Friday, November 23, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 47
A SUPER SAFETY LESSON
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Bethpage family affected by plume files lawsuit BY GARY SIMEONE
and Melissa Gorga, a successful entrepreneur who launched her own clothing boutique business. Other members include Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, and Jackie Goldschneider. Aydin said that she became part of the show after being introduced to Dolores at a party she and her husband attended in 2016. “I had a mutual friend there who introduced me to Dolores and it kind of went from there.
It has been a tough few years for the Cornett family of Bethpage. Within a matter of eighteen months, three members of the family including mother, father and son have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer. The family has filed a $300 million federal lawsuit against the former aviation and aircraft manufacturing giant, Northrop Grumman. In December, 2015, Cathy Cornett, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Six months later her son, Chris, was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer and given a 5% chance to live. And in early 2017, the father, Bruce, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. “Within eighteen months, three quarters of our household had a cancer diagnosis,” said Chris, who is a lifelong resident of the town. “To say we’ve been experiencing anxiety, stress and dramatic moments as a result of this is an understatement. This has been very hard on our family.” Chris believes that the high cancer rates within his family, is due to the six square mile, underground plume that has been steadily increasing towards the Great South Bay since the 1950’s. The plume has been linked to toxins that have seeped underground, as a result of the chemicals used by Northrop Grumman and the Navy, to build aircraft carriers and warplanes during WWII. “Grumman had the chance to fix this problem along time ago and they chose not to,” said Cornett. “What could have been a million dollar problem to fix at one point in time, has now become a $500,000,000 problem.” Nick Rigano, an Environmental Attorney, and part of the counsel with Long Island Pure Water Ltd, is representing the Cornett family in Federal court. He said that the class action suit contains over 80 plaintiffs, and that his office is contacted on a daily basis from people with diagnoses attributed to the Grumman plume. “Unfortunately the Cornett’s are not the only family dealing with this. There are other families and members of the community who are in similar situations,” said Rigano. Rigano also pointed the finger at local politicians, including State Senator, Charles Schumer and congressman Tom Suozzi, who he said were culpable in the Grumman plume. “Senator Schumer and congressman Suozzi have failed the Bethpage community by allowing Grumman to leave the community with a carcinogenic catastrophe after making billions in profit. Not surprisingly, Grumman is a top contributor to
See page 11
See page 11
Students at Old Country Road Elementary School in Hicksville were treated to a special lesson on Halloween safety by the Nassau County Police Department recently. Batman was among the costumed heroes that stopped by l to deliver important safety tips.
Plainview native cast in reality TV show BY GARY SIMEONE The drama is just getting started for former Plainview resident Jennifer Aydin, as she made her debut in the TV drama The Real Housewives of New Jersey earlier this month. It is the ninth season of the reality TV show that is broadcast on the Bravo television network. Aydin, 41, who now lives in the community of Paramus, New Jersey, said that she is elated to be part of a cast of women who bring a wide range of personali-
ties to the show. “I think with my background and old school culture, I will bring a different flavor and vibe to this group,” said Aydin. “So far it seems like I’m fitting in with some of the ladies and not getting along with others. We’ll see what happens and if any sparks will fly.” Cast members of the show include Teresa Giudice, a flamboyant woman who spent eleven months in prison in 2015 for multiple white collar offenses,
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