East Meadow Herald 07-27-2023

By RoKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

Digital art has become increasingly accessible, but there’s a lot to learn about creating your own digital masterpieces before you apply your stylus to a digital canvas. Getting started can be intimidating, given the wide variety of devices and software to consider before you open your first blank canvas, but for those looking to explore the world of pixelated paints, the Glen Cove Public Library is offering a series of digital art workshops. Future dates are yet to be determined, but attendees can expect to have free access to iPads, as well as tips on navigating Procreate, Apple’s digital art software.

The workshops will be taught by Amanda

LIRR fares rise for first time in four years

By JUAN l ASSo & MAlloRY WIlSoN of the East Meadow Herald

Long Island Rail Road riders can expect a modest uptick — roughly 4.3 percent — in the price of their weekly and monthly tickets. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR’s parent company, voted unanimously to raise the base fare prices for LIRR train trips earlier this month for the first time in four years. The rate hike will start on or around Aug. 20.

pandemic relief funds it could tap into.

“They changed the schedule inconveniencing everyone especially those of us going to Atlantic Terminal,” Glen Ohringer, an East Meadow resident, wrote on Facebook, “and now they want us to pay more for the privilege of having to run to catch the connecting Atlantic train every day.”

e have to face the harsh reality of MTA’s fiscal cliff.

KAThY hochUl Governor

The price increase translates to a one-way ticket from Long Beach to Manhattan, rising from $14 to $14.50 during peak hours, and from $10.25 to $10.75 during non-peak hours.

Fisk, the library’s first artist in residence. Fisk is an East Meadow transplant to Glen Cove, and her graphic style ranges from abstract visualizations to photo-realistic illustrations. She earned an undergraduate fine arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s from the Pratt Institute. She teaches visual arts at Friends Academy, in Locust Valley, making her more than qualified to guide aspiring artists exploring the digital medium for the first time.

“Art has always been part of the fabric of my life,” Fisk said. “As I’ve gotten older, my passion has become less about the actual artmaking for myself and more about sharing the process with others and teaching others to do it. I get a lot of joy out of watching other

While the agency customarily raises fares every two years, MTA officials held off on an anticipated round of fare increases in 2021 for fear it would drive away commuters from using mass transit at a time when winning them back was key. It also still had billions of dollars in federal coronavirus

WThe MTA’s financial situation came to a head earlier this year when it was announced the agency faced a projected $2.5 billion budget gap by 2025. The agency has since managed to stave off financial ruin and avoid making drastic service cuts after Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers promised to pump millions of dollars in added funding.

“We have to face the harsh reality of MTA’s fiscal cliff,” Hochul noted in her 2024 executive budget address. “A problem that was created by almost the complete cessation of ridership during the pandemic — except for emergency workers, first

ContinuEd on pAGE 2

Courtesy Lydia Wen Amanda Fisk, an East Meadow transplant who now lives in Glen Cove, is the Glen Cove library’s new artist in residence. She will be teaching workshops on different types of digital art.

Amanda Fisk, library’s first artist in residence, goes digital

A new terminal, and now some new fares

responders, and health care workers.”

This change in fares comes only six months after the opening of Grand Central Madison. The terminal runs along Madison Avenue between 43rd and 48th streets and accommodates all 11 LIRR lines.

The benefits include less crowding at Penn Station and the nearby subway stations, and easier access to the east side of Manhattan.

East Meadow and Westbury commuters didn’t seem to think that the new addition had many benefits.

Regina Isakova from East Meadow wrote in a Facebook post back in January that the commute in the mornings from Bellmore or Merrick makes the trip longer. “The wait between the trains to GCM can be up to 30 minutes. Who has that kind of time to waste?” Isakova wrote. “There are several express trains to Penn Station in the morning that are more convenient to take.”

Meanwhile, Westbury resident Roselle Koutsogiannis, wrote to the Herald that she thinks it will help her commute. “I took a look at the schedule. I think my commute from Westbury will be a few minutes quicker. The only good thing for me is it’s a much more doable walk from (Grand Central) and I can avoid the subway.”

Critics and observers, however, argue that the MTA’s budgetary problems reach back to decades of fiscal troubles and structurally shabby budget practices resulting in expenses outpacing revenue.

The current fare bump — and those still on the way — are part of the roughly $1.3 billion bailout deal struck between the transit giant and the state, said MTA chair and chief executive Janno Lieber.

On balance with the LIRR dropping fare prices by 10 percent last year, “the fares are still (comparatively) lower than they used to be, even though everything else in life has gone up,” Lieber said.

Baker/Herald

East Meadow Farm provides fresh produce

By MALLORY WILSON mwilson@liherald.com

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau is dedicated to providing and teaching about local agriculture and how beneficial it is for Long Island residents. CCE Nassau, with its main office in Eisenhower Park, has a farm on Merrick Avenue when locals can go to buy fresh produce. CCE Nassau was established in 1914, and always had a farm stand. Since then they’ve branched out and gotten into other areas.

The farm sits on 2 1/2 acres of organic farm land and is open everyday. At the farm there are services for members and nonmembers of CCE Nassau. Visitors can have their soil tested by master gardeners and staff, help with plants and lawn car, indoor and outdoor insects, and growing fruits and veggies.

They offer community gardens at the East Meadow Farm that consist of beds that can be leased to families, individuals, schools and other groups. The beds can be used to grow produce for families, or as a learning experience for schools.

Demonstration gardens at the farm are maintained by master gardeners. Visitors can stop by and learn how to properly grow roses and dahlias, vegetables and herbs, and more. They can also learn how to properly compost, and take a look at the farms butterfly garden and mini arboretum.

To get children involved in agriculture, CCE Nassau runs a 4-H program, which is a worldwide youth development program. They have after school programs, camps and virtual programs. One of the activities that the 4-H kids are involved in is the 4-H Entrepreneur Farm Stand that is located at the East Meadow Farm. The entrepreneur program gives teens the opportunity to learn about agriculture, retail and advertising skills.

“We do offer field trips here, we offer community programs, where we go out to the libraries and schools, and we have a few different things we do with the schools,” Richard Castillo, the 4-H program manager, said. “We also have after school programs where people can come here and do various projects, whether it be STEM-based, whether it be nutritionbased, or garden-based.”

Their farm stand runs from July through October on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. The kids focus on selling the goods they help grow at the farm.

Typically the program sees between 15 and 30 kids signing up, according to Castillo. The program teaches life skills, and teaches them about to be self sufficient.

“As we enter a world where the future seems kind of uncertain, you can kind of ease their anxieties by putting the power back into their hands and letting them know they can do it,” Castillo said. “This just fuels the next generation and makes them feel like they’re apart of something.”

At the farm, there are different plants, fruits, and veggies grown.

The farm stand is open on Fridays starting in July and ending in late October.

At the farm, there is also a demonstration farm where people can come by and learn how to grow different plants and veggies.

Kids from the 4-H Entrepreneur Program from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau sells the produce that has been grown at the East Meadow Farm at their farm stand.

Mallory Wilson/Herald photos

There’s all kinds of different produce that locals can stop by to buy.

Bringing her mastery of digital art to a library

people learn.”

In her first workshop for the library on July 14, Fisk spoke about the history of the digital medium, and some of the challenges people face in creating digital art.

She acknowledges that the digital world has a higher entry cost than traditional materials, as well as a learning curve with the “host” technology, in addition to the art software. And since digital art is modeled after traditional materials, it’s created with algorithms, and sometimes lacks the variety and subtlety of traditional art.

Fisk also explained that the final product is an intangible file, which can be easily duplicated, and it’s challenging to place a value on it. Photography and video art have both worked through these challenges in the past.

Although some might argue that digital art isn’t “real” art because it’s not made by hand, Fisk contends that you can make the same claim about more traditional media.

“Do you ‘make’ a painting, and do you paint your trees?” she asked. “Or do you look for a brush that has a tree pattern that makes it easier? Would that be any different than cutting out a tree shape and a sponge and sponging it onto the canvas?”

Fisk explained that digital art can offer a vast array of tools and materials in a single device, giving it a versatility and

amanda f isk’s graphic style ranges from abstract visualizations to photo-realistic illustrations. in her first workshop

Cove library on July 14, she spoke about the history of the digital medium.

portability that traditional material doesn’t offer. And one of the biggest advantages of the digital medium, she noted, is decreased clutter and easy cleanup.

“When I was in college, and I was taking painting classes in my apartment and

Multivitamins and Older Adults

About one-third of Americans 60 and older take multivitamins. Perhaps the remaining twothirds should as well. According to a major new study, the second of its kind to reach the same conclusion, taking multivitamins over age sixty delays the onset of memory loss by about 3 years.

The study used a commonly available multivitamin, Centrum Silver, which contains vitamins D, A, B12, thiamine, riboflavin, manganese and other substances, although it was noted that any high-quality multivitamin would do just as well.

A Washington Post article (5/24/23) about these findings quotes JoAnn Manson of Harvard Medical School “Older adults are very concerned about preserving cognition and memory, so this is a very important finding. They are looking for safe and effective prevention strategies. The fact that two separate studies came to similar conclusions is remarkable.”

Other experts cited were Andrew Budson, Professor of Neurology at Boston University “This study is groundbreaking. Low levels of

vitamins B1 -- also known as thiamine -- B12 and D are associated with cognitive decline. That a simple multivitamin can slow cognitive decline while they are aging normally is quite exciting, as it is something almost everyone can do.”

The reasons that multivitamin “therapy” is so effective is explained by Paul E. Schultz, Professor Neurology at McGovern Medical School, Houston -- the brain requires a lot of vitamins and minerals to function properly. While the goal is to maintain nutrition through a healthy and balanced diet, as we age our bodies may be unable to absorb sufficient levels of the essential elements. In addition, some medications interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Schulz states “Think of a complicated engine that requires lots of specialty parts and needs them all. We regularly see people who are deficient in nutrients come in with cognitive impairment.”

If you are on medications, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before you try a supplement, as some vitamins may interfere with those medications.

I had to have a canvas, I remember I always had plastic on the floor,” Fisk recalled. “I hated it, because I couldn’t get anything on the carpet because it wasn’t mine, and I love that digital art is just there.”

One of the students who attended the

the

first digital workshop was Cathy Parsy, who said she was interested in it because it wasn’t something she’d normally go to. Afterward, Parsy said she would like to be more creative, and that her experience with an iPad helped draw out her inner creative spirit.

attendees can expect to have free access to ipads, as well as tips on navigating procreate, apple’s digital art software.

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rglickman@liherald.com

Photos courtesy Lydia Wen

for

glen

HERALD sports

NYS adds classification to seven sports

By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

the New York State Public High School Athletic Association is going from a five-classification format to six classifications in seven different sports – boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, baseball and softball – beginning this upcoming school year.

For Nassau and Suffolk County, it means more county champions, more Long Island championship games and more teams competing in state tournaments in those sports. The NYSPHSAA, which last summer voted to approve the new classifications, wanted to create approximate equal numbers across the state in each enrollment classification.

“Every section in the state is different, but for us in what used to be Class A we had more than 30 schools competing for one championship,” Section VIII athletics executive director Pat Pizzarelli said. “Now within that same group there’s an extra opportunity to win a championship.”

For example, Nassau boys and girls basketball had 58 schools compete in the 2022-23 campaign; 15 in Class AA, 34 in Class A and nine in Class B. This coming season, there will be 12 in Class AAA, 24 in Class AA, 17 in Class A, and four in Class B.

Among the second-tiered teams for boys and girls basketball (Class AA) will be Calhoun, Carey, East Meadow (down from the largest grouping), Elmont, Hewlett, Kennedy, Long Beach, MacArthur, Sewanhaka, South Side and Valley Stream Central. Class AA is for schools with an incoming enrollment (grades nine through 11) between 692 and 1,104 for boys, and between 699 and 1,112 for girls. The new Class A numbers are 391691 for boys, and 397-698 for girls.

“With the exception of Floral Park, the new AA schools on the boys side have had the Class A champ for the last 25 years,” said South Side’s Jerry D’Angelo, head coach of the reigning Nassau and Long Island Class A boys’ basketball champions. “So the new setup will give us two county champions among the 41 teams in AA and A.”

Suffolk had 59 boys and girls basketball programs this past winter with 25 competing in Class AA, 22 in Class A and four in Class B. For 2023-24, there would be 18 in Class AAA, 18 in Class AA and 13 in Class A.

Across the board, much of the largest group landscape in Nassau County remains unchanged with many of the fixtures like Baldwin, Farmingdale, Freeport, Massapequa, Plainview, Syosset and Uniondale will vie for a title. However, East Meadow and Valley Stream Central are two schools with dif-

ference classifications based on sport. The Jets remained in AAA in soccer, baseball and softball but dropped to the second largest classification for hoops. The Eagles have an identical setup under the new breakdown but competed in Class A for basketball in recent seasons.

The classification numbers between basketball and soccer are slightly different. For soccer, Class AAA starts at 1,082 students and up on the girls side and 1,090 on the boys side. Softball and baseball breakdowns are closer to soccer than they are basketball, but are all within a range of less than 30.

One minor negative is Nassau and Suffolk will take on an extra expense of securing more postseason venues for some semifinals and finals, and the cost of sending more teams to state competitions.

“It’ll cost a little more money come tournament time with extra playoff games,” Pizzarelli said.

Nassau County softball coordinator Rachel Barry, who coaches Clarke, said the plan at this time is to stick with ability-based conferences during the regular season. “The playoffs will look pretty similar with some smaller brackets,” Barry said. “The extra classification balances our section a little bit better by spreading out the single A schools.

“Suffolk hosts next year’s Long Island championships, so it’s up to them to figure out locations,” she added. “As far as the state championships, softball isn’t going to be impacted as much since we no longer play the semis and finals on the same day. Adding another classification only adds three games to the mix.”

Media Origin Inc./Herald

South Side, the defending Nassau and Long Island Class A boys’ basketball champions, is moving to Class AA this upcoming season as part of the new statewide classification setup.

Ron Manfredi/Herald

Baseball is one of seven sports statewide moving from five classifications to six beginning this September.

No matter the industry, businesses around the world are undergoing dramatic changes to the way they operate. From technology and skills development, to cultural barriers, self-care and mental health, every organization must adapt and evolve, or risk being left behind.

As we navigate a time of pivotal change, the Herald’s 2023

America brings together thought leaders, innovators and barrier-breaking women for conversations around this year’s theme: The Future is Now.

presented by Bank

From Australia to Long Island Congregation Beth Ohr welcomes spiritual leader, Rabbi Rishe Groner

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Growing up in the Chabad movement of Judaism, Jewish traditions and values have always been a part of Rabbi Rishe Groner’s life.

Groner, who graduated from rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan on May 18, will become Congregation Beth Ohr’s new rabbi on Aug. 1. The conservative synagogue in Bellmore is a lively Jewish center that merged with Congregation BethEl of Massapequa in 2016, and with Temple Israel of South Merrick in 2019.

Groner brings with her a breadth of worldly experience, and her position at Beth Ohr signals a new beginning for the congregation, driven by traditional Jewish customs as well as different and unique ways to experience all the things people know and love about their heritage and beliefs.

Groner, 37, grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where her father is a Chabad rabbi. “Chabad is an international movement that focuses on Jewish outreach and connecting people to the Jewish community,” Groner said.

The second of 11 children, Groner moved to the United States in 2010, and in the years since has been joined by many of her siblings. Her parents are both American, and were instrumental in establishing a Chabad community in Australia, following in the footsteps of her paternal grandfather, who moved there from Brooklyn.

“I grew up with rabbis in my family, and my family was really into this Chabad concept — you give over your whole life, you give over your whole soul,” she said. “And I really struggled with that.”

In her youth, Groner said, she had a hard time understanding the segregation of males and females in traditional sects of Judaism.

“It took me years later, until my grandmother died, and I was like, wow, I was really blessed to be in that women’s space, because it was really powerful women, doing really powerful spiritual work,” she recalled. “But it was very segregated, and I never really knew what my place was going to be.”

Groner said she always loved studying Jewish traditions in school, and in her teens, she went to Israel and met young people like herself from all over the world. “It was my first exposure to, like, there’s so many different ways to be Jewish,” she said.

Groner attended Monash University in Melbourne, where she studied business, marketing and communications.

“I had two pieces that were sort of shaping my career,” she said. “Every time I left a job working in a Jewish place, that was very nourishing to my soul, to work in corporate, that felt a little more straightforward and simple, I couldn’t sleep at night. I always felt like, what am I

doing serving a corporate goal when I really care about something bigger?”

Throughout her early adult years, Groner compartmentalized her spiritual life and her work life. But as she became more invested in Jewish festivals and celebrations that incorporated music, dance and other forms of spiritual expression, her separate lives began to meld into one. Around 2018, she decided rabbinical school would be her next step.

The Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan is a conservative institution, Groner said. “I grew up in Australia, where that doesn’t really exist,” she explained. “But I really appreciated the

commitment to tradition and also innovation.”

She arrived at Beth Ohr last September as a student rabbi, after the congregation’s previous leader, Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein, left in June. “It was a very divinely aligned opportunity,” Groner said. “It was just one of those really good matches, where we both, you know, dated other people and decided we liked each other,” she went on. “It was really nice for me to feel like I’m at home here, and I feel like I’ve really connected to a lot of people in the community. I see where the opportunities are — I know where I want to start.”

Despite the fact that Groner had lived

in Brooklyn for many years, Long Island felt a bit foreign to her. But, she said her proximity to the beach is reminiscent of her childhood in Australia, and is something she greatly appreciates.

She is working with the congregation’s cantor, Joshua Diamond, its learning and programming director, Ellen Agulnick, and its president, Joseph Weisbord, among many other key people, to begin making her ideas for Beth Ohr a reality.

“The congregation is excited to welcome Rabbi Rishe as our new rabbi,” Weisbord said. “We were impressed with her spiritual strength, warmth, intelligence and her ability to relate to students in our innovative Hebrew school. We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with her.”

“I think some things we’re focusing on is building an intergenerational community, from early childhood to teens to parents to the older generations, who have done an amazing job building this community.

“I really see an area of exciting possibility for us in bringing in different modalities of spiritual practice that is nourishing to the soul,” Groner said, “and giving people tools for dealing with this crazy world.”

Tim Baker/Herald Rabbi Rishe Groner is the new spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Ohr. Groner, left, with Joseph Weisbord, president of Beth Ohr, Evelyn Polay, Cantor Joshua Diamond and County Legislator Michael Giangregorio at the congregation’s Purim celebration.

Courtesy Tzipora Lifchitz

Groner, Beth Ohr’s former student rabbi, was raised in Australia, and brings worldly experience and a background driven by Jewish spirituality and tradition.

Dunn embraces second World Cup experience

By MICHAEL LEWIS sports@liherald.com

Participating in her second Women’s World Cup, Crystal Dunn is living by a simple philosophy: Embrace the moment.

“The question that many of us who have played in the World Cup get is: ‘Oh, it must be easy now’. I’m like, ‘No, it’s not easy now,’ because each World Cup is different,” she said.

This World Cup is different for the Rockville Centre native because Dunn is a mother for the first time. She has brought her 15-month-old son Marcel to New Zealand for the tournament.

“I took a massive amount of time off last year,” she said. “So everything, every moment that led to this moment is so different. It’s a different journey that I didn’t expect to be on. My message to players in their first World Cup is really just embrace it. It’s going to be wild. It’s going to be crazy. There’s going to be moments where you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what did I sign up for?’ But that’s the beauty in it.”

The left back was a member of the 2019 U.S. team that won its second consecutive world championship in France in 2019. The Americans are vying to become the first team — men or women — to capture three successive World Cups.

“We remember that as the last team standing up, you realize that it was also worth it,” she said. “My message to everybody is play with a little bit of noise. It’s not something that you take for granted at all. People are on their fourth World Cup. People are in their first. You just have to embrace it and take that moment

and just smile and laugh with everybody along the way.”

Dunn and her U.S. Women’s National Team teammates got off to a solid start in this year’s tournament, recording a 3-0 win over Vietnam in their opener in Auckland, New Zealand last Saturday. The former South Side High School standout played 84 minutes before she was replaced by Kelly O’Hara. The Americans’ next Group E game is against the Netherlands this Wednesday at 9 p.m. (Fox, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock). They close out group play against Portugal on Aug. 1 at 3 a.m. (same channels.)

Only nine members of the current 23-player U.S. roster competed in France, so the 31-year-old Dunn is one of the team’s most experienced players.

“I find myself in a new role, being more of a veteran player, a leader on this team,” she said, lamenting that team captain and center back Becky Sauerbrunn couldn’t play due to a leg injury. “Becky is a massive loss for us. She is somebody whose impact is felt not only on the field but off the field.

“We’re ruthless,” Dunn continued. “As a backline that’s how we’ve always trained. Becky has been someone who set the tone and the standard for that. Without her being here, we have to be even more collective and relentless in our defending.”

Rockville Centre native Crystal Dunn played 84 minutes in a 3-0 victory for U.S. over Vietnam in last Saturday’s World Cup opener.

To learn more about Paws With A Cause and to find out how you help, just download this app and watch the story come to life!

Programs for Lifelong Learners at Molloy University!

Learning doesn’t have to end at a certain age—it can be a lifelong pursuit. Molloy University empowers learners of all ages by offering high-quality, flexible and adaptable programs to serve and meet the needs of Long Islanders through two outstanding programs: The Molloy Institute for Lifelong Learning (MILL) which was established in 1992 and the new Sister Mary Celeste Lecture Series. In both programs you learn for the fun of learning in a relaxed environment without assignments, exams or grades.

The MILL program is a membership-based program. Most members are retirees, however, not everyone is retired, nor is this a requisite for membership. All ages are welcome, men and women, singles or couples, as long as there is a willingness to participate in learning and to maintain a rigorous mind. The programs meet in-person one day week during the day: Tuesdays or Fridays in Rockville Centre and Wednesdays in Amityville. Membership is valid from September 1 to August 31 each year and lectures usually start mid-September and runs until mid-June.

The Sister Mary Celeste Lecture Series offers individual courses in a variety of areas, offered in-person during the day for one or more sessions in Rockville Centre. Topics may include, current events, music, art, literature, history, finance, heath, philosophy, technology and more. Whether you’re interested in dabbling in a new hobby or just trying to keep up with technology, there’s a class out there for you.

Courtesy Marco Rosa

Bringing awareness to balloon pollution

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Balloon Mission, a nonprofit that was founded — and took off — in Merrick last December, has been making waves in the immediate community, and beyond. Its founder, Cynthia Seibold, wants people to realize that the simple act of releasing a balloon into the sky, or throwing them in the trash after they’ve been used at a party, can be detrimental to the environment and many animals.

“They’re always going to be a plastic,” Seibold said of balloons. “They break down into micro and nanoplastics. The science is there.”

Full balloons — either foil or latex — as well as shreds of them, and their strings, impact trees and plants, and of course, wildlife, which may mistake balloon pieces for food.

From the start, Seibold emphasized that she is not “anti-balloon.” Rather, she wants to make people aware of alternatives to balloons, such as bubbles or burning sage, and to reiterate that if people want to use balloons, they should dispose of them responsibly.

“One of the things that we’re really pushing and raising awareness on is that balloon releases are a problem out in the environment,” she said. “Part of the message that we’re trying to get out is — listen, there are cool alternative to balloon releases.”

Since January, Balloon Mission has collected 16,387 balloons. Eager partners have been the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, as well as the North Merrick School District. Shore Road Elementary School in Bellmore Public Schools will be joining the efforts, and Seibold said they’re looking forward to working with even more schools come September.

It’s not just Nassau County communities that are hopping on the trend of recycling balloons. Seibold said in April, Balloon Mission worked with the Town of Babylon at its Earth Day celebration.

“The Town of Babylon has just been incredible,” Seibold said. “They’re taking Balloon Mission out on their own outreach programs. They have put balloon bin stickers on their own recycling bins, and through their outreach programs, we have had schools call us and say hey, ‘We want to be part of the mission and collect balloons.’”

Balloon Mission partnered with the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center on June 17.

“It was Bubbles over Balloons,” Seibold said. “So you know, instead of doing intentional balloon releases, for celebrations or in remembrance ceremonies, we blow bubbles instead.”

Aside from the Nature Center, Balloon Mission is also working with the Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup and the New York Marine Rescue Center. And perhaps the best thing to come out of Balloon Mission thus far is the nonprofit’s partnership with ACDS, which previously stood for the Association for Children with Down Syndrome. Because the scope of the services the association offers has expanded, ACDS is now known simply by its acronym.

“It’s just been incredible,” Seibold said of the ACDS partnership. “At Balloon Mission, we support inclusion and diversity with our network partners here at ACDS. The smiles on their faces — there’s such a sense of pride and value that they have through this collection program.

“We really want to acknowledge and recognize their efforts here,” she added. “It shows that everyone can make an impact when it comes to saving the environment, saving wildlife.”

Jane Cohen, the supervisor of day habilitation services at ACDS, told the Herald that it has always offered volunteers to various environmental organizations. Its volunteers’ work with Balloon Mission is very beneficial to them.

“Volunteers can work on their office skills and notetaking, so they can feel like they’ve accomplished something,” she told the Herald last year. “It’s very rewarding

for our individuals.”

Seibold said Balloon Mission has collected more latex balloons and pieces than foil. “It’s not just full balloons we collect,” she said. “It’s balloon pieces. So we’re collecting and counting every piece.”

What Balloon Mission really strives to do is simple: create awareness.

“This is a new shift — this is new information,” she said. “Some people say, ‘Now that I know this, I’m not using balloons ever again.’ There are other people in the middle of the road, who are saying, ‘Listen, I get what you’re saying — I still love balloons, and I’m still going to use them. But now I know that there’s a place where I could send them, that there are places that take the balloons.’ We want to make it convenient and as easy as possible.”

To learn more about everything Balloon Mission is doing, visit BalloonMission.org, or contact info@balloonmission.org.

Volunteers participated in a beach clean up at Lido Town Park. They collected 22 balloon pieces and ribbons. Since January, Balloon Mission has collected 16,387 balloons.

Photos courtesy Cynthia Seibold

As Balloon Mission continues its environmental efforts on Long Island, ACDS picked up balloon bins for delivery to the Merrick Woods Day Camp. ACDS pledges to release bubbles, and not balloons, with stickers funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program.

Supporting troops with food-filled baskets

By MALLoRY WILSoN mwilson@liherald.com

Stew Leonard’s, in East Meadow, was on a mission to help military families of those on active duty have a better Easter this year. Operation Easter Basket was an effort that the grocery store came up with to help military families have special meal for the holiday. Local volunteers — Boy Scout Troop 362, members of Girl Scout Troop 1315, American Legion Post 1082 and Veterans of Foreign War Post 2736 —

Author Laurie Lico Albanese returns to hometown

Prynne? And if so, who was she?

In Hawthorne’s book, Prynne is the woman who must wear the letter “A” for the rest of her life as a symbol of having committed adultery. In Albanese’s reimagining, Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish seamstress, comes to meet Hawthorne during the 1800s. The book dives into what it meant to be American in the 19th century, and how women were targeted for being different. “This is Hester Prynne finally tells her own story,” Albanese said. “This novel asks the question, was there a real Hester

And what would she tell us if she could?” This is Albanese’s third historical novel, and her first one set in America after her other two took place in Europe. Her first book, published in 2000, was contemporary; she switched to historical fiction because she liked reading those types of books, and that’s what was getting the best reception. Her first historical novel, “The Miracles of Prato,” coauthored with her friend Laura Morowitz and published in 2009, was well-received, Albanese said. So she took that genre and ran with it.

It’s been more than a market decision for Albanese. She said that doing research for her historical fiction books transports her back to being a student and spending hours at the library reading encyclopedia after encyclopedia to get the information that she needed for an assignment. “I always think about when I

school, in high school, we always had to write reports — and that my reports, then, as it would be now, consisted of physically going to the library and literally sitting on the floor with all my different books,” she said. “I love doing that, and I kind of feel like that’s what I’m doing when I Continued on page 2

Scam prevention seminar draws large crowd

State Sen. Steve Rhoads and County Legislator Michael Giangregorio joined forces with the Nassau County Office of Crime Victim Advocate, Family & Children’s Association, and Nassau County Police Department on June 11 at the Merrick Library to host a Scam Prevention Seminar to help protect and educate our Long Island neighbors about current scam trends and insights.

To a packed-crowd, the presenters covered numerous topics including artificial intelligence, grandparent scams, romance scams, home improvement scams, phone scams, email scams, IRS scams, treasury scams, and telemarketing scams. This valuable seminar explained what scams you need to be aware of, how to identify a scam, how to report and recover form a scam, and how to prevent yourself from becoming the victim of identity theft.

Rhoads has been an advocate for seniors and residents who have fallen victim to crimes and scams. In response to the disastrous cashless bail laws, when Senator Rhoads was in the Nassau County Legislature, he created the Office of Crime Victim Advocate to provide a safe place for Long Islanders to contact whenever they are in a time of need and to ensure that victims of crime and witnesses to crime in Nassau County are afforded all the legal rights, protections, and assistance they are entitled to under the law.

In past few years, scams and identity theft have become more common across

Long Island and even the entire Country. According to the FTC, consumers throughout the Country have lost nearly $8.8 billion due to scams and fraud in 2022, a 30 percent increase from 2021. Rhoads continues to be at the forefront of scam prevention and protecting hardworking residents—that’s why he hosted this Scam Prevention Seminar to give residents the tools necessary to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of scams and identity theft.

Rhoads has also led the charge in Albany to support law enforcement with the necessary tools to stay one-step ahead of

these callous criminals and has been outspoken about repealing the cashless bail laws that have made our community less safe and emboldened scammers and criminals.

Given the positive feedback from this seminar, Rhoads plans to host more Scam Prevention Seminars in the near future to give more people the opportunity to protect themselves against scams and identity fraud. Everyone is encouraged to attend these upcoming seminars and learn about the vital information and resources available.

“In recent years, scams have been on a

sharp rise, that’s why it was extremely important to host this seminar where residents can learn to protect themselves and help protect others during possible scams,” Rhoads said. “Educating yourself is the first action everyone should take when it comes to protecting themselves from becoming a victim. Scammers are only getting smarter, more emboldened, and more advanced so I encourage everyone to attend our upcoming Scam Prevention Seminars so the word can get around surrounding scams and identity theft. I was glad to see the great attendance we had at our first seminar and I hope to see more residents at future seminars.”

“We have been seeing an unprecedented uptick in scam complaints, and scammers are getting more brazen and creative in their attempts to gain personal details to steal your identity or your money,” Giangregorio said. “I am pleased to have teamed up with Senator Rhoads, Nassau County Office of Crime Victim Advocate, the Nassau County Police Department and Family and Children’s Association to host a seminar educating our residents of the red flags of scams and steps to take if you think you have been a victim of scam.”

For information on upcoming seminars, contact Rhoads’ District Office at (516) 882-0630 to get the details about coming seminars.

–Jordan Vallone

Courtesy Office State Sen. Steve Rhoads State Sen. Steve Rhoads spoke to a packed room of 5th District residents at a Scam Prevention Seminar on June 11.

STEPPING OUT

Always in-tune with

Penn & Teller

By Iris Wiener

n its first incarnation since the pandemic, the 24th Annual Long Island Jolson Festival is ready to delight loyal fans once again. The festival’s latest edition, on Saturday, Aug. 12, will bring together devotees for a full day of nostalgia and music, celebrating the talent of Al Jolson — the performer bestowed with the moniker “world’s greatest entertainer.”

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

Jan Hernstat — the International Al Jolson Society’s president, who has helmed the festival since its beginning — is excited to remember the icon, who was a pioneer in many genres in the ‘20s, including music, film (“The Jazz Singer”), and theatre “Hold on to Your Hats”). When Hernstat began the festival many years ago, it was simply because he wanted a platform to show his appreciation for Jolson. It quickly turned into something else.

“It has been fun over the years to bring Jolson to people who don’t normally get to see him,” Hernstat says. “When I started doing this, people came to me and said something which I didn’t really understand: ‘Thank you for doing this service to bring this kind of entertainment that we don’t get to see anymore.’ It was just something that I wanted to do, and as a byproduct, I was making people happy. That’s a good feeling.”

It will be next to impossible not to smile at this year’s festival, which will include a performance from mainstay Tony Babino, who has been treating festivalgoers to the vocal stylings of Jolson for years. He is joined by “Mr. Tin Pan Alley,” Richard Halpern, who is participating in the event — at Lambrou’s in Island Park — all the way from California.

Hernstat explains that Halpern brings a unique set of skills to his Jolson interpretation.

By Karen Bloom

“A lot of people know Jolson from ‘The Jolson Story’ forward,” he says. “He did 20 songs in that film. The majority of people alive today only know those songs and the style in which he did it, which is what Tony emulates. But Richard does Jolson from the ‘20s and ‘30s, the ‘78 (RPM) Jolson,’ as I like to call it. People will get a little contrast, because with Richard, you’re going to get more of the early Jolson and with Tony more of the later Jolson. It’s going to be great.”

• Tickets are $43.95, which includes entertainment and meals; tickets for show only are $29.95

• Information and tickets available at Jolson.org or call Jan Hernstat at (516) 678-3524.

All Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines power of the arts in society.

Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups on the comedy scene. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing standup at 31 after realizing he was not He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving

The famed duo steps away from their Las Vegas residency to bring their act on tour, appearing on the Tilles Center stage. Penn & Teller’s brand of awe-inspiring illusions mixed with buddy-comedy shtick has kept the duo at the very top of the magic profession for the past 45 years. Their trademark is the updating of worn out or archaic routines, such as bullet catching, or their recent adaptation of the classic bag escape trick (their version involved a trash bag and lots of helium). From humble beginnings busking on the streets of Philadelphia to acclaimed sold–out runs on Broadway to the longest running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo continues to defy labels — and at times physics and good taste — by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy. Constantly evolving and refining their unique take on illusion, the pair’s slight of hand always amazes, whether it’s a fresh take on an old ‘trick’ or something altogether new.

Friday and Saturday, July 28, 8 p.m. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets are $94, $84, $58, $48; available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Kevin James

• Lambrou’s Catering Hall, 4073 Austin Blvd., Island Park

Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence. the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, racial bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to them.” which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s conference on the Barack Obama presidency coming up in April. interested in the idea that the artist has a civic responsibility,” says Karen Albert. “The initial idea for this exhibition was inspired by Administration White House briefing that took place on May 12, 2009, 60 artists and creative organizers met with administration officials to collective power of the arts to build community, create change, and chart national recovery in the areas of social justice, civic participation and unlike other recent exhibits that showcased the museum’s collection, Giordano reached out to contemporary artists who loaned selected works. Some 36 pieces are on view — representing Emma Amos, Molly Crabapple and the Equal Justice Initiative, Miguel

Also new this year is an appearance by comedian Jeff Greenberg, a longtime society member known for his humorous act, frequently performing near his New Jersey home. The comedy doesn’t end there. Bob Greenberg (no relation) will be tickling the funny bone as characters from oldies acts, such as Oliver Hardy, Ralph Kramden and Lou Costello. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to meet Brian Gari, grandson of the late performer Eddie Cantor, Jolson’s showbiz contemporary, and can check out a slew of memorabilia from Jolson’s era.

Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs

Great American Comedy Festival,

Hernstat is intent on keeping Jolson’s legacy front and center in the public eye.

as coined yet,” he says. “He was an international star at a time when there was

“He was the first true superstar. In fact, the word ‘superstar’ was not even coined yet,” he says. “He was an international star at a time when there was no real media to promote what he did. Now all you have to do is go on social media and everyone knows you all over the world. When Jolson first started out, there weren’t talking movies, there’s wasn’t radio and TV. For somebody to be as big as he was worldwide, it really talks about your talent. It is a wonderful experience to celebrate his talent, his singing, and his voice.”

When Hernstat reflects on years past, he fondly remembers welcoming entertainers to his gathering, such as Sheldon Harnick (“Fiddler on the Roof” lyricist and songwriter), radio and television superstar Margaret Whiting, and comedian Soupy Sales.

“I don’t want this festival to die,” Hernstat says. “There’s still people out there that love Jolson. I always tell people, ‘We’re not looking to convert you to become a Jolson fan, we just want to find the ones out there who are and let them know that they have this outlet for their enjoyment.’”

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Yarn/Wire

Now in its 18th year, Adelphi University’s ‘new music’ series welcomes Yarn/Wire. The intrepid New York-based piano-percussion quartet has forged a singular path with

The ‘King of Queens,’ ‘Mall Cop,’ ‘Kevin Can Wait,’ and Larry (of ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry’) — Kevin James wears many hats. Catch his comedic brilliance when he returns to his Long Island roots with his Irregardless Tour. Young Kevin was a promising college football fullback until the acting bug bit him. After spending his junior summer with the local community theatre, he realized getting laughs was a bigger rush than stopping running backs from scoring a first down. James took to the comedy circuit where he soon made a name for himself, receiving the deal that every struggling comedian dreams of: The chance to develop and star in his own sitcom. The result was ‘King of Queens,’ and the rest is history. Now, he’s back on the stage with his everyman comedy and warm deadpan delivery. He’ll regale everyone with his quietly hilarious observations on life, fatherhood, and the simple absurdities of the world.

Saturday, July 29, 7:30 p.m. $99.50, $79.50, $69.50, $49.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Courtesy L.I. Jolson Festival

Top photo: Al Jolson as he appeared in his film ‘The Singing Kid’ in 1936. Middle photo: Jolson enthusiast Joe Wiener with festival mainstay Tony Babino.

Bottom photo: Vocalist Richard Halpern performs the standards of the era in his first festival appearance.

Luciano, Michele Pred, Hank Willis Thomas, and Sophia

change the world? It’s a question been at the focus of our collective for centuries. Now as society the complexities of modern life, path for social change is at the of artistic expression.

The longtime festival is a lively tribute to the ‘World’s Greatest Entertainer’

THE Your Neighborhood

Aug. 4

Doo-Wop Oldies Spectacular

Revisit the golden oldies with Peter Lemongello Jr. in “An Evening To Remember,” with The Fabulous Acchords, The Tribunes and Teresa McClean, Friday, Aug. 4, 7:30 p.m. With their polished vocal skills and dynamic stage presence, these artists deliver a night of unforgettable entertainment in an energetic show that is pure nostalgia, filled with unforgettable tunes. Headliner Peter Lemongello Jr., is acclaimed as the most explosive and exciting doo-wop performer to appear on the scene in 40 years. The son of singer Peter Lemongello, Peter Jr. has appeared on “American Idol” and performed with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Chubby Checker and Lloyd Price, among others. He’s joined by acapella group The Tribunes, renowned for their authentic New York-bred street-corner harmonies, and The Fabulous Acchords, known for their impeccable harmonies, who captivate audiences with their blend of classic and contemporary songs, spanning genres and eras. The concert, produced by Gene DiNapoli, also features a special appearance by Teresa McClean, who takes everyone on an enthusiastic musical journey with her signature vocals and lush orchestration. $49, $39, $29; available at LandmarkOnMainStreet.org. or (917) 567-5842. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington.

On exhibit

View the landmark exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait,” at Nassau County Museum of Art. Devoted to the way that Modigliani powerfully re-defined the art of portraiture, the show includes his masterworks along with paintings and drawings by his Parisian contemporaries (Picasso, van Dongen, Laurencin). Modigliani’s enduring influence on artists even in our own time is shown in a selection of Contemporary paintings by such important figures as David Hockney, Eric Fischl, Elizabeth Peyton and others. The exhibition is being curated by Dr. Kenneth Wayne, founder of The Modigliani Project, which authenticates paintings and drawings (two of the works in the show have been recently approved by the committee). Through Nov. 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

July 28

Summer tunes

Get in the Motown groove with Dr. K’s Motown Revue, at Eisenhower Park, Friday, July 28, 8 p.m. The band’s dynamic renditions of those great tunes are performed with passion and conviction in true Motown style. With special guest Chicken Head. Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow. For information, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.

July 29

Farmers market

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau will be back with their farmers market Saturday, July 29, through October. Located in Eisenhower Park at Field 8, the CCE-Nassau Farmers Market offers varied items weekly. Their fresh food comes from numerous vendors.

Aug.

Community and Sands Collaborate For Success

6 Community Work Groups Established

To ensure the community’s voice is heard during the design phase of the Sands New York destination resort, the company has welcomed community members to working groups to share their ideas, concerns and aspirations for the development.

“With the vital input from the working groups, the goal is for the development to be a true co-creation between the community and Sands. By identifying local opportunities, needs, concerns, and ideas across key sectors and working collectively to prepare for opportunities and mitigate issues, this project has the potential to lift the entirety of the region,” said Robert G.

Goldstein, Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO.

The working group categories include Environment and Sustainability, Business Development and Tourism, Transportation and Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Community Partnerships, and Public Safety.

Each group is led by two co-chairs — one expert in the subject matter and one community member that has a particular background or interest in the working group area.

Here is more about the goals of each work group and how you can get involved.

Environment & Sustainability

The Environment and Sustainability working group is focused on minimizing any adverse environmental impacts to the surrounding communities while also trying to capitalize on the opportunities the site presents in the area of sustainability with a particular focus on creating healthier communities.

To limit the destination’s environmental impact, this group is focused on protecting community resources including air and water as well as limiting waste. Many ideas have been generated out of this group already including a rooftop farm with community access and education programming, green roofs, renewable energy concepts, as well as state-of-the-art water conservation technologies, as well as creating sustainable transit methods that include walking and biking systems.

Business Development & Tourism

Sands’ new development is expected to procure between $300-$500 million annually in goods and services and the company estimates that at least 75% of that can be sourced locally. The task of this work group is to make sure that opportunity isn’t missed by Long Island businesses.

Working collectively, the group is identifying education and capacity building needs

Photo provided by Sands

Photo: Members of the Workforce Development group met in February to discuss local and regional job growth and opportunities from the Sands New York destination resort proposed at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum site on Long Island.

within the small business community to make sure they are ready and up to the job. In addition, the working group members are also brainstorming different ideas that could promote outside businesses and attractions on Long Island, including a sophisticated concierge program, on-site kiosks for small businesses to offer their products, and a wedding vendor guide for future brides and grooms.

Stemming out of this work, Sands is already procuring goods and services locally including Mama’s Custom Cookies in Wantagh, A & M Supplies Network in East Meadow, and Tristar Graphics in Hempstead.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Transportation and Infrastructure has the task of working with Sands on traffic, transit options, technology infrastructure, and connectivity of the site to other local attractions like Museum Row.

Sands has embarked on a massive traffic study including over 75 locations, which was expanded after meeting with the working group. In addition, various ideas including placement of entrances, no-cost parking to prevent guests from using neighborhood streets to park, and strategies for the overall site plan have been offered to create a buffer for surrounding communities.

When the traffic study is finalized, the working group will work with Sands on the mitigation strategies proposed by the traffic

engineers to ensure that best practices are implemented and surrounding communities are protected.

Workforce Development

With Sands expecting to create over 5,000 new permanent jobs and 8,500 construction jobs should the company win the gaming license, this working group is dedicated to intentionally and strategically creating bridges to the communities, strengthening the on-ramps to jobs and removing barriers to employment for unemployed and underemployed Long Islanders.

With starting salaries expected to be $60,000-$70,000 annually with real career opportunities. It is vital to the success of the development that local residents have the access and tools to not only get the job, but to grow the job into a career.

This working group includes grassroots organizations from across Long Island, workforce development experts, several local colleges, and interested community members. Collectively with Sands, they are working to develop programs that can be put into place now to ensure local residents are employment ready for both construction and post-construction phases.

Community Partnerships

This work group is collaborating

with Sands to identify and address goals, challenges and opportunities at the Coliseum site, as well as within the surrounding communities.

Ideas from this working group include supporting veterans, providing meeting space within the new development for community groups, addressing food insecurity of area residents, offering discounts to residents and veterans, creating professional internship programs for students, and offering theater space for local schools to use.

Public Safety

Ensuring public safety both within the new development and in the surrounding community must be the top priority. As such, this group has begun working with Sands to understand how internally Sands develops their security plans, as well as externally sharing the concerns of local residents and working on mitigation strategies that will ensure improved safety for all residents.

While topics covered include policing, other topics working group members have raised include diminishing participation in local fire departments and lack of safe, healthy activities for young adults after school.

Continued

Photo provided by Sands

Photo: Meetings for the six working groups are well underway. Sands and the groups plan to meet several times during the design phase of the new destination resort.

over 400 long island small businesses attend procurement academy and resource Fair

SEvent was hosted by Sands New York and Suffolk County Community College

ands New York hosted their second in-person Procurement Academy for over 400 of Long Island’s small business owners, entrepreneurs, and prospective vendors on July 12, 2023 at Suffolk County Community College. Nassau Community College hosted the first procurement academy on April 20, 2023.

The Suffolk Community College event featured Sands vice president of procurement, Chad Forster, who discussed best practices for businesses hoping to secure contracts with Sands, as well as a resource fair where local chambers and agencies were available to offer guidance on MWBE certification and tools available for growing businesses.

In addition to millions in procurement opportunities for local businesses, the Sands project stands to deliver over $100 million dollars annually to the Town of Hempstead and Nassau and Suffolk Counties if it is successful in its bid for a New York State gaming license.

“The Sands development has the potential to have a significant economic impact for our entire region,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “Suffolk County’s local business community has turned out in force today – not only to show their support for the project – but to learn how to take advantage of this rare opportunity and ensure that the economic benefits reach all corners of Long Island.”

“Today’s event is an important milestone acknowledging the potential regional impact of this transformational project,” said Former New York State Governor and Senior Vice President for Las Vegas Sands David Paterson. “Business owners across Long Island could have much to gain if the Sands proposal is approved for the Nassau Hub – and our

Procurement Academy is an important opportunity to learn how to participate. The Sands team is eager to meet with all of our local small businesses – especially those owned by women, minorities and veterans – to ensure that they are ready to hit the ground running when the planning turns into building and operating.”

Following the main program, attendees were invited to industry-specific breakout rooms for food/beverage & operating services, design and construction, technology, and professional services (i.e. benefits, marketing, labor, transportation, etc.). Sands procurement executives in each vertical provided insights and answered questions.

“Small businesses recognize the great opportunity that may be coming our way, and are eager to participate in the Sands development,” said Dr. Edward T. Bonahue, President of Suffolk County Community College. “Our region has much to gain from this project – and we are enthusiastic about making sure that all prospective local partners are prepared.”

Local chambers and agencies in attendance included the Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers, Nassau Council of Chambers of

Commerce, African American Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, Long Island Association, Farmingdale SBDC, Stony Brook SBDC, Suffolk County Entrepreneurial Assistance Program, Long Island Small Business Assistance Corp, Suffolk County Women’s Business Enterprise Coalition, La Fuerza Community Development Corp, Peruvian Chamber of Commerce,

Suffolk County Office of Minority Affairs/MWBE, Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs/ MWBE, Miller Business Resource Center, Dominican Chamber of Commerce.

Photo provided by Sands

Photos: Sands New York hosted its second in-person Procurement Academy on July 12 at Suffolk Community College, with over 400 small business owners, entrepreneurs, and prospective vendors in attendance.

Weekly Mah Jongg

The JULIETS are back playing Mahjong and cards at Congregation Beth Tikvah, every Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are optional; with contribution of $5 per person. 3710 Woodbine Ave., Wantagh , For more information, email mahjonggCBT@yahoo.com or call 516-785-2445.

Aug. 17

Write on: College essay workshop

Not sure how to get started on your college essay? The Hofstra University Admission Office is offering a virtual workshop to help high school students learn the skills to tell their story in a way that helps them stand out. The final workshop, Thursday, Aug. 17, 4-5 p.m., is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Hear from Hofstra Admission counselors about how to brainstorm topics, and compose a thoughtful essay that shows your personality, talents and interests. For more information about Hofstra Admission’s other virtual summer workshops, go to Admission.Hofstra.edu/portal/ virtual_admission_webinars. To schedule a summer in-person visit go to: Hofstra.edu/visit.

Kiwanis Golf Outing

Participate in the annual Steven J. Eisman Memorial Golf Outing, presented by East Meadow Kiwanis and Borelli’s, Monday, Aug. 7, at Eisenhower Park Red Course, starting at 1 p.m. Includes 18 holes, gold carts, shot gun start, lunch, hole in one contest on all par 3s, dinner and drinks. Attendees are welcome to then go to Borelli’s, at 6 p.m., for more food, drinks and prizes to win. $275 per person. If you cannot attend the golf outing, you can still stop by for dinner for $75. For more information, contact Mike Litzer at (516) 536-1110 or Tom Gallagher at (516) 526-2229.

Bingo at Beth-El

Get your game on at a weekly bingo game at East Meadow Beth-El Jewish Center, in East Meadow, starting at 6 p.m. Prizes, progressive games, bell jar prizes and refreshments will be provided.1400 Prospect Ave. Proof of vaccination is required. For information, contact (516) 483-4205

Having an event?

Storybook Stroll

Bring the kids to Old Westbury Gardens for a storybook adventure, Saturday, Aug. 5, 10:3011:30 a.m. Stroll the gardens and open your ears to Kirsten Hall’s modern tale “The Honeybe.” Later create a unique take home craft. For ages 3-5. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information visit OldWestburyGardens. org or contact (516) 3330048.

Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.

Westbury House Tour

For many years visitors to Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens asked what was beyond the first floor corridor. Now go beyond the door and discover “secrets of the service wing,” during a 60-minute guided tour, Friday, July 28, noon; Sunday, July 30, 3 p.m.; Monday, July 31, noon; Sunday, Aug. 6, 1:30 p.m. Be introduced to the intensive labor required to create the lifestyle experienced by the Phipps family and their guests; tour the many rooms that were “behind the scenes” to create the formal dining experiences of early 20th century. Go along the corridors to the butler’s pantry and silver cleaning room then descend the 17 steps to the kitchen, scullery, and wine storage rooms located on the ground floor. Reservations required. 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens.org.

Art talk

Hot Diggity Dog

Sept. 7

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture,” now back on-site at Nassau County Museum of Art, Thursday, Sept. 7, 1 p.m. Enjoy an indepth presentation on the current exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program and to join the 2 p.m. public tour of the exhibit. Also Oct. 19. 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

It’s barbecue season and Long Island Children’s Museum is feeling in the spirit, Kids can celebrate National Hot Dog Month by making a customized hot dog craft to bring home, at the drop-in program, Sunday, July 30, 1-3 p.m. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Mah Jongg

Enjoy an afternoon of Mah Jongg and canasta, every Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., at East Meadow Beth El Jewish Center. $5 contribution per person. Snacks are provided. No outside food allowed due to dietary laws. Bring your own games and cards. Lessons available. 1400 Prospect Ave. Call (516) 428-3693 for more.

Exploring Britain’s Long Island occupation

By LARA MURRAY-STERZEL Intern

American history is a long and complicated tale to tell. But there are still those venturing into the past to uncover stories never told during the making of our country.

“Chronicles of the British Occupation of Long Island” is a new book by David M. Griffin, taking readers back in time to the Revolutionary War when people lived in fear of the British’s brutal power, while slowly gaining a patriotic desire for freedom.

Griffin is an independent researcher and author who’s always been driven to the history of the Revolutionary War, especially in New York region. When he completed his first book, “Lost British Forts of Long Island” in 2017, Griffin reached out to The History Press, a publishing company known for its collection of history books in communities on Long Island and elsewhere.

He was put in touch with acquisitions editor, Banks Smithers, and the two have worked together ever since. When Griffin came to Smithers about the idea of focusing on the British occupation of this part of the world, the two began shaping his current idea into the story it is today.

The novel follows a narrative story between 1776 and 1783, giving a human aspect to what it was like to experience life on Long Island during British rule. Griffin wanted to explore the British movement and American spy activity through various sources from the time.

To do this, he read historical books and even stud-

ied a period diary, which is referenced in the book about what was discussed, heard and spoken when the British loomed over Long Island.

“It’s very hard to write about the time because everything was very secretive,” Griffin said. “So, stories and the order of things that were happening on the island were hidden. You have to rely on a lot of different accounts from different writers.”

He provided images in his novel — some of which included maps the British used as a part of their network — as well as photographs of historical houses where British soldiers were sheltered as part of quartering laws. Griffin thought by showing these, it would create a certain historical depth for the reader.

After a year of writing, the book was published in July and is expected to arrive soon at Long Island bookstores. The History Press hopes to schedule book events once the stores have received the novel.

Griffin sees his book as rather dark because of the topics it covers, focused on how the power over land divided people. Even when Colonists endured the unpredictable effects that led up to — and included — the Revolutionary War, Griffin was shocked at how long the British stayed on Long Island and what they did.

Which made his research all that more compelling.

“I learned a lot more about the conditions of dayto-day life under martial law in the book,” Smithers said. “David paints a harrowing picture of occupied Long Island — something entirely unfamiliar to today’s Long Islanders — and thus exceedingly interesting.”

Courtesy David M. Griffin

David M. Griffin’s book — ‘Chronicles of the British Occupation of Long Island’ — is expected to hit bookstores soon, especially on Long Island.

DAviD M. GRiffin

News brief

Three detectives were honored by the Nassau County Legislature for identifying and arresting two Canadian men, who were allegedly in America to commit elder scams.

Detectives honored by legislature

The Nassau County Legislature honored three detectives from the Third Squad of the Nassau County Police Department as Top Detectives at the June meeting of the full legislature.

Detectives Thomas Daly, Michael Echavarria, and James Higgins were selected for this honor because of their outstanding work identifying and arresting two Canadian men for elder scams.

These scammers would call up elderly citizens and claim that their grandchildren had been arrested for an auto collision and needed money. When a 86 yearold-woman realized she was being scammed, she contacted the police, and these three detectives sprang into action.

The detectives were able to detain the scammers when they attempted to pick up

the money from the elderly woman. The two men were charged with counts relating to Grand Larceny, attempted grand larceny, conspiracy, and scheme to defraud.

“Sadly, numerous scammers prey on senior citizens and con them out of their money,” Legislator Rose Marie Walker said. “They get calls saying their grandchildren need bail, or they have been in an accident, or anything that will get the intended scam victim to open their bank account to them. Thankfully, in this case, these scammers were apprehended, but we all need to be on alert for these scams.

“Thank you to these outstanding detectives for their dedication and precision in setting up this sting and apprehending the criminals.”

Crime watCh

LarCeNy

A victim reported that the front license plate of his vehicle was removed from his car while parked on Lenox Avenue in Westbury on July 7.

On July 18, a victim reported a wallet was stolen from her car, parked on Roland Avenue in Wantagh.

On July 15, a female victim reported that $300 was stolen from her vehicle, while parked on Circle Drive in Bellmore.

A catalytic converter was removed from a car parked on Violet Street in Massapequa.

A victim reported a bicycle was stolen from Trader Joes in Merrick on July 15.

The Seaford Stop & Shop reported a male subject removed assorted items from the store on July 17.

A catalytic converter was removed from a car parked on Carrolton Avenue in Wantagh on July 18.

arrests

Yecenia Hercules Hercules, 31 of Roosevelt, was arrested for shoplifting at Target on Corporate Drive in Westbury on July 13.

On July 15, Edward Ackeem, 27 of Amityville, was arrested for shoplifting at Shop Rite in Massapequa on Sunrise Highway.

Chris Locrotondo, 55 of Wantagh, was arrested for criminal mischief on Lufberry Avenue in Wantagh on July 17.

Daniel Anzalone, 44 of Mineola, was arrested for shoplifting at Crunch Fitness on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow on July 19.

On July 19, Brian Dor, 22 of New Cassel, was arrested for shoplifting at Target on Corporate Drive in Westbury.

CrimiNaL misChief

A victim reported damage to the window of his vehicle, while parked on N. Virginia Avenue in North Massapequa.

On July 19, female victim reported damage to the passenger side mirror of her car that was parked on Salisbury Park Drive.

People named in Crime Watch items as having been arrested and charged with violations or crimes are only suspected of committing those acts of which they are accused. They are all presumed to be innocent of those charges until and unless found guilty in a court of law.

Courtesy Nassau County Legislature

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

Stevenson and Rasheed wed on July 6

East Meadow residents Joshua Stevenson, right, and Nikita Rasheed, middle, said “I do” on July 6 at Hempstead Town Hall. Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray, left,officiated the wedding. Residents interested in obtaining their marriage license and/or scheduling a wedding ceremony should call the Office of the Town Clerk at (516) 812-3014 or visit HempsteadNY.gov/marriage.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, DLJ MORTGAGE CAPITAL, INC., Plaintiff, vs. MARJORIE E. RODRIGUEZ

A/K/A MARJORIE

RODRIGUEZ, ET AL.,

Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 16, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 8, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 75 Merrick Avenue, East Meadow, NY 11554. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in East Meadow, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 50, Block 485 and Lot 9. Approximate amount of judgment is $709,047.25 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 008030/2016. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

George P. Esernio, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No. 170938-1 140520

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

FEDERAL NATIONAL

MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION

Plaintiff, Against LINDA PINIZZOTTO, ET AL., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/06/2018, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Front Steps of the Nassau County Courthouse, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501. This Auction will be held rain or shine on 8/8/2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 1619 Midland Drive, East Meadow, New York 11554, And

Described As Follows:

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in East Meadow, in the town of New Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Section

50 Block 461 Lot 26

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $328,351.89 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 10660/2012

If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction Glenn R. Jersey, III, Esq., Referee. MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573

Dated: 6/5/2023 File

Number: 560-5930 RS 140463

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR LEGACY MORTGAGE ASSET TRUST 2017-RPL2, Plaintiff, Against FRANCISO MOLINA A/K/A FRANCISCO S. MOLINA, MARIA MOLINA A/K/A MARIA H. MOLINA, ET AL.

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/16/2022, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501. This Auction will be held rain or shine on 8/14/2023 at 2:00 PM, premises known as 786 Davis Avenue, Uniondale, NY 11553, And Described

As Follows:

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in At Hempstead Park, Town Of Hempstead, County Of Nassau And State Of New York.

Section 36 Block 138 Lot 15

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $392,575.61 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale;

Index # 614717/2019

Heather D. Crosley, Esq., Referee.

If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction.

SHELDON MAY & ASSOCIATES Attorneys at Law, 255 Merrick Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Dated: 6/16/23 File

Number: 36603 SH 140621

COUNTY OF NASSAU

MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC

Plaintiff, vs. GRETCHEN DEITZ BARRETT, if living, and if she/he be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT;

ADVANTAGE ASSETS II, INC. A/P/O CITIBANK SOUTH DAKOTA; CITIBANK, N.A. S/B/M/T

CITIBANK (SOUTH DAKOTA), N.A.; SLOMINS, INC.; PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants.

Plaintiff designates NASSAU as the place of trial situs of the real property

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS

Mortgaged Premises:

22 FAMILY LANE, LEVITTOWN, NY 11756

Section: 45, Block: 309,

Lot: 12

To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner

other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $544,185.00 and interest, recorded on August 25, 2008, in Liber M 33206 at Page 668, of the Public Records of NASSAU County, New York., covering premises known as 22 FAMILY LANE, LEVITTOWN, NY 11756. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

NASSAU County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county.

NOTICE

YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

Dated: June 30, 2023

ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff Veronica M. Rundle, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590

516-280-7675

140824

Hunt Layton of Westbury died on July 17, 2023 at the age of 88. He was the owner of Hunt’s Barber Shop in Locust Valley for over 60 years. He was married to his partner, Mildred Anastasi, for 45 years. He leaves behind his son Dennis Hunt and daughter Donna Lafreniere (Richard). He was the grandfa-

Hunt Layton, dead at 88 Hunt Layton

ther of Corie, and Devon, and great-grandfather to Grace, Jonathan, and Rilley. He is also survived by Mildred’s family Leslie and Steven (Jackie) and their children Justin (Ela), Zach (Sarah), Alex, Valerie and Liana. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to Grenville Baker Boys & Girls.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-1, Plaintiff, v. GLORIA AYALA, ET AL. Defendants.

NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

THAT

In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Nassau County on April 21, 2023, I, En-Chia Anna Lin, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on August 21, 2023 at Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Ct. Dr. North Side Steps, County of Nassau, State of New York, 11501 at 2:00 PM the premises described as follows:

7 Second Street a/k/a 7 2nd Street Westbury, NY 11590 SBL No.: 11-166-114

ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being near Westbury (unincorporated area), Town of North Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 601170/2019 in the amount of $435,137.16 plus interest and costs. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social

distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff

500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604

Tel.: 855-227-5072 Tel.: 855-227-5072 140822

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, IN TRUST FOR REGISTERED HOLDERS OF LONG BEACH MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2006-3, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-3, Plaintiff, vs. GERARDO CARBAJAL, Defendant.

Pursuant to an Order

Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on July 2, 2018 and a Proposed Order duly entered on February 26, 2020, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 2269 Roosevelt Avenue, East Meadow, NY 11554. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at East Meadow, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 50, Block 205 and Lots 25, 26, 27 and 28. Approximate amount of judgment is $711,290.24 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 012037/2014. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot

be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale. Gregg Sidoti, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff 140963

MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 123 SOUTH BROAD STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19109

Dated: 6/26/2023 File

Number: 560-1721 RS 140961

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU HSBC BANK USA, NATONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR OPTION ONE MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2007-HL1 ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-HL1 Plaintiff, Against MARISOL LORENZO, EDWIN LORENZO, ET AL.,

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 11/16/2017, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, The North Front Steps of the Nassau County Courthouse, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on 8/28/2023 at 2:00 pm, premises known as 388 Maplegrove Avenue, Uniondale, NY 11553, and as described as follows:

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Uniondale, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York

Section 50 Block 51 Lot 158

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $613,177.58 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 12-013295

Scott H Siller, Esq., Referee.

U.S. Bank National Association, not in its individual capacity but solely as trustee for the RMAC Trust, Series 2018 G-CTT, Plaintiff AGAINST Brian Taggart; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 6, 2023 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 29, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 2760 Cypress Avenue, East Meadow, NY 11554. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in East Meadow, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 51 Block 17 Lot 73. Approximate amount of judgment $343,984.71 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 608076/2019. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the Tenth Judicial District. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Jane P. Shrenkel, Esq., Referee

Help Wanted RECEPTIONIST P/T

Busy Cedarhurst Office

Sundays & Some Week Days

Answering Phones, Filing, And Scheduling Appointments Must Be Computer Literate Call 516-374-1010

THE FRIEDBERG JCC Before/After School Program is seeking passionate and hardworking high school/ college counselors. Before Care hours: 7am-9am. After School hours: 2:45PM-6PM. If interested, send your resume to Program Director Toni Corchado: TCorchado@friedbergjcc.org or call 516-634-4179

Child/Eldercare/Help Wanted

NANNY NEEDED EXPERIENCED

Live-In Or Live-Out

Monday - Friday

English/Spanish Speaking Call 516-672-4040

Eldercare Offered

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Maintenance Mechanic Wanted for Residential Building

REAL ESTATE Open Houses

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$2,999,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas elliman 516-238-429 ba

HEWLETT HARBOR BA, 1051 Channel Dr, FIRST TIME ON MARKET! 3/4 BR, 2.5 Bth Split on Beautiful Ω Acre Parklike Property. Updtd Gran/Wood EIK, Spac LR/DR with Vaulted Ceiling & Fpl, & Fam Rm. 2 Car Att Gar.Endless Possibilities!

SD#14...$1,349,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-429

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SD#20..$2,299,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

Open Houses

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HomesHERALD

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Totally Renovated Cape

This truly beautiful renovated Cape Cod features a living room with a wood burning fireplace, a dining room and a brand new eat-in-kitchen with island. This home also boasts four bedrooms, two full baths, white oak floors, full basement and detached garage with a long and private driveway, off street parking for five to six cars, newer gas heat and hot water heater. You will also enjoy gas cooking, central air conditioning, all newer thermal pane windows, newer roof, private fenced yard and much more! Located on a quiet tree lined street; you can walk to everything including the LIRR station. $715,000

Patricia Murphy Licensed RE Sales Person 516-680-6346 VILLAGE PLAZA REALTY 141 Broadway Malverne, NY 11565 516-593-5455 info@villageplaza.com villageplaza.com

How tall can houses be?

Q. A few homes in my neighborhood are much taller. What are the rules for how tall a house can be — like how many floors, and what is legal? I mostly see only two stories, but the new ones are at least three. Is this a new thing that you can build taller? Was it just traditional to only build two stories until now?

A. The thinking on allowed height has changed recently.

Hurricane Sandy’s flooding moved New York to promote house lifting in flood zones. Influence also came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which, in essence, is really a publicly funded insurance company, covering people in areas where regular home insurance companies avoid the risk of insuring.

Ask The Architect Monte Leeper

The incentive to lift or build higher is to avoid huge flood insurance cost increases — building above flood levels, with the lowest level only allowed to be for a garage and storage, not living space. By making the first livable floor higher, above the flood level, insurance rates are kept lower. People have shown me their rates went from $500 to $2,500 dollars a year, increasing annually since Sandy in 2012.

Parklike Property. Updtd Gran/Wood EIK, Spac LR/DR with Vaulted Ceiling & Fpl, & Fam Rm. 2 Car Att Gar.Endless Possibilities!

SD#14 $1,349,000

246 Adams Rd, BA, Elegant & Stately 4200 Sq Ft CH Col on Beautiful Quiet St. 5 BR, 4.55 Bth. Sweeping Staircase. All Spacious Rooms with Top Quality Finishes. Amazing Fam Rm with Cathedral Ceiling Overlooking

1 Acre Resortlike Prop Featuring IG Gunite Pool, Patio & Tennis Ct. XL Fin

Bsmt. Upper Level has Primary Ste w/ Dressing Rm & Bth Plus 3 BRs & 2

Bths. 2 Car Att Gar.Low Taxes! SD#20

HEWLETT

REDUCED! $2,299,000

1390 Broadway #102, BA, NEW! Move Right Into This Magnificent Newly

Renovated 2 BR, 2 Bth Coop in Prestigious Hewlett Townhouse.Open

Layout. NEW State of the Art Kitchen & Bths, HW Flrs, Windows, HVAC, Recessed LED Lights, Doors, W/D. Community Pool. Full Service 24 Hr

Doorman, Valet Pkg, Elevator, Priv Storage. Gar Pkg. Near Shops, Trans &

Houses of Worship $579,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom (Originally 3 BR), 2 Bath Condo in Prestigious Jonathan Hall with Doorman & Elevator. Updtd Wood/Quartz Kit, LR & DR. Washer/Dryer in Unit.

Underground Pkg. Loads of Closets. Terrace Faces Back. Easy Ranch Style

Living BIG REDUCTION!! MOTIVATED SELLER! $579,000

WOO dMERE

504 Saddle Ridge Rd, BA, Move Right Into This Renovated 4 BR, 2 Bth

Split with Open Layout in Prime Location! Granite/Wood EIK Opens to Dining Room & Living Room. Lower Level Den. HW Flrs, Gas Heat, CAC.

Oversized Property! SD#14. Near All! REDUCED! $999,000 CE da RHURST

332B Peninsula Blvd, BA, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2.5 Bth

Coop Townhouse. LR, DR,

Some homes are much higher than codes and incentives intended, due to misinterpretation of reasons to build higher and misrepresentation in the review process. For example, a home’s first floor is no longer a first floor if it’s higher than 6 feet above the ground. Over 6 feet high, the floor level automatically becomes a second floor, meaning the next floor above is a third floor, which requires zoning board approval, interior sprinklers, escape terraces and wind strengthening. I have seen home plans misrepresented as being two stories by not correctly showing the floor level heights or describing a second floor as a first floor, the next floor as a second floor that is really a third floor — even where a fourth floor is shown as a mezzanine or roof level balcony.

There is a small country town in Tuscany, in central Italy, San Gimignano, that is famous for its skyline of towers that people built onto their homes during medieval times. As the story goes, one prominent homeowner built a tall tower to watch for potential attackers. His neighbor jealously built a tower a little higher, and, not to be outdone, several adjacent homeowners began building towers higher and higher.

History repeats itself. Thirty feet from the new design flood elevation, which may be 2 to 4 feet higher off the ground, could make the maximum roof height 34 to 35 feet in your town. The safety code intends to protect people from perishing in fires, so indoor sprinklers are part of the requirement Decisions to build higher have to take community safety and appearance into account, so height restrictions have been intended to make escape and rescue easier. Statistically, only 5 percent of occupants on a third floor survive a fire. That’s the reason for height restrictions, so taller homes require more safety features.

© 2023 Monte Leeper

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

Doors & Windows

MERCHANDISE MART

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Finds Under $100

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Is it time for Yankees and Mets fans to ask for a refund?

Regardless of the heat wave, I love summer, compared with the brutal wind blasts of December. I know that the summer climate doesn’t satisfy everyone, but the chance to breathe the warm air and be greeted with the bright sunshine is very comforting to me. Summer makes me happy, but I must confess to being very irritated by one subject. I refer to the Yankees and the Mets.

Once upon a time, during my very naïve years, I was told that money buys anything. I didn’t really believe that, because with the passage of time, I saw many instances in which money bought nothing. I know wealthy couples who are the most miserable people. I’ve watched companies flush with money fall apart due to mismanagement.

But I wonder how two great sports franchises, flush with cash, can perform so badly.

Being a lifelong Yankees fan, I will start with my gripes about them.

Media reports indicate that the current payroll of the team is around $280 million, which places them close to the top of the list of the big spenders.

With that kind of money and a fan base that pours millions of dollars into the club treasury, how can management justify the fact that their team is in last place in the American League East?

There’s no doubt that Aaron Judge’s toe injury has been a major setback. But there are many other players who take the field each day and do nothing to win or make the loyal fan base happy. If you follow them as I do, they look like a bunch of people who just show up to collect a paycheck and go home.

They are listless, bored and totally disconnected with the job of keeping baseball America’s so-called pastime.

If these players were street sweepers, I could understand their listlessness. Pushing a broom can be a very dull job. But when players are paid millions of dollars, the fans are entitled to watch a team that is energized and trying to succeed. Have you ever watched the Little League World

Series? It pays to tune in and watch kids yell and scream when a teammate gets a base hit. They hug a fellow player when he strikes out to encourage him to do better the next time he’s at the plate.

There are many big league examples of hunger for victory. The Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays are good examples. Their players come out to play with smiles on their faces and are determined to win. The lack of passion that the Yankees display is similar to what I observe about this year’s Mets team.

The Mets’ owner, Steve Cohen is a very wealthy man. He can buy just about anything he wants just by dialing his cellphone. He has invested billions in a team that has been called one of the best that money could buy. When he broke the bank to hire Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Mets fans were jumping for joy.

The rest of the lineup is All-Star quality, but the team could end up in fourth or worse in the NL East at season’s end.

When some team owners speak to

the sportswriters, they sound like the kid who claims the dog ate his homework. They moan about injuries and claim that it will be just a matter of time before their players catch fire. They’re afraid to complain about their players for fear of upsetting them. They seem to forget about the dollars they’re shelling out to those employees.

Many of us longtime Yankees fans wish George Steinbrenner was still alive. When he was, and Yankees players failed to perform, he publicly excoriated them.

And Steinbrenner was never reluctant to trade away a player who didn’t meet his standards.

It’s possible that the Yankees, and the Mets, too, will shake up their teams by the Aug. 1 trade deadline. And maybe they’ll send out a few blunt messages that we long-suffering New York fans are entitled to get our money’s worth when we buy those very expensive tickets.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? JKremer@liherald.com.

Food for thought: Whose tuna is it anyway?

We all have our breaking points, and I discovered my husband’s last Thursday evening after we arrived at a nearby restaurant for dinner. We had been there once before. The place had good word of mouth, and the reviews said the service was friendly and the food was imaginatively prepared. Perhaps we should have lingered longer over the word “imaginatively.”

know what I’m having,” he said, with great relish. “The tuna steak with bok choy and wasabi potatoes.” Our daughter said she would have the same.

I saw trouble looming on the horizon, and it had fins.

The waiter arrived to take our orders.

“I’ll have the tuna, cooked medium,” my daughter said.

who remembered us from the week before. “Sir, you sent your tuna back three times last week,” he said.

“That’s right,” Don said. ”Because it was raw each time, even though I ordered it well done.”

“I’m sorry,” the manager said. “But the chef won’t cook it past medium.”

Randi is on a brief leave. This column was originally published Jan. 13-19, 2000.

“What’s with all the blue swirls? Paint me polka dots.”

RANDI KREISS

We were dining with one of our favorite people, our daughter, and my husband wanted it to be a special treat for her.

We were seated by one of the friendly staff, and he made a point of removing the white napkins and offering us black ones, saying, “These won’t leave lint on your black slacks.”

“I’m impressed, “ I said. “What a thoughtful accommodation.”

Don was perusing the menu. “I

The waiter looked pained. “We cook the tuna rare,” he said. “Medium, with pink on the inside, is as far as we’ll go.” She said that was fine.

it had fins.

But it wasn’t fine with the big guy. “I would like the same,” my husband purred, “but I want mine well done. I don’t do pink.”

The waiter looked stricken. “I’m sorry, sir, but the chef won’t cook it past medium.”

“I know how I like my tuna,” Don said, quite reasonably. “I won’t send it back because it’s too well done. I like it that way. It’s my dinner, and I want it cooked the way I want to eat it.”

The waiter fetched the manager,

“You mean to tell me that I’m paying for this dinner and I have to eat it the way the chef likes it?”

“Sorry sir.”

“I assume the chef is the owner,” my husband said.

“Yes, sir.”

“And he doesn’t care if he loses a customer?”

“No, sir. He serves his tuna purple in the middle.”

By now my husband was turning purple himself. He canceled the tuna and ordered a vegetable plate.

Our daughter suggested we try to reframe the situation.

“You’re so angry, Dad. Try to think of this from the chef’s point of view. He’s a food artist. He’s the Van Gogh of food, and you’re saying to him,

The big guy wasn’t in the mood to reframe. “He can paint all the blue swirls he wants, but I don’t have to eat them. This guy is telling me that if I want to eat the meal I want to eat, I have to eat it the way he enjoys it.”

I see it as a control issue: Yes, you will. No, I won’t. The chef was a prima donna, an incarnation of “Seinfeld’s” soup Nazi. My husband couldn’t get the meal he wanted, which is, after all, the general idea of dining out, and he was right.

Scrambled eggs with ketchup, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, burnt steaks, matzo balls hard as hockey pucks: culinary idiosyncrasies are an American tradition. In the future, when we hear about a restaurant where there’s an artist at the burners, we will dine elsewhere.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

At a nearby restaurant, I saw trouble looming on the horizon, and

Many of us Bronx Bombers fans wish George Steinbrenner was still alive.

JERRY KREMER

opInIons Local news is good for business

It’s no secret that recent years have been tough on small businesses and on newspapers.

A bipartisan bill, the Community News & Small Business Support Act that has been introduced in Congress, would offer relief to both newspapers and local businesses.

For too many newspapers, help can’t come soon enough. Economic challenges have resulted in too many communities seeing their local newspapers being forced to lay off staff, cut back on publication days, or — worse yet — close. On average, two newspapers are closing each week. That hurts local businesses and residents in the long (and short) run.

However, despite the challenges, what remains true is that local newspapers make a difference in their communities.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at the numbers, and why America’s Newspapers has been pushing for the Community News & Small Business Support Act to be introduced.

A recent national study of 5,000 Americans older than 18 was conducted by the independent research firm Coda Ventures for America’s Newspapers, and provides compelling evidence of the importance, relevance and vitality of today’s newspapers in the American media landscape.

Readers told us that their local newspaper makes a difference. The study shows that 79 percent of Americans read/use local news “to stay informed” about their cities, counties and communities. They also said they rely on their local paper to feel connected to their community. To decide where they stand on local issues. To find places and things to do. To talk with people about things happening in the commu-

Letters

We need to hear much more from Peter King

To the Editor:

nity, because they find it enjoyable or entertaining, and to be a better citizen.

And, contrary to popular belief, readers across all age groups turn to local newspapers and their digital products to stay informed about their communities.

Readers also told us they need more local news from their community paper. As one survey respondent said, “Our paper keeps getting smaller. I would like to see more news items, what’s happening in town, what’s new in politics, etc. And they need to be quicker to respond to breaking news.”

All of that takes a committed, local staff — something the legislation, introduced by U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, of New York, and Rep. Suzan DelBene, of Washington, will help to make happen.

So, what would this legislation mean to your local community?

Local businesses with fewer than 50 employees would receive a five-year nonrefundable tax credit of up to $5,000 in the first year, and up to $2,500 in the subsequent four years, based on their spending with local newspapers and local media. Our study showed that six out of 10 American adults use newspaper advertising to help them decide what brands, products and local services to buy.

Newspaper readers also are almost twice as likely to purchase products in a number of important advertising categories than nonnewspaper readers, including automobiles, trucks and SUVs; home furnishings; home improvement products and services; and home services like pest control, plumbing and heating.

With this legislation, we expect to see more businesses being able to afford to advertise to consumers, which in turn helps communities thrive.

For local newspapers, a five-year refundable tax credit would help them hire more journalists to bring you more news. It’s a win-win for local communities.

Newspapers would receive a tax credit to be

used for the compensation of journalists. The credit would cover 50 percent of journalists’ compensation in the first year, and 30 percent of compensation — up to $50,000 — in the subsequent four years.

This tax credit would only be available to local community papers with fewer than 750 employees and, if they don’t invest in their newsroom, they don’t get the credit.

And these tax credits are only available to local newspapers. National newspaper outlets are not eligible.

The importance of local newspapers and local business is the reason Reps. Tenney and DelBene introduced the legislation. We are most grateful for their support.

We need your support, as well, to encourage legislators to enact this legislation. Please contact the offices of your senators and representatives in Congress and encourage them to add their support to this legislation.

These tax credits aren’t permanent — they will sunset in five years. But those critical five years will allow the newspaper industry the time needed to address the challenges that it is facing from Big Tech, which often uses newspapers’ content without compensation, as well as other technological and market challenges. Visit USA.gov/elected-officials for the contact information for your legislators.

More local reporting means more access for hometown news readers like you rely on. And stronger newspapers mean stronger advertising vehicles for local businesses.

On behalf of its approximately 1,700 newspaper and Solutions Partner companies, America’s Newspapers is committed to explaining, defending and advancing the vital role of newspapers in democracy and civil life. We put an emphasis on educating the public on all the ways newspapers contribute to building a community identity and the success of local businesses.

Learn more at Newspapers.org.

Dean Ridings is chief executive of the advocacy organization America’s Newspapers.

Re Peter King’s column last week, “At this dinner, true patriotism was on vivid display”: Mr. King’s columns have been mildly interesting, often nostalgic, but the deprive us of his greatest asset. As a former congressman with long experience as a respectable Republican, his informed opinion is valuable to Long Island. Recounting the Patriot Awards Dinner is interesting and nostalgic, but the present need for heroes is expressed only as wishful thinking. Noting the heroes and the 9/11 terrorists should not blind us to the present terrorist threat.

Candidate Donald Trump proclaims the constitutional right to do anything he wants as president. He further details the goals of his mission of “retribution,” involving destruction, uprooting, elimination and the like. His militant acolytes sign on, his team details the means by which they’ll establish an autocracy during

Hochul should sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act

If we are going to save the planet, we need to start by saving the bees. Bees and other pollinators are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat, but the global decline in honeybee populations has long been documented. Last year, New York beekeepers lost 45 percent of their bee colonies, one of the highest loss rates on record. New York’s native bees and pollinators are at risk of local extinction. The fewer pollinators we have, the fewer fruits and vegetables we will be able to grow. We know bee populations are declining dramatically, yet there is resistance in New York to addressing the main culprit in these losses: neonicotinoid pesticides. They are toxic, and they are killing bees and harming Long Island.

Neonicotinoids, or “neonics,” are the most commonly used pesticide in New York and on the Island. They are best known for their harm to wildlife, but they are also being found in Long

Island’s groundwater. The Birds and Bees Protection Act, which both the Assembly and the State Senate have passed, addresses the core of New York’s neonic contamination problem by prohibiting the needless and replaceable uses of this toxic pesticide, thus eliminating 80 to 90 percent of the neonics entering the state’s environment. Now we need Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the bill into law.

In recent years, an avalanche of peer-reviewed science has emerged indicating that neonics are not only a major threat to the health of bees and other pollinators, but also pollute water resources, threaten birds and other wildlife, and raise concerns about human health impacts. Neonics may be the most environmentally damaging pesticide since DDT, and action must be taken now to address this growing threat to our environment, health, food and pollinators. Neonics are highly water-soluble and can quickly move through soil into our waterways. Used on lawns and gardens, they can be sprayed at higher rates and enter our waterways as stormwater runoff. So it’s no wonder we are seeing

Letters

2025, his media broadcast the message, his donors unsheathe their checkbooks.

Surely the honorable Mr. King has some thoughts on these proposed alterations to the government he helped to preserve? Or on the character of some of those he served with? Or on the unusual tactics of Tommy Tuberville, Marjorie

Taylor Greene or Jim Jordan? Mr. King must feel something about marionettes like George Santos replacing serious public servants like himself. Mr. King’s service is recent and thus still relevant, but it will become less so with time. The time to speak, to advise, is now.

BrIAN KELLY Rockville Centre

Protect chimps — and unborn babies

To the Editor:

re randi Kreiss’s column last week, “Chimps face N.Y. court test of personhood” (reprised from Jun 11-17, 2015): I usually don’t agree with randi, because we have different political outlooks and worldviews, but this time I do, because cruelty is morally wrong. There are exceptions such as war, but those are rare.

Her quote from Jane Goodall and reference to chimpanzees’ similar DNA were poignant. Why, then, don’t we all extend

the same concern to creatures that share 100 percent of our DNA — an exact match, actually? And these creatures look “just like a human baby,” because they are human, and in fact “persons,” regardless of what current laws say. But unfortunately, most people are like randi’s dinner crowd, who “just couldn’t care about what happens to chimpanzees” — or unborn human children.

I challenge randi to use her own logic to help defend the unborn.

And I will contribute to janegoodall.org.

JACK HOLLAND Baldwin

Some of us know what teachers go through

To the Editor:

re Mark Nolan’s column in last week’s Herald, “You have no idea with teachers deal with”: Yep — all sad but true. My wife is a retired first-grade teacher. It’s hard to believe that so much starts there, but it does.

Yes, teachers are well paid, but most of them really earn it! Thanks to them, and God bless them.

DICK CArDOzO Westbury

widespread contamination of the state’s rivers, streams, ponds, and marine environments. The alarming ability of neonics to contaminate water resources is particularly concerning for Long Island’s sole-source aquifer.

Imidacloprid, one of the most used neonics, is found in hundreds of products on the market. It’s used on lawns, turf, golf courses, gardens, farms, pets, ornamental plantings, and in households.

United States Geological Survey monitoring of Long Island groundwater in 2016 found imidacloprid to be one of the most frequently detected pesticides, present in approximately 31 percent of samples taken.

State Department of Environmental Conservation groundwater testing data revealed that imidacloprid was the most common pesticide found in Long Island groundwater, with 890 detections in 179 locations. Long Island is designated as a sole-source drinking water area, meaning that 100 percent of our drinking water comes from groundwater aquifers.

The ubiquitous and unnecessary use of these pesticides is damaging our

drinking water quality and threatening our health. Clean and safe drinking water is a basic human need, and neonics put that at risk.

There is growing scientific evidence of how neonicotinoids threaten human health. Several studies link neonic exposure to developmental harm, including malformations of the developing heart and brain. The longer we wait to ban the most dangerous uses of neonics, the longer we expose New Yorkers to this neurotoxin and amplify the adverse health impacts of chronic prolonged exposure. The Birds and Bees Protection Act targets the heart of New York’s neonic pollution problem. It would prohibit neonic-treated corn, soybean and wheat seeds as well as ornamental uses on lawns, gardens and golf courses.

The State Senate and Assembly passed the bill this legislative session. Now we need Hochul to stand up to the pesticide industry and the chemical companies who are hard at work, aggressively lobbying her to veto the bill. Protecting public health and saving the bees are in the public interest, which needs to be prioritized over corporate interests. We need the governor to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act.

Framework by Tim Baker

Guess what’s all the rage at Little Doll Studio? — Rockville Centre

Adrienne Esposito is executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

toxic pesticides are killing bees and are being found in L.I.’s groundwater.

aDrIenne esposIto