Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 07-27-2023

Lynbrook welcomes new village trustee

By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com

Michael Habert has always called Lynbrook home. It was where he was born, as were his two children, and that’s why, as a new village trustee, he wants to help keep Lynbrook the best it can be.

“I care about this town,” he said. “It’s part of me.”

Habert, sworn in on July 17, added that by becoming a trustee, he is able to give back to the town that raised him. He is no stranger to service. He was a police officer with the NYPD in Brooklyn for 26 years, the last 14 as a homicide detective. Working directly with families — often during highly sensitive times — helped him develop a knack for listening to people, and furthered his drive to represent and protect their interests.

“Those are the people that you interact

with the most,” Habert said of his police experience. “You’re not dealing with the governor or the president — you’re dealing with your town people, your village people.”

Habert is bringing those skills to make sure the people of Lynbrook have a voice in the village’s direction.

“My neighbors, my family are here, lifelong friends own businesses here,” he said.

“So I hear them, I talk to them, and I can bring those things — what their concerns are, and my experiences — to the board, to the table and work with them.”

Habert said that public safety is a huge priority of his — and that goes beyond crime. To him, public safety means education on issues like the dangers of drug use and driving under the influence. Habert wants to promote joint efforts among families, police, fire departments, and schools to protect young CoNtiNued oN pAge 20

Train ride to the city is going to cost more now

By JUAN l ASSo & NIColE FoRMISANo of the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald

Starting on or around Aug. 20, 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 price increase translates to a few extra cents for each ticket. A one-way peak ticket from Long Beach to Manhattan, for

example, will cost an extra 50 cents, increasing from $14 to $14.50, and will rise from $10.25 to $10.75 during non-peak hours.

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

The situation came to a head earlier this year, when the MTA said it faced a projected budget gap of $2.5 billion by 2025. The

MATThEw TRoChE frequent commuter

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 responders, and health care workers.”

Critics and observers, however, argue that the MTA’s budget-

ary problems reach back decades, and that its fiscal troubles are the result of shabby budget practices that have left 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 agency and Albany, MTA chair and chief executive Janno

Courtesy Village of Lynbrook

Newly appointed trustee Michael Habert, left, with Mayor Alan Beach. Habert was sworn in at a July 17 village meeting.

Lynbrook residents have mixed opinions on first fare hike in four years

one 50 cents is not a lot, but after weeks and weeks that adds up. Fifty cents goes a long way.

East Rockaway turns the ‘summer slide’ into Summer Climb

By NICOLE FORMISANO nformisano@liherald.com

There won’t be a “summer slide” for these East Rockaway students. The Summer Climb program is in full swing, with 1st through 11th graders honing their academic skills and making friends in the process in the Summer Climb program.

“It’s really a summer camp with an emphasis on education,” Joseph Polite, the program coordinator, said. “We want them to come here and have fun, and learn in the process. That’s the big thing: we can learn and have fun.”

The program is catered to each age group. Grades 1 through 6 have a STEM program where they learn the scientific method creatively. Projects have included a hands-on activity that simulated an oil spill, and building structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows. The Summer Climb program aims to promote literacy as well, both through a book club and a music class where kids take a closer look at Disney lyrics they know and love.

“It’s a different way to hook them with literature,” Polite said. “It’s another way

for them to read and interpret meaning and art and story.”

The middle schoolers focus more on academics. Students take a brief diagnostic test on a software iReady, which assesses their strengths and areas that can be improved. Half of class time is independent work, while the other half is spent with a teacher in a group.

“The kids are actually really enjoying it,” Polite said. “The way the teachers are running it right now, and the relationship they have with the kids — the program tries to make those connections in the social element as well.”

The Summer Climb’s physical fitness program is open to grades 7 through 11, and is focused on making it easier for students to stay active and get stronger both physically and mentally. Several of the district’s sports coaches guide students through weightlifting, yoga and meditation, agility practice, and more.

“They thoroughly enjoy that,” Polite said. “They come, work out, get stronger, blow off some steam, and hang out with friends.”

What makes this summer special is the fact that all the students are under one roof. While the Summer Climb program

is typically divided into respective elementary, middle, and high school buildings, the district’s current construction projects required this year’s program to take place all together in the high school.

“The younger kids love having the high school kids here,” Polite said. “And it gives the older students a chance to be role models and be viewed in that light.

Polite said that teachers have noticed

that students who have participated in the Summer Climb program return to school with much stronger skills — academically and beyond.

“You definitely can see it socially and emotionally,” Polite said. “It’s vital for students to have a safe place to go to hang out with friends, and build the connection with the school, the community, and with their teachers.”

Photos courtesy East Rockaway School District The Summer Climb programs are tailored to each age group.

It’s really a summer camp with an emphasis on education. We want them to come here and have fun, and learn in the process.

JOSEph pOLItE

The Summer Climb program coordinator

Covid-19 left recovery groups fighting solo

By CLARE GEHLICH Intern

While the physical and financial impact of Covid-19 begins to subside, the lasting mental health effects continue to cast a shadow of uncertainty.

A silent crisis unfolded for recovery groups on Long Island as they faced an unprecedented challenge as they found themselves locked out and cut off from their personal healing and recovery. The repercussions of these patients and organizations still grapple with the aftermath.

The drug crisis and the disruptive drug supply contributed to the complexity of the situation. The loss of many jobs and financial instability worsened existing mental health struggles. Treatment facilities faced delays in their openings, resulting in limited access to essential medical and mental health support.

Many individuals lost their jobs and faced severe financial insecurity. On top of that, treatment facilities that were supposed to open then faced delays, which further aggravated access to essential medical and mental support.

Jeffrey Reynolds, president and CEO of the Family and Children’s Association, FCA, shed light on the surge of substance abuse. Elevated rates in drugs such as fentanyl, xylazine, even cocaine, and methamphetamine highlight the link between mental health issues in the community and these alarming spikes. The mental health issues that follow the post-Covid era create challenges for both young people and adults.

“When we think about why that is, it’s not too hard to connect the dots with mental health conditions in our community,” Reynolds said. “Whether we’re talking about young people or adults, the mental health issues post-Covid are really significant.”

Although numerous recovery groups shut down when former Governor Andrew Cuomo imposed restrictions on gatherings in 2020, others adapted by adjusting to online platforms. However, in recent years, many meetings returned to real-time meetings, establishing selfhelp or professionally led support networks.

Organizations like FCA continuously provide support

services to vulnerable community members, including children, families, seniors, and neighborhoods. They strive to operate predominantly in-person services for as long as possible, recognizing the value of direct human connection in the healing and recovery processes. FCA’s range of services includes care management, family treatment and recovery centers, harm reduction initiatives, and elder abuse support, extending a lifeline to those in need.

Reynolds emphasized the deterioration of mental health conditions within the community, where the widespread effects of drugs and alcohol have highlighted those struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health illnesses.

“While we will want Covid and this chapter to be over more than anything in the world, the reality is it’s not over for a lot of folks,” Reynolds said. “Many are still struggling and we owe it to those folks to make sure that there’s proper care.”

The emotional impact of the pandemic on young people will not disappear for another generation. As Long Island navigates the aftermath of the pandemic, it is essential to confront the mental health crisis head-on, united in the commitment to support those in need. However, Reynolds assures people that community resources remain available, encouraging individuals to take advantage of the support offered by organizations like FCA and beyond.

“We historically have forced people to jump through all sorts of hoops to get help for mental health conditions and substance use disorders,” Reynolds said. “Something moving forward that does include those traditional models of service delivery, coming to a clinic and you know, getting in your car and driving through here and that kind of thing. That’s probably important, but so are some of the other options.”

Mercy Hospital opens new Family Care Center

Catholic Heath Mercy Hospital cut the ribbon on its new Family Care Center July 20 with elected officials, hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, community members and clergy members.

The new facility is 16,000-square feet, and located across from the emergency room of the hospital. It is hoped that the new center will enhance patient access to underserved populations and add more services for those that need family care.

This new facility, built with the support of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, will move the hospitals existing outpatient women and children medical clinics to this new site. The facility will also offer new clinical services, including cardiology, primary care and more.

“I am very happy to help cut the ribbon on Mercy Hospital’s new Family Care unit,” Legislator Bill Gaylor said. “Catholic Health and Mercy Hospital do phenomenal work in both the Rockville Centre community and all-over Long Island to help give underserved communities access to proper health care.”

Pictured with Legislator Bill Gaylor, far left, are State Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray, President and CEO of Catholic Health Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy, Assemblywoman Taylor Darling, Assemblyman Ed Ra, President of Mercy Hospital Joseph Manopella, Deputy Mayor Village of Rockville Centre Kathleen Baxley, Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Laura Ryder, and Assemblyman Brian Curran.

Courtesy Legislator Bill Gaylor

Courtesy Paige O’Brien Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds speaking at THRIVE Suffolk for International Overdose Awareness Day in September 2022.

Lynbrook’s Swim Across America is looking to make a splash

By NICOLE FORMISANO nformisano@liherald.com

Lynbrook’s 14th annual Swim Across America is here on July 28 — and each year seems to blow the previous out of the water.

“It’s definitely grown,” said Emily Bergin, the Swim Across America coordinator for Lynbrook. “A lot of the new people who come will keep on coming, which is really great. But there’s always a lot of familiar faces.”

Swim Across America is an annual fundraiser for cancer research. The Lynbrook chapter alone, hosted at the Lynbrook Village Pool, has raised more than $195k in 13 years — and this year they’re looking to add at least another $10k to the already impressive number.

To join, participants are encouraged to raise at least $100 and try to swim a mile at the event. The fact that Lynbrook consistently raises thousands for the cause every year shows just how many community members will volunteer their time and money to help others.

Some neighbors truly go above and beyond for the cause. The Wolk family sets their sights on a higher and higher lap goal every year. Last year, siblings Joe, Becca, and A.J. Wolk swam an astounding combined 332 laps. Jason Diaz, 15, has been the top fundraiser for Lynbrook’s Swim Across America for several years in a row, raising more than $1,000 every summer.

Bergin said that to raise money, people typically use Facebook fundraisers and also hold in-person fundraisers like bake sales. When she was growing up, Bergin’s go-to was a lemonade stand. She first joined Swim Across America a decade ago at 10 years old alongside her mother and her mother’s friend, who were and remain very involved with the cause.

“My mom and her friend Kelly Stapleton both have

multiple people in our families affected by cancer, so that’s the big motivation for us to participate in something like this,” Bergin said.

She added that when she was a kid, it started as simply a fun family-friendly event. That splash of fun with loved ones is still a huge part of the appeal, she said. But as both she and the program have grown over the years, Bergin has started to understand the true significance of Swim Across America.

“Through the years I’ve understood more what they’re doing,” Bergin said. “Seeing the outcomes they’re getting is really impactful for me. Being able to hear them talk about the research they’re doing and understanding a little bit, and know that we’re doing

something important and it’s actually mattering, and furthering cancer treatment plans.”

The money raised by Lynbrook Swim Across America is dispersed to local cancer research centers. Memorial Sloan Kettering, for example, has a Swim Across America lab. The research is largely focused on progressing immunotherapy, survival rates, and overall quality of life for cancer patients.

“It feels really good to know that what you did is making an impact, and you can help other people,” Bergin said. “It also always ends up being a really fun event.”

To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/LynbrookSSA2023.

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.

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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.

Photos courtesy Julie Bergin

Mayor Alan Beach and other village trustees have recognized the work done by Lynbrook’s Swim Across America. Some even participate in the event.

Since its inception, the Community Chest has donated thousands of dollars to numerous families. These families are not required to return the monies but, because of the nature of these donations, several have attempted to help others the way they were helped.

The Lynbrook Community Chest is a 501(c)[3] charitable organization with the sole purpose off providing assistance to the residents of Lynbrook community who are in need of assistance due to financial or economical hardship reasons.

Liberty Water urges water conservation

As sprinkler systems are running and swimming pools are filling up, residents have an opportunity to put water conservation practices into play, ensuring that water pressure will not wane as the summer heat builds up.

“Conservation efforts are important all year long,” said Deborah Franco, president of Liberty New York Water. “Practicing smart water use this time of year is especially important and can benefit customers and the environment as we head into warmer weather and possibly dryer months.”

During dry spells, water infrastructure can struggle to keep up with the demand while also keeping storage tanks full, which impacts water pressure for our customers.

Throughout the summer months, residents are asked to only water their lawns according to the even and odd county ordinances — meaning even numbered houses water on even days and odd numbered house on odd days — and avoid all watering between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., as these are peak evaporation times. Using smart controllers on irrigation systems is another way to conserve water.

To help cut back on usage, Liberty reminds the public of these water-saving tips:

■ Follow Liberty’s zoned schedule for irrigation to prevent strain on the system and keep water pressure flowing.

■ Remember that lawns only need an inch of water per week to remain healthy.

■ Learn how to detect leaks in your home at www.libertyenergyandwater.com.

■ Replace your standard irrigation controller with a smart irrigation controller. These systems connect to

local weather stations to more accurately predict the watering needs of lawns and gardens.

■ If you don’t use a smart irrigation controller, watch the weather, and don’t water when rain is in the forecast.

Mood lighting

■ Point your sprinklers at your lawn and avoid wasting water on sidewalks and driveways.

For more information, visit new-york-water.LibertyUtilities.com.

Courtesy Liberty New York Water

Throughout the summer, residents who receive water from Liberty Utilities are asked to practice methods of water conservation.

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.

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Rehabbed turtles are back in natural habitat

By Janet Prete Correspondent

Eight Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were returned to their natural habitat and released into the Atlantic Ocean at Jones Beach by, a group of staff and volunteers from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, their family members, and parks department staff on July 19.

The terrapins were part of a group of 20 turtles found in Massachusetts last November, hypothermic and unable to survive on their own. When water temperatures drop below 50 degrees fahrenheit, sea turtles start to become lethargic and usually wash up on beaches.

In the case of these 20 turtles, triage was first done at the New England Aquarium and the National Marine Life Center in Massachusetts. The cold-stunned turtles were warmed up slowly and evaluated. They are checked for wounds and infections, and if treatment is needed.

Usually malnourished and underweight, the turtles are unable to feed themselves. They are fed a smoothie-like slurry until strong enough to begin eating whole food like shrimp or squid again. It’s a long process to nurse the turtles back to a point where they’re able to swim on their own in a tank.

On Thanksgiving weekend, the 20 turtles were flown to Gabreski airport by

Turtles Fly Too — a nonprofit organization that provides private air transportation for endangered species — and brought to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society in East Hampton for triage. The conservation society had reinforced its critical care facility in 2020, during the height of Covid, responding to a request by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — Fisheries to aid their network partners at the New England Aquarium, National Marine Life Center, and Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. There are now three, 1,000-gallon tanks in the facility.

News briefs

STEM students participate in simulated oil spill activity in East Rockaway

Students in the East Rockaway Summer Climb STEM program participated in an oil spill cleanup activity. They created a simulated spill and used scientific methods to figure out the best way to clean it up. They tried different methods, took notes on what happened, and analyzed the results.

This hands-on experience helped them understand how to solve environmental problems and taught them to think critically and scientifically. They learned how to take care of our planet and be more aware of the environment around them.

that their post-rehabilitation behavior can be monitored. Some of the other turtles were fitted with acoustic tags, which send out a signal to receivers that are positioned in the ocean by other researchers.

Rob DiGiovanni, founder and chief scientist of the conservation, by being able to piggyback on the work from other researchers, they are “able to maximize the information that we get from an animal.”

The Kemp’s ridleys are expected to stay in local waters for a while before they move south; they generally travel down to Florida and go to the Gulf of Mexico to lay their eggs.

Some of the most recent groups of Kemp’s ridley turtles that the conservation society had were rehabbed and flown to North Carolina in early May to be released. The eight released on Long Island were only recently given the allclear status. One more remains at the hospital. Individual banana boxes were used to take the turtles to Jones Beach.

Kim Durham, a staff member at the care center, said that “everyone up and down the coast uses” banana boxes to transport different animals. “They’re very sturdy,” she said.

Two of the turtles released on Wednesday were fitted with satellite antennas so

Kemp’s ridleys are critically endangered. When fully matured, they can weigh between 70 to 100 pounds and grow to two feet. They are one of four species found in the Atlantic Coast and local waters all around Long Island. The others are leatherbacks, the largest species of turtles in the world; green turtles, the largest hard-shelled sea turtles, weighing up to 400 pounds; and loggerheads, growing up to 350 pounds.

When people find animals in distress, conservation society staff stress that the animal shouldf not be touched or moved. Call either one of the rescue hotline numbers or stranding networks as soon as possible.

For more information, go to AmSeas. org.

Gaylor delivers CRP money to Lynbrook Police

Legislator Bill Gaylor delivered a ceremonial check to the Lynbrook Police Department to fund the purchase of communication equipment for the department using Community Revitalization Project funds at the village’s July 17 meeting.

The money totaled $48,000 and will go to the purchase of sophisticated communications equipment. These pieces of communication equipment will have a 10-year life span and will help the Lynbrook Police Department communicate in emergency situations and will allow all police employees to transmit on the

same frequencies.

The radios will also allow for greater safety within the department, and redundancy for their emergency provisions.

“I am more than happy to help the Lynbrook police department better perform their duties with the funding for these new pieces of communications equipment,” Gaylor said. “The Lynbrook police put their lives on the line whenever they go out on a call, and anything that can help them deal with emergencies is money well spent. Thank you Lynbrook police for all you do.”

Courtesy East Rockaway school district East Rockaway Summer Climb students use various scientific methods to clean up after a simulated oil spill.

Courtesy Legislator Bill Gaylor

Village of Lynbrook Mayor Alan Beach, left, holds the ceremonial check with village officials and Legislator Gaylor, center.

Janet Prete/Herald

One of the eight Kemp’s ridley sea turtles released into the Atlantic Ocean at Jones Beach on July 19.

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.

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.

Find out more at our virtual Open House on Tuesday, September 12th at 10 a.m.

For more information contact us at: 516.323.3940 | jprasad@molloy.edu | www.molloy.edu/ce to RSVP

Courtesy Marco Rosa

Army veteran joins Lynbrook Fire

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Keener, U.S. Army, who recently retired after 21 years of service, is now an honorary member of the Lynbrook Fire Department.

Keener, a 2001 West Point graduate — and until recently the commander of the Soldier Recovery Unit (formerly known as the Wounded Warrior Battalion) at Fort Belvoir, V.A. — met Lynbrook and other Nassau County firefighters as part of Nassau County Firefighters Operation Wounded Warrior. The visit took place during annual trips to Fort Belvoir to bring Christmas to our wounded warriors and their families.

Fort Belvoir is just one of four bases that these firefighters travel to and visit each year and have been doing since 2004 at Christmas time. The organization is a 501-C3 charity not associated with the Wounded Warrior Project.

Keener, as a youngster growing up in Virginia in the shadow of the Bull Run Battlefield, wanted to be a firefighter. But as he got a little older and won appointment to the US Military Academy, life’s direction changed.

Before his last assignment as the battalion commander at Fort Belvoir, he saw service throughout the world including Iraq and Afghanistan. He was commander of an Underwater Combat Diving Detachment in the Third Special Forces Group. He was also an operations officer in the 5th Special Forces Group. And, he served with the Joint Special Operations Command as liaison to the State Department for two years.

Keener successfully changed the U.S. security classification policy of evidence from the battlefield. The change allowed the introduction of battlefield evidence for admission into prosecutorial cases against ISIS members around the world.

When Keener took command of the Soldier Recov-

ery Unit he had to reconstruct and reorganize the unit following a 50 percent cut in funding and personnel reductions. Keener and his team, however, were able to maintain the same high level of support and care for the wounded receiving treatment and rehabilitation.

He is a truly caring man. It was always evident when he met with the firefighters. This past September, Keener brought seven wounded warriors up to Lynbrook to attend the fire department’s annual NCFF-OWW fundraiser. This was the second year he came to Lynbrook with wounded soldiers.

At the Annual Installation and Testimonial Dinner of the Lynbrook Fire Department held in May, Keener was unanimously made an Honorary Firefighter. He was presented his badge by Outgoing Chief Chris Kelly.

“He is a true American Hero who cares not only the men under his command but each and every person that walks into his life,” Kelly said. “He is a role model and a terrific leader. I am proud to call him a friend and now a fellow member.”

“I have a lot of people say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ but you guys are all serving. You are serving your community each and every day,” said Keener.

Dan Keener is married to his wife Alisha, and they have five daughters — Kayla, Kinsley, Briella, Emmalyn, and Madelyn. They now reside in Florida.

“America needs more communities like Lynbrook to step-up and take care of its neighbors, brothers and sisters, and even strangers,” Keener said. “You are saving lives every day. The fact that you honor and include me in your numbers, that band of brothers. I appreciate it more than you know.”

— Contributed by Steve Grogan

Courtesy Steve Grogan

LTC Keener talks to the wounded at Fort Belvoir before his departure. Keener was made an honorary member of the Lynbrook Fire Department.

Q and A from the SNWA’s first public meeting

By NICOLE FORMISANO nformisano@liherald.com

The following is a list of common questions the public had for the South Nassau Water Authority. The answers are paraphrased from the water authority’s temporary president, John Reinhardt, during both the July 11 meeting and a follow-up interview with The Herald.

What action will the water authority be taking to help move the acquisition process along?

The water authority filed a motion at the July 11 meeting to seek party status in Liberty Water’s rate case. The upcoming rate hike is a motion filed by Liberty Water to the state Public Service Commission, and is only between those parties. By seeking party status, the South Nassau Water Authority gains access to information discussed in that case and gives them a voice at the table.

There was a lack of communication between the water authority and the public for the past 17 months. How will that be remedied?

The water authority’s website, SouthNassauWater.org, recently went live. The public can find documents such as the recently adopted bylaws, the minutes of the public meetings, and bios of the board members. People can also sign

up for emails from the board about future public meetings. That meeting information will also be posted on the website. Going forward, the board is looking to set a regular meeting time and place.

Walden Environmental Engineering donated thousands of dollars to Supervisor Don Clavin and the Nassau County Republican Committee. Is that why they have been contracted for this acquisition?

Walden Environmental was chosen because it has experience with previous water utility acquisitions cases, such as Massepequa’s. Also, in 2021 during the transfer of New York American Water to Liberty Water, the Town of Hempstead publicly issued a Request for Proposals for evaluation services. Walden was the only group that responded, largely because both American Water and Liberty Water are international companies, so many other firms could not respond to the RFP because of previous or current involvement with those companies.

Five feasibility studies have already been conducted. One of them stated that municipalization was feasible, but current board president John Reinhardt was one of the few people to oppose it. Why?

This feasibility study was done under a previous water authority, the Southeast Nassau Water Authority. That

authority voted to retain the services of American Water, who was the provider at the time. They chose to do so because the rates were lower at that time, and the revenue that American Water provided for the town and county would have had to come from elsewhere — so the money would still be coming from the ratepayer, but in a tax bill rather than a water bill.

Does the board have authority to greenlight an acquisition, or do they need further approval from the town or county?

The board is equipped by the state, and has the authority to independently greenlight an acquisition deal. The law allows, but does not require, the board to provide a public referendum on whether or not to go forward with the municipalization of the assets. The board will likely have that public referendum to hear what the public wants.

What is the current assessed value of Liberty Water? In the upcoming offer letter, how much is the water authority offering to pay to acquire Liberty?

The water authority’s offer to Liberty comes partially from information provided to them under a Non-Disclosure Agreement, so the offer number cannot currently be shared. Once Liberty Water and the water authority start back-and-forth negotiations, both sides’ offers will be made public. Liberty pur-

chased New York American Water for $608 million in early 2022, but this acquisition is unlikely to be as expensive because the 2022 sale included other assets.

$15 million a year is taken from taxpayers. Why can’t you set aside some of that to mitigate the cost of acquisition?

The board does not know where people are getting this number of $15 million from. The only money they have gotten is the $500,000 promised by Clavin.

Approximately how long will an acquisition take?

It is undetermined how long the valuation of Liberty’s assets will take, nor how long they will take to respond to that valuation, and subsequent negotiations.

What action can residents take against this rate hike?

The water authority does not control the rate hike — it is between Liberty Water and the state Public Service Commission. However, if members of the public have legitimate complaints with Liberty’s service, they should file them online with the Public Service Commission. One of the biggest drivers of a rate case is customer satisfaction, and without complaints on file there is little else the PSC is able to consider in a rate case other than the legitimacy of Liberty’s claims of value.

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.”

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.

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

“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.”

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 Luciano, Michele

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.’”

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

Great American Comedy Festival, 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.

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’

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.

Walk and explore

Families are invited to Hempstead Lake State Park on Friday, July 28, 10-11 a.m. for a nature walk to connect with the natural world. Children will learn about nature during a short walk that will include animal visitors and crafts. 1000 Lake Drive, West Hempstead. Register at EventBrite. com. Call (516) 766-1029 for information.

Aug.

VISIT DIYA INDIAN CUISINE TODAY FOR A FINE DINING EXPERIENCE. INDULGE IN THE PERFECT HARMONY OF MODERN AND AUTHENITIC INDIAN CULINARY EXCELLENCE.

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Hot Diggity Dog

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. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

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.

Aug. 14

Golf outing

Enjoy the day playing golf with friends and business associates while supporting the Lynbrook Community Chest, on Monday, Aug. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., at Inwood Country Club. The outing honors John Giordano and David Greenberg.There are opportunities for nongolfers to participate with the option to be sponsors or donate items for one of the many raffle baskets. Play golf, honor some Lynbrook businesses, win raffle, and finish off with a delicious dinner. Come join in the fun! Registration and brunch take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The shotgun start begins at noon. Dinner and cocktails start at 5 p.m. 50 Peppe Dr., Inwood Visit the Chamber at LynbrookUSA.com for more information, to register or donate.

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

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

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.

Reading fun

Kids of all ages are invited to Kiwanis of East Rockaway’s Cops and Kids Reading Program, every Thursday in August, 7 p.m., at East Rockaway Senior Center. Read stories with a police officer, color and complete a craft. Registration is not required. 6 N. James St. Email ERockKiwanis@gmail.com for more information.

LABEL

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

Habert, former NYPD detective, continues service as trustee

people.

“Keeping Lynbrook a safe place to live for our children and our families is always a top priority,” he said. Habert is deeply invested in the future of Lynbrook. After he and his wife Kerrie were married in 2001, they bought the house Habert was raised in. Their kids James, 20 and Mia, 19 went to Our Lady of Peace, the same school Habert and his eight siblings went to. He hopes his future grandkids will be raised in Lynbrook as well. For his family to continue to enjoy the Lynbrook he knows so well, Habert wants to build a future that will last.

“I’d like to see them continue with the infrastructure, the parks,” he said.

He added that Lynbrook has already made great strides in this way with the improvements at Greis Park, the new turf field, and the many updates at the Rec Center like the pool, which, he adds, used to be a basketball court when he was growing up.

The local business community and its success is also a priority for Habert.

“One of the big things is underneath the railroad, the empty storefronts, you’d want those filled,” Habert said. “Kind of like what they did with Philips Plaza — bring nice and good businesses in there, businesses that fit into the fabric of the community. And sustainable businesses so we’re not constantly turning those over from one

empty store to the next.”

Most importantly, Habert’s goal is to make sure that the people know they can come to him and let their voices, thoughts and concerns be heard.

“I want people to know I’m approachable, and I’ll listen, and I’ll bring those concerns,” Habert said. “Any decisions I’m involved in, I will always have the best interest of the community.”

Photo courtesy Village of Lynbrookt Habert, second from left, the newest addition to the Board of trustees, is joined by mayor alan Beach, center, deputy mayor michael Hawxhurst, and trustees robert Boccio, far left, and ann marie reardon.

A ny decisions

I’m involved in, I will always have the best interest of the community.

MichAel hAbert new trustee

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Train fares are another rising expense for commuters

Continued

from page

Lieber said.

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.

For some people in Lynbrook, a 10 percent or 50 cent increase per ticket isn’t going to break them. Isaac Schechtman takes the train from Lynbrook into the city up to ten times a week, depending on his hybrid work schedule.

“At the end of the day it’s not going to break the bank,” Schechtman said.“So I’m not happy about it, but it’s not going to have a massive effect.

I have to go to work. I’m going to be on the train no matter what.”

But for other residents, 50 cents a ride can add up. Bridget Hartman just started commuting daily from Manhattan to Lynbrook a week ago for her job at a nearby hospital, and the commute costs are already piling up.

“I’m already living in the city and commuting here, so my transportation budget is already a bit tight.,” Hartman said. “It’s not great, but I’m still going to have to do it.”

The rising prices are particularly impactful for people whose families rely on them. Jocelyn Garcia commutes for work daily with her two-year-old daughter Ariana. The rising ticket prices would affect her “a lot,” she said. “I take the train twice a day.”

Matthew Troche, 16, takes the train into the city relatively often, but is more concerned with how the price increases will affect his mother.

“It definitely affects the budget,” Troche said. “My mom’s a single mom, so she’s working a nine-to-five, trying to provide. But it can’t change how much she takes the train because she’s still got to get to work every day.

“One 50 cents is not a lot, but after weeks and weeks that adds up. Fifty cents goes a long way.”

July 27, 2023 — LYNBROOK/EAST ROCKAWAY HERALD 22 *Discount is applied to the regular price of select styles of carpet, hardwood, s tandard padding, and materials Excludes upgrades, stairs, take-up of permanently affixed flooring, non-standard furniture moving, other miscellane ous charges, and prior purchases Product may not be sold separately from installa Residen al installa s only Not available in all areas. Valid through 07/16/2023. Subject to change. Details at EmpireToday.com **On in-stock carpet and flooring styles only in select areas. Excludes floor prep. vided by independent contractors . Licensure at EmpireToday.com. CSLB 1047108 © 2023 Empire Today, LLC Schedule a FREE SHOP-AT-HOME CONVENIENCE PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION, EVEN NEXT DAY** QUALITY PRODUCTS Making Beautif ul New Floors Easy You Can Save Thousands! Select styles. Call or visit Empiretoday.com/save 631-212-7030 1221693

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND NOTICESUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NASSAUPHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION, Plaintiff, -against- THOMAS R. MAMBU, if he be living and if he be dead, the respective heirs-at-law, next-of-kin, distributes, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or inheritance, lien or otherwise any right, title or interest in or to the real property described in the complaint; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #10,” said names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, intended to be possible tenants or occupants of the premises, or corporation, persons, or other entities having or claiming a lien upon the mortgaged premises, Defendants - Index No. 611242/2021 Plaintiff Designates Nassau County as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the subject action is situated in Nassau County. To the above named Defendants-YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorney(s) within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. That this Supplemental Summons is being filed pursuant to an order of the court dated October 27, 2022.

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 (PHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable David P. Sullivan, J.S.C.

Dated: October 27, 2022

Filed: November 1, 2022. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 53 Denton Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518.

Dated: June 25, 2023

Filed: June 28, 2023

Greenspoon Marder LLP, Attorney for Plaintiff, By: Meir Weiss, Esq., 590 Madison Avenue, Suite 1800, New York, NY 10022 P: (212) 524-5000

F: (212) 524-5050 No Service by fax) Service purposes only: Trade Centre South 100 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 700, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 P: (888) 491-1120

F: (954) 343-6982

140631

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST BENEDICT LEO DESMOND III, AS ADMINISTRATOR AND POSSIBLE HEIR OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA D. DESMOND AKA PATRICIA DOROTHY DESMOND, DANIELLE ANN DESMOND, AS POSSIBLE HEIR OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA D. DESMOND AKA PATRICIA DOROTHY DESMOND, ET AL., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

duly entered May 16, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 15, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 116 WEST BOULEVARD, EAST ROCKAWAY, NY 11518 AKA AKA 116 WEST BOULEVARD, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11518.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Bay Park in Hewlett Bay, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 42, Block 42, Lot

2. Approximate amount of judgment $295,313.57 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #611684/2017. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the

NASSAU County 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. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure

Auctions will be held

“Rain or Shine”. Michele Bencivinni, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221

19-004355 76669

140495

Feeding school-aged kids over the summer

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU

Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee for Morgan Stanley ABS Capital I Inc. Trust 2006-WMC2, Plaintiff

AGAINST

Nassau County Public Administrator, as the Limited Administrator of the Estate of Carole Denise Seifert a/k/a Carole Seiffert a/k/a Carol Seiffert a/k/a Carole Denise Seiffert; et al., Defendant(s)

Tens of thousands of children on Long Island rely on free breakfast and lunch programs provided by their schools, but when school lets out for the summer, many are at risk of food insecurity until school resumes in September. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, household food insecurity affected 12.5 percent of households with children in 2021.

their next meal will be,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest. “The SFSP provides peace of mind and some welcome relief for parents facing the daily struggle of providing food for their families.”

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST JAMES MANTHOS, LINDA MANTHOS, ET AL.,

Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered December 11, 2014, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 15, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 27 SECOND STREET, LYNBROOK, NY 11563.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, SECTION 38, BLOCK 241, LOT 25, A/K/A

SECTION 38, BLOCK 241, LOTS 25-27.

Approximate amount of judgment $756,633.90 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #013847/2013. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County 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. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Ellen Durst, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775

Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-295303 76644

140493

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 17, 2022 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 23, 2023 at 3:00PM, premises known as 73 Peterson Place, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section: 42 Block: 126 Lot: 14. Approximate amount of judgment $1,024,415.54 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 005723/2012. 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.”

Richard M. Langone, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff

175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792

Dated: June 16, 2023

140808

To help address the public health crisis of food insecurity among children over the summer, Island Harvest Food Bank’s Summer Food Service Program, administered by the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the USDA, will deliver a mix of breakfasts and lunches, Monday through Saturday to programs operated by municipal agencies, summer and day camps, community centers, libraries, churches, and community-based organizations across Nassau and Suffolk counties. The program runs until Sept. 2, and is expected to provide 50,000 meals to approximately 1,800 children at 29 sites across Long Island this summer.

“Summer should be a care-free time for kids without worrying about where

The SFSP provides meals and snacks, at no charge, to children 18 years old and younger. The program’s acceptance and participation requirements are the same for all, regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. There is no discrimination in the course of the meal service. The SFSP is a federally funded, state-administered program. SFSP reimburses program operators for providing free healthy meals to children 18 years old and younger in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

For a complete list of Summer Food Service Program sites on Long Island, visit IslandHarvest.org. For more information, call Jean Essig, agency relations supervisor, Island Harvest Food Bank, at (631) 873-4775 or email jean@islandharvest.org.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook on July 17, 2023 enacted Local Law #4 of 2023 amending the Village Zoning Code: §252-54, to amend the off-street requirements with respect to Article VIII, Storage and Parking of Vehicles.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

DATED: July 18, 2023

140927

GIVEN, that the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook will hold a Public Hearing to consider the addition of Article XVIII (Rental Dwelling Registration) to the Village Code to provide that the renting of certain individual dwelling units be subject to registration with the Department of Buildings; and under SEQRA Regulations, to determine whether the proposed code amendments would constitute a significant negative impact on the environment; said Public Hearing will be held at 7PM on August 21, 2023, at the Village Hall, One Columbus Drive, Lynbrook, New York. All interested persons will be heard during the Public Hearing at the time and place aforementioned.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

DATED: July 17, 2023

140925

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON SAVINGS

FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. GERALD P. MCKEON A/K/A GERALD P. MC KEON A/K/A GERALD MCKEON A/K/A JERRY MCKEON, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order

Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on June 8, 2023, 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 28, 2023 at 3:00 p.m., premises known as 64 Fifth Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 42, Block A and Lot 531. Approximate amount of judgment is $415,677.94 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed

Judgment Index # 604455/2018. Cash will not be accepted. 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. Peter L. Kramer, Esq., Referee, (516) 510-4020

Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff 140941

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES

2006-3, Plaintiff, vs. LUIS A. DIAZ, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order

Consolidating Actions, Amending Caption and Confirming Referee Report and for a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 3, 2019 and an Order Appointing

Substitute Referee duly entered on May 19, 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 30, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 439 Ocean Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 38, Block 444 and Lots 114 & 115. Approximate amount of judgment is $713,693.19 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 000355/2013. 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.

Glenn R. Jersey, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott,

10 Bank

for Plaintiff

Help Wanted

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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

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REAL ESTATE

Open Houses

HEWLETT BA, 1390 Broadway #102, 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 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

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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.

on Beautiful ½ 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

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.

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.

MERCHANDISE MART

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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.

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 it had fins.

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

JERRY KREMER

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

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.

To the Editor:

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

Surely the honorable Mr. King has some thoughts on

Election integrity in New York?

over the past 20-something years, election integrity has become a hot-button issue in our country.

In 2000, Democrats claimed that George W. Bush was an illegitimate president because of hanging chads in Florida.

In 2016, Democrats alleged that Donald Trump stole the presidency by secretly colluding with Russia. And in 2020, many Republicans asserted that the presidential election was rigged, which was the catalyst for Jan 6.

None of the claims in any of those elections were proved, but what is clear is that the past twoplus decades of such baseless allegations on both sides of the political aisle have taken their toll on voter confidence on our electoral process. A study in 2000 found an average level of public faith in national elections between 1964 and 1996 of 70 percent. In 2020, a Gallup Poll found that just 59 percent of Americans were very or somewhat confident in U.S. elections.

So you might think it would be government’s main priority to restore faith in our electoral process. Unfortunately, your assumption would be incorrect, and your faith misplaced. Instead, the desire to secure power consistently outweighs restoring public trust in our elections, and common-sense election reforms supported by the public are consistently rejected. A 2021 Monmouth University poll found that 80 percent of Americans

support requiring voters to show photo identification to cast a ballot, but Democrats consistently reject that idea. Despite the requirement of photo IDs for everything from library cards to driver’s licenses to accessing Medicaid to boarding an airplane, Democrats, incredibly, claim that requiring voters’ photo IDs would disenfranchise a portion of the population.

Even more concerning, political parties appear to be passing laws that are fundamentally changing our election process — laws that are designed to place a heavy thumb on the election scale in favor of one party over the other.

For the past five years, New York has been a one-party state, with Democrats controlling the Assembly, the Senate and the governor’s office. In that time, Democrats have passed election law after election law not to strengthen and depoliticize state and local elections, but rather to give a blatant advantage to Democratic candidates.

In 2014, then Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other Democrats supported a state constitutional amendment, passed overwhelmingly by the public, that established a Redistricting Commission to independently draw up the state’s political maps to avoid gerrymandering, beginning in 2021. At the time, Republicans controlled the Senate.

When 2020 rolled around, Democrats were in full control, and their desire for that independent commission was gone. They rejected its proposed legislative maps, and tried passing a law to allow

Letters

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

themselves to draw the new districts, contrary to the 2014 reforms. Over the express will of the people, Democrats drew the new congressional, Senate and Assembly districts. Ultimately, their action was struck down, deemed unconstitutional, and the districts were redrawn by an independent special master.

DAfter such a strong rebuke by the courts, you might think Democrats would reconsider such political overreach. Unfortunately, the exact opposite has occurred. In the last two weeks of the legislative session in Albany, the Democrats passed laws, which Gov. Kathy Hochul has indicated she will sign, that fundamentally transform the state’s election process.

One bill would move most town and county elections to even-numbered years, when Democrats typically have their highest voter turnout. But the Democratic sponsors of the bill excluded from the legislation all cities, including New York City, village and school board elections, which consistently have among the lowest voter turnout. Opponents of the bill, including me, believe that important local issues, and races for Nassau County and Town of Hempstead offices, would be overshadowed by national and state issues and races. The county and town have held elections in odd-numbered years for over 80 years, but the 18 percent higher turnout in even years may be just what Democrats need to win local legislative seats, which I believe is the true purpose of the change.

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

Another bill passed by Democrats is the New York Early Mail Voter Act, which would allow voters to cast mail-in ballots without an excuse during the nine-day early-voting period. As things stand, the state Constitution allows voting by mail only for those with specific excuses — a disability, an illness, or an absence from their county on Election Day. In 2021, this same measure was put before state voters as a ballot amendment, and soundly rejected. As a result, the Democrats, as they did with redistricting, ignored the will of the voters will and created this legislative workaround that doesn’t need voter approval.

There will certainly be legal challenges to these bills, but the Democrats also have that covered. In the last days of the session, they passed a bill that requires a person filing a constitutional challenge to an election law to do so in one of only four jurisdictions. To no one’s surprise, those four courts are in areas that are heavily Democratic, with similar judicial profiles.

We passed coincidence in New York a long time ago.

The actions of the Democratic-led State Legislature in the past several years, and particularly this past session, would clearly lead a reasonable person to conclude that these so-called “reforms” have very little to do with restoring trust in our voting system, and instead ensure that the majority party remains in power.

But hey, as many of my Democratic colleagues said as they were passing these “reforms,” they “trust the voters.” That is, if they vote the way Democrats want them to.

Framework by Tim Baker

Brian Curran represents the 21st Assembly District.

emocrats have passed election laws just to give their candidates the advantage.

Brian CUrran