Williston Park 2023_09_29

GUIDE TO MINEOLA STREET FAIR

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JEWELRY STOLEN IN MINEOLA

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CRICKET WORLD CUP COMES TO NASSAU

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MINEOLA MILESTONES Broadcast center for Cohen’s

TV personality Ryan

Seacrest aids kids

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park is now home to the 13th Seacrest Studio, a broadcast media center built by “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest’s foundation.

The TV personality in 2009 started the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing pediatric patients with entertainment and education-focused initiatives.

“As the largest provider of pediatric services in New York State, we are thrilled to welcome Cohen Children’s Medical Center into the Seacrest Studios family,” Seacrest said in a statement. “I had the pleasure of calling New York home for many years, so to know that so many children and families will now have access to our programming is incredibly rewarding.”

A star-studded cast joined Seacrest Sept. 19 for the studio’s ribbon-cutting, including singer Stephen Sanchez, actress Madelyn Cline, WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair and Paw Patrol characters Chase, Skye Rubbel and Marshall.

The 1,500-square-foot state-ofthe-art studio in the hospital’s atrium will feature programming broadcast to all patient rooms. Programming will include visits from special guests, educational content, music therapy and patient-created shows.

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Herricks teacher leaves after video

Middle school band instructor allegedly featured in ‘disturbing and upsetting’ post

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The Herricks School District and Nassau County District Attorney’s Office are investigating an incident regarding a former teacher who was removed from the district after a “disturbing and upsetting” video surfaced online.

Residents expressed concern

during the Thursday night board of education meeting over the well-being of students and the next steps for the jazz band, which parents said the removed teacher was involved with.

Superintendent Tony Sinanis said the district was informed after 9 p.m. Tuesday night of a video circulating online that allegedly featured a Herricks teacher.

“The following morning, we informed legal authorities and continued investigating in an effort to ensure the safety of our students,” Sinanis said in a statement Thursday night and in an email to the district. “We also took steps to ensure that our students and staff were supported and had access to coun-

selors if necessary.”

Sinanis said the teacher is no longer employed by the district. The Nassau County District Attorney’s office is also investigating the matter with their law enforcement partners, officials confirmed to Blank Slate Media.

“I moved to this district specifically for the music program,” said Linda, the mother of an eighth-grade trombone player. “For this to happen now was just heartbreaking and shocking.”

Sinanis told the mother and other parents who inquired that the district offers counseling in both group and individual settings.

Board of Education President

James Gounaris said one person does not make the entire district win or lose, commending the students and parents who reported the incident to the district.

“We thank you for that, because without them we may not have known until the day after or the day after that,” Gounaris said. “It’s a testimony to the entire family unit in this district and also the staff members who reported it.”

“No one stands for this, no one thinks it’s tolerable,” Gounaris said.

Catalin Wong, a senior at Herricks High School, said she and her friends were shocked by the news and asked to board about the process

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VILLAGE OF MINEOLA

Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira and the board of trustees joined LIRR officials, elected officials and others at the 100th Anniversary of the Mineola Train Station and ribbon cutting ceremony.

AG issues cease, desist to NY Citizens Audit

Cites door-to-door ‘voter decepion and intimidation’

BY KARINA KOVAC

The New York attorney general has warned NY Citizens Audit to cease any “voter deception and intimidation” amid allegations the Newburgh-based group has gone door-todoor, falsely claiming to be election workers and wrongly accusing voters of felony election fraud.

Attorney General Letitia James’s ofce issued an immediate cease-anddesist letter to the organization and instructed the group to provide information about any third parties working with them as well as details about the training of their representatives by Oct. 2.

The letter was sent by Lindsay McKenzie, chief of the Voting Rights Section at the state AG ofce.

McKenzie said that if these allegations were proven true, they would constitute unlawful voter deception. She also said her ofce would use every available tool at its disposal to protect New York voters against fraud.

Marly Hornik, NYCA executive director, said in a statement Monday that the non-proft frst learned of the order through a press inquiry. She claimed the press had been notifed before the group and that the allegations in the order were “unsubstantiated,” “strange” and “puzzling.”

A call to the AG’s ofce about the NYCA statement went unanswered.

“The whole thing has developed from a purposeful Board of Elections attempt to create public hysteria about unidentifed canvassers,” Hornik said in the release, “Then the board started naming NYCA as “public law breaker No. 1, then the press beat the drum with nothing but unsupported allegations, and next thing we know the NY attorney general is involved and naming NYCA.”

She added, “It all sounds like a Soviet-era propaganda move to discredit and then attack NYCA, calculated to stop the news of serious anomalies in the NY voter rolls discovered during our review of ofcial data.”

The attorney general’s order has underscored the ongoing concerns about voter deception and intimida-

DeSena, Kaiman spar in meet, greet

Lakeville Civic holds 1st joint elex event

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The Lakeville Estates Civic Association held the frst meet and greet for candidates running in the Town of North Hempstead and Nassau County Legislature Wednesday night in North New Hyde Park.

Republican Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Democrat challenger Jon Kaiman, who was supervisor from 2004 to 2013, each answered questions posted by civic members related to their resumes, ideas for the town and issues pertaining to the association specifcally.

The two candidates for the county’s 10th Legislative District, incumbent Mazi Melesa Pilip, a Republican, and Democrat challenger Weihua Yang also gave brief introductions on their backgrounds and platforms to civic members at the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department Company No. 5 frehouse.

The frst question for DeSena and Kaiman referred to their times as supervisors. DeSena, who was elected in 2021, was asked about possibly taking credit for the 5% tax cut the sevenmember town board, which has a majority of four Democrats, approved for this year’s budget after she submitted a tentative budget that had a 2.1% tax

raise.

DeSena said she discovered large town reserves after submitting her tentative budget and resubmitted a new budget proposal with an 11% tax cut, which was not passed. The supervisor said it’s part of the process in the town board that once her tentative budget is submitted, the board members discuss and make amendments.

“It was a proud moment for all of us to ofer that vote and that we now have that for our residents,” DeSena said.

Kaiman said a lot of people are responsible for solving problems in government and that if there are limited things to talk about, ofcials may try to take credit.

“I understand there is a divide in this town board, but we need to respect everybody when you achieve things or get results,” Kaiman said. “I think we would all be better of and probably have a friendlier environment.”

Kaiman was asked about claims against him that he raised taxes every year as supervisor, taxes increased 44% during his term, he voted himself a 33% raise and approved a $31 million tax hike as the chairman of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority.

Kaiman said he did not raise

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tion in New York State and beyond.

On Sept. 1, the state Board of Elections issued a statewide warning about reports of individuals impersonating election ofcials in various counties, including Sufolk.

The canvass imposters are accused of approaching voters and saying they have carried out illegal activities because of discrepancies found in their voter registrations. Similar incidents were reported in at least six other states.

NYCA claims it has been unable to meet with the state Board of Elections over the last two years over the legality of election conduct in 2020 and 2022. The group said it has ofered to give the extracts from board data concerning what it views as a massive number of irregularities in recent

elections.

The group contended it has submitted a formal complaint asking the state board to investigate each of the “millions of suspected illegal registrations, the apparent existence of an algorithm injecting synthetic voters into the voter rolls, the large discrepancy between the number of voters counted and the number of voters who voted and the voters with apparently non-compliant registrations who were permitted to vote.”

McKenzie said her ofce had found no evidence to support the claims made by these impersonators. She said that the reaction from afected voters ranged from outrage to fear that their voting activities might have violated the law.

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MAIL: 22 Planting Field Road Roslyn Heights, NY 11577

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

New York Citizens Audit has claimed no connection to efforts of voter intimidation through canvassing, alleged by state Attorney General Letitia James.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LAKEVILLE ESTATES CIVIC ASSOCIATION

Jon Kaiman, left, and Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, right, speak at the Lakeville Estates Civic Association’s candidate meet and greet.

Louie’s plan splits Port community

Iconic waterside eatery seeking permission to add a 2nd deck, facade closer to the street

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Port Washington’s 120-year-old restaurant, Louie’s Prime Steak and Seafood, is seeking to expand to bolster its business, but many neighboring residents oppose the plan due to what they contend will be negative effects on the surrounding area.

Louie’s, which sits on the waterfront, was opened in 1905 by Louis Zwerlein. The Zwerlein family sold the restaurant in 2002

In 2022 Louie’s was bought by partners Jerry Sbarro, the owner of Rothmann’s Steakhouse in East Norwich and six Matteo’s Italian restaurants, and Jorge Madruga, who are the new owners of the restaurant that will remain as Louie’s.

With the restaurant now managed by the Rothman’s Restaurant Group, the owners are looking to expand and have applied for a site plan that requires variances to be granted by the town.

The application was reviewed during the Town of North Hempstead’s Board of Zoning Appeals meeting Wednesday afternoon, the second appearance before the board.

The board postponed a decision on the application in order to further review comments submitted by the

public.

The classic steak and seafood restaurant applied for four variances, which would also legalize the restaurant’s filled-in deck. The variances are for the building to exceed the permitted height, construct the

facade closer to the street, provide fewer parking spaces and construct a second-floor deck/gathering place.

“We’re talking about a restaurant that’s been here for a hundred years, we’re talking about a tired building, we’re talking about something that

could be transformative and maybe inform future developments there that really are within the code,” said Kathleen Deegan Dickson, the attorney representing Louie’s.

She said that while prior owners had implemented illegal expansions

to the building without permits, the restaurant’s application is seeking to legalize those additions after the fact. She said the current owner bought the property with these elements already in place.

Deegan Dickson said the variance for the facade is not seeking to move the building closer to the property line, but increasing the height in the front of the building.

She said the building is constructed in a unique location as it is built over the water. Because of this, the building grade is established at the beach below and the street in front, making establishing the maximum height different due to the varying grades.

The height of the building’s existing elevation is at 23 feet above the average grade, and 18 feet from the sidewalk to the top of the building.

The proposed building would have a height of 26.3 feet above the sidewalk grade.

Deegan Dickson said the parking variance overall is to accommodate 20 fewer parking spaces than required. She said the traffic engineer confirmed the surrounding area could handle the lack of parking.

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Louie’s Grille and Liquors, as seen from Main Street.

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Woman’s necklace swapped during hug

Jewelry worth $1K stolen from woman, 83, in Mineola when embraced by stranger: police

BY BRANDON DUFFY

An 83-year-old woman had a necklace worth $1,000 stolen from her neck in Mineola and replaced with a fake one last Thursday, police said.

At 11:30 a.m., the victim was walking northbound on Willis Avenue when a white SUV with two passengers pulled up next to her.

The woman in the vehicle called for the victim to approach the SUV, which she did before hugging the woman, who she did not know, police said.

When hugging, the woman removed the victim’s necklace and replaced it with a fake one, police said. The victim later realized after the SUV drove away that she was wearing a different necklace than the original one she had on.

The driver of the SUV is described as a white man and other passenger is described as a white woman.

Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call 1-800-244-TIPS or 911.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

A woman had a necklace stolen from her and replaced with a fake, police said.

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Nassau County to host Cricket World Cup Eisenhower Park one of 3 U.S. sites picked for international event to be held at new stadium

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be arriving in Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park, the first time the United States will host the tournament.

“Nassau County is excited to partner with the ICC to host the Men’s T20 World Cup, one of the most popular sporting events in the world. With more than one billion fans worldwide, this event will attract fans from all around the world to Eisenhower Park,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a release.

A 34,000-seat modular stadium will be constructed in the park, conditional on the award of a required permit next month, the council said. Modular stadiums are cost-effective, semi-permanent structures that can be expanded or relocated.

In addition to Nassau County, venues in Grand Prairie in Dallas and Florida’s Broward County will also be hosting cups.

“We’re delighted to announce the three USA venues that will host part of the biggest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ever staged, with 20 teams competing for the trophy,”

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said in a release. “The USA is a strategically important market and these venues give us an excellent opportunity to make a statement in the world’s biggest sport market.”

Nassau County won the bid over New York City, which proposed hosting the cricket tournament in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The city’s bid was struck down after many local leaders and residents

rallied in opposition to sacrificing a public spot for a private tournament.

The United States and the West Indies were established in November 2021 as co-hosts of the global

tournament.

The International Cricket Council said the decision on the United States locations was made after an extensive evaluation of many possible venues.

“We explored a number of potential venue options in the country, and we were hugely encouraged by the enthusiasm the event generated amongst prospective hosts, reinforcing the growing awareness around cricket’s massive fanbase and its power to unite diverse communities,” Allardice said.

Allardice said the tournament will be the largest T20 World Cup in history.

He added that the tournament will be able to unite diverse communities growing in the United States and draw in cricket’s global fanbase. Blakeman echoed these same sentiments.

“Whether it be PGA events, record-breaking concerts in our parks or the annual Belmont Stakes, we are no stranger to hosting largescale events on the world stage,” Blakeman said. “I look forward to bringing our many diverse communities together to watch some of the best cricket in the world right here in Nassau County.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park.

Businessman Cheng joins CD 3 race

Surgery center CEO says he has contributed $500K of his own money in Dem nomination bid

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Queens native and CEO Austin Cheng has announced his bid for New York’s 3rd Congressional District on the Democratic Party Line.

Cheng, of Old Westbury, joins an already crowded group running to replace George Santos–who is currently facing a federal indictment–which includes at least 14 candidates trying to oust the controversial and duplicitous congressman.

Cheng is the only Asian-American candidate in the race. Asians represent 17.2% of the district, according to Data USA.

“My parents immigrated to this country and worked to the bone to give my sister and me a better life– they found their American Dream in New York, and they passed that dream onto us,” Cheng said in a statement. “I am running for Congress in the district where I was born and raised to protect that Dream, and ensure that regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, if you work hard you can achieve that Dream.

The candidate said he will return to the district open, honest and respectful governing that has been overlooked recently.

Since announcing his run, Cheng has put $500,000 of his own money into his campaign, which has raised over $100,000

Professionally, Cheng is the CEO of Gramercy Surgery Center, an independent outpatient surgery center started by his family he took over in 2019 after his mother became ill.

Prior to his work with Gramercy, Cheng served on active duty with the United States Army as a judge advocate criminal prosecutor and was a special assistant U.S. attorney and criminal defense attorney.

Peter Tu, founder of the Flushing-based Kissena Democratic Club, said Cheng has the experience needed to represent the district.

“Unlike our past and present representatives, Austin has always led by example. He has been giving back to our country and community since his years in the Army and his tenure as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and he will use his legal and military experience to keep New York families safe,” Tu said in a statement. “Today as a small business leader, he understands the strain of infation faced by small business owners and their families in Long Island and Queens. In Congress, Austin will advocate for tax reforms and federal support for housing and healthcare initiatives that beneft our region, ensuring that Queens and Long Island residents aren’t left behind.”

Cheng received a bachelor’s from Union College in Schenectady before graduating from Brooklyn Law School and getting a master’s in health administration from Cornell University.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAMPAIGN

Austin Cheng announced his bid for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

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

By John L. Gomes, MD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9/11 group continues to aid terrorism’s victims

BY KARINA KOVAC

In the wake of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, America was left grappling with the profound loss of life that continues today. Among those afected were countless children, many of whom were an average of 8 years old when they lost a parent in the attack. In the days following, unclaimed cars in train station parking lots and fowers piled up by their front doors served as a reminder of those left behind.

Friends and families attending numerous funerals knew they needed to act after seeing the direct impact of 9/11 on children. Terry Sears, one of the founding members of Tuesday’s Children, a Manhasset-based organization to assist those whose lives have been changed by terrorism, military confict or mass violence, started to act in small ways.

During the early days of the organization 22 years ago, members received tickets to major sporting events to give out to families. These games were the frst attempt to restore a sense of normalcy to the families, who could escape heartache for an afternoon.

Some of the kids in Tuesday’s Children were invited to stand on the feld after former President George W. Bush threw out the frst pitch at the World Series on Oct. 30, 2001, at Yankee Stadium.

“If she could look at her child and see her child smiling, then she would know things are going to be OK,” recalled Kathy Murphy, senior program director at Tuesday’s Children, about a mother at a game.

In the frst few years of operation, the main service provided was mentorship. Although a parent could never be replaced, having a certifed mentor step in and come to the child’s school events or going out and doing other activities made the loss more manageable.

Many of those lost on the North Shore during 9/11 were community-driven individuals, Murphy noted.

“It always struck me that all of these mostly men who perished that day were like the Little League coaches, the soccer coaches. I mean they were involved, guys. They were young families,” she said.

After the attack, a number of babies were born in total to women without a spouse, and while these children have now grown up, the ripple efect of the event has not stopped.

Listening to the concerns of these children led to the development of Tuesday’s Children programs like youth mentoring. These mentors, who undergo extensive training, can never replace a lost parent, but can bond with the children through activities so they’re not lonely. They also check in on schoolwork and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they played online games together.

“We made a commitment, when the organization frst opened its doors, to see every child through to adulthood,” Murphy said.

With 3,051 children left behind on 9/11, Tuesday’s Children has built a database that has assisted 50,000 people worldwide across 40 countries. Today, it is among the handful of organizations that remain dedicated to this cause, with the staf and board of directors unwavering in their commitment, Murphy said.

In 2008, Tuesday’s Children launched Project Common Bond, a program born from the desire of teenagers to connect with others who’ve experienced similar losses due to terrorism and military confict. This program, designed for those aged 15 to 22, brings together young people from diverse backgrounds to learn about concepts of dignity and shared humanity.

Continued on Page 46

PHOTO BY KARINA KOVAC

Kathy Murphy, senior program director at Tuesday’s Children, shows off the many children who’ve been helped by the organization.

garden city hicksville

Local firefighters put out truck fire on LIE

Manhasset-Lakeville, Roslyn Rescue and Roslyn Highlands join in battling blaze for two hours

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, Roslyn Rescue and Roslyn Highlands Fire Companies extinguished a truck fre Sunday on the Long Island Expressway in North Hills that closed lanes for two hours, ofcials said.

Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Companies No. 2, 3 and 5 were dispatched to the westbound Long Island Expressway near Exit 36, the department said.

While responding, the companies were told the Nassau County Police Department’s Highway Patrol was on the scene and confrmed a fully active fre with a trailer carrying tires.

First responders needed to stretch supply lines from Willis Avenue and Searingtown Road to extinguish the fre due to its volume and lack of hydrants in the immediate area, the department said.

Also responding to the scene were the Roslyn Rescue and Roslyn Highlands Fire Companies.

No injuries were reported in the incident, ofcials said.

Two hours after the fre started, eastbound lanes reopened and westbound trafc was fully open as of Monday morning.

North Hills continues talks on village signs

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Village of North Hills continued its discussion on plans for new village signs Wednesday night, but again came to no decision due to uncertainty over what the village wants the signs to look like and desired pricing.

The Board of Trustees discussed sign proposals at its August meeting, but pricing was higher than the village liked.

Superintendent of Buildings Peter Cinquemani said that the main cost-driving factor is that the gold paint or gold leaf has to be hand-applied. He said the village’s logo on the sign is very intricate, making it more labor and time-intensive.

The board discussed alternate sign options dur-

ing the August meeting, such as aluminum-backed signs, but halted a decision to conduct more research.

Cinquemani Wednesday provided pictures of the metal sign options, in bronze and aluminum, but the board members overwhelmingly favored the traditional wood signs of the village.

“I think it’s a warmer feeling,” Deputy Mayor Dennis Sgambati said about the wood signs. “To have it on a signpost in North Hills, that’s my feeling towards it.”

The board decided to pivot away from the metal signs, and Sgambati ofered to help fnd additional sign companies to seek a lower price than what was proposed to the village.

The village also had scheduled a public hearing to consider a proposal of additions and renovations to the Greater New York Conference of SeventhDay Adventists church, but pushed the hearing out further again after the applicant requested it be adjourned.

The public hearing was also adjourned last month and has not been held since July.

The church, located at 7 Shelter Rock Road, is proposing a series of changes to the building and site, including expanding the parking lot, the building’s setback, a new recording studio and other building expansions. The proposal is drawing pushback from the surrounding neighbors, whose attorneys have spoken at previous meetings expressing their concerns.

The public hearing is scheduled to continue at the next North Hills Board of Trustees meeting, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 18.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MANHASSET-LAKEVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Firefighters provide an attack line on a trailer carrying tires engulfed in flames on the Long Island Expressway in North Hills.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

North Hills Village Hall. The North Hills Board of Trustees discussed different approaches to implementing new village entrance signs at its meeting Wednesday night.

More on LI pledge to go car free at event

BY KARINA KOVAC

Solo drivers were encouraged to find a friend to carpool with at the Car Free Day Long Island Rally Friday.Nearly a million Long Islanders drive alone, but roughly 3,745 pledged to change their habits to help lower environmentally harmful carbon emissions.

A panel of speakers at Farmingdale State College held the rally to motivate drivers to set aside their car keys for a day and explore alternative transportation options. These alternatives include the Long Island Rail Road, buses, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycles, and walking. The event marked the a week filled with activities promoting walkability, bicycle parades, and an electric vehicle showcase.

Last year, 2,461 Long Islanders took the pledge to be car free, saving 27 tons of carbon emissions, at the 11th annual Car Free Day. This year about a thousand more Long Islanders took the pledge and are on track to save 80 tons of emissions, roughly a 40% increase. Pledges from local colleges and hospitals have raised the pledges higher than ever.

Dr. John Nader, president of Farmingdale State College, took the stage to recognize keynote speaker Sam Schwartz, known as “Gridlock Sam,” who authored the book “No One At the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future.” It is about the driverless vehicle revolution that can transform highways, cities, workplaces and laws across the globe.

Schwartz is a transportation engineer, columnist, author, and former New York City traffic commissioner.

“I am pleased to report to you this morning,” Nader said, “that last year our campus shuttle that runs to and from the Long Island Railroad Station transported more than 25,000 students over the course of the academic year. We are actually (I checked the numbers yesterday) trending ahead of that this year.”

Farmingdale State College initiated a successful bike share program on campus in collaboration with Bethpage Federal Credit Union, resulting in substantial financial benefits through energy savings and rebates. Additionally, the college secured three grants for the Offshore Wind Training Institute, supporting advancements in wind turbine technology.

Schwartz, the keynote speaker, acknowledged the significance of the rally, which coincided with the year’s most significant gridlock alert day. He commended the organizers for their efforts to alleviate traffic congestion and

reduce emissions.

At the podium, he drew attention to the connection between climate change and recent major disasters like the wildfires in Canada and Maui, emphasizing that emissions of greenhouse gases are causing the planet to warm and that scientists have predicted this happening for years.

Schwartz emphasized the transportation sector’s substantial contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and called for less driving through carpooling and consolidating trips.

“Currently, only 11% of Long Island commuters take transit,” he said. “If we simply get that up to 20%, that’s not a big number, there will be a 10% drop in greenhouse gases by those people that are commuting. Only 7% carpool. This is a very lonely place to drive. Most people love driving alone in their cars.”

Beyond emissions reduction, fewer cars on the road could open up opportunities for sustainable alternatives such as bicycle lanes and wider sidewalks. Schwartz underscored the importance of safety, noting the high number of accidents in Nassau and Suffolk counties with “75,000 crashes in Nassau and Suffolk last year in 2022.”

He added, “It doesn’t look like it’s getting any better.”

Compared to the city, the death rate per 100,000 on Long Island in car accidents is about 140% higher. “And that’s because people on Long Island drive way more than people in New York City,” Schwartz said.

Expansion and additions to the Long Island Rail Road and NICE Bus schedule were both ways mentioned at the rally that residents could use to ditch their car for the day and let someone else do the driving.

PHOTO BY KARINA KOVAC

Sam Schwartz, known as “Gridlock Sam,” said scientists have known for years the planet was warming due to emissions, now Long Islanders have a chance on Friday to reduce emissions.

OUR VIEWS Editorial Cartoon

What’s fairness got to do with Nassau taxes?

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman proposed a $4.1 billion budget for 2024 last week that would raise county spending by $180 million over last year, fund 50 new positions, and not raise property taxes.

But Democratic Nassau County Legislators were not happy.

They said Blakeman had failed to honor a campaign promise made in 2021 to cut property taxes by over $128 million. Which is true.

“Bruce Blakeman is running for Nassau County executive with a plan to immediately cut taxes and stop the County Executive Laura Curran’s massive “Reassessment Tax Hikes that are killing our American dream,” Blakeman’s campaign wrote in a fund-raising email that county Democrats shared this week.

Noting that Nassau County had accumulated more than $1 billion in reserves, the Minority Caucus called for Blakeman to deliver on his campaign promise and cut taxes.

Oddly, no mention was made by the Democrats of Blakeman’s claim that reassessment under Curran was a massive tax hike or that many people who haven’t challenged their assessment are overpaying their taxes.

This should be considered a victory for Blakeman and a sign of Democrats abandoning previously held principles.

Blakeman is half right that Curran’s reassessment of county properties raised property taxes — on people who had been underpaying them.

For those who have been overpaying their taxes — mostly people who had not challenged the assessed value of their homes — taxes went down.

According to a Newsday report, $2.7 billion in property taxes was shifted over the eight years in which no reassessment was done during the administration of County Executive Ed Mangano, a Republican, from people who challenged the assessed value of their property to those who didn’t.

Thus, people who had been underpaying their taxes by a large amount faced large increases. So high that Curran and Republican county legislators

agreed to phase in the changes in property values over fve years.

The amount of money the county was collecting did not change. Only how much each property owner paid.

Apparently, Blakeman did not believe two years ago that those who had been overpaying their taxes were part of “our American dream.”

Curran, whose reassessment faced heated opposition, froze assessments for the 2022-23 tax year during the COVID pandemic when house prices spiked in Nassau

Curran described the move as temporary until the heated housing market settled down after the pandemic only to extend the freeze for the 2023-24 tax year shortly before she left ofce.

Upon taking ofce in2022, Blakeman called for county Comptroller Elaine Phillips to conduct an audit of the assessment system.

Phillips’ audit found that Curran’s reassessment relied on “fawed” data that was out of date and reduced the value of some 23,000 properties at the last minute without justifying the changes.

But, she noted, using this data to update the county’s assessments was up to Blakeman.

In February, Blakeman froze the tax rolls for the 2024-25 school year, keeping more than 385,000 residential properties at values last calculated in late 2019.

And so far he has not said if or when county properties will be reassessed.

Experts note that the longer the county waits to reassess properties the more inaccurate the assessment of individual properties.

The county Democrats’ call last week for Blakeman to cut taxes does not mention the many people overpaying their taxes.

“At a time when the costs for various commodities are increasing across the board, this budget provides us with an opportunity to embrace the principles of good government and deliver relief to taxpayers in a meaningful and impactful way,” Nassau County Legislator Siela

A.

Bynoe (D–Westbury) said in a press

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release. “I urge the county executive and our colleagues in the Legislature to coalesce behind an approach that we successfully employed in the recent past and demonstrate to our constituents that we have the best interests of their families at the forefront of our minds.”

Other Democratic legislators issued similar sentiments.

Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D–Glen Cove) specifcally called for a “signifcant tax cut that will help all of our constituents.”

No one – Democrat or Republican –talked about fairness.

In light of this, we have a modest proposal.

Democrat and Republican legislators alike regularly ofer workshops to property owners on how to challenge their property taxes.

Many other homeowners hire law frms to challenge the assessment of their homes for them.

And most people are successful. This pushes more of the tax burden on those who don’t challenge the assessed value of their homes, who tend to be younger, less afuent and comprised of more minority members.

So why not help all property owners challenge their assessments even if takes flling out the applications for them or connecting them with a law frm that will do it for residents?

This would serve as a de facto reassessment of all county property.

This is not a perfect solution and there would be a potentially high cost both for conducting the grievances and paying residents back for overcharges.

There is always a margin of error when a property is assessed, hence the grievance process.

And property taxes are based on what a person’s home is worth, not their ability to pay taxes. So this is unfair to people who see a decline in their income as a result of retirement, a death, or a lost job.

But the grieving of all properties would make the tax burdens much fairer. It would also give people a more accurate picture of the cost of government.

This includes money for school districts, which usually represent twothirds of the taxes a property owner pays rather than county government, which is closer to 16% or 17%.

This is particularly important to Nassau, which agreed decades ago to guarantee the money it collects for schools and special districts. If there is a successful challenge, the county foots the bill.

Mangano tried to end the guarantee, but a campaign led by school districts successfully blocked the change in the state Legislature.

In freezing the tax rolls Blakeman and Curran efectively cut taxes for those who would have paid more under the reassessment – and raised them for those who were scheduled to see a tax cut.

Blakeman said two years ago in a tweet, distributed last week by Democrat legislators, that “Nassau homeowners need relief now, and not the peanuts [Curran] ofering us while her tax hikes settle in!”

Four years before that Curran won election by running a campaign that called for ending the county’s dysfunctional tax system.

Both Nassau Republicans and Democrats apparently have short memories about their promises. Or perhaps they believe voters do.

Fast-food confessions from a ‘big eater’

My frst taste of fast-food was a revelation. It was 1965, I was a 14-year-old Jersey kid and had just started a summer job selling magazines door-to-door in neighborhoods from Newark to the Jersey Shore.

One afternoon for lunch the manager, a 30-something guy, drove my two co-workers and me to a burger joint called “Carrols” located of Route 22 in North Jersey. When I stepped inside and looked up at the menu board, they featured burgers for 15-cents. I did a double-take. Wait! What! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?

And so my fast-food education began.

Sometime thereafter, I discovered a place called McDonalds, also on Route 22. I had to check it out. I found a ride and ordered 10 burgers for $1.50.

I was clueless and unconcerned about the nutritional value, or lack thereof, of fast-food burgers and fries. I just liked the taste and quantity available at an afordable price, especially for a young guy like me. I felt like I was really starting to live it up.

All of this happened well before the outrageous eating competitions that

have become a part of contemporary American culture, such as Nathan’s Famous July 4thhot dog eating competition. I was never a participant, per se, just a blooming gourmand, always with an eye out for “all-you-can-eat” restaurant promotions. One of my favorites was Howard Johnson’s Friday night allyou-can eat fried clams or shrimp. I received a lot of dirty looks from the wait staf on those excursions. They needed roller blades to keep up with me.

Despite the variety of establishments like KFC, Taco Bell, Popeyes, Arby’s, and so forth, for my money the kings and queens of fast-food staples are the places that continue to headline burgers and fries. Don’t get me wrong: the others have good menu choices. However, just as there are “strict constructionists” who interpret the U.S. Constitution from an “original intent” perspective, that is how I interpret fast-food – burgers and fries.

As I aged, I gradually fell out of the fast-food phase of my life. I was still a “big eater,” but not a “foodie” per se. My choices became a bit more refned. In time, I had enough disposable income to choose more upscale joints and I became more nutrition savvy. Somewhat, that is.

Now I am retired and in my 70s. As might be expected, I have health issues to contend with. Consequently, there has been another shift in my food choices and going-out-to-eat frequency. I tend to eat smaller portions with more nutritional value. I try anyway.

What I never anticipated, I confess, is that I would one day suddenly start to obsess over fast-food,some 60 years after I frst walked into Carrols. That day has come.

My current preoccupation started

when I spotted a Burger King circular inside Newsday. I didn’t need a discount, but the ad triggered me. I hadn’t had Burger King in years. After seeing that circular, which included about 20 diferent discount choices, the craving got under my skin. I couldn’t shake it.

To guarantee due diligence, I googled nutrition facts. I narrowed my research to comparing McDonald’s Big Macs and Burger King’s Whoppers. I googled, “Which one is healthier?” Regrettably, I found nothing that would justify me getting back in the game.

On one website they advised, based on a 2,000-calorie diet, one of these burgers without cheese or fries contains about 60% of one’s daily value for fat and saturated fat, 40% of daily value for sodium, and 56% of daily value for protein.

“Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat can cause high cholesterol, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke,” another website cautioned.

The “experts” did say that eating one of these tasty treats from time to time won’t kill you. However, the burgers are not likely to fully digest in one’s system before 72 hours. I thought I

could do without continuous heartburn for three days. In my hour of yearning, though, I decided it was worth the risk.

Since then I’ve settled on a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese, a Burger King Whopper and a Wendy’s breakfast chicken sandwich, all with fries.

Incidentally, during my research I discovered that Carrols Restaurant Group became the largest Burger King franchisee in the world. Wow! Full circle. Since 1976, Carrols has owned and operates more than 1,000-plus Burger Kings, in locations across 23 U.S. states. Who knew, all these many years later that Carrols, the frst place I tasted fastfood, would take over Burger King, my current fxation.

I cannot end without noting that a White Castle slider is still the best fastfood burger bargain for your money. The slider never made it into my teenage rotation, even though in 1965 it was only 12 cents and then 14 cents in 1967. Today, a slider is still a great buy at 72 cents.

Oops, I gotta go! Just received a notifcation from my new Burger King app. I best go see wassup!

It’s not who is coming – it’s who is leaving

Lately a number of politicians have been consumed by the possibility that hundreds, if not thousands of migrants, would leave New York City and invade the beautiful shores of Nassau and Sufolk counties. It is fair to say that there are not enough facilities or housing to accommodate them. While there is a lot of focus on the possible visitors, these same elected ofcials are not paying attention to the group that is leaving.

By group, I refer to the large number of young people ages 20 to 35, who are leaving Long Island because of the tragic lack of afordable housing. These departees love the many features of our region and would love to live in a community that has great parks, beaches, golf courses, restaurants and other attractions. But once they search for an apartment that meets their budget, there is nothing to be found.

If you follow the local newspapers, you will fnd numerous advertisements for new developments, but it is hard

for a 21-year-old with a new job to afford the very attractive housing that is being built. Faced with this economic dilemma, they leave the island for an apartment that they might be able to share with a roommate.

Last year, to her credit, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed that hundreds of thousands of new housing units should be built in communities throughout the state. The faw in her plan was that the housing would not require local zoning approval. When it comes to the issue of local control, nothing infames suburban residents more than the suggestion by any elected ofcial that local zoning laws can be overridden by a higher power.

The governor, under pressure from Democratic suburban state legislators, was forced to temporarily abandon her plan, hoping to renew it in some form at the 2024 session of the two houses in Albany. New York City

Mayor Eric Adams, tired of waiting for a state plan, has just unveiled his idea of how to create 100,000 units of new

afordable housing.

While the mayor’s plan doesn’t ft that neatly into the Long Island zoning patterns, there are some concepts that are moving forward locally that resemble the city proposals. The Baldwin area on the South Shore is currently

undergoing a renewal plan that eliminates local blight and builds housing in the immediate vicinity of the LIRR station. There are other projects now under construction in the bi-county region that are utilizing vacant land surrounding other LIRR stations.

When it comes to the idea of planned communities that got stuck in a number of local issues, I recall the Heartland Town Square plan proposed by the late Gerry Wolkof. Heartland was designed to attract young residents to a town flled with enough afordable housing and attractions which would encourage residents to stay on Long Island, if they found a local job. It would also be desirable to young couples looking for some place unique to live.

Gerry Wolkof was a dreamer who was willing to spend millions to carry out his dream project. He would spend hours promoting his concept and spoke with passion about the need to keep our young people on Long Island. Wolkof had to deal with multiple gov-

ernment hurdles and opposition by unions, all which kept his Heartland proposal from moving forward.

If you want to see what a visionary mayor can do, visit the Village of Patchogue. Over a period of years, the village was transformed from a decaying area into a vibrant and creative town. It has attractive stores, restaurants, bars and apartments that appeal to younger residents and many other features. It has been voted one of the best places to live in New York.

For as long as I can remember, politicians have made the Long Island quality of life a major part of their agenda. They fght to keep communities looking the same as they did 100 years ago. I love the island and don’t want to see it lose its charm and suburban quality of life. But you can’t hold on to the past and let our young people leave at the same time. We need new dreamers to come forward with ideas on how to stop our youth from leaving. Maybe that is asking too much.

Heights,

Iwas recently contacted by a documentarian who is doing a flm about extreme sports like The Race Across The West, a 930-mile cycling endurance race. The flmmaker wanted my psychoanalytic take on what motivates these extreme eforts. Very good question.

Years ago Bob Lipsyte, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times sport journalist had a TV program called “The Health Show” and he invited me along with Rodger McFarlanne and Yvonne Robinson-Voaer to discuss extreme sports. McFarlanne and Robinson-Voaer were ultra-marathoners who had just participated in the Eco-Challenge, a 10-day contest of non-stop running, kayaking and mountaineering.

My unfortunate role in this affair was to publicly analyze these two super-jocks and try to explain their underlying motives that prompted them to go through such torture. Was this what they call a death wish, madness, courage in action, masochism? Now much to the chagrin of Bob Lipsyte, I could not and would not publicly shame or humiliate these two extreme athletes, especially since they were so much bigger than me.

Lipsyte, ever the ferce journalist looking for a provocative angle, proceeded to publicly humiliate me on the air by suggesting that I was

perhaps intimated by these two big athletes and so was soft soaping and minimizing their psychopathology. It was one of those extreme moments for me, but thankfully I was able to save the public face of McFarlanne and Robinson-Voaer.

A perfect example of extreme sports occurred this weekend when Long Island was host to an Ironman Triathlon Race at Jones Beach. This was actually a half triathlon with the participants swimming for 2.4 miles, biking for 56 miles and running for 13.1 miles, but let’s not quibble over minor details. If you were out driving on Wantagh State, you got a gander of these folks peddling along in the driving rain. A tropical storm is no match for these warriors.

What would motivate a person to do this? You can argue that it’s a good way to see the world since they have Ironman races in Nice, France, and Kona, Hawaii. The typical answers to the question of motivation to play a sport does not apply in the case of extreme sports. Most sports ofer the adult a chance to travel, get ft, make friends and get away from one’s normal life, but extreme sports is another matter entirely.

There are some theories we can use to comprehend the motives that lie deep within the extreme athlete.

Alfred Adler, one of the founders of

psychoanalysis felt, that such overcompensation stems from a deep sense of inferiority that the person is actually running away from. There are many examples of this. President Richard Nixon was born into poverty and so he had something to prove to the world. He eventually ruined his name and embraced the shadow of his shame by questionable covert efforts to win election.

Tiger Woods, the world’s greatest golfer, was raised in an all-white neighborhood, had a stutter and was physically abused by bullies who tied him to a tree and painted racial epithets on his chest. He reacted to this by becoming an extreme worker, similar to Ben Hogan who had similar

EARTH MATTERS

It’s September and with the cooler weather comes the start of school.

Already several weeks since school started, we have adjusted to the buses on the streets and groups of children walking to and from school. But what happens when they are in school? What are they learning?

Even if you have kids in school, you may not have a very good idea about what they are learning. It’s less likely you know what are they learning about climate change.

Climate change is a hot topic for today’s students. They have been hearing about climate change and its impacts from very young ages. They are leaders in the movement demanding a national and global response to climate change. They know their futures depend on what is done today to address climate change. What are the schools doing to educate them about this very real and very serious issue to prepare them to live and work in this changing world?

In 2021, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the ministers of education and environment in attendance committed to

including climate change education in all educational institutions. That same year, a United Nations study of almost 50 countries revealed that less than half made any mention of climate change in their educational policies. A February 2023 article posted by the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University reported that only 21 percent of the new or updated plans submitted by 95 countries mentioned climate change education in their Paris Agreement goals; none of them presented it as a climate strategy.

In the United States, what is taught about climate change varies by state. Even if it is taught, it may be taught with “both” sides — covering the human-caused climate change and the naturally occurring climate change as comparable and of equal consequence. Some states view the topic as too politicized, ignoring scientifc facts and allowing the curriculum to be manipulated by politicians’ agendas.

The problem with not teaching about climate change is that students need to learn about climate change to know what to do about climate change.

childhood horrors stories.

Many star athletes I work with have early childhood scars from physical abuse, poverty, emotional abuse and more. This kind of experience brings with it the shadow of shame that the athlete unconsciously attempts to undo by achieving greatness on the playing feld. This is what Adler meant by overcompensation. It is the fuel that keeps them highly driven, but it also leads to wreckage. There is an inability to assimilate their own greatness so they keep on trying in a variety of ways and this leads to burnout. Whether it’s womanizing, drug use or a greed for power, the story of overcompensation often ends badly.

Sigmund Freud also had a theory called repetition compulsions, which describes the endless tendency to face and to prove to themselves that they are strong and not helpless or weak. As an example, abused children will often choose an abusive spouse. A repetition compulsion was nicely demonstrated in the flm “The Hurt Locker” where Jeremy Renner played the part of a bomb difuser in Iraq.

He got through his tour of duty without getting killed and in the second to last scene they show him back home, shopping for cereal in a supermarket aisle, looking bored and

confused. The last scene shows him once again wearing an armed bomb suit, walking down another street in Iraq going to difuse another bomb.

What I will be telling the flmmaker about what drives endurance athletes is this valiant attempt to transform themselves from being shadow children into a better version. This drive is a part of human nature. I had an older brother who was a true genius, got straight A’s and won many academic awards. This meant that he introduced me to many good things in art and literature. He had me reading Vonnegut, Dostoevsky and Henry Miller when I was 11 years old.

But having an older brother who was so smart convinced me that I was mentally defcient which prompted me to get a Ph.D., write syndicated columns and publish two books with another two on the way. Overcompensation is what Alfred Adler called it. It gets you to reach beyond your limits.

But it also means that at 3:28 PM on a Sunday afternoon when all of my friends are watching college football on the TV, I am in my ofce typing away to meet my Monday morning newspaper deadline. Tiger Woods, Richard Nixon, Ironman runners and me, all shadow children, running frantically to get out of the shadow and into the light.

The hidden motives of extreme athletes School started; What are students learning?

sonal connection to climate change solutions that was manifested in their daily behaviors and through their professional careers.

It is not a leap to expect that primary and secondary climate change education could have a similar impact on younger students and likely extend to changes by their families.

LYNN SINGBAND Earth Matters

A 2020 study of the impact of a university level course on climate change found that a majority of the students who took the course made pro-environmental decisions (i.e., type of car to buy, food choices) because of the class. Those decisions equated to an individual carbon emissions reduction of 2.86 tons of CO2 per year. Additionally, the course participants reported a strong per-

An October 2020 Report from the National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund gave New York an A- for its climate change education. While this may seem high and like New York is doing a good job teaching climate change, the standards were low. The reviewers evaluating each state’s climate change education indicated that New York’s standards were less explicit than they would have preferred in discussing the reality of climate change and human responsibility for it. This means that, while New York State standards address topics related to climate change, they don’t clearly connect those issues to climate change and human causes of climate change. That omission is key if we are expecting our children to acquire sufcient

knowledge to change their own behaviors and to take on professions focused on addressing climate change and its human causes.

While school leadership from my local school district has told me that teaching elementary age students about the dangers of plastic across the grades and curriculum was too controversial, hopefully that is changing as students demand to learn about this and other environmental issues like climate change for their own sake and maybe ours.

Today’s students are well aware of what is happening around them. They are impacted mentally, physically and emotionally by the realities of climate change. We owe them a science-based education on climate change to prepare them for the world they will live and work in. This is not about belief or politics. It is about our responsibility to provide a quality education. While the purpose of education has changed over the centuries, it has always been about preparing youth for their lives as adults. At this time, that must include being prepared to address climate change.

DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town

Climate activists get support from high places

The most profound, foreboding prayer that is read during the Jewish High Holy Days is the Unetaneh tokef prayer:

“On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed who will live and who will die.. who by water and who by fre, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by upheaval and who by plague ”

It always strikes me as scary, but somehow the prayer sounded ancient and foreign. I mean “plague”? Except we’ve gone through the horror of a global deadly pandemic which took more than 1 million lives in the United States, 7 million worldwide, and now we hear leprosy has been resurrected in Florida.

Well, from the past Rosh Hashanah to this one, we’ve had wildfres, foods, hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, heat waves of Biblical proportions. They say they are “1000-year” foods, “1300year drought.”

This is the impact of climate change now, and getting worse with the hottest the planet has been in the history of mankind.

“We’re on a pathway to lose everything,” Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (speaking for himself), declared at the New York City Climate March, which drew 75,000 activists from around the country and around the world.

“The cause of heat waves are fossil fuels, and leaders, including Biden, are still approving fossil projects. It’s insanity… This can’t be reversed. Stop fossil fuels or ramp down as soon as possible. I’m terrifed for the future. Burning.

Flooding. Smoke. Heat waves. How will we feed 8 billion people? Heat waves will kill millions. Every year is worse, the planet is hotter.”

He want on to warn: “This is the only planet in our universe with life. We are on the brink of a sixthmass extinction. A dead planet has no economy, no politics. There is no solution – not carbon capture, not planting trees. There is no plan to deal with the decreasing habitability. We must come together. Fight.”

75,000 Climate Activists march during New York’s Climate Week to send a message to the United Nations General Assembly, President Biden and other leaders demanding climate action now © Karen Rubin/news-photosfeatures.com

This summer, 111 million Americans sufered under heat waves. Record wild fres across Canada sent air pollution levels in New York dangerously sky high. Some 40 million people around the world were uprooted from their homes by food, drought, famine and confict. Add to that, 350 million people sufer food insecurity.

At the Clinton Global Initiative, which forges commitments to address the major challenges facing humanity and the planet, the top priorities were food insecurity, migration, confict, poverty, environmental disaster. Speaker after speaker said they all are interconnected and are rooted in climate change.

“Heat is deadly – in the US, extreme heat causes more deaths than any other weather-related event, especially in urban centers,” said Sarah Kapnick, Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and

KAREN RUBIN View Point

Atmospheric Administration. “Heat is responsible for over 500,000 pre-mature deaths per year. “If all the things continue, that number will grow to 1.5 million premature deaths each year. We are expecting these temps will only go up over time.”

“Humanity has opened the gates to hell,” warned Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Global Climate Summit held ahead of the UN General Assembly. “Our focus here is on climate solutions – and our task is urgent.”

He warned that climate action was being “dwarfed by the scale of the challenge”, with humanity heading towards a 2.8°C temperature rise, increasing danger and social and political instability.

Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced 43% by 2030 and reach net zero by mid-century to avoid global temperatures exceeding the dangerous 1.5°C tipping point, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change.

“The future is not fxed,” Guterres insisted. “We can still build a world of clear air, green jobs, and afordable clean power for all.”

President Biden gets it. “From day one of my administration the United States has treated this crisis as the existential threat that it is, not only to us, but to all of humanity,” he told the UN General Assembly.

The Biden administration, which has waged the most ambitious climate agenda in history, announced new climate actions including the formation of a American Climate Corps that will put 20,000 young people into the growing felds of climate resilience, conservation, and clean energy; channel $4.6 billion through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants programto help states, cities and tribes tackleclimate pollution; direct Federal agenciesto incorporate thesocial cost of greenhouse gas emissions in key decisions;invest $40 million through the Interior Department toclean up oil and gas wells; new actions toadvance the American ofshore wind industry; and steer $400 million to states to adopt clean energy building codes. Biden also just canceled oil leases in the Arctic Refuge.

Meanwhile, New York State announced new actions with the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of 25 states formed to counter Trump’s reversal of Obama’s climate actions. It’s because of the Coalition, which collectively represents 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, that the United States was able to stay on course toward its Paris Accord com-

mitments.

“It’s critical that we continue the transition to create an afordable clean energy future that benefts all New Yorkers,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Climate change is the defning challenge of our era.”

Climate actions don’t just mitigate and promote resilience against climate disasters (costing the US $165 billion in 2022), but actually cut costs, create jobs, and improve quality of life for families today. “Clean energy and energy afordability go hand-in-hand,” Hochul said.

But besides the existential threat the climate crisis poses, there is also the practical reality that makes transition to 100% clean, renewable energy and a green economy inevitable: There are only 20-25 years worth of oil still in the ground. So we might as well get it done now and reduce the pain, sufering and loss of life and livelihoods that will come from failing to confront the climate crisis.

This Rosh Hashanah Torah portion was the Genesis “Creation” story, where God on the sixth day created Human and gave Human dominion over the plants, the animals “and over all earth itself.” Some like to interpret “dominion” as dominance – the right to exploit, extract, discard. But others interpret “dominion” as the responsibility to care.

There’s another theme of the High Holy Days, the obligation for “Tikkun Olam” — repairing the world.

Indeed, the end of the Unetaneh Tokef prayer shows the way to “avert the severity” of the decree: take responsibility.

Vaccination chaos in Port Washington schools

The Port Washington School District needs an inoculation against its own incompetence.

As the parents of a Weber Middle Schooler, my wife and I got an email at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, informing us that our daughter’s meningitis vaccine was lacking and she wouldn’t be allowed in school the next morning. This was unexpected.

Some panic ensued. We emailed Weber to confrm the deadline. Confrmed. Could we just get a doctor’s note that she has an appointment to get the shot but not have to miss school? No. State law. No exceptions. But it’s very short notice to try to get a doctor’s appointment. Yes, it is.

We called our pediatrician. Her ofce was fooded with similar desperate calls. The earliest appointment would be 2 p.m. Wednesday, meaning she’d miss the whole day of school, including an accelerated math class where a single absence can cripple a student’s chances of staying ahead of the material. We asked Weber if she

could go to school for a few hours pending the shot. No, no exceptions.

The emailing back and forth happened during an excruciatingly inconvenient time for the district’s phone system to fail, and took my wife and I considerable time out of our day to get anything straight.

Our pediatrician ofered to come in early and give the shot herself at 8 a.m. Wednesday, which we managed with some minor rearrangements of our schedules. Our daughter made it to school in time for the last 15 minutes of her frst period social studies class. She came home at the end of the day with stories of her fellow students being called out in the middle of class, attending as usual in the notunreasonable expectation that they could come to school on the understanding that they’d get their shots as soon as possible. Instead they were told to stand up from their desks and leave with everyone watching.

The lesson learned by all of us is the inexcusable incompetence of the

Port Washington school system.

My wife and I had reached out to members of the school board when the notice frst came Tuesday afternoon, and they were helpful and clear about the mandate of state law. The law itself is clear that all necessary vaccinations must be completed in the frst two weeks of school, a reasonable policy in a post-COVID world. This, however, is a failure of communication. That’s entirety on Superintendent Michael Hynes and his administration. No parent could be reasonably expected to know such a policy, and in the frenetic frst weeks of school even the best-informed parents can be forgiven for such a lapse. I can fnd no recent notifcation, emailed or sent home with my child, pointing out my error in time for us to schedule the necessary inoculations. The only notice we found was an email last May.

Dr. Hynes might object that the switchover from the Aspen online portal to the new one called Synergy

complicated the notifcation process.

This may be true, but the district has been planning this switch for many months and already delayed its implementation once over the summer. Surely a competent administration could have looked at the calendar for these frst weeks and made accommodations.

Dr. Hynes could also defect to other districts having the same problem with a statewide mandate, although this would defate the Synergy defense, and still reeks of being an excuse rather than a reason.

We are better of than most. My wife and I are fortunate to have enough fexibility in our schedules that we could spend an afternoon felding this crisis and then take an hour in the morning to get to the doctor. We’re familiar with the district and have friends on the Board of Education to explain the situation. And we have a long-term relationship with an excellent pediatrician who went out of her way to help us. We

know our privilege, and we know that a great many of our neighbors were abandoned by Dr. Hynes and his administrators without it.

This is especially egregious considering the way this administration preens about its communication efforts. Mercifully, the weekly “Fireside Chats” were extinguished very recently, but surely the district can share crucial information in some other medium. Dr. Hynes rarely misses an opportunity to share banal social media memes, but substantive details that afect our kids’ ability to attend school don’t make the cut? Whether incompetence or indiference, in many other professions this failure would be a freable ofense.

My daughter is now fully vaccinated. This district needs to take further action to protect her and all the kids of Port Washington Schools from a more insidious infection.

Douglas Parker Port Washington

G.N. Manor residents oppose ambulance unit building

We, the concerned residents of Great Neck Manor and surrounding areas, express our strong opposition to the proposed construction of an ambulance unit building on Cumberland Avenue that is strictly residential within the ManhassetLakeville Fire District.

We frmly believe that this development would signifcantly and adversely impact our quality of life, compromise the safety of our children, exacerbate trafc issues, contribute to congestion in the area, and highlight a lack of early direct communication with the afected residents and a total disregard of residents’ strong voices and concerns that were related to Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department many times.

The plan to build a new ambulance unit on Cumberland Avenue, costing over $11 million, has raised serious concerns among residents. The projected location on Cumberland Avenue poses signifcant challenges in terms of navigation and accessibility of the ambulance services.

The narrow section of the roads leading to the proposed project site would make it difcult for emergency vehicles, additional frefghters, and accompanying equipment to maneuver efectively. These points have been repeatedly delivered to the fre department numerous times by many residents who have been residing in the areas for many decades.

Coupled with constant congestion on Lakeville Road, Community Drive, and neighboring roads leading to the proposed site, this lack of space and accessibility not only hinders emergency response eforts but also raises deep concerns about the safety of our community.

Our deep-seated discontent stems from the glaring lack of timely and direct communication with the residents directly impacted by the project prior to the frst scheduled bond vote in last June 2023 that was postponed due to the strong opposition from the residents.

The fre department overseeing the ambulance unit has shown a lamentable dearth of meaningful engagement with the Great Neck Manor community and neighboring areas, recklessly ignoring the well-being and concerns of those most afected. We adamantly assert that transparency and candid dialogue are non-negotiable requisites for adequately addressing our concerns.

Despite the relentless opposition voiced by residents, the fre department persists in its dismissive stance, pressing forward with another bond vote scheduled for October 2023, heedless of any of the residents’ valid concerns.

Constructing the Cumberland Avenue Ambulance Unit Building without considering its impact on our quality of life is a grave concern.

Our community values its peaceful

and residential character, which would be severely compromised by the addition of an ambulance unit proposed to be built right in front of residential homes.

The ensuing chaos, noise, and logistical nightmare during construction, coupled with the anticipated ceaseless presence of emergency vehicles, and siren blaring, would irreparably disrupt the tranquility of our neighborhood, casting a pall on our well-being and overall contentment with our living environment.

The constricting roads leading to the proposed site would render it a virtual obstacle course for emergency vehicles, additional frefghters, and associated equipment. These concerns have been repeatedly and unequivocally conveyed to the Fire Department by long-standing residents, whose roots in the area span decades.

Moreover, the safety of our children must not be overlooked. Cumberland Avenue is home to many families with young children who play and traverse the area regularly and walk for school buses.

Immediately next to the front gate of the proposed ambulance unit is the Great Neck Manor Park where most children in the area frequently visit and play in groups as well.

The increased trafc resulting from the ambulance unit’s operations would introduce additional risks, making it unsafe for children to move freely within

their own neighborhoods. It is our duty to protect our children and ensure their safety at all times.

In light of the aforementioned concerns, we, the vigilant residents, stand in frm opposition to the construction of the Cumberland Avenue Ambulance Unit Building. We underscore the following pressing questions and concerns regarding the proposed project:

No public impact study for the facility was conducted. The 14 sites that were dismissed were never disclosed by MLFD. The trafc study, in August 2023 after vehement resident opposition, is deeply fawed on several counts. It inadequately addressed crucial streets such as Pond Hill, Community Drive, Northern Boulevard, and Lakeville Road, and omitted consideration of the Adult Center and Great Neck Manor Park and children’s playground, all situated on Cumberland. Moreover, the streets around the curve are manifestly unsafe, with cars unable to maintain their lanes, rendering the study’s conclusions utterly baseless. The study’s impartiality is further compromised by its selection, having used the project Manager/Architects of the proposed project, a glaring confict of interest. The commissioners boldly assert that there will be no fscal burden on taxpayers, but the origin of the necessary funds remains conspicuously absent. MLFD continues to obfus-

cate essential fnancial details, including the cost of the bond, interest rate, commission to bond manager, term of bond, and projected monthly amortization cost. MLFD has failed to provide a credible explanation as to why they cannot utilize any of their existing properties or modify an existing property with a frehouse. MLFD has adamantly refused to accommodate any of the concerns and voices raised by the residents, exhibiting a shocking disregard for public input. The budget presented is devoid of substance, with mere cursory statements and a conspicuously unexplained allocation of $2.2 million in “Soft Costs” by MLFD.

We urgently implore the ManhassetLakeville Fire Department to reconsider the ill-conceived project on Cumberland Avenue and to seek better-suited locations that prioritize the well-being and concerns of the residents.

We once again urge you to earnestly consider our grievances and take swift action to rectify them, by canceling the bond vote scheduled for Oct. 10, 2023.

We demand you to explore alternative avenues for the project that mitigate the deleterious impact on Cumberland Avenue and guarantee the sustained harmony of our residential enclave.

Concerned Citizens and Taxpayers

Youngsoo Choi

It goes like this.

In a dream I want everything perfect.

No howling at my door. Nothing distressed or repelled, and, you know, I take measure as if I were verifed.

Then I read “East of Eden” in middle school and felt shaken to the core.

East of Eden I don’t know your name, but just the same…

Dismayed by a rawness that closed the door to certain dreams and lets others in.

Yes, I heard the teacher say those who complete the assignment early can turn in a summary for extra credit. I clearly took out a pen to start, but somehow hadn’t fnished.

There are still cherry blossoms at dawn, by the number, and this is key, behind some doors is a child admiring all the wonders, behind another one, a centered adult, who is sad or happy as a tide, coming in, going out at dusk. How gold fashes the waning light and we are among strangers on a journey of wanderings and wants. Behind one a child, behind the other an adult, together sorting things out on the shore of the world washing over.

Stephen Cipot Garden City Park

Voter suppression in our backyard

We want to express our deep concern about voter suppression in Great Neck.

Mercedes are white, Mustangs are blue If you are from India, you’ll know it’s true At the main post ofce we had a short chat In the car is where I sat You said in Thomaston you reside, to the post ofce is a short ride You expressed interest in my car, I’m still wondering who you are It was August One, in the morning sun I should have asked your name, but just the same, If any of this rings a bell, contact me on AOL

Leslie Feldman Great Neck

Robert Free’s assignment for LIRR

The appointment of Long Island Rail Road Senior Vice President of Operations Robert Free as interim LIRR President by MTA Chairman Janno Lieber made sense.

There was no way acting LIRR Presi-

dent Catherine Rinaldi could give her full attention to this critical full-time position. There were never enough hours in the day while wearing two hats. She also served as Metro North Rail Road president.

Promoting from within the LIRR se-

nior organization management team makes sense. Rather than wasting time and money in a six-month national search for a new permanent LIRR President, Lieber should promote from within.

Continued on Page 36

Several years ago, polling was moved from the Great Neck Social Center (Senior Center) to the fre station on Prospect Street in Thomaston.

Voting there takes place on the second foor at this location and parking is virtually non-existent, limiting access for those who are disabled or live far away.

Hundreds of apartment building residents, many of them seniors, who live in the immediate vicinity of the Center, used to have the convenience of accessible voting by just walking across the street or up the block to its location on Grace Avenue and Gilchrest Road.

After many years, representatives from diferent agencies worked tirelessly to restore the voting venue at the Center, which would have encouraged a robust turnout; Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Joseph Kearney is the only offcial who refuses to allow voting there.

Voting is fundamental to our

democracy. It is incumbent upon Commissioner Kearney to carry out the mission of the NYS Board of Elections, that is, to ensure that every citizen has an equal opportunity to exercise his/her right to vote by having easy access to the polls.

All voices matter, including those of our seniors; we should listen and we should act.

If you have been adversely afected by the relocation of the Great Neck Plaza voting poll, contact Commissioner Joseph J. Kearney at (516) 571-8683. When you speak to someone, say you would like to leave a message for Commissioner Kearney.

The Executive Board of Reach Out America.

Josie Pizer Great Neck

LI Author Steve Matteo to discuss book on Fab Four’s films

Long Island author Steve Matteo (Smithtown resident) will participate in a Q&A discussion (moderated by Tony Traguardo, Fab4Free4All podcast) and book signing event featuring his new book “Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film” at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (97 Main St., Stony Brook,) on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2 pm. The event is free with admission and open to the public.

“I grew up on Long Island and have written for many Long Island music and entertainment publications,” Matteo said. “I’m thrilled to be interviewed at LIMEHOF about my new book on the Beatles. The hall is all about honoring and celebrating the legacy of great music. When I write my books, chronicling musical history that give music fans a deeper understanding of artists and their times is very important to me. Long Island has a rich history of popular music and music fans on Long Island are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the world.”

This unique event bridges the mediums of books, music and film and is likely to appeal to audiences of all genres, not to mention Beatles fans. LIMEHOF plans to do more author-themed events in the future.

“We are excited to have Steve come to speak at The Hall of Fame about his book “Act Naturally” and share his insights on The Beatles on Film,” said Kelly Leung, LIMEHOF board member and director of community outreach who organized the event. “Having Tony Traguedo from the Fab4Free4All podcast moderate and speak is also an added bonus to what is sure to be a fun event. We continue to welcome opportunities to introduce Long Islanders to local authors and podcasters on a regular basis at the museum.”

For details on this and upcoming events please visithttps://www.limusichalloffame.org/museum/

About Act Naturally, the Beatles on Film

The Beatles produced five films during their time together: “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Help!,” “Magical Mys-

tery Tour,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Let It Be.”

Some were cinematic successes, and some were not, but—along with subsequent reissues, bonus material, and Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back,” a documentary companion to “Let It Be”—they comprise an endlessly fascinating document of key phases in the group’s career.

In this comprehensive deepdive into the band’s movies, author and longtime music journalist Steve Matteo follows the origins, filming, and often frenzied fan reception of projects from the 1964 premiere of “A Hard Day’s Night” through 1970s “Let It Be” to the release of “Get

Back” in 2022.

Matteo explores the production process, original theatrical film releases, subsequent VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray releases, and bonus materials, along with the U.S. and UK soundtracks. In addition to copious anecdotes and behind-the-scenes details, he also places these films in their larger context, a period of unprecedented artistic and commercial innovation in British and world cinema.

Filled with stories and insights that will satisfy collectors, buffs, and casual fans alike, this is the definitive account of an underappreciated part of the Beatles’ creative output.

About Steve Matteo

Steve Matteo is the author of “Let It Be “(33 1/3-Bloomsbury) and “Dylan” (Union Square & CompanyBarnes & Noble). He recently contributed to “he Beatles in Context,” which was published by Cambridge University Press.

He is a contributing editor with The Vinyl District and has written for such publications as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, New York magazine, Time Out New York, Rolling Stone, Spin, Rock’s Backpages, Relix, Goldmine, Interview, Elle, Citizen Truth, Literary Hub and Salon.

He has worked for Pete Townshend of the Who in various capaci-

ties for Left Field Services, Towser Tunes and Trinifold. His radio career includes working at WLIR-FM, WNYT and FM Odyssey and he often appears on radio, including on the Sirius XM Volume Channel, Q104, Joe Johnson’s Beatle Brunch, Talk More Talk: A Solo Beatles Videocast, 21st Century Radio, WAAM, WFUV, WUSB, WPPB and WHPC and television in his capacity as a music journalist and an author.

He has lectured on Bob Dylan at the New School for Social Research in New York and journalism at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He holds a B.F.A. in Communication Arts from the New York Institute of Technology.

Author Steve Matteo to talk about new book “Act Naturally, The Beatles on Film” moderated by Tony Traguardo

Fun By The Numbers

Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s

How It Works:

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

2023 MINEOLA STREET FAIR

WHERE:

ALONG JERICHO TURNPIKE

between MINEOLA BLVD. & WILLIS AVE.

WHEN:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1st from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHAT:

• LIVE MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

• ALL TYPES OF FOOD PROVIDED BY LOCAL RESTAURANTS & FOOD TRUCKS

• LOADS OF FAMILY FUN ATTRACTIONS

• CLASSIC CAR SHOW

• CELEBRITY DUNK TANK

• FREE PARKING & FREE ADMISSION

•

Mineola ready for sold-out street fair

Annual chamber event to stretch along Jericho Turnpike from Mineola Boulevard to Willis Avenue

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Mineola is ready for a sold-out street fair and a crowd that can expect loads of local food, music and businesses this weekend.

The street fair, hosted by the Mineola Chamber of Commerce, is set for Sunday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Jericho Turnpike between Mineola Boulevard and Willis Avenue. The rain day for the fair is set for Sunday, Oct. 8.

Attendees can expect over 120 kiosks of different vendors, businesses and community organizations lined up and down the turnpike.

“We’re gratified because the more things that we can offer the community, the more successful our events are going to be,” said Louis Panacciulli, president of the chamber.

Last year, the chamber decided to take over the full responsibility of planning the street fair with an added focus on making it a family fun day.

Children were able to enjoy a number of inflatable rides and bouncy houses, an RC car demonstration outside Willis Hobbies, carnival games courtesy of the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps, a dunk tank with the Mineola Junior Fire Department and clown show, among many

offerings. Can You Escape? Long Island will also be bringing a portable escape room and attendees can expect additional activities such as axe-throwing or a car show.

“We try to include as many events at the fair to keep people engaged,” Panacciulli said.

Entertainment will be provided on the east and west ends of Jericho throughout the entire day.

At the west end mobile stage, musical duo LeeAnn & John will be performing at 11 a.m., the American Theater Dance Workshop at noon, Master Jeon Taekwondo at 1 p.m., Jason the Clown Magic Show at 1:30

p.m., a performance by The Ariel Loft at 2 p.m., singer Nick Fabiano at 2 p.m. and another magic show at 3:30 p.m.

Also at the west end, the Mineola Historical Society will be honoring businesses that have been operating in the village for over 25 years at 11:45 p.m. This year’s honorees are

Mineola Diner, Robert’s, The Valentine Agency, Harry Katz/Carpet One and Mineola Bicycle.

At the east end’s mobile stage, musical outfits Calliope Wren will be performing at 11 a.m., Original Gossip at noon, Skyward Effect at 1 p.m., Fuzz at 2 p.m., School of Rock at 3 p.m. and the Tony Santos Band at 4 p.m.

The Mineola Street Fair started over 200 years ago but adopted the name “Mineola Fair” in 1899, according to the chamber. It was held in Mineola Memorial Park from 1991 until 2013 when it moved to Main Street. It then settled into its current Jericho Turnpike location in 2016.

The decision to move the fair to Jericho Turnpike was made because the chamber’s goal is to help local businesses and it thought the park was too small to help them, according to the chamber.

Looking ahead to Sunday, Panacciulli said he is excited for the residents to see the variety of vendors available, specifically the food options.

“There will be a lot more choices this year for people to make,” Panacciulli said. “We’re looking forward to having all these organizations benefitting from the event.”

PHOTO BY BRANDON DUFFY

Attendees fill up Jericho Turnpike in 2022 for the Mineola Street Fair.

MINEOLA STREET FAIR 2022 SNAPSHOTS

PHOTOS BY JOEL HARRIS

John E. Lavelle Law Firm P.C.

John Lavelle, Williston Park Resident, Parishioner, St. Aidan’s Graduate (‘93) and Proud SAS Parent

North Hempstead to host fall family festival

BY THE ISLAND

360

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board have announced that the Fall Family Festival will be returning to the beach. The family-friendly celebration will be held at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“The Town’s free fall festival is a great opportunity for our residents to celebrate the fall season with activities that are fun for all ages on a beautiful autumn day at the beach,” DeSena said. “I encourage all to come out and enjoy a day of entertaining activities, as the Town’s free fall

NECK HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S FALL COLONIAL FAIR

festival is the perfect opportunity for families to celebrate Halloween and usher in a new season with live music, a craft fair, and so much more.”

The annual Fall Family Festival will feature many free activities including pumpkin decorating, arts & crafts, bouncy slides, train rides, character meet-and-greets, a craft fair, along with cultural and local vendors.

There will also be live performances from Porch Light featuring an eclectic mix of dance music. Attendees will be able to purchase food and refreshments.

Admission and parking are free. For more information about the event, please call 311 or 516-869-6311.

EVENTS ARE BACK!

Submit Your Events TODAY with our simple add event form then let us create you a ticketed page automatically from the event submission workfow. #Exciting

Promote all your events via our network of 5000+ events calendars, listing sites, email and print services.

60 seconds to create, ticket and promote your event, so what are you waiting for!

PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS TODAY AT https://theisland360.com/local-events/

Fri 9/29

Andrew Weiss and Friends @ Spotlight @ 10pm Spotlight NY Huntington, 370 New York Ave, Huntington

Sat 9/30

Run for Hope 5K Run/Walk @ 8am / $10-$25

99 Quaker Meeting House Rd, Farmingdale

Nurse Blake: Shock

Advised @ 8pm / $40.50

Bring out your friends, family, and coworkers for an EPIC night as Nurse Blake shares new stories with a comedic twist of the ins and outs of being a nurse. Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

LET IT BLEED IN CONCERT FREE @ 2:30pm

LET IT BLEED FREE CONCERT Sousa Band Shell, Main Street, Port Washington. vinerb@ pwpl.org, 516-423-0168

MOMIX: Alice @ 8pm / $54

Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX Dance Company will send you �ying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, Alice. Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

Jimmy & Jackie Playing Dead With Allmost Brothers Band @ 8pm / $45-$70

The Space at Westbury The‐ater, 250 Post Avenue, West‐bury

Pinky Patel: New Crown, Who Dhis @ 8pm / $35

A TikTok Sensation, Performing for One Night Only! Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main Street, Port Wash‐ington. bo�of�ce@land markonmainstreet.org, 516-767-6444

Long Island Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research @ 8:30am

Be Part of the Commu‐nity United in the Vision to Transform Pancre‐atic Cancer into a Cur‐able Disease The Lust‐garten Foundation’s Walk for Research is your chance to join thousands of others whose live Jones Beach State Park, Park‐ing Field #5, 1 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh. sja cobson@lustgarten.org, 914-589-7553

Sun 10/01

Paint like Picasso! @ 1:30am

Join us for our Picasso SelfPortraits Workshop at Gold Coast Arts! Spend an afternoon learning the techniques of the inventor of cubism. Gold Coast Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck. info@gold coastarts.org, 516-829-2570

Walk to End

Alzheimer’s - Nassau

@ 9am / Free

This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the �ght against Alzheimer's disease and associated demen‐tias. Join us at Field 6/ 6A! Eisenhower Park, 1899 Park Boulevard, East Meadow. thard ekopf@alz.org, 631315-8486

Sunday Oct

1st

15th Annual "Let's Walk, Let's Talk: Stepping Together to Prevent Suicide"

@ 10:30am / $25

1 Laurelton Blvd, 1 Laurelton Boulevard, Long Beach. tengel @liccpfy.org, 516-940-2225

Since 2009, The Walk has been an opportunity for people from across Long Island to come together, walk together, and raise awareness of suicide pre‐vention in our community. Each year, this moving and spirited event is at‐tended by individuals and families – of all ages and backgrounds – with the aim of spreading the message: "No one walks alone." Anyone can partici‐pate. Join us for this important event!

Crabtree's NY & Main, 330 New York Ave, Huntington

Fall Fun Fest at Sands Point Preserve

@ 12pm / $35-$40

Celebrate the Autumn season at our Fall Fun Fest at Sands Point Preserve Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sandspoint preserve.org, 516-5717901

Tom Chapin: Clean Machine @ 12pm / Free Welcoming Back Grammy-award Winning Children’s Artist, Tom Chapin! Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main Street, Port Washing‐ton. bo�of�ce@land markonmainstreet.org, 516-767-6444

Ben Folds: What Matters Most Tour @ 8pm / $39.50-$99.50

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington

BUS TRIP: Mills Manor at Staatsburgh Historic Site @ 8am / $125

Join us as we head upstate to Mills Manor at Staatsburgh State Historic Site on Tuesday, October 3rd! Old Westbury Gar‐dens, 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury. tickets@oldwest burygardens.org, 516-333-0048

Social Singles

@ 6:30pm / $12

Join us at the Mid-Island Y JCC for ongoing social programming for singles ages 55+ to connect with one another. Mid-Island Y JCC, 45 Manetto Hill Road, Plainview

Dan Reardon @ 8pm

Henry Rollins: Good to See You @ 7:30pm / $35

Henry Rollins: Good to See You Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main Street, Port Washing‐ton. bo�of�ce@land markonmainstreet.org, 516-767-6444

Maluma: Don Juan Tour @ 8pm / $31-$191 UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Turnpike, Belmont Park - Long Island

Fri 10/06

Spooky Fest @ 6:30pm / $27 Oct 6th - Oct 29th

Our updated Halloween adventure is perfect for families who don't want to be scared.... or maybe just a little. 1450 Tanglewood Rd, 1450 Tanglewood Road, Rockville Centre. helpdesk@cstl.org, 516-764-0045

Famous Food Festival 2023 - Oct 6th - 9th - Deer Park, Long Island NY @ 1pm / $8 Oct 6th - Oct 9th

Famous Food Festival "Taste the World" Re‐turns To Tanger Outlets (Deer Park, NY) this Columbus Day Week‐end With over 60 food vendors on deck, get ready to taste the world!www Tanger Out‐lets - Deer Park, 152 The Arches Circle, Deer Park. management@fa mousfoodfestival.com, 662-221-2223

Suzanne Vega: An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories @ 8pm / $51

Suzanne Vega – An Inti‐mate Evening of Songs and Stories Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main Street, Port Washington. bo�of�ce @landmarkonmain street.org, 516-7676444

Head Automatica @ 8pm / $30-$65

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington

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

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

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Business&RealEstate

Tiny houses might be affordability answer

Many of us want a home, whether a large spacious one or an average-size one of 1,800 sq. ft. or a medium size of 2,273 sq. ft. as was the case in 2021, according to Realtor.com But what was afordable and reasonably priced years ago is now beyond the reach of a majority of purchasers, due to higher interest rates and prices as well as the continued increases in monthly costs.

In a June 6th article in Yahoo Finance, there were only four U.S. cities where it was more economical to buy than to rent, which were Detroit, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Houston. More than 50% of the homes in those specifc markets were more afordable to buy than to rent. I have said in a previous column that New York State as well as well as other states are losing their young populations and families. Not much has been accomplished in alleviating and solving this issue to keep them in place.

I have seen a trend that has been developing, however, over the last number of years throughout the U.S. It is a based on low-priced, tiny houses and has been gaining huge popularity. The trend is designed to maximize functionality and minimize space requirements, ofering a minimalist and

sustainable living solution.

Tiny houses have gained traction in recent years due to their afordability, mobility, and eco-friendly nature. They can range from 100 to as much as 500 sq. ft. They generally can have the amenities that a much larger home would have, just downsized. This trend started to increase during the implosion of the market back in 2007-2008 as people were losing their jobs and their homes were foreclosed on.

The afordable alternative to a traditional home was a tiny house. They were cost-efcient, low carbon footprint and the savings on utilities were dramatic. This enabled many to simplify their lives, even going as far as living of the grid and downsizing, leading to a less stressful, minimalist lifestyle. Prices can range from as little as $15,000 for the smallest house, if you’re salvaging materials and your DIY skills come into play, up to $100,000, for a home that has most of the extras.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is the nation’s leading builder of tiny houses. The cost is extremely low and doable for most, compared to a typical contractor-built, median-sized home of 2,383 sq. ft, where the median price was $383,500 in 2022.

There are so many Gen Z members and others with student loans that must be paid back starting in October. Assuming the borrower is gainfully employed and has good credit, a tiny house could be the answer to becoming a homeowner. Once constructed, a tiny house can be placed on a trailer and brought to any location where the zoning permits these types of homes. As so many people leave larger,

more costly cities, especially in New York State, this could potentially ease the exodus of those who would consider ownership of a tiny house. Possible changes in zoning within certain locations, allowing sub-dividing a typical lot that would allow a tiny house, would help in easing the current housing crisis.

Sufcient research in fnding the land to place the tiny house will be necessary. Going out into Sufolk County or Upstate New York should enable you to fnd available land. However, if you are just one or two people, this can work well. But if you have a larger family, a tiny house most likely will not provide the required space. The word is sacrifce in what you are willing to do to determine whether this will properly work for you.

If and when Gov. Kathy Hochul has a plan put into efect to ofer lowcost housing that will be available for rent or sale, it still might be a more expensive way to go. It is obvious that you will need to be a minimalist when downsizing to a tiny house. This efectively will eliminate all your current clutter and allow you to live a more carefree, afordable lifestyle.

Your real estate taxes should be

considerably lower, too, based on the value of both house and land. You will also have to search for a mortgage broker and/or lender that will allow fnancing for your tiny house (we can assist you in your search). Pursuing this path could help in building your wealth as opposed to continuing to rent.

You must determine all your monthly costs in renting compared to purchasing a tiny house. Not everyone will want to adapt to this type of living environment, but renting is a guarantee that will only decrease your wealth monthly while you are handing it over to your landlord as well as all the other benefts that he/she is gaining.

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

Phishing: A Real and Present Danger to Small Business

Phishing is a form of cyber fraud that uses bogus emails in order to lure victims to part with something of value, such as passwords and credit cards. It does this by mimicking a trusted sender, convincing an employee to click a link. This immediately installs malware like viruses and ransomware to the company’s network where it can access invaluable data.

Sandwire Technology Group fights back on behalf of its clients, small and midsize businesses (SMBs), with limited budgets. Our CyberSafe stack serves as a defensive shield, featuring:

• Email/data backup to retrieve and restore data

• Spam filtration, secure email platform

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven anti-phishing software

• Dark web monitoring/credential exposure protection

• Employee training with phishing tests and educational videos

Phishing emails are becoming increasingly difficult to spot, a trend that sees no end. Today, nearly every major data breach begins with a successful attack. Is your company protected?

PHILIP A. RAICES

Real Estate Watch

Business& RealEstate

Financial ed webinar series

The Financial Planning Association of Long Island will be hosting free educational webinars to the general public through its “Wednesday Webinars” series. The association’s financial professionals will provide expert financial education and consultation on a variety of pertinent topics.

To register for the webinars, visit www.fpali.org

Wednesday, September 27. 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Over 65? Navigating Your Health Insurance Needs Presented by Rhonda Cooper, United Healthcare Reverse Mortgage 101: How to Use them in Retirement Presented by Stephen Conroy, Longbridge Financial

Wednesday, Oct. 4. 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Divorce Finances and the Marital Residence presented by Donna LaScala, Comprehensive Divorce Solutions, LLC and Robert Tollin, Nationwide Mortgage Bankers, Inc.

Robert Free’s LIRR assignment

Continued from Page 18

Besides Free, there are a number of very capable other senior LIRR vice presidents such as Executive Vice President Elisa Picca, Senior Chief Engineer Ed McGoldrick and several others who could easily step in to fill this position full time.

They, like Free, already have a good understanding of the LIRR’s organization, staff, operations, facilities and customers’ needs. Any would be able to hit the job running with little need for on the job training.

There are a number of issues facing management that recent past LIRR Presidents Phil Eng and Catherine Rinaldi have not resolved. They include significant overtime abuse and outof-control pensions, fare evasion, periodic cancellation and combining of trains due to signal, power and other problems in the East River tunnels, Harold Interlocking, Jamaica Station and other locations and several new union contracts.

Some of these have gone on for far too long.

Amtrak will begin repairs to the four East River tunnels in 2024. This will result in one tunnel at a time being removed from service. With access to only

three tunnels, Free will need to develop a new Penn Station service plan. It should keep to a minimum the number of combined and canceled trains during this multi-year construction period.

Free will need to meet with and develop a working relationship with the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York office. FTA plays a critical role in funding the LIRR capital program

Free must continue progressing the LIRR to reach a state of good repair for the existing fleet, stations, signals, interlocking, track, power, yards and shops.

FTA , Albany, other funding agencies, commuters, taxpayers, transit advocacy groups and elected officials on the local, county, state and federal level all wish him success in his new role.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

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

All-Girls, College Preparatory High School sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph

nassau COMMUNITY

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Any verbal cancellations must be approved by a supervisor. There are no refunds on cancelled advertising. An advertising credit only will be issued.

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

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WE’RE HIRING

BLANK SLATE MEDIA is a fast-growing media company with 6 award-winning weekly newspapers and a website in Nassau County, a full array of digital services and high-profle events.

We have openings in several categories that we are looking to fll immediately.

n REPORTER. FULL TIME.

We are looking for a versatile, self-starter with good writing and reporting skills, and journalism experience.

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Excellent opportunity to work with editors with many years of weekly and daily newspaper experience.

n ENTERTAINMENT. PART TIME

We are looking for engaging writers who are familiar with and able to write about music, art and features on Long Island.

n SALES. FULL TIME.

We are looking for a highly motivated. self-starter with excellent communication and customer service skills to sell newspaper advertising, digital services and event sponsorships.

To apply, send your resume to: sblank@theisland360.com.

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SITUATION WANTED

A HOME HEALTH CARE AIDE Irish trained woman with 10 years experience and excellent checkable references available. Honest and reliable. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 516-383-7150

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

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

MARKETPLACE

A.T. STEWART EXCHANGE

CONSIGNMENT SHOP 516-746-8900

Antiques-Furniture-Jewelry-SilverMirrors-Lamps-Artwork Come to Consign & Stay to Shop Visit.... Our Shop 109 Eleventh St. Garden City Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed till 6) Saturday 12-4 Shop Our Online Store ATStewartExchange.org

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

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

INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY

JORDAN is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales.com for more information or call 516-279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information. Visit us at www.invitedsales.com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!

EMPLOYMENT HELP WANTED

FRONT DESK POSITION LOCAL

DANCE STUDIO Looking for mature local woman willing to work evenings 3pm-8pm one or two nights per week. Will train for front desk duties which include but are not limited to registering students, taking attendance, collecting payments, cashing out, billing, filing etc. If interested please contact: 516-616-1601

GARAGE SALE

GARAGE SALE October 7, 2023 9am to 4pm 11 Loretta Lane Hicksville, NY Household items, books, fabric, small furniture and more.

YARD SALE

Garden City Sat Sept 30th 149 Euston Rd. Garden City, NY No Rain Date Kitchenware, Outdoor Tableware, Hardware items, Wall artwork, Small furniture pieces, King /Full size headboards, + new items never used: Holiday themed.

WANTED TO BUY

LOOKING TO BUY! Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Toys, Action Figures, Comics, Art and Furniture. Immediate Cash Paid Call George 917-775-3048 or 718-386-1104

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOS WANTED

***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highest$ Ca$h Paid$ All Years/Conditions! WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct Ca$h. DMV ID#1303199 Call LUKE 516-VAN-CARS 516-297-2277

DRIVE OUT BREAST CANCER: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup24hr response Tax deductionEasy to do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

APARTMENT FOR RENT

Great Neck Studio Available Now Furnished. Full Bath/Kitchenette. Private entrance/parking. No pets, smoking or Fees. Single professional preferred. First & last month payment & Security required. Utilities included, $1700- monthly. Call 516-317-5315.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

OPEN HOUSE

OPEN HOUSE HEWLETT Sunday, October 1 1:00-2:30 pm 1211 E. Broadway, C21 (MLS #3468944) Right size commuter’s dream! 2br, 2ba co-op w/ balcony, storage attic, parking. Near LIRR, all. C. Muccini, LRES, Douglas Elliman RE: 516-606-2086

EMPLOYMENT

The ProActive Technology Group LLC (Greenvale, NY) is looking for IT Recruiter. Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science (foreign degree is acceptable).

12 months experience as IT Recruiter. Please send resume to: proactivehr@yahoo.com

The ProActive Technology Group LLC (Greenvale,NY) is looking for a Computer Technician. Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science (foreign degree is acceptable). 24 months experience in Information Technologies. Please send resume to: proactivehr@yahoo.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY SERVICES

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

MY CARING PLAN’S local advisors have helped thousands of families with unique needs find senior living. Can you afford 2k a month in rent? We can help for free! 866-989-1812

Secure your home with Vivint Smart Home technology. Call 866-601-1219 to learn how you can get a professionally installed security system with $0 activation.

ATTORNEY

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

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

AQUATEC LAWN SPRINKLERS FALL

DRAIN OUTS Backflow Device Tests Free Estimates Installation Service/ Repairs Joe Barbato 516-775-1199

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

HANDYMAN Careful & Reliable Serving GARDEN CITY and surrounding area since 2003 Repairs & Installations of all types Carpentry, Moldings, Lighting and More 35-yr Nassau Resident References Lic#170101 Phone/Text Friendly Frank: 516-238-2112 Email: Frankcav@optonline.net

MADE IN THE SHADE CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies Top Brands at Discount Prices! Family owned & operated www.madeintheshadensli. com 516-426-2890

MASONRY All types of stonework Pavers, Retaining Walls, Belgium Block Patios, Foundations, Seal coating, Concrete and Asphalt driveways, Sidewalks, Steps. Free Estimates Fully Licensed & Insured #H2219010000 Boceski Masonry Louie 516-850-4886

Recent Real Estate Sales in the

41 Prospect Street, Williston Park

3 bd, 2 ba, Sold On: 8/1/23, Sold Price: $825,000

Type: Single Family, Schools: Herricks

41 Cornell Street, Williston Park

3 bd, 2 ba, Sold On: 8/2/23, Sold Price: $805,000

Type: Single Family, Schools: Mineola

6 Bengeyfield Drive, East Williston

3 bd, 2 ba, 1,687 sqft, Sold On: 8/14/23, Sold Price: $925,000

Type: Single Family, Schools: East Williston

85 Park Avenue, Williston Park

4 bd, 2 ba, Sold On: 8/4/23, Sold Price: $855,000

Type: Single Family, Schools: Herricks

Editor’s note: Homes shown here were recently sold in New Hyde Park, the Willistons, Mineola and surrounding areas by a variety of real estate agencies. This information about the home and the photos were obtained through the Zillow.com. The homes are presented solely based on the fact that they were recently sold in New Hyde Park, the Willistons, Mineola and are believed by Blank Slate Media to be of interest to our readers.

Herricks teacher leaves after video surfaces

Continued from Page 1

of replacing the teacher, who parents said was involved in the jazz band.

“To every degree possible there will be a minimal disruption to the instructional program associated with the individual who is no longer employed by the district,” Sinanis said.

Gounaris said in a statement the district is very limited in terms of what information can be shared due to the incident being a personnel matter. The removed teacher’s identity was not disclosed by the district Thursday night.

According to Thursday night’s agenda, the only resignation the district approved in its personnel report that was efective Tuesday night on Sept. 19 was Geofrey Taylor, a music teacher assigned to Herricks High School.

On Aug. 19, a YouTube video was posted by the channel “Omma” whose author said he posed as a 15-year-old girl under a fake profle on the social media app Discord and chatted with adults.

“Omma”, otherwise known as 19-year-old Kaizer Kinsley, said in the video he uses artifcial intelligence to disclose the identities of adults who send their pictures to him in what

he called “predator fshing.”

In the video, which has 1.2 million views on YouTube, a man under the name “Blue” with a trumpet as his profle picture tells Kinsley, who is posing as a 15-year-old female, that he is a 37-year-old male and lives in Queens.

The video goes on to show the entirety of the chat that Kinsley has with “Blue”, including graphic and sexual language and explicit pictures, which are censored in the video.

After Kinsley shares a phone number for “Blue” to call, he tells “Blue” that he discovered his name is Geof and plans to forward their conversation to his family and the NYPD.

One comment under the video said the man in the video was their band teacher in eighth grade, with others alleging the man worked at Herricks High and Middle School.

The name of Taylor has been removed from the music department’s page on the Herricks Middle School website this week, and his page in the district’s online directory has been removed.

A previous version of this article was published, it has since been updated.

AG orders NY Citizens Audit to end ‘voter intimidation’

Continued from Page 2

NYCA describes its mission as dedicated to ensuring honest and verifable elections in New York and across the nation. It actively seek donations on its website to support their eforts.

The organization holds non-proft status, as determined by the Internal Revenue Service in

2022, allowing it to receive tax-deductible donations and exempting the group from federal income taxes. Their IRS report for 2022 indicates it received less than $50,000 in gross receipts.

Hornik, NYCA’s executive director, was said to be an election denier in a November 2022 news article by New York Now, a PBS public af-

fairs show, in which she falsely claims that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

Hornik’s involvement in election-related activities gained more attention in August when she was a speaker at a gathering of election deniers in Springfeld, MO. The event was hosted by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, who faces a

defamation suit from Dominion Voting Systems for his false claims that its machines rigged the 2020 election.

The group is still seeking volunteers on its social media accounts such as X, formerly Twitter, and says the goal is to contribute to accurate elections.

Louie’s expansion plan splits Port community

Continued from Page 3

She said that they have worked with the community on this project as there has been opposition.

“I know that this area of Port Washington and Port Washington in general has a very active citizenry and rightfully so,” Deegan Dickson said. “They are very protective of the beauty that is Port Washington.”

About 18 people spoke during the public comment period, with an even split between people advocating for and against the site plan proposal and its variances.

Residents’ concerns included adverse efects on the character of the neighborhood, impact on the surrounding natural environment and exacerbated trafc due to an insufcient amount of parking.

Shahnaz Autz, founder of the Mitchell Farms Neighborhood Association, said the residents are not against renovations but they are against the

“aggressive expansion.”

She asked the board to deny the application as it is “a signifcant departure from the spirit of the code.”

“Ultimately these changes will cause a decline in the charm and beauty of the whole waterfront and the Port Washington community and signifcantly will diminish the quality of life for all residents of the surrounding community,” Autz said.

Many of the neighboring residents said that their residential streets are inundated with Louie’s patrons parking their cars, so an expansion would aggravate an already existing problem.

Lavi Finkelstein, and other residents, also raised safety concerns with increased patronage at Louie’s, citing prior alleged incidents of patrons driving drunk after leaving the restaurant.

“An outdoor terrace might be good for business, but at what cost to our environment and peace?” Finkelstein asked. “ We must ask our-

selves: Are we making changes for the community or merely for commercial interests?”

Some residents also expressed concerns about the restaurant not abiding by maximum seating requirements and getting away with violating regulations. Deegan Dickson assured the board that the owners have no interest in perpetuating violations.

“The last thing you want is somebody coming in, counting seats and shutting you down,” Deegan Dickson said. “That’s the death knell of a restaurant business.”

Stuart Rosen, a Port Washington resident since 1969, said that this building renovation will be benefcial to Louie’s operation. He said the proposal is “gorgeous” and he does not understand why the community would oppose the renovation.

“But I could tell you based on these pictures that I would much rather look at this than what is there now,” Rosen said.

Cindy Lee, owner of Fathoms Hotel and Marina in Port Washington, said she is also in support of her neighboring business’ application. She said the renovations would help to bolster the business along Main Street and revitalize the area.

Neighboring residents said the variances Louie’s is seeking are not to alleviate hardships the restaurant is experiencing but to bolster its business. They said because of this, the variances should not be granted, among other reasons.

“If they bypassed regulations in the past, what guarantees do we have in the future, especially with an even larger operation?” Port Washington resident Anna Isaac asked.

Deegan Dickson said she is unsure of whether or not a compromise can be achieved, despite residents’ requests for one.

She said they are looking to close the restaurant on Oct. 1 to begin construction. It would then reopen May 2024, with the goal of doing so by Memorial Day weekend.

SCREENCAP BY BRANDON DUFFY

Geoffrey Taylor’s name was removed this week from the music department’s page on the Herricks Middle School’s website.

Seacrest Studio opens at Cohen Children’s

Continued from Page 1

Cohen Children’s patients will also be invited to a special screening for “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” which opens later this month.

“We are very grateful to the Ryan Seacrest Foundation for giving us another opportunity to provide the best experience possible for our patients,” Michael Dowling, Northwell Health CEO, said. “This is an exciting opportunity for all of us to help some of our youngest patients learn and explore the art of broadcast media while receiving treatment for an injury or illness and, more importantly, maybe take the experience home with them after they recover to do even bigger things.”

The hospital joins 12 other Seacrest Studios across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The Ryan Seacrest Foundation is scheduled to open another studio in Salt Lake City later this year.

Tuesday’s Children aids families affected by terrorism

Continued from Page 10

“We’ve had kids from Palestine and Israel at the same time,” Murphy said. “In the beginning, they were not going to talk with each other. And in the end, they were like, we didn’t cause this in our countries. It’s political, but I like you.”

In 2017, they expanded their mission to help Gold Star families—the families of those who went into the military post-9/11 because

of the attack. With 22 years of lessons learned, they’ve developed a long-term healing model that prioritizes trust, listening to concerns, and providing assistance to both parents and children.

Adapting quickly to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tuesday’s Children transitioned all their programs to a virtual format. They provide assistance with college applications and scholarships, along with support for

internships and career development. With 140 corporate relationships, they help young adults navigate internships, career development, and their goals.

The organization hosts monthly dialogue groups for surviving spouses. Over the years, the organization has seen issues evolve as the spouses age. Initially overwhelmed by loss and paperwork, they now face the challenges of being empty nesters, moving, assisted living and

more.

“We created this dialogue group to let them know you’re not alone. A lot of others are feeling the same way,” said Murphy.

As the children who lost parents on 9/11 enter their 30s and start their own families, they too face a new difcult task of explaining the tragedy to their own children.

“They want to fnd the right words to try and explain it,” Murphy said.

DeSena, Kaiman spar at first meet-and-greet

Continued from Page 2

taxes every year and in certain years the tax raises amounted to $3.50 and $7.50 increases for the average household. As for his role with NIFA, Kaiman said it was not the authority’s responsibility to set the budget but to make sure it was balanced and the numbers added up.

“The reality is taxes went up maybe $30 or $40 in the town fund over the 10 years I was there,” Kaiman said. “So it sounds really bad when you read it in their campaign mail. but the impact to the voters and taxpayers was minimal.”

DeSena said the town could have done better and returned more money to the taxpayers during Kaiman’s time as supervisor.

“I know our residents want tax relief and I’ve given that to them and I’m going to give it to them again,” DeSena said.

Both candidates said they were against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s New York Housing Compact, which called for a major increase in housing on Long Island in favor of local control from municipalities.

“We hear from everyone involved and we

make a decision about where we can build new types of housing and where it’s just not appropriate,” DeSena said. “I will continue to fght for local control so that we can preserve our quality of life and our resources.”

Kaiman said he is “100% against” the proposal and that it was a violation of home rule law in the state. He responded to DeSena’s point about him proposing accessory housing during his time as supervisor, which was withdrawn after resident criticism.

“We had the ability to withdraw and we did,” Kaiman said. “That’s diferent than if the state were to make a rule that they can pass over our objections, not giving us a chance to govern ourselves. That would be a mistake.”

Kaiman said he held people accountable when asked about political mailers claiming he presided over corruption during his time as a supervisor. In 2007, a 16-month investigation into allegations of corruption led to the arrests and convictions of several North Hempstead Building Department employees.

“When you lift a rock up and dirt comes out

because you’re cleaning the grounds, you get dirty,” Kaiman said. “I came into government knowing that the Building Department was limited in its ability to do what people were asking it to do and we had problems with them.”

Kaiman said after starting the 311 Call Center in 2005 his administration was able to fnd inconsistencies in the department and brought in the district attorney’s ofce at the time.

“Once we found that they did something wrong, we were able to have them fred and ultimately they were arrested and a couple of them convicted,” Kaiman said.

DeSena, who asked Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Philips to audit the Building Department last year, said the problems currently persist from Kaiman’s time that she is still working on fxing.

“To say that you fxed it and the problem happened over the later years is really a gross oversimplifcation,” DeSena said. “I would not say you fxed it, I would say problems still exist.”

When asked about her endorsement of Congressman George Santos, DeSena said she was

lied to along with the 3rd Congressional District and she too was ofended and victimized by his lies. DeSena has since called on his resignation from Congress.

“I helped in every way I could, I have encouraged everyone to report what they knew,” DeSena. “He’s a liar, I have not worked with him.”

If re-elected, DeSena said her top goals are to provide tax relief, continue improving North Hempstead’s infrastructure and renovate the town’s parks which have lacked support.

“I am committed to moving those projects forward to improving our parks and doing it with great management, continued tax cuts and in a very responsive way,” DeSena said.

When asked to describe his new vision for town government, Kaiman said it’s to use the technology and resources in the town to give people confdence in their government.

“People need to know that the government can their money, be responsive, call them back when they call and get problems solved in realtime, and that’s what I’ve always done,” Kaiman said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWELL HEALTH

Stephen Sanchez plays guitar in the newly unveiled Seacrest Studio at Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

Upcoming events at the Williston Park Library

From the Director

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Friends of the Library booth at the street fair on September 17. It was great seeing everyone and we so appreciate your support of the library. Thanks also to DPW for transporting all the boxes and setting up the tent. We couldn’t do it without you!!!

During the month of October, the library will be participating in the Great Give Back. We will be collecting pet food and supplies to be donated to Baxter’s Pet Pantry, a division of LI Cares. A donation box will be located inside the library by the front window.

We are once again asking everyone to NOT put donations in the book bins outside the library. They are for library materials only. Donations will be accepted inside the library during regular business hours.

New titles added to the collection:

Heaven & Earth Grocery Store—James McBride

Honest Man—Michael Koryta

Keeper of Hidden Books—Madeline Martin

High Time—Hannah Rothschild

Cassandra in Reverse—Holly Smale

Door-to-Door Bookstore—Carsten Henn

Just another Missing Person—Gillian McAllister

Lion & Lamb—James Patterson

It Goes So Fast: the Year of No Do-Overs—Mary Louise Kelly

Adult Programs

Reiki—October 5 & 19; November 2 & 16—6pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. $10 p/person; p/session. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Medicare Basics with Joy Poupko—Tuesday—September 26— 6-7pm in the Library. Email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com or call the library (742-1820) to register.

Empire Safety Defensive Driving Course—Thursday—September 28—10am-4pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. $30 p/ person. Email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com or call the library (742-1820) to register.

Nassau County Property Tax Exemptions Workshop—Wednesday—October 11—1-3pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. Assistance will be provided for the following exemptions: Veterans, Senior Citizen, Cold War Veterans, and Volunteer Firefghter/Ambulance Workers. Call 516-457-2036 for specifc information.

Autumn Leaf Lantern Craft with Rosemarie Attard—Wednesday—October 11—6pm in the Library. $15 p/person. Email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com or call the library (742-1820) to register.

Author Event with Mary Calvi—Wednesday—October 18— 6pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. The CBS news anchor will discuss her new novel, If a Poem Could Live & Breathe. Copies will be available for purchase. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Book Discussion—Wednesday—October 25—7pm in the Assembly Room of Village & via Zoom. https://adelphiuniversity.

LIU hockey team plays game for Alzheimer’s awareness

Long Island University men’s ice hockey team will partner with the Alzheimer’s Association for an awareness game when they take on Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Northwell Health Ice Center.

Throughout the game, there will be a 50/50 rafe with donations benefting Walk to End Alzheimer’s — Nassau. The hockey team will also be featured guests at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s — Nassau on Sunday, Oct. 1 at Eisenhower Park Field 6/6A in East Meadow.

“Long Island University Hockey is proud to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association,” said Ryan Kelly, director of athletics at Long Island University. “We look forward to collaborating to make this a great experience for the community and our student-athletes.”

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease—a leading cause of death in the United States. In New York alone, there are more than 410,000 people living with the disease and 546,000 friends and family caring for them.

Representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter will be at the game to share information and answer questions.

“Thank you to Long Island University Athletics for helping the Alzheimer’s Association raise awareness and funds for families facing the disease,” said Tinamarie Hardekopf, director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter. We look forward to attending the game and cheering on the team as they play Penn State.”

To learn more about the game,click here

To register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visitact.alz.org/nassau. Long Island University athletics

zoom.us/j/96885670102?pwd=VGtSYnkyUW9acVJyV0tyNUtUZn MyZz09 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. Copies of Hidden Valley Road are available at the Circulation Desk.

Children’s Programs

Story Time with Miss Beth—Tuesdays—September 26; October 3, 10 & 17—11am-11:45am in the Children’s Room. Limited to 15 participants. No Walk-Ins! Email willistonparkprograms@gmail. com or call the library (742-1820) to register.

Gobbie Keychain Craft—Saturday—September 23—10-11am in the Children’s Room for ages 5+. $3 p/person. Limited to 40 participants. Email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com or call the library (742-1820) to register.

Zombie House Painting with Lisa Colon—Saturday—October 21—10-11am in the Children’s Room for ages 7+. $5 p/person. Per Vendor: Limited to 20 participants. Email willistonparkprograms@ gmail.com or call the library (742-1820) to register.

PEN PAL PROGRAM

The library is proud to work with Kayla, of Girl Scout Troop 1825 on her Gold Award. She has established a Pen Pal Program for children in grades 1-8. If any children are interested, parents are welcome to stop by the Reference Desk to complete a small registration form. This is not a sponsored library activity; Kayla will be in charge of the project. All information is confdential.

Lurvey launches ‘Go Green NHTV’

North Hempstead Town Council Member Veronica Lurvey has introduced Go Green North Hempstead TV, a series designed to help residents take actionable steps to live a more sustainable life.

Each topic is broken down into easy steps so residents can have fun while doing something great for the planet. This initiative is being launched as part of the community engagement plan for the Climate Smart Communities Task Force.

“Through ‘Go Green NHTV,’ we aim to inspire positive change in our community that benefts our environment,” said Lurvey. “Our residents want to make changes to help North Hempstead thrive in a changing climate. This series will help them get started.”

In the frst episode to be released, “Plant Native for the Planet,” Lurvey leads viewers into the world of native plants — why they are important, how to choose the right plants and get started planting a native garden as well as how to maintain the garden for years to come.

“I hope residents discover that by using native plants you fnd yourself in a win-win situation. They are beautiful, benefcial to pollinators and other wildlife, less work, less stress on our natural

resources, and less costly to maintain,” Lurvey added.

“Planting Native for the Planet” is currently available on the Town’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/ user/townofnorthhempstead. This episode will be premiering on Friday, Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m. on NHTV — channel 18 or 65 on Cablevision, 46 on Verizon, or through MyNHTV.com.

Expanding beyond Council Member Lurvey’s contributions, upcoming episodes will feature a segment with Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, ofering valuable insights on sustainable transportation.

Council Member Dalimonte’s program will ofer practical tips and creative solutions to diminish our carbon footprint while encouraging eco-friendly commuting choices among North Hempstead residents. The transportation episode will aim to cultivate a more environmentallyconscious community, inspiring positive change in our residents’ transportation habits.

‘Go Green North Hempstead TV’ is part of the Town’s Climate Education and Engagement Plan. For more information on the Town’s Sustainability initiatives visit North HempsteadNY.gov/Sustainability.

NY Tech rises in U.S. News best colleges ranking

New York Institute of Technology is again ranked among the top 25 universities in the North, improving its position to No. 21 in the regional ranking, and for the 13th consecutive year, is ranked among the top 50 universities in the North in the U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Colleges ranking.

In addition to the university’s ongoing eforts to enhance the student experience and improve overall graduation and retention rates, New York Tech’s strong ranking position is supported by increases in its peer assessment and Pell grant graduation rate ranks.

New York Tech’s 2024 rankings include:

#21 Best Regional Universities (North), up from #22 in the 2022-2023 ranking #5 Best Colleges for Veterans (Regional Universities North), up from #9 last year #50 Top Performer in Social Mobility (Regional Universities North), maintaining last year’s position #49 Best Under-

graduate Engineering (National, no doctorate), maintaining last year’s position

In the Regional Universities (North) group, New York Tech also was ranked above all other private universities on Long Island and was the second most highly ranked private university in the New York metropolitan area. Among all public and private universities in the state, it was ranked tenth.

“The rankings continue to underscore our unwavering commitment to the quality of the student experience at New York Tech,” said President Hank Foley.“Providing access to education for all qualifed students is a cornerstone of our mission, and a key determinant of social mobility. Our ranking in New York and the region refects that we are operating from a position of strength as we educate the next generation of doers, makers, healers, and innovators.”

Parker Jewish’s Rosenblut receives humanitarian award

The Parker Jewish Institute is pleased to announce that its President and CEO Michael N. Rosenblut was recognized with the Humanitarian Award by Voices for Truth and Humanity. The honor was presented to Rosenblut at the 4th Annual Remembrance Awards dinner, at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

Voices for Truth and Humanity promotes U.S. public-school education about the Holocaust, slavery, and genocide. The organization aims to fght hatred against Jews as well as all bigotry.

The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation is headquartered in New Hyde Park, New York. The facility is a leading provider

of Short Term Rehabilitation and Long Term Care. At the forefront of innovation in patient-centered health care and technology, the Institute is a leader in teaching and geriatric research. Parker Jewish Institute features its own medical team, and is nationally renowned as a skilled nursing facility, as well as a provider of community-based health care, encompassing Home Health Care, Medical House Calls, Palliative Care and Hospice. Parker Jewish Institute is also home to Queens-Long Island Renal Institute (QLIRI), led by an interdisciplinary team of experienced Nephrologists and Dialysis Registered Nurses, a Renal Social Worker, and a Registered Renal Dietitian.

Annual Fall 5K at Planting Fields

Planting Fields Foundation is holding the 3rd annual Fall 5K on Oct. 8.

The course is both scenic and dynamic, taking you through various terrains of the Olmsted Brothers-designed landscapes of Planting Fields at its autumn peak with the oranges, reds and yellows of the leaves providing the perfect backdrop.

The Fall 5K will take attendees on a journey through history, as you pass by landmarks like the Carshalton Gates and Taxus Field. Run or walk at your own pace and enjoy the energy of the community as you make your way to the fnish line.

Whether you’re a serious runner, new to the sport or just want to enjoy a beautiful fall morning with friends and family, Planting Fields’s Fall 5K will challenge and inspire you. Register now to secure your spot!

All registrants will receive a personal bib, photo, and fnisher medal.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the race begins at 8:30 am from the Haybarn. Now through 10/7, $40 per person. Day of race, $50 per person.

For more information and to register, visit us at plantingfelds. org/happenings/planting-fieldsfall-5k/

Parker is now home to an Indian Cultural Unit, the frst of its kind, serving East and West Indian older adults in the region.

Through a grant from the Jewish Federation of North America, Parker recently deployed its Hope and Healing program. This innovative program is designed to address the unique challenges faced by family caregivers of older adults with dementia and a history of trauma, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, geography, or sexual orientation.

Under Rosenblut’s direction, Parker embraces diversity and meritocracy, where team members boost their skill sets through education and mentor-

ship. Parker focuses on service, where the staf takes pride in exceeding the expectations of the institute’s patients, residents and their families, treating everyone with respect.

Rosenblut said he was honored to accept this recognition from Voices for Truth and Humanity.

“I am very humbled to receive the 2023 Humanitarian Award,” Rosenblut said. “As leaders, we all have a role to play in fghting hate in all forms. Educating our children and leading by example, is the best insurance against a repeat of the atrocities of the past. Thank you Voices for Truth and Humanity for this truly distinguished honor.”

‘Asylum: A Love Story’ coming to Sands Point Preserve

In October, Sands Point Preserve Conservancy is bringing “Asylum: A Love Story” to Hempstead House for 10 nights, offering a frightening immersive experience.

Those who dare will enter the 50,000-square-foot mansion and fnd themselves in a realm where madness and love intertwine. From the darkest recesses of the mind emerges passion that is at once beautiful and grotesque.

Halloween enthusiasts, ages 21 and up, will have to think like detectives to determine the outcome of a young intern who has vanished from the depths of the Asylum, leaving behind a web of clues. Along the way, they will tread through terrifying rooms and corridors as they unlock the dwelling’s spine-chilling secrets.

The thrilling attraction will feature actors who will travel with audience members in small groups throughout Hempstead House during this all-new theatrical presentation. The performance is approximately 120 minutes in length with an intermission and wine bar.

The Preserve’s immersive experiences transport ticket-holders each year into an unforgettable time and place, and to rave reviews, including these from 2022:

“This writer’s personal favorite Halloween tradition, this annual immersive theatrical experience sees the … Productions team draw you into a living, breathing horror movie experience inside of Sands Point’s unparalleled castle estate.” — Ken W. Hanley, buzzfeed.com

“Sands Point has an infuriating habit of producing spectacular shows that are only given the most limited of runs. I pray to whoever’s listening, be they gods or trustees, that this team be given the run they deserve. They are worth the drive from Philadelphia,

and worth well more than ten nights a production.” — Blake Weil, noproscenium.com

This year, tickets are available for October 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27 and 31. Most nights will feature two performances at 7-9 p.m. and 9:30-11:30 p.m., with the exception of October 19, 22 and 31, when there will only be a 7 p.m. performance.

Ticket price is $140.

For more information, visit http://sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/

In addition to the Asylum: A Love Story immersive experience, this year’s Sands Point Preserve Halloween Ball will be held on Oct. 28 with a VIP experience from 7-8 p.m., and the much-anticipated party from 8-11 p.m.

New York Tech continues to rise in U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranking.

Race registrants finishing the race!

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SANDS POINT PRESERVE CONSERVANCY Sands Point Preserve Conservancy is bringing “Asylum: A Love Story” to Hempstead House for 10 nights, offering a frightening immersive experience.

Kolega leads Herricks soccer team, plays for native Croatia

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

There are standard, decades-old excuses public school teachers are used to hearing from students when it comes to why they were not in class or didn’t turn in their homework.

I was sick. My family was at Disney World. I had too much other stuf to do. Yep, educators have heard them all. But Kristiana Kolega, senior at Herricks High School, has thrown a diferent one at her teachers the last few years:

“I was busy playing international soccer for the country my grandparents came from.”

That’s not one that gets trotted out too often. But the 17-year-old senior doesn’t have an active imagination: that’s actually what she’s doing when missing math and science class.

Kolega’s grandparents were born and raised in Croatia, and since she was a child her parents, Claudio and Daniela, have taken Kristina and younger brothers Niko and Marko back to that country during summer vacations and other time of from school.

When Kristina was around 10, she recalled, she was playing in a local league on an island near Zadar when she was invited to come train with a local youth development team. One thing led to another, and each time Kristina visited Croatia she would train with youth teams and continue to get better at the sport.

Eventually, as a teenager, she was asked to join the Croatian girls national U-16 team, and play tournaments and matches with them. So since 2020, the jet-lagged teen has fown several times per year 10 hours back to Croatia for training sessions and games with her team; she’s now on the U-19 team, with a decent chance of making the Croatian women’s national team someday.

“It’s a lot of sacrifce and a lot of missing things here, but it’s such an incredible experience for me,” Kolega said after a recent Highlanders practice. “I love the people there, I love the country, and it’s an incredible honor and opportunity to be able to play for them.”

Kolega is a soccer fanatic; in addition to starring at midfeld for Herricks, she plays club soccer for SUSA, a top Long Island program, and of course for Croatia.

Her national team duties mean

she sometimes misses weeks at a time of school, and unfortunately for Herricks soccer, last year had to miss a portion of the high school season as well.

“Every time she comes home she has a great story to tell,” Herricks coach Alexa Riegel said. “It’s such an amazing opportunity, to represent the country of your ancestors, and we’re very proud of her.”

Kolega said her teachers at Herricks are very understanding, and that she uses the long fights and idle time in hotels across Europe (she’s played international matches in Bulgaria and Poland, among other places) to fre up her Chromebook and do some work.

“The girls on the (Croatia) team make fun of me for always doing homework in our hotel,” she said with a laugh. “But I have to do it to try to keep up!”

Kolega’s good friend and club

soccer teammate, Sofa Bigeni of New Hyde Park High School, said as hard as it is seeing her friend go away for long stretches, it’s totally worth it.

“We watch her matches and I’m texting her and it’s still like we’re connected even though she’s so far away,” Bigeni said. “And it’s so obvious that when she comes back from playing (internationally), she’s so much more confdent and skillful.”

Kolega said she tries to bring some of the American-style physicality to her play in Croatia, and attempts to use the European-style skill set and precision passing back to Long Island.

“It’s a very diferent kind of soccer in both places, but you try to learn and get better playing both styles,” Kolega said. “It’s defnitely helped my game.”

Riegel said that Kolega, who has committed to play for Division I University of Maryland-Baltimore Coun-

ty next year, has a non-stop motor that powers the Herricks attack.

In 2022, Kolega helped Herricks reach the second round of the state playofs.

“She’s in great shape because she plays all the time, and she has great footwork,” Riegel said. “She controls the center mid and she runs the show when she’s out there.”

Riegel admitted that it’s disruptive to the Herricks squad when Kolega has to miss time because of Croatian team responsibilities, but never holds it against her player.

“Being on that stage and getting to develop her game like she can, it’s just so incredible for her,” Riegel said. “And we’ve all become Croatia soccer fans now; the kids were having World Cup watch parties last year when (Croatia) was playing, it was awesome.”

Kolega said high school soccer, with less international pressure, is

“so much fun for me. I can just forget about everything and play with these awesome girls.”

With the season underway, Kolega hopes to help the Highlanders advance farther than the second round of the Class AA playofs, which is where they were stopped last season. After that, Kolega has some more international tournaments to play before graduating from Herricks and matriculating to UMBC, whose coaches, she said, are all in favor of her continued trips to Croatia.

“They think it’s great for me, and that’s one reason I’m so excited to play there at UMBC,” Kolega said. “I love the coaches, the girls on the team, I know it’s the right place for me.”

And for someone who’s been to a lot of places in the last few years, that’s saying something.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTIANA KOLEGA

Herricks High School senior Kristiana Kolega (No. 11 in black) is also a member of Croatia’s U-19 women’s national team.

8 Herricks seniors named as National Merit semifinalists 21 Herricks students in all-state music fest

Herricks High School is proud to announce that 21 student musicians have been selected to participate in this year’s All-State Music Festival, which will be held this December in Rochester, NY. The annual festival, sponsored by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), is considered the highest honor a school musician can attain.

To be accepted as an All-State musician, students must receive a perfect score in a formal audition, requiring preparation and performance of a solo, a sight-reading exam and performance of thirteen scales.

Over 6,000 high school sophomores and juniors audition for All-State each year and only 600 are accepted statewide.

The Herricks All-State musicians are: Davinder Chopra (Bass I), Madilyn Silverman (Soprano), Tristan Surajbali (Tenor 2), Anderson Wang (Clarinet),

Phillip Joseph (Trombone), Aaron Chu (Violin), Catalin Wong (Violin), Constantine Cheung (Cello), Jocelyn Chiu (Harp/Violin), Samuel Wang (Double Bass), Albert Kuo (Cello), Devon Lee (Cello), Dylan Lee (Double Bass), Ryan Lo (Cello), Kaylee Luo (Violin), Sasha Stern (Viola), Meredith Daly (Flute), Manu Agarwal (Flute), Edwin Chen (Clarinet/Jazz Alto Sax), Abigail Loo (Flute), Sharath Venkatesan (Tuba). Teachers sponsoring these students include Catherine Birke, strings; Louise O’Hanlon, vocalists; and Scott Stickley, band students.

While in Rochester, the students will rehearse and perform with nationally recognized conductors in musical ensembles including a symphonic band, a symphony orchestra and mixed choir. All performances take place at the historic Eastman Theatre in downtown Rochester.

Eight Herricks High School seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Herricks High School principal Joan Keegan, left, Daniel Ng, Vera Peng, Faaiz A. Jalil, Catalin J. Wong, Fatin A. Hoque, Arjun Sharma, Connie Huang, Benjamin P. Hogan and Superintendent of Schools Tony Sinanis, right.

Herricks School District is proud to congratulate eight seniors on being named National Merit Scholarship Semifnalists.

The 2024 National Merit Scholarship Semifnalists from Herricks High School are: Benjamin P. Hogan, Fatin A. Hoque, Connie Huang, Faaiz A. Jalil, Daniel Ng, Vera Peng, Arjun Sharma and Catalin J. Wong.

Herricks administrators celebrate the Herricks High School student musicians selected to participate in the NYSSMA All-State Music Festival. (L-R): Herricks High School principal Joan Keegan, Director of Fine and Performing Arts Anissa Arnold and Superintendent of Schools Tony Sinanis.

Exhibiting 6 Wheatley students’ art

Six student artists from The Wheatley School in East Williston recently had their work featured in this year’s NYSATA Art in the Heart Exhibit at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City. The exhibit was on display from Aug. 18 through Sept. 2, 2023.

Congratulations to Audrey Chen, Amy Deng, Dean Dourmas, Noah Gorlewsk, Sabrina Pezzillo and Sofa Ramos who were honored during a reception at LICM on Aug. 19, with a reception for artists and their families.

The district just received the artwork back and is looking forward to displaying this work in the Wheatley Art gallery during Academic Awards.

These academically talented students are joined by an elite group of approximately 16,000 semifnalists who were selected from over 1.3 million juniors in over 21,000 high schools who applied for the 2024 National Merit Scholarship program. Semifnalists represent the top 1% of high school seniors and highest-scoring entrants from each state.

“The remarkable accomplishments of these eight students underscore the commitment to education and the nurturing environment provided by the Herricks High School community — from the faculty and staf to our families,” said Herricks Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tony Sinanis. “Their success serves as an inspiration to both current and future generations of students, showcasing the potential for greatness within our educational community.”

The next steps for semifnalists include completing a scholarship application which will spotlight their academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership experience, employment and honors and awards. Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April.

Mineola students launch annual recycling initiative

Mineola School District is proud to highlight the team of second grade learners who will be heading up the Meadow Drive School recycling initiative this year.

Six student artists from The Wheatley School in East Williston recently had their work featured in this year’s NYSATA Art in the Heart Exhibit at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City. Amy Deng, Audrey Chen, Sofia Ramos and Noah Gorlewsk are pictured with their work, which was just received back, and will be on display in the Wheatley Art Gallery during academic awards. Dean Dourmas and Sabrina Pezzillo are not pictured.

Throughout this school year, the students will be collecting cans and bottles around the school with the dual intention of helping the environment and raising money to beneft the community.

The students will take turns collecting and washing the cans and bottles every Friday before they are picked up by a parent volunteer who, with the help of their student, will handle the return and collect the deposit.

At the conclusion of the campaign, all the money collected will be used to purchase food for St. Aidan’s food pantry in Williston

Park.

We are #MineolaProud of these learners for their kindness, empathy and dedication to the community.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST WILLISTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

PHOTO COURTESY OF MINEOLA SCHOOL DISTRICT Meadow Drive School announces the team of second grade learners who will be heading up the school’s recycling initiative this year.

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