and female) and to the top three finishers (male and female) in 16 different age categories.Top finisher in the female 80+ category was 83-year-old Dorothy Bheddah and top finisher in the male

80+ category was 80-year old Diarmuid White.“We’d like to thank our dedicated Community Chest volunteers, our sponsors and the amazing support of the Port Washington community that made this year’s Thanksgiving Day run a great success,” said Bobby Keller, executive director, Community Chest of Port Washington.Over the 47-year history of the race wonderful traditions have been created including, the annual Apple pie raffle, which has been generously funded by Race Event Sponsor, the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation. One hundred Youngs Farms Apple pies were distributed to lucky winners, who picked up their pies at the finish line.

New this year, Catholic Health arranged to have an Orthopedic Care team, including St. Francis Hospital Orthopedic Surgeon Michael Kang standing by at the finish line to evaluate any injuries suffered by race participants and attendees. Race day started at 8:00 am with a yoga stretch, presented by Yoga Life and concluded with commemorative Race medals presented to everyone who finished the race. Thirsty participants were provided water bottles supplied by Glen Cove Beer distributers and all finishers received

apples supplied by R Best Produce and Uncle Giuseppe’s. Officially sanctioned and certified by USA Track and Field, the Thanksgiving Day Run is co-presented by the Town of North Hempstead and assisted by the Port Washington Police and Fire Medics, the Sands Point Police and the Nassau County Police, along with the Villages of Manorhaven, Sands Point, Baxter Estates and Port Washington North. The run’s technical director is David Katz, founder of Finish Line Road Race Technicians.

FLRRT, a pioneer and innovator of modern road race technology, calculates timing and results and post results at www.FLRRT. com. Sponsors for the 2022 Thanksgiving Day Run include: Event Sponsor; The Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation, Co-SponsorTown of North Hempstead, Orthopedic Care Sponsor- Catholic Health- St Francis Hospital & Heart Center, Gold SponsorsLEVITON and M&T Bank, Medal & Midway Sponsors; Crown Trophy, Baker Air, Kornhaber Dental Group Silver Sponsors Alper’s, Orange Theory, Louie’s, Lorber Hoffman, Palm Bay International, Harding Real Estate, Gold Coast Chiropractic, Chief Graphix, Red Feather Sponsor Glen Cove Beer

Distributors, Bronze Sponsors Arena Graphics, Haven Auto Body, Pro Plumbing, Unlimited Sports Action, Bendix Engineering, P.C., NY Environmental, Craig Botts, North Shore Podiatry, Yoga Life, CastleRock Contracting, PW Federal Credit Union, Creative Snow by Cow Bay, Gulfway Marine, PW College Consulting, Douglas Elliman; Alexis Siegel & Amy Rosenberg Team, Mojito Café & Lounge, Gold Coast Family Dental, Goldeneye Construction, Sands Point Center for Health & Rehabilitation, Spensieri Construction, Zelin & Associates CPA, Apples; R Best Produce & Uncle Giuseppe’s.

The Community Chest is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise funds for distribution to local charities dedicated to improving the lives of Port Washingtonians. Community Chest grants support programs for senior citizens, children, teenagers, and others in need—programs that serve approximately 7,000 Port Washington residents. To learn more about the Community Chest of Port Washington or to find out how you can support the Chest, contact the Community Chest at (516) 767-2121 or visit the website at www.portchest.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBOT FAMILY