Friday, January 10, 2020
Vol. 79, No. 2
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SERVING BETHPAGE, OLD BETHPAGE, AND PLAINVIEW
Levittown resident receives new roof from vets program
HOUR OF CODE
BY GARY SIMEONE
Fifth grade students at Central Boulevard School in Bethpage participated in the annual Hour of Code event on December 17th. Students coded a challenge set in the world of Minecraft. Photo courtesy Bethpage Schools
Gunshot leads to 4-car accident Nassau County Police reported that a vehicle being used to rush a gunshot victim to the hospital was involved in a four vehicle accident in Plainview on Thursday, January 2 at 7 p.m. According to police, while inside a Plainview home, a 25-year-old male, after cleaning his handgun, is believed to have accidentally discharged the weapon, striking a 17-yearold friend of his stepbrother in the neck. As a result of the inci-
dent, all three entered a vehicle and proceeded to respond to an area hospital. While traveling northbound on Plainview Road at the intersection of Old Country Road, the trio became involved in a 4 car multi-vehicle accident, one of whom being an off-duty Nassau County police officer. The officer, who sustained minor injuries, called 911 and attended to the injured parties involved in the accident. Upon police and ambulance
arrival, four injured victims, including the officer, were taken to area hospitals for treatment of what appears to be non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting victim was listed in serious but stable condition. Police say that the handgun owner was not licensed, and he has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree.
It was a great holiday surprise for a Levittown man and former United States veteran who received a new roof on his home as part of a Nassau County veteran's program. 76-yearold James Brancale received the new roof on his Anchor Lane home just in time for Christmas through the program, which is sponsored by Habitat for Humanity International. “Every time it rained, there were leaks everywhere. I couldn’t sleep at night,” said Brancale who served in the US Army from 1964 to 1966. “Other than the birth of my children, this is probably the best thing I’ve ever gotten.” Myrnissa Stone-Sumair, executive director of Habitat for Humanity’s Nassau County office, said that her office received a call in July of last year from the Town of Hempstead regarding the issues with Brancale’s roof. “He had called the Town first and was told they had no programs to help veterans dealing with roof leaks on their homes,” said Stone-Sumair. “Subsequently, they got in touch with me and I went out to inspect the leaks, which turned out to be a pretty serious problem.” She said Brancale, who had been dealing with the roof leaks for over six months, had placed buckets lined with aluminum foil all over his home to catch the water leaking down from the roof. “I made an appointment to have his windows sills inspected, which were in pretty bad shape, and then reached out to the Owens Corning company, who is a partner in Habit International’s programs,” said Stone-Sumair. The program helps to repair roofing and insulation problems free of cost for veterans who can demonstrate that they are unable to pay for the labor and materials needed for the job. Habitat for Humanity was able to get Brancale pre-approved for the program and found a local vendor, Quality Homes USA in Westbury, to install the new roof with Christmas lights included. “The whole pre-approval process took a while, and Mr. Brancale and his daughter called multiple times during the wait as we sorted through potential vendors,” said Stone-SuSee page 8
Bethpage market closes after 40 years PAGE 3 Abbey Lane students pay it forward PAGE 10