Friday, May 24, 2019
Vol. 79, No. 21
BOYS STATE HONOREES
Commander Greg Failing and the members of American Legion Charles Wagner Post 421 are pleased to announce the selection of Hicksville High School students Manit Chugh, Jack Immanuel and Ryan Keating as delegates to the American Legion Boys State for 2019. Above, Hicksville Social Studies and Home and Careers Supervisor Dr. Rose Borda and Hicksville High School Principal Ray Williams congratulate Jack Immanuel, Manit Chugh and Ryan Keating. Photo courtesy of the Hicksville School District
Fireworks cause burn Levittown house
Nassau County Police arrested a Levittown man on May 14 for allegedly selling fireworks illegally. According to police, a juvenile male at the same home accidentally caused a house fire by setting off fireworks there. According to detectives, police were responding to a call for a house fire at 4:20 pm and arrived on scene to a working house fire. Police confirmed
there were no residents inside. The Levittown and Wantagh Fire Departments responded to scene and extinguished the fire. Arson & Bomb Squad was called to the scene to investigate. No injuries were reported. Police say an investigation was conducted in which they discovered that a resident of the house, Simarjit Singh, 29, was storing fireworks at the residence and the remnants
of the fireworks set off by a juvenile male, 13, caused the fire. The fire caused extensive damage to the residence and a neighbor’s home. Simarjit Singh was charged with NYS-LAB 453 Storage of Explosives, NYS-LAB 458 Licenses and Certificates, and Unlawfully Selling Fireworks. The juvenile male was charged with Arson 4th Degree and Criminal Mischief 4th Degree.
$1
State Sen. Thomas hosts town hall The Levittown Public Library was another stop in a series of New York State Senator Kevin Thomas’ Town Hall meetings. Over thirty people attended the meeting, which took place on Thursday, May 16. Topics at the meeting included everything from legalizing recreational marijuana in the County to the expansion of the underground plume in Bethpage. One Levittown resident asked about the plume and its possible long-term effects on people and its expansion to other areas in the district. “Do you support multiple controls in the restoration efforts of the Bethpage plume?” asked the resident. “I know remediation work has been done on the ground soil, but I haven’t heard anything about fixing the water itself.” Thomas said that $100 million has been secured to restore the water wells underground, but that he has to speak to Bethpage Water District Superintendent Michael Boufis to get a better idea of a plan. “Millions of dollars has been secured to better our water infrastructure and to try and contain the spread of the plume to other communities,” said Thomas. “I have spoken to several different water district’s and learned about their robust systems in which a well is immediately shutdown if any unusual substance is detected. I know Bethpage is looking into this.” Another resident inquired about the placement of cellular boxes and antennas near schools and residential properties. Thomas said that he recently introduced a bill in the Senate where telecommunications companies would have to get permission and necessary permits in order to put cellular boxes near people’s properties. “As it stands now, if the utility companies currently have an easement on a property, they have the right to place these boxes there,” said Thomas. He said that he understands residents’ concerns about radiation levels, and that this bill would give discretion to the homeowner, allowing them to grant permission or not. Another issue covered was the proliferation of so-called ‘zombie homes’ on Long Island, particularly in the Town of Hempstead. Thomas said $200,000 has been secured in the Town’s budget for zombie homes, and that a study is being conducted what can be done about them. “Just to get this straight, zombie homes are houses that have been foreclosed on and are in bad condition. They bring down property values in the area and raise people’s taxes.” He said the study is looking to get national organization’s like Habitat for Humanity, to renovate the homes and other possible solutions.
Program on Vanderbilt Parkway PAGE 6 Hicksville schools welcome seniors PAGE 8