Jericho-Syosset News Journal (3/7/25)

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— Rochelle and Mel P.

Blood drive held at Syosset Public Library

County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview, center) with staff from the New York Blood Center

Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) thanked the dozens of Legislative District 16 residents who took part in his office’s Saturday, Feb. 27, blood drive at the Syosset Blood Drive. Each donor who rolled up their sleeves provid-

ed blood that can be used to save as many as three lives.

“Every person who came on Saturday afternoon performed a wonderful and selfless act by rolling up their sleeves and giving the gift of life,” Deputy Minority Leader Drucker said. “I commend each and every donor for

doing their part to address the persistent blood shortage that continues to impact our region, and I am thankful to our great friends at the Syosset Library and the New York Blood Center for their continued partnership.”

Town launches new online permit system

No more trips to Town Hall!

The Town of Oyster Bay has announced the launch of a new online permit system that allows residents, businesses, and contractors to apply for more than 20 types of fast-order building permits—all from the convenience of their home or office.

The Building Division Portal, accessible via the Town’s website, streamlines applications for projects like fences, generators, sprinkler systems, solar panels, and more. Officials were joined at the announcement by representatives from the Long Island Builders Institute, including Executive Director Michael Florio, President Anthony Barone, and Vice

President John Weiss.

“This new system is a game-changer for homeowners and contractors alike,” said Florio. “By modernizing the permitting process, the Town of Oyster Bay is cutting red tape, saving time, and making it easier for businesses and residents to get projects done efficiently.”

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino added, “This great service allows applicants to submit materials, track progress, schedule inspections, and receive updates - all without stepping foot in Town Hall.”

For more details, visit oysterbaytown.com/buildingportal

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, center, holds a laptop computer as the town announces a new online permit system that allows residents, businesses and contractors to apply for certain building permits.

Nassau

Town offers Summer Recreation Program

The Town of Oyster Bay has announced that residents interested in having their children participate in the 2025 Summer Recreation Program can now upload necessary documents and materials for review in advance of the final registration period. This process is mandatory prior to registration this spring and will once again be performed fully online. This year’s Summer Recreation Program runs June 30 through August 8 and will include a full-day option (9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) at all locations for children ages 4 through 12. Space is limited at each facility.

"The Town’s Summer Recreation Program features great summer fun for children at five of our Town parks, with activities including arts and crafts, various games, themed days, water fun, scavenger hunts and so much more," said Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. "To help streamline the registration process, residents will be able to sign-up their children online this spring, and can begin pre-registration today!"

All registrations for Summer Recreation will performed online. In an effort to simplify the process, the Town’s Parks Department will accept all necessary documentation, including proof of residency, child’s birth certificates, recent physicals etc. to be uploaded to a portal on the Town’s website prior to the final registration period this spring. This process is mandatory and ends on Friday, March 21, 2025. Once all documentation is properly uploaded, parents/guardians will receive notification of approval to register, as well as directions for online registration.

How to upload materials (note: pre-registration does not guarantee a spot in this year’s Summer Recreation Program. Parents will need to perform final registration this spring).

• Parents/guardians can visit www.oysterbaytown.com/portal

• Select “My Account” on the top right corner and log-in or create a new account (if your child was registered for the

2024 Summer Program, you already have an account, however documents must be uploaded)

• After logging in, select “My Account,” then Household & Member. Confirm all family members are listed. If needed, select ’Add Family member’ at bottom of page and add a child or guardian to the household. Then SAVE

• Select DOCUMENT UPLOAD from the portal menu. Each document must be uploaded as a separate file (make sure all scanned documents are legible)

Required documents: Proof of residency (tax or utility bill); Child’s Birth Certificate; Child’s Immunization Records (for full-day campers only); Child’s recent physical (for full-day campers only)

“We know many of our youngsters can’t wait for the warm weather and all the fun they have at the Town’s Summer Recreation Program,” said Town Councilwoman Vicki Walsh. “With full-day options now available at Marjorie Post Park in Massapequa, Plainview-Old Bethpage Community Park and Syosset-Woodbury Community Park, Ellsworth Allen Park in Farmingdale and Harry Tappen Beach in Glen Head, we look forward to another successful summer of fun!”

The mandatory pre-registration period, during which interested parents/guardians can upload documents and required materials for registration, is open now through March 21. Submission of materials does not guarantee a spot in the 2025 program— parents must complete their registration this spring when final registration opens. Following final registration, refunds are given on a prorated basis and subject to a 10 percent administrative fee through July 11. Parents will receive an email from the Recreation Division confirming that all documents have been received, as well as directions on how to complete registration. All registration will take place online. For more information, visit www.oysterbaytown.com/summerrecreation or call the Town’s Recreation Office at (516) 797-7945.

Polar Plunge returns to TOBAY Beach on March 29

The Town of Oyster Bay  invites residents to be “Freezin’ for a Reason” at the annual Polar Plunge benefitting Special Olympics New York on Saturday, March 29, at TOBAY Beach.

“Many of our residents head to TOBAY Beach for summer fun, but this event provides an enjoyable and charitable reason to spend a great day at the beach much sooner,” said Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “Participants will have an opportunity to prove their mettle and their compassion by wading into the chilly waters of TOBAY Beach to raise funds for the athletes of Special Olympics New York.”

The event kicks off with winter festival fun and registration starting at 9:00 a.m., with the plunge beginning at 11 a.m. Requested donation is $25 per participant. Plungers who raise $150 receive a commemorative Polar Plunge sweatshirt.

All of the money raised through the Polar Plunge helps provide year-round sports training and competition as well as leadership, health and inclusion programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities in your community.

“This polar plunge is sure to create lasting memories for all participants while supporting a very worthwhile cause,” added Town Councilman Lou Imbroto. “Special Olympics New York changes lives through the joy of sports and the Town of Oyster Bay is proud to partner with this outstanding organization to help make this event a success. Please join with me in braving the chilly waters for a great reason.”

Pre-register yourself, family and team today at www.PolarPlungeNY. org. For more information, call Rebecca Hoffmann at (631) 458-1579 or e-mail rhoffmann@nyso.org.

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Sarah Grace Foundation announces “An

The Sarah Grace Foundation for Children With Cancer is thrilled to announce their latest fundraising event: An Evening of Magic with Gary Ferrar. The event will take place on Friday, April 4, at the Milleridge Inn’s Philodendrum Room. Pre-purchased tickets are required and cost $125, with admission including entertainment, dinner, dessert, beer, wine, soda and a strolling magic pre-show.

Gary Ferrar is an award-winning magician and mentalist who will blow your mind with this private performance filled with comedy, unexpected moments and unique effects with audience participation: “I’m so excited to be partnering with the Sarah Grace Foundation for this Evening of Magic. It’s been inspiring to witness the quantity and quality of the important work that they do, as well as the effort that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen. I can’t wait to entertain everyone with my signature effects and some

brand-new ideas in what will be a special and unforgettable evening. As a child, I used to go to the Milleridge Inn with my grandparents and so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to perform at such a historic location” said Ferrar.

The Sarah Grace Foundation has been supporting children with cancer and their families since 2003, in memory of Sarah Grace Weippert. Based in Hicksville and supporting the LI/NYC area as well as working with children’s hospitals located across Central Florida.

“Every year, over 4,000 children die from cancer,” said Matt Weippert, executive director of the Foundation. “Roughly 46 children are diagnosed every day – and 1 in 5 of them will not survive. We are all too familiar with their struggle, and we continue to do all we can to improve their quality of life.”

“This is the Sarah Grace Foundation's largest fundraising event of the year,” Weippert said. “Sarah was a fan of

magic shows, and our first Evening of Magic in July of last year was a tremendous success and we are excited to partner with Gary this year to continue that success.”

Supported by a dedicated all-volunteer team since its inception over 20 years ago, the Foundation has continued to provide assistance wherever possible to children with cancer and their families. Coordinating with social workers at pediatric cancer centers such as those at Cohen, NYU Langone Cancer Center for Kids, Stony Brook, Montefiore, Presbyterian and more, the Foundation identifies children and families in need and provides requested support for these children who ask only “to be children, not patients in a hospital,” said Weippert.

“Thanks to the generosity of our donors and their support, our core programs such as The Escape Hatch, The Bead Program, Gabe’s Chemo Duck, and Sarah Grace’s Book Angels have

Attention students!

been able to carry on,” Weippert continued. “Additionally, we continue providing financial aid for meals, transportation, household expenses, and funeral expenses when necessary. Until Sarah got sick, we never knew how many children were afflicted with cancer and how many local treatment facilities were necessary to care for them. We understand their pain and anxiety and have done all we can to ease that stress for more than 20 years.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased on the Foundation website at www.thesarahgracefoundation.org. Tickets, currently on sale, are advance purchase only and are selling quickly, so don’t delay! Requests for information may be sent to The Sarah Grace Foundation at 17 E. Old Country Road, Unit B, PMB 202, Hicksville, NY 11801 or by calling (516) 433-9745. Inquiries may also be addressed to Matt Weippert, executive director, at Matt.weippert@ thesarahgracefoundation.org

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Passport processing at Town Clerk Town, DA to host seminars on scams

In a concerted effort to safeguard senior citizens from increasingly prevalent scams, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino are partnering to host a series of educational seminars this spring. The initiative aims to equip seniors and their caregivers with the knowledge and tools necessary to recognize, report, and combat fraudulent schemes.

Senior citizens, often targeted due to their limited familiarity with modern technology and scam tactics, face heightened risks of manipulation. Factors such as loneliness and medication-related vulnerabilities can exacerbate their susceptibility.

Recognizing these challenges, District Attorney Donnelly and Supervisor Saladino are committed to providing essential information and resources to help protect the senior community.

The seminars will cover a range of topics including:

• Common scam tactics and how to identify them

• Steps to take if you suspect a scam

• Practical strategies for safeguarding personal information

• Resources for reporting fraudulent activities

These informative sessions will be

held at local community centers in the Town of Oyster Bay, ensuring easy access for residents. The spring schedule includes: Thursday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. at the Hicksville Community Center, 28 W. Carl Street, Hicksville, NY 11801 Monday, March 31, at 1:30 p.m. at Marjorie Post Park Community Center, 451 Unqua Road, Massapequa, NY 11758

“Protecting our seniors is a top priority,” said Supervisor Saladino. “By working with District Attorney Donnelly, we are taking proactive steps to ensure that our elderly community members are informed and empowered against deceitful tactics.”

District Attorney Donnelly stated, “My office is dedicated to combating fraud using all the tools at our disposal, and community engagement is vital to keeping Nassau County safe. Through these educational seminars, seniors will learn how to spot the warning signs of a scam and, most importantly, protect themselves and their finances. Working together with leaders like Supervisor Saladino, we can fight back against senior scams across our county and blunt their impact on our most vulnerable residents.”

Registration for Town Youth

Ice Hockey Program

Registration for the Town's Spring Youth Ice Hockey Program will begin soon for boys and girls ages 8U- 16U. This program includes full House League games and playoffs. Clinics spanning 10 weeks in duration will also be available for registration including all girls clinics, 6U clinics, adult learn to play clinics and advanced skill clinics. Programs will begin on April 2, 2025.

Registration will open online for Town of Oyster Bay residents on March 3 and March 4 at www.oysterbaytown.com/sports beginning at 9:00 a.m.; online registration will available to non-residents on March 5 at 9:00 a.m. All registrants must provide a copy of their birth certificate, proof of residency, and payment for registration. A parent of legal guardian must be present for registration.

All participants must provide their own equipment, and should have some skating ability. For more information, call the rink at (516) 433-7465, x 8234 or visit www.oysterbaytown.com/hockey

"This recreational and instruction program is designed to give youngsters a great way to learn the correct fundamentals of one of America's most popular sports," said Town Councilman Andrew Monteleone. "In addition to receiving instruction on the proper techniques of skating, stickhandling and shooting, participants will make new friends and create lifelong memories."

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Regeneron winners honored by Nassau County Legislature

During the Monday, February 24 meeting of the full Nassau County Legislature, Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D - Plainview) joined with his colleagues in honoring Nassau County’s Regeneron Science Talent Search semifinalists and finalists.

Deputy Minority Leader Drucker had the privilege of welcoming a total of seven semifinalists to the Peter J. Schmitt Memorial Chamber of the Theodore Roosevelt and Executive Building – each of whom excelled in the competition and earned $2,000 prizes and an additional $2,000 award to advance science education at their respective schools.

The Legislative District 16 semifinalists are:

Jericho High School

Jun Chen (Role of Active Vitamin D on Reserved Intestinal Stem Cells), Keita Takahashi (Mechanisms of KN1 mRNA Transport in Arabidopsis thaliana) and Natalie Tehrani ( Optimizing RealTime Interictal Epileptiform Discharge Detection Through the Implementation of a Hilbert Transformer)

Syosset High School

Michael Ren (Repurposing MALDITOF MS for Effective Antibiotic Resistance Screening in Staphylococcus epidermidis Using Machine Learning) and Winston Zhou (Discrete Wavelet Multiview-Based Parallel Hybrid Deep Learning Model for Forecasting El

Niño–Southern Oscillation Cycles)

Plainview-Old Bethpage

John F. Kennedy High School

Chloe Yerin Lee ( Exploring the Effects of Cannabidiol-Medium Triglyceride Oil on Locomotion and Tap Withdrawal Response Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model for Alzheimer’s Disease)

The Wheatley School

Alaina Brooke Pinto ( Visualizing the Impact of Interleukin-32 on Tight Junction Integrity and Nuclear Morphology From Glioblastoma Metastasis in Human Endothelial Cells )

“Nassau County’s schools are among New York State and America’s best, and our commitment to education is rewarded each year by the outstanding achievements of our students in the Regeneron Science Talent Search,” Deputy Minority Leader Drucker said. “It fills my heart with pride and hope to see how these impressive young scholars immerse themselves in their research – and their enthusiastic pursuit of knowledge has the power to change the course of human history for the better. I congratulate each of these outstanding scholars and wish them all the best in their future endeavors!”

Michael Ren and Winston Zhou of Syosset HS receive award from Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker.

Alaina Brooke Pinto (left), a Wheatley School student, receives award from Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker.

Jun Chen, Keita Takahashi and Natalie Tehrani of Jericho HS receive citations from Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker.

Chloe Yerin Lee of Plainview HS receives award from Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker.

Photos by Peter M. Budraitis

Free paper shredding services during Homeowners Cleanup

The Town of Oyster Bay will be offering  S.T.O.P. (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) and Homeowners Cleanup Days during 2025 with dates scheduled for weekends in March. Residents can drop off materials at the Old Bethpage Solid Waste Disposal Complex, located at 101 Bethpage-Sweet Hollow Road in Old Bethpage.

S.T.O.P. Program - Saturday, March 8, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.: collects various hazardous materials, including: asbestos material (double bagged); automobile batteries; automobile tires (with or without rims); brake and transmission fluids; drain and oven cleaners; fire extinguishers; fares; fluorescent bulbs; gasoline; pesticides and insecticides; oil-based and latex paint; outdoor gas grill propane tanks; photo chemicals; rechargeable and button batteries; small aerosol cans; smoke detectors; solvents; spot removers; thermostats; waste motor oil and antifreeze; and wood preservatives.

“Improperly disposing of products such as waste oil, oven cleaner or paint thinner could contaminate your water supply,” said Supervisor Saladino. “Anything poured on the ground or put into cesspools, storm drains, or recharge systems can work its way down to the aquifer or our waterways.”

Homeowners Cleanup Day -

Saturday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Collects non-hazardous waste only, including: air conditioners; all e-waste; campers; boats and boat trailers (proof of ownership required - oil, gas, other fluids and batteries removed); clean, broken concrete; large metal items; propane tanks and propane torches; tires; and yard waste.

“Many of our residents take the opportunity to clean out their yards in the summer months and may have large amounts of non-hazardous debris to dispose,” said Town Councilman Tom Hand. “Residents can bring items such as used tires, fence posts, clean broken concrete or yard waste to our Homeowners Cleanup.”

Free Paper Shredding ServicesSaturday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m.4 p.m.: provides residents an opportunity to destroy unwanted documents in a safe and secure manner. Residents only, no businesses, can bring up to four bankers’ boxes of paper to the shredding program.

The Town ’ s S.T.O.P. and Homeowners programs are open to residents within the Town’s Solid Waste Disposal District. Proof of residency is required. For more information, including a full list of what is accepted at these programs, visit www.oysterbaytown. com/cleanup or call (516) 677-5848.

Scam Prevention Seminar

On November 18, New York State Senator Steve Rhoads hosted a Scam Prevention Seminar in Hicksville. The Family and Children’s Association and the Nassau County Office of Crime Victim Advocate gave an incredibly informative presentation about new scams that all should be aware of, how to protect oneself from becoming the victim of a scam, and how to recover if you have been scammed.

Senator Rhoads thanked Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Legislator Rose Marie Walker, Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz, and the Northwest Civic Association of Hicksville for teaming up on this important initiative to stay proactive and protect our residents. Stay tuned for another Scam Prevention Seminar coming soon!

Town seeks inspector general applicants

The Town of Oyster Bay is seeking applicants for the position of Inspector General. Under local law, the Inspector General oversees all aspects of the Town’s contracting processes.  General powers and duties of the Inspector General include: review contracts and provide recommendations as to policy and direction for investigations relating to allegations of waste, abuse, fraud, mismanagement and misconduct in Town government contracts and/or procurement of said contracts; detect, identify and prevent waste, abuse, fraud, mismanagement and misconduct and vulnerabilities to same, in the Town's contracting methods and activities of each department; review of procurement policy and implement any

amendments; audit, inspect, evaluate and investigate the activities, records and individuals affiliated with contracts and procurements taken by the Town and any other official act or function of the Town, for identifying and presenting for appropriate legal proceedings, if applicable any wrongdoing or misconduct; coordinate with departments for the review of all requests for proposals and bid offerings before issuance; monitor compliance with all procurement guidelines, policies and requirements of federal, state and local laws; implement and oversee disclosure processes to verify the qualifications, background and standing of potential contractors or vendors; investigate background discrepancies of potential contractors or vendors;

examine the records of all Town departments as deemed to be in the best financial interest of the Town; receive and review complaint allegations, as they may relate to the awarding of Town government contracts and/or procurement of said contracts, concerning the possible existence of any activity constituting a violation of laws, rules, regulations, mismanagement, gross waste of funds and/or abuse of authority.

Requirements for the position’s consideration include: a Juris Doctorate, MBA, or comparable degree from an accredited college or university; minimum of ten  years’ experience in the public sector; minimum of ten (10) years' experience in formal investigatory work. Experience, as outlined

above, more than the ten year requirement, may be substituted for college education, including advanced and/or post-graduate degree, on a year-for-year basis, up to a maximum of seven years.

Applicants may not hold any office or title in any political party. Salary range is $125,000 – $165,000 (commensurate with experience) plus full benefits.

No later than March 14, 2025, applicants must send resume and cover letter to the Town of Oyster Bay, Department of Human Resources, Att: John Canning, Commissioner, 54 Audrey Avenue, 3ª Floor, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 or email to personnel@oysterbay-ny.gov.

NASSAU COUNTY FORECLOSURE NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT NASSAU COUNTY MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS TRUST COMPANY, A/K/A M&T BANK, S/B/M HUDSON CITY SAVINGS

BANK, Plaintiff against MELISSA WILLIAMS, et al

Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Fein Such & Crane, LLP, 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800, Rochester, NY 14614. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered February 8, 2019, and Amended on August 8, 2022 I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM. Premises known as 2 Joan Court, Woodbury, NY 11797.

Sec 15 Block 175 Lot 82. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being at Woodbury, Town of Oyster Bay, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Approximate Amount of Judgment is $849,624.64 plus interest, fees, and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 005816/2014. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District's Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held "Rain or Shine." Alan Gerson, Esq., Referee File # CHJNY469

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NASSAU COUNTY FORECLOSURE NOTICE

NOTICE OF LEGAL

POSTPONEMENT OF SALE

SUPREME COURT NASSAU COUNTY

HARRY ENTERPRISE INC.,

Plaintiff against SARABJEET MADHAN, et al

Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Margolin, Weinreb & Nierer, LLP, 575 Underhill Boulevard, Suite 224, Syosset, NY 11791.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 3, 2025, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM. Premises known as 185 Woodbury Road, Woodbury, NY 11797. Sec 14 Block E Lot 848. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Woodbury, Town of Oyster Bay, County of Nassau and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $874,588.78 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 613868/2022. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District's Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction.

Town to host first-ever Pickleball Tournament

NASSAU COUNTY PUBLIC NOTICE

Crown Castle is proposing to install a 41-foot telecommunications utility structure located within the public right of way located at the following site: 28 Shady Lane, Syosset, Nassau, New York County, New York 11791 (40 50 41.0N / 73 28 11.2W). The facility is not expected to be FAA lighted. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.

Specific information regarding the project is available by contacting EBI Consulting, Project #023968-PR, 21 B Street, Burlington, MA 01803, or at (617) 715-1822.

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Calling all pickleball enthusiasts! Councilman Steve Labriola announces that the Town of Oyster Bay is bringing the heat this spring with its inaugural Pickleball Tournament, a high-energy, two-day event set for Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, 2025. Whether you're a seasoned player or just love a little friendly competition, this tournament is the perfect chance to showcase your skills and compete for glory.

The tournament will feature bracketed doubles matches for players 18 and older, promising plenty of fast-paced action and exciting rallies.

“ Pickleball has quickly become one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, and our Town is proud to lead the way in creating opportunities for residents to enjoy this exciting game,” said Councilman Labriola. “So, grab a paddle, find a partner, and get ready for a weekend of fun, fitness,

and fierce competition!”

Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. on March 3, 2025 for Town of Oyster Bay residents at www. oysterbaytown.com/sports, with nonresident registration starting on March 10, 2025. Stay tuned for more details on game locations and schedules.

For more information, please contact the Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department Recreation Office at (516) 797-7945 or visit www.oysterbaytown.com. Don’t miss your shot-sign up and get ready to play!

The Town of Oyster Bay has expanded pickleball facilities, from Bethpage to Bayville, and Massapequa to Oyster Bay. In 2024 alone, new courts were opened at Tappen Beach, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Anchor Park, and Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, with plans to bring even more courts to Farmingdale and Massapequa.

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Foreclosure Auctions will be held "Rain or Shine."

Sale originally scheduled on February 24, 2025.

Michael W Alpert,Esq., Referee File # 22-0295

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Shed the Meds at Syosset Public Library

Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker and the Nassau County Police Department Second Precinct are sponsoring a “Shed the Meds” event at the Syosset Public Library on Tuesday, March 11, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Items accepted: prescriptions medications and patches, over the counter medication and vitamins, sample medications, and pet medications.

Not accepted: Needles and sharps, aerosol cans, thermometers, ointments, hydrogen peroxide, inhalers, biohazard waste, and medications from businesses.

The library is located at 225 S. Oyster Bay Road, Syosset. For any questions please contact the Second Precinct at 516-573-6200 or Leg. Drucker's office at 516-571-6216.

Town offers free boating safety seminars

The Town of Oyster Bay will be offer free Boating Safety Seminars at Community Centers across the Town. These essential courses, taught by the Town's Department of Public Safety Bay Constable Unit, will cover critical topics, including safe vessel operation, state regulations, and the responsibilities of boat ownership and operation. As of January 1, 2025, all motorized vessel operators in New York State, regardless of age, will be required to possess a valid boating safety certificate.

Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino stated, “Boating is a cherished activity in our Town, and safety must always come first. These seminars are an excellent way for residents to stay informed, comply with state law, and ensure that everyone can enjoy our waterways safely. I encourage all residents, young and old, to take advantage of this free program and join us in making our waters safer for all.”

Course Details:

• Oyster Bay Community Center  – Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Marjorie Post Park Community Center in Massapequa – Tuesday, March 18, 2025, and Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. (participants must attend both nights).

Participants must be at least 10 years old to register. While the seminars are free, advance registration is required. In New York State, individuals aged 18 and older must pay a $10 fee for a permanent boating safety certificate issued by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. There is no fee for participants under 18. Completing an approved boating safety course is mandatory to obtain the certificate. For more information or to register for a course, please call (516) 677-5350.

SHS senior named Coca-Cola Scholar

Syosset High School senior Derek Chen is among 150 exceptional students from across the country chosen as a recipient of the prestigious Coca-Cola Scholars Award. This honor places Derek in an esteemed group of future leaders, each receiving a $20,000 college scholarship.

Derek is part of the 37th class of Coca-Cola Scholars, a program that celebrates high school seniors who demonstrate exceptional leadership, academic achievement, and a commitment to community service. From a pool of over 105,000 applicants, Derek is one of less than 0.14% of students selected for this highly competitive scholarship.

As a Coca-Cola Scholar, Derek has the privilege of celebrating a teacher who, in his opinion, has greatly impacted his vision of education as a Coca-Cola Educator of Distinction. AP Biology and Premedical Anatomy & Physiology teacher at Syosset High School, Carisa Steinberg, wrote his letter of recommendation and played a pivotal role in the application process.

"Derek is one of the most capable, intelligent, and respectful students that I have ever taught in my 25 years in education," said Carisa Steinberg. "His goals have always been lofty—goals that many people would never envision. Yet,

despite a myriad of obstacles, which would indubitably have stymied most other students, Derek views hindrances as opportunities to learn, be creative, and persist.”

Since Derek’s sophomore year, Ms. Steinberg has been mentoring Derek in leading Syosset's Global Health Club and the NGO he co-founded, Statice Health International. Over two years, they've raised over $10,000 for Gift of Life International to fund pediatric heart surgeries in developing countries and expanded Statice to a community of more than 3,400 students committed to advancing global health equity.

In addition to the $20,000 scholarship, Derek will attend the Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta this April, where he will participate in the Leadership Development Institute.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the United States. Each year, the program recognizes young individuals who are poised to make significant contributions to their communities and the world. The Foundation has awarded over $87 million in scholarships since its inception and, with this latest class, will continue to support the next generation of leaders.

Syosset High School senior Derek Chen and teacher Carisa Steinberg celebrate Derek’s receipt of the Coca-Cola Scholars Award. Photo courtesy of Syosset Central School District

Upcoming Events at the Jericho Public Library

Friday, March 7

2:00 p.m.: Friday Flix: “ Conclave ” (PG)

Cardinal Lawrence has one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, participating in the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.

4:45 p.m.: Little Vex Innovators with Infinite Robotics Inc.

This program engages kids in hands-on building and coding with VEX IQ robotics, making it perfect for curious elementary students eager to explore the world of robotics!

Saturday, March 8

10:30 a.m.: Saturday Storytime (Ages 4–8)

Bring your child for a morning program of stories. Caregivers must stay in the library during this program.

Monday, March 10

7:00 p.m.: Book Discussion: “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” by William Steig (Grades 1 & 2)

Come to this book discussion to talk about “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” by William Steig. After registering, pick up a copy of the book to read and be prepared to talk about it with your peers.

Tuesday, March 11

10:00 a.m.: Caring Cubs (Ages 2 to 4 Years)

This class is a mini wonderland where tiny tots dive into the world of learning, socializing, and jamming to catchy tunes. Led by a social worker, by the end, you and your little one will strut out with a fresh skill, a new friend, or a heartwarming connection like never before.

6:00 p.m.: Teens Resume Workshop: How to Best Present YourAchievements to Colleges and Employers

Join C2 Education for their resume workshop and learn how to craft a standout resume that highlights your skills, experience, and achievements to both colleges and employers.

Wednesday, March 12

10:30 a.m.: Giggles and Grooves with Rebecca (Ages 1–5)

This Week at the Syosset Public Library

Friday, March 7, at 10:00 a.m.

Simply Stronger with Balance Spring 2025 with Mindy Vasta (VIRTUAL)

Presenter: Mindy Vasta

Improve strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, posture, and alignment using handheld weights, a resistance band, and a ball. Please register at least one hour before the class in order to be sent the Zoom link.

Friday, March 7, at 2:00 p.m.

Friday Movie at the Library (IN-PERSON)

Join us for an afternoon movie at the library. Check our website for the movie that will be shown. Go to syossetlibrary.org.

Sunday, March 9, at 1:00 p.m.

Concert: Let’s Hear it

For the Girls (IN-PERSON)

Performer: Paige Patterson & Her Band

Enjoy the musical odyssey that pays reverence to the female artists who paved the American musical landscape from Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Tina Turner, Carol King, to Linda

Join Ms. Rebecca from Giggles and Grooves for a morning of singing, dancing, and playing! In this class, children will listen to the guitar and explore different instruments, movement toys, puppets, parachute and bubbles. Let’s make music together!

2:00 p.m.: VIRTUAL: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Broadway

Star Chita Rivera with Stephen Nachamie

Join us as award-winning stage and film director Stephen Nachamie celebrates the life and work of the great Chita Rivera. Her legendary Broadway career spanned seven decades and included many ground-breaking performances and iconic Broadway roles, including Anita in “West Side Story”, Rosie in “Bye Bye, Birdie”, and Velma Kelly in “Chicago”

7:00 p.m.: Art Workshop with the Village Artist (Grades 1–6)

Learn art skills using different mediums and materials. No prior art experience needed!

Thursday, March 13

9:30 a.m.: Stepping Stones to Milestones (Ages 18–23 Months)

Come join Miss Renee and Miss Amy for an adventure in Language, Learning and FUN! Creative activities will focus on helping your child as they venture down the path toward age appropriate milestones.

10:30 a.m.: Stepping Stones to Milestones (Ages 24-36 Months)

ment. Then create your own Op Art inspired by this artist.

7:00 p.m.: VIRTUAL: Unsung Heroes: Women with Howard Rosenberg

Explore the accomplishments of women who never made it into the history books. Learn about such historical figures as Anna Coleman Ladd who created prosthetic masks for disfigured World War I soldiers, the Radium Girls who painted watch dials for use by soldiers in the trenches, and more!

Friday, March 14

10:30 a.m.: Pressed Flower Art Workshop with Susan Barell Pressed flower art is the latest craze in the craft world! Come learn this technique using dried flowers, a simple collage method and watercolor paints. A template and all supplies will be provided to create an adorable owl. This 2-hour workshop will be a getaway to use your creativity and go home with beautiful artwork to frame.

Ronstadt and more.

Registration needed. Register at syossetlibrary.org.

Tuesday, March 11, at 11:00 a.m.

Morning Mystery Book

Discussion (IN-PERSON)

Join Sonia Grgas, Reference Librarian, for a discussion of the novel “Finlay Donovan is Killing It” by Elle Cosimano. Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk one month before the discussion. No registration needed.

Thursday, March 13, at 2:00 p.m.

The History of TV Game Shows (IN-PERSON)

Presenter: Sal St. George, pop culture historian

Since the birth of television, game shows have been a popular form of entertainment enjoyed by the masses. Join Sal St. George as he reviews the origins of several classic shows including  “Password”, “The Price Is Right”, “Jeopardy”, “Hollywood Squares”, and “The $20,000 Pyramid”. Also, explore the lives of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, the leaders in the TV game industry.

Come join Miss Renee and Miss Amy for an adventure in Language, Learning and FUN! Creative activities will focus on helping your child as they venture down the path toward age appropriate milestones.

4:00 p.m.: Afterschool Adventures in Art:  Surprise Your Eyes! (Grades 1-6)

This Women’s History Month, discover the work of famous modern artist Bridget Riley, whose optical illusions helped pioneer the Op Art move-

2:00 p.m.: VIRTUAL: Susan Hayward: A Girl from Brooklyn with Marc Courtade Susan Hayward was an actress noted for playing dramatic roles based on real women. She received five Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar for her searing portrayal of convicted murderess Barbara Graham in “ I Want to Live ” . The red-headed star had a life filled with public triumph and personal tragedy, and said “I never dreamed this could happen to a girl from Brooklyn.” A look at her life shows a woman of determination and guts, and her best films are those with characters reflecting the same values.

4:00 p.m.: Lego Buddies (Grades K through 4) Build a Lego creation with the help of teen volunteers. Teens will assist kids in creating Lego structures that display their creativity and ingenuity.

March 7, 2025

Travel Trends: Industry Responds to Growing Demand for Purposeful, Mindful, Experiential Travel

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

A clear indication that the economy is (and has been) strong is how robust the demand and spending for travel has been and is anticipated to be for 2025. Americans are traveling in surging, even record numbers, looking further afield, being more purposeful, mindful in their quest for life-changing, life-enhancing experiences, giving truth to the adage: it is the journey, not the destination.

In fact, special events – like the Taylor Swift Eras concert tour, the Paris Olympics, Formula 1, even the Total Eclipse of the Sun– are driving travel purchases, with people building trips around the events.

“People are traveling for their passions, for experiences - lifestyle, activity, food,. entertainment, adventure,” observed Mandy Gill, Marriott International’s Vice President Global Marketing, US & Canada, at the Travel Media Summit. She was among the travel professionals who cited Taylor Swift’s Eras tour as a major boost to business in 2024; indeed, the tour -149 shows across 51 cities and 21 countriessold 10,168,008 tickets, totaling $2.1 billion (boosting the GDP of countries), making it the highest-grossing tour in history.

Some 12 million people traveled into the path of totality that crossed 15 states to experience the once-ina-lifetime April 8, 2024 solar eclipse – making it the largest mass travel event in the United States in 2024.

“Travelers increasingly are look-

Discovery Bicycle Tours’ biking in Vietnam trip taps into an array of 2025 travel trends: the desire for purposeful, mindful, experiential travel that immerses you in local people’s lives, culture and environment, that maximizes the benefit and minimizes the damage of tourism and that focuses on emerging destinations which also afford value for dollar © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

ing for alternative and authentic destinations, new destinations and adventure travel,” said Erik Evjen, Executive Vice President, Tourism Economics, at the 2025 Travel Media Summit. “Whereas in the past, people would go to a hotel, now they go for ‘what is important to me.’”

“What is important to me” is increasingly determined by “influencers” and social media,

Influencers are the new power brokers in travel, playing a critical role in shaping consumer decisions, noted Rashaad Jorden at the Skift Megatrends event in New York. “Platforms like Expedia have already integrated influencer marketing into their booking process,

allowing curated recommendations to be directly bookable. Kayak plans to employ a mass-market approach, enabling users to share their favorite destinations on social media and earn rewards if bookings are made through their recommendations.

Influencers are also playing a huge role in stimulating travel by specific interest groups, including Black, women. solo travelers, and travelers with disabilities who now have access to information about places and programs that serve their interest. This in turn, is prodding companies to accommodate these travelers. Even Googlemaps is now taking disability into account in providing directions, thanks to Googler

Sasha Blair Goldenson, who became wheelchair bound after an accident , so you can now activate a toggle on Googlemaps app to access 55 million accessible locations.

The AI enhancements that are being incorporated into travel planning apps and making travel experiences accessible. “AI is enabling travel companies to tap into social media as a performance marketing channel,” Jordan said.

Travel companies are responding to the interest in “experiential travel” that affords opportunities to become immersed in culture, connected with local people and actively engaged in the environment. Companies like Earthwatch (earthwatch. org), Audley Travel (audleytravel. com), Exodus Adventure Tours (exodustravels.com), and Village Experience (experiencethevillage. com) build their programs around experiential travel, while others incorporate immersive experiences – biking (Discovery Bicycle Tours, VBT Biking, Backroads), hiking (Wildland Trekking, Backroads, REI, G Adventures), walking (Country Walkers, Classic Journeys), camping, adventure, ecotourism (Wild Frontiers), and indigenous tourism (Discover Aboriginal Experiences, discoveraboriginalexperiences.com) – fundamentally provide these experiences.

Travelers are also increasingly looking for sustainable, responsible travel– in hotels, tours, and destinations, and to avoid feeling guilty about contributing to the destructive impacts of overtourism (but beware “green-washing”). Dubbed “mindful

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Travel Trends: Industry Responds to Growing Demand for Purposeful,

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tourism,” these travelers look to avoid the guilt of destroying the most highly priced “bucket list” destinations by looking more to spreading visits to what used to be called “the off season” (there almost isn’t an off-season anymore), and relatively “new,” “unexplored,” and “off-the-beaten” track (though even these are becoming well visited) and “detour” destinations (places within three hours of the popular destination. The added benefit is traveling when places are less crowded and cheaper (better value), especially as price is being used to mitigate over-crowding, as well as the enjoyment of being in the vanguard with photos and social media posts.

“With over-tourism putting pressure on major cities, travelers are increasingly turning to lesser-known, less traveled destinations for more authentic and mindful experiences,” said Maryanne Sparkes of European Waterways, in fact helped by the availability of technology that assists with translation, directions, money exchange and facilitates interactions while relieving the anxiety of traveling where English is not common. “Places like Albania, Greenland, and Uzbekistan are really having a moment.”

Despite the desire to generate tourism revenue, governments, destinations and travel suppliers are also becoming more focused on regulations and policies promoting sustainable, responsible tourism out of realization that overtourism will literally kill their golden goose. Places like Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, many national parks, and experiences like swimming with whales in Australia, are limiting permits, requiring advance capacity controlled reservations, and increasing fees, while the limited spaces means higher rates for accommodation, which is itself a form of regulating access.

“Sustainability is no longer just a

buzzword—it’s become essential in travel. We’re seeing airlines investing in sustainable fuels and working to offset their carbon emissions, which is such an important step. Hotels are also stepping up, with more achieving certifications like LEED and Green Globe, and even entire ‘green resorts’ running on renewable energy while promoting eco-friendly practices,” Sparkes noted.

“We have to protect what we love.. We have to think ahead in terms of sustainability, environmentally friendly way to operate ships, and future of cruising,” Lasse A. Vangstein, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer of Havila Voyages said at the Travel Media Summit. “We borrow nature. If future generations want to experience, we need to make a conscious choice how to showcase and spread tourism,”

Concern for the health and wellness in a destination coincides with continued surging interest in health and wellness tourism as well as indigenous tourism experiences which blend together wellness and sustainability, nature and culture.

Slow travel is another trend that meshes with the desire for mindful, experiential, responsible, and sustainable travel: biking, hiking and walking vacations, river and canal cruises on barge hotels and train travel – that provide connections to local people and places and provide a kind of serenity and peace.

The travel industry’s embrace of AI will significantly aid travelers in their quest to find lesser traveled destinations as well as the experiences they crave and the value they want. At the same time, AI gives travel entities like indigenous tourism companies, small, special interest and niche operators and those lesser-known destinations access to customers and markets as never before – a win-win for mitigating the negative impacts of tourism while

maximizing the positive economic and social benefits that sustain communities, heritage and sites.

The concern for getting the most bang for the buck is sparking interest in all-inclusives – resorts, cruises, farm and ranch vacations, ski holidays and wellness trips. “There is a huge surge in the use of the all-inclusive filter on the hotels.com app,” noted Melanie Fish, Vice President of Global PR, Expedia Group Brands.

Booking apps like Expedia are also helping travelers save money such as flight price tracker: Expedia just launched a “flight deals departing near you” feature.

The travel industry is responding to another key trend: the surge in solo travel. Cruise companies are even offering single cabins and other options for solo cruisers; tour operators, like G Adventures (gaadventures.com), Wild Frontiers Travel (www.wildfrontierstravel.com), Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel. com), EF Go Ahead Tours (goaheadtours.com), Exodus Adventure Travels (exodustravels.com) and Western River Expeditions (westernriver.com) are offering some “solo traveler” departures, waiving the single supplement or offering to match single travelers with a companion. Indeed, solo travelers have discovered the benefits of joining smallgroup tours.

The rise in “solo travel” coincides with growing availability of women-only travel programs.

The industry is also addressing the surge in popularity of outdoor expeditions – especially travelers who want to be out in the wild but not give up their creature comforts. Marriott International, acquired Postcard Cabins, a brand of tiny cabins in the woods, “to bring the passion of outdoor travel more seamlessly to the consumer.” There has also been a rise in companies offering fully outfitted, luxury

Protein For Older Adults

BY CHARLYN FARGO

Can protein help you stay independent as you age?

Protein is known to slow the loss of muscle mass. Having enough muscle mass can help preserve the ability to perform daily activities and prevent disability. Older adults tend to have a lower protein intake than younger adults due to poorer health, reduced physical activity, changes in the mouth and teeth and changes in absorption.

Recently, a research team from the

United Kingdom studied whether eating more protein could contribute to helping people maintain independence. The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers used data from the Newcastle 85+ Study conducted in the United Kingdom. This study’s researchers approached all people turning 85 in 2006 in two cities in the U.K. for participation. At the beginning of the study in 2006-2007, there were 722 participants, 60% of whom were women. The participants provided researchers with information about what

camper vans, like Moterra Campervans (gomoterra.com) and Roadsurfer (roadsurfer.com), and glamping (luxury camping) with apps like GlampingHub. com, Glamping.com and hipcamp.com, as well as campgrounds of America (koa.com) and even Airbnb – a trend that took off during the COVID pandemic and has continued.

Cool-cations also are in hot demand, as people seek out destinations to avoid the worst impacts of global warming –golfing in Scotland instead of Phoenix or Miami.

The travel industry was projecting record demand in 2025 but that was before the Trump administration took a blowtorch to the economy, with mass firings and layoffs of federal workers, threats of tariffs that will cost millions of private-sector jobs and reignite inflation, while injecting insecurity and anxiety into society that has caused consumer confidence to plummet to the lowest levels in years..

When people are feeling financially insecure and are concerned about future economic prospects, they pull back on spending. Travelers are resilient and because there are infinite options, opportunities and choices to accommodate any budget, when the economy falls, find ways to scale back spending but still travel. They may substitute long-haul trips by air for shorter roadtrips by car; trade resort stays for Airbnb or a camping holiday; and look for value destinations where the dollar goes further.

Indeed, the travel industry, adept at yield management, is also resilient and can be expected to respond to any drop in bookings with incentives, discounts and deals.

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear. com

they ate every day, their body weight and height measurements, their overall health assessment (including any level of disability) and their medical records.

The researchers learned that 28% of older adults in North-East England had protein intakes below the recommended dietary allowance. The researchers noted that older adults who have more chronic health conditions may also have different protein requirements. Researchers examined the impact of protein intake on the

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Finding friendships in some unexpected places

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

One thing I’ve discovered over the years is that friends come in all different sizes, heights and shapes. I’ve also made some new friends when I’ve least expected it - and at some unexpected places. it just seems to be the way it goes.

Someone I’ve thought about a lot recently is an old landlord of mine who in time became a friend. Bill and his wife, Joanie, owned a house in Woodmere and after graduating from college and starting to work full-time I rented the second floor of their house. Bill and Joanie had three children who at that point were teenagers. The kids had their everyday routines and each summer they worked part-time jobs.

Commuting to Manhattan each day, Bill got to know my Monday to Friday routine. I worked 9-5 so by 7:15 a.m. I was leaving the house to walk the three blocks to the Woodmere LIRR station. I was like clockwork because if I missed that train it meant I’d be late for work and that wouldn’t be good.

In the nice weather walking to and from the LIRR station was a pleasure but when the cold winds and snow of winter arrived Bill did something unexpected - he started his car on the driveway, warmed it up and invited me to hop in. Driving me to the LIRR station, I’d sit in the car until we saw the train approaching then I’d get out and head for a day in the city.

I told him I appreciated those rides and Bill said it was no problem since he was retired. Joanie did part-time work as a seamstress out of their finished basement and boy was she good at what she did. Since Joanie was occupied a large part of

the time Bill looked for things to do and what he and I discovered was a shared love of writers and literature. He knew I was an English major and worked as a public relations writer so in no time at all we talked about writers he’d read and loved over the years.

Was I familiar with the works of James Joyce, Cormac McCarthy and William Faulkner? Yes, I’d read most of what Bill talked about and enjoyed talking about the strengths and weaknesses of each writer.

Asking Bill if he’d read Harper Lee, Flannery O’Connor and Emily Dickinson he said yes so we engaged in those discussions. He liked Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” plus several of her other short stories. While he respected Emily Dickinson, she wasn’t his favorite writer.

In our many chats while waiting for the LIRR train to arrive Bill told me that he’d been a salesman for white goods - washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers and more. In his free time he loved to read and when he grew tired of that he’d stay up late watching the news then Johnny Carson on TV. Eventually we got onto other subjects - Bill had worked in Queens before marrying Joanie and starting a family so he told me about that.

A couple of times Bill mentioned how much he liked our chats about books and writers because his family wasn’t familiar with the works of James Joyce, Cormac McCarthy and William Faulkner. Sometimes we disagreed in our opinions but that was okay because they were well thought out opinions.

One warm spring day when I was

A GREENER VIEW

Vegetable Garden Seeds

BY JEFF RUGG

Q: I was digging around in the back of my refrigerator and found a sealed package with leftover vegetable seeds from last year. There are some that are in the original packaging and some seeds in baggies that I harvested from a few tomatoes and peppers. How do I know if the seeds are still good? I don’t want to plant them and not have them grow when I could buy more seeds this year. Also, are the seeds at the stores reliable? I don’t seem to have good luck with them.

A: That is a good question with several parts to the answer. First, let me congratulate you for finding them before summer, which is when I find things that I should have found in spring. It is too early to plant seeds for most of us, but we need to be ready when the season starts. You can run a germination test to see how many normal seedlings start to grow. Seeds for sale must meet minimum

off from work Bill asked if I wanted to play pinochle and while I’d never played before, I said okay. We sat out back at their picnic table as Bill showed me the basics of the game. He had learned to play pinochle years ago when he was in the Navy and I had watched my grandfather play it in Brooklyn with friends at Prospect Park under some big old trees.

As much as I’d watched Grandpa Mike playing I never learned the game because I was young and I certainly wouldn’t have interrupted the men to ask about the rules of the game and why they played the cards they did. Discovering that pinochle is a game of bidding, melding and playing for tricks, I slowly caught on. Sometimes someone will “shoot the moon” so I had to learn what that meant in pinochle.

When I say Bill and I played pinochle I mean he explained the game to me. One day when I had a good grasp of it he asked Joanie to play because three people are good for pinochle not two so we got a good game going. Joanie ended up winning that day and on cold winter days Joanie, Bill and I would promise each other that we would play again in the spring at the picnic table under the shade of some big oak trees.

Most summers Bill would grill dinner outside in their back yard and many

times they would invite me to join the family. Barbecued chicken kebobs and beef kebobs were my favorite on summer days and later, as the sun set, Joanie, Bill, their kids and I would sit around chatting.

I lived in that apartment for 10 years and during those years their kids applied to college and thought about what they wanted to do in life. One by one they graduated from college, got engaged and married.

Eventually I moved to another apartment - away from my starter place and into a larger apartment with more square footage, windows and sunlight plus it was closer to my job. Joanie, Bill and I kept in touch for a while but I got busy with my demands at work and in time we lost touch.

Years later I heard that Bill and Joanie had sold their house in the Five Towns and moved to a condo on the west coast of Florida. Their daughter said they were enjoying their time with other retirees, many of whom had relocated from up north.

I no longer commute via LIRR trains but I have great memories of Bill and Joanie. Sometimes we discover friends in unexpected places.

federal and state germination standards, which are often printed on the packaging and range between 70% and 90%. Place 10 seeds between two damp paper towels and place the paper towels in a sealed plastic bag. After a few days to a week, see how many seeds have started to grow. If you get more than seven, then that is a good rate. See a short video on how to do this on the Greener View YouTube channel in the Vegetable Garden Playlist. Next, you can watch those seedlings or plant them in small pots to see how well they grow. If they are weak or spindly, then the seed vigor may not be very good, and they may not be worth planting in the garden.

Seed companies who are doing tests in big batches will check to see if there are any weed plants coming up with the seeds being tested, but you will not need to do that since they already have. One thing to remember about the seeds

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Older People and Social Security Disability

BY TOM MARGENAU

I often feel guilty if I write a column that essentially repeats information I’ve given in past columns. But readers often remind me that I shouldn’t worry about that. For example, today I got an email that said something like this: “I know you’ve covered this topic before. But I’ve forgotten most of what you said, and now we are at the point where it applies to us, so could you repeat it?”

He was talking about senior citizens and Social Security disability benefits. Specifically, he said his wife has been getting disability benefits since her late 50s. As she is now reaching age 65, he asked when she should file for “real Social Security.”

Let me make a couple of points about that question. First of all, disability benefits are “real Social Security.” They are just as real as retirement benefits, widows benefits or any other kind of Social Security.

But of course, I knew what he meant. He was asking when his wife could file for Social Security retirement benefits. The answer is that she does not need to. Social Security disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits when a person reaches full retirement age.

This means a couple of months before this guy’s wife reaches her full retirement age, or FRA, she will receive a letter from the Social Security Administration telling her that she is being switched, at least on the SSA’s books, from the disability program to the retirement program. Other than that, the changeover will essentially be invisible to her, primarily due to the fact that her benefit amount remains the same. Why? Because a disability benefit pays the same rate as a full retirement age benefit.

Here is another lesson gleaned from this guy’s email. In his initial question, he told me that his wife was currently getting “SSI.” I was sure he was mixing up terms, so I wrote back and said, “I’ll bet your wife is getting Social Security disability benefits and not SSI.” He quickly responded and said that I was right.

People frequently confuse Social Security disability benefits with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, but there is a huge difference. SSI is a federal welfare program that pays a small monthly stipend to poor people who are over age 65 or disabled. On the other hand, Social Security disability benefits are paid to people, rich or poor, as long as they have worked and paid taxes for a sufficient amount of time.

One reason many people confuse these two programs has to do with their abbreviations. Social Security disability benefits are frequently referred to as SSDI, or Social Security Disability Insurance, whereas SSI disability benefits are referred to as SSID.

Other frequent questions I get from senior citizens have to do with their possible eligibility for Social Security disability

benefits. Here are some ground rules that vary depending on your age.

If you are over your full retirement age, forget about it. Once you reach that age, disability benefits are no longer payable. To put that another way, the retirement benefit you are getting pays the same rate as any disability benefits you might be due.

If you are under age 62 and disabled, then you should definitely file for Social Security disability. There is information about how to do that later on in this column.

If you are over 62 and not yet on Social Security, then you should file for retirement and disability benefits at the same time. The Social Security Administration can start your reduced retirement payments immediately. That way, if your disability claim is eventually approved, they will switch you to the higher disability rate.

But if you are between age 62 and your full retirement age and are already getting Social Security retirement benefits, you may or may not want to file for disability payments. The closer you are to your full retirement age, the smaller your disability boost will be. You may decide it’s just not worth all the hassle.

Why? Your disability rate (normally equal to your full retirement age benefit) must be reduced for every month you’ve already received a Social Security retirement check. You will eventually reach a point where you simply gain very little by filing for Social Security disability.

Here is a quick example. Sam filed for retirement benefits at age 62. His benefit was reduced by roughly one-half of 1% for each month he was under his full retirement age. He is getting 75% of his FRA rate. At 65, he had a heart attack. If he files for disability benefits and his claim is approved, his regular disability rate, again equal to his FRA benefit, must be reduced by about one-half of 1% for each month he’s already received a retirement benefit. At age 65, he’s received 36 retirement checks, so his disability rate must be cut by about 18%. So instead of a 100% disability rate, he’d get about 82%. Sam would have to decide if it is worth all the hassle of filing for disability just to get bumped up from his current 75% rate to 82%.

What’s the hassle? First, you will fill out a bunch of paperwork. The primary piece is a form that asks you to describe your disability and how it prevents you from working.

That same form also asks you to list your medical providers. The government can’t make a decision about your case without having the evidence to back up your claim.

The SSA contracts out disability decisions to an agency in each state that is staffed with doctors and other medically trained personnel. They are the folks who decide if you meet the legal definition of “disability” for Social Security purposes.

In a nutshell, the rules say that your impairment must keep you from doing any kind of work for which you are suited for at least 12 months.

There is a pretty good chance you will be asked to go to a Social Security doctor for additional evaluation. Make sure you don’t miss that appointment.

Your disability claim will usually take about three to six months to process. If it’s approved, you’ll start getting disability checks six months after they say your disability began. That six-month waiting period is built into the law.

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CROSSWORD PUZZLE

The impact and influence of Feng Shui on Real Estate (Part2)

If you missed my column from last week, here is a link to read it before you read today’s column: Part 1: JerichoSyosset News Journal (2/28/25) https://issuu.com/ litmorpublishingcorp/docs/jerichosyosset_news_journal_2_28_25_

So those that continue to practice Feng Shui, do this as a very serious customary process and practice, when purchasing real estate. Asian buyers place great significance and truth on the proposition of adhering and utilizing Feng Shui when searching for a new home. They believe that balancing and harmonizing their living spaces can bring good fortune, opulence and a good life.

Feng Shui goes back 5000 years and for those that practice this, it becomes extremely crucial and critical when buying a property. Understanding customs and beliefs will go a very long way and be to your advantage if you are trying to break into the Asian market in the U.S. or even abroad. More than 50% of my clients are Chinese, Korean or Indian and for me, it is very important to have the appreciation of having the knowledge and expertise in assisting those purchasers with their real estate needs and wants.

Back to my story from last week, about when David Lauster, my teacher/mentor, had taken out a Chinese couple who were relocating for the Marriot Hotel chain down at Disney in Orlando. The husband was going to manage one of their high-end hotels and she was to manage one of their exclusive 4-star restaurants in the Disney hotel complex.

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you collected from your tomatoes and peppers is that they won’t be the same kind unless you started with heirloom varieties last year.

Catalogs are a great way to get plants that are special, new, rare or hard to grow. Your local garden center can’t stock 300 kinds of tomatoes, peppers or other vegetables, but somewhere out there is a grower with a catalog who does have all the plants you want. If you are not sure about a seed brand, you can look for customer reviews. One thing to look for is how long a company has been in business. Seed companies really do want you to become

Continued from previous page

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

They originally came from Hong Kong, extremely well educated and professional. David had never experienced or had any knowledge of Feng Shui. So, he had to undertake an extremely challenging and sometimes stressful and exhausting position in figuring out what they needed and wanted to buy based on Feng Shui customs and principles.

The ensuing story (Click on the link down below, in the online digital version or copy and paste the link into your browser) that what you will see, and experience is tantamount to understanding why Realtor education should be at the top of your list when hiring a Broker, Associate Broker or salesperson. The comprehension, command and grasp of Feng Shui or any other pertinent information or concepts within the real estate field are required and necessary on a daily basis to be at the top of one’s game. Providing the concerted efforts, disciplined actions and the sacrifice of one’s unrecoverable, can’t grow more, can’t re-invent valuable time becomes the number one principle of being a top producing Broker. Servicing your clients as if they were one of the rarest elements like “palladium” more valuable than platinum or even gold and putting them on a pedestal, will assuredly put you in the 5-10% club of high-end earners.

The bigger issue is how to find and gain the knowledge and expertise that

you are able to experience and derive from on a daily basis. It can be accomplished by watching, listeningcarefully and attentively with both ears when conversing with other Realtors; or when studying and training. Finding and having the ultimate mentor to learn, absorb, and most importantly, practice and apply concepts and principles will assuredly turn you into a top producer and a force to be reckoned with in your community. But do you have what it takes?

Dealing with the multitude of cultures, traditions, rituals and formalities requires the most comprehensive all-inclusive mastery, understanding, and listening carefully your clients’ needs and wants in your local market. Achieving one’s goal of becoming successful in building an ironclad foundation will enable you to scale your real estate career and business to heights that you cannot even contemplate or imagine. But where there is a will, there will always be away! Here is the link to my video back in 2015 and our CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist) course and the hilarious story:

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 43+ years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned 3 significant designations: (What I consider a Master’s degree in real estate) expert in

A GREENER VIEW

lifelong gardeners buying their seeds. Here are some companies that I like.

The Baker Creek catalog has over 1,500 variety of seeds. They publish Heirloom Gardener Magazine and “The Heirloom Life Gardener” book. For more information, check out rareseeds.com.

Dixondale Farms is the home of the Onionman and a lot of good onions at dixondalefarms.com.

The Harris Seeds catalog has a good selection of vegetables, plus flowers and tools. Find them at harrisseeds.com.

The Chas. C. Hart Seed Co. is one of the few garden seed companies that understands the difference between GMO and

If your claim is denied, you will have to decide if it is worth it to appeal. If you decide to do that, the first appeal is usually just a review of your case by the state agency that made the first decision. If your claim is denied again, you can file for a hearing before a Social Security judge. Due to backlogs, those hearings

If you have a Social Security question,

consulting and completing international transactions, eco-friendly low carbon footprint construction with 3-D printed foundations, solar panels, Geo-thermal HVAC/Heat Pumps).

He will also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and his Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

He will provide you with “free” regular updates of what has gone under contract (pending), been sold (closed) and those homes that have been withdrawn/ released or expired (W/R) and all new listings of homes, HOA, Townhomes, Condos, and Coops in your town or go to: https://WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” no obligation 15 minute consultation, as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached call him at (516) 647-4289 or email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.com You can now search at your leisure for properties at: WWW.Li-RealEstate.com

GE seeds. This company has been around for over 125 years and is an excellent source of garden seeds. If your charitable organization needs vegetable garden seeds, this is the company to contact at hartseed.com.

Double A Vineyards is an awesome source of grapevines at doubleavineyards.com.

Indiana Berry & Plant Co. is a great source for strawberries, brambles, blueberries and grapevines. Check them out at indianaberry.com

Renee’s Garden has garden-tested and taste-tested heirloom and gourmet vegetables, flowers and herbs. Her seed packets

are very detailed, and Renee personally grows every plant variety before it is offered in the catalog. Find her catalog and cookbook at reneesgarden.com.

The Territorial Seed Company has all the essential seeds and supplies at territorialseed.com.

The Totally Tomatoes catalog may not be completely tomatoes, but it is close. Check it out at totallytomato.com.

Wood Prairie Family Farm is the place to get any kind of potato at woodprairie. com.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@ greenerview.com. .

COPYRIGHT 2025 JEFF RUGG

BY MARY HUNT

The Agony and Ecstasy of Getting Out of Debt

Dear Mary: We’ve just received notice that the rent on our three-bedroom house is going up from $950 to $1,200 a month. We were struggling before, so we really can’t afford the increase. We have looked at an apartment community, where our rent would be around $850 a month.

I found another home that could be a great permanent family home. This one is a rental, but with an option to purchase. The monthly rent on this house is $1,250.

We have huge student loan balances, and our credit isn’t that great. Should we move to the cheaper apartment, opt for the house with the higher rent and option to purchase, or just stay where we are? Thanks for your advice. -- Henry

Dear Henry: If you are already struggling to make your $950 rent each month, how are you going to handle $1,200 a month -- with or without an option-to-purchase clause?

Have you looked carefully at the conditions and terms on that option? Typically, included in those terms is that a portion of the rent you pay each month will be credited against an undetermined purchase price, if and when you are able to buy. That could be a small amount, like $25 a month.

Given the information you’ve given me -- even if that option to purchase appears favorable -- I would advise you to go with the $850 apartment, provided you keep your moving costs to an absolute minimum.

Continued from page 2

increase of disability over five years.

The researchers’ theory was that eating more protein would be associated with slower disability development in elderly adults, depending on their muscle mass and muscle strength. And their research backed that up. Participants who ate more protein at the beginning of the study were less likely to become disabled compared to people who ate less protein.

Dr. Nuno Mendonca, the principal author of the study, wrote in the Journal

You need to be seriously cutting expenses, not adding to them. Lower rent plus a strong commitment to go on a spending diet should give you the boost you need to get your debts paid in the next two or three years. Then you’ll be ready to start saving a down payment so you can begin looking for a home to buy.

Dear Mary: It’s been years now since my husband and I finished a debt repayment program offered through our local Catholic Charities, based on your philosophies and book “The Financially Confident Woman.” In two years, we paid off tens of thousands of dollars of debt that would have otherwise taken decades to repay.

When Catholic Charities was contacted by several large businesses and a local hospital about starting a program for all their employees, they asked me to spearhead this project. I agreed as my way of showing grati-

tude for what we have received.

I want you to know that between you and Catholic Charities, my life has been permanently changed. My husband and I now truly enjoy the love of each other and our three beautiful children. Thanks for changing my life and making frugality something not to be despised. God bless you. -- C.L.

Dear C.L. Your letter made my day! I am so proud of you for your great accomplishment of getting out of debt. Thanks for being such diligent “students” and putting into action the simple plan you found in my book.

Dear Mary: It’s been nearly a year since I wrote to you. I was in despair about our financial situation. Because I shared the bad news, I want to share the good news, too. Since then, we sold our home (the biggest reason we couldn’t reduce our expenses further) and purchased a condominium.

This reduced our mortgage payment by 25%. We put 40% down on our new home, paid our $21,000 credit card debt in full, and have cash reserves to cover three months of basic bills and living expenses in case of emergency.

This is the first time in our marriage that we have been debt-free, and it feels great. Thanks for encouraging and supporting our desire to live debt-free. Your guidance and encouragement to do the hard work changed our lives. -- Vivienne

Dear Vivienne: I recall your first letter and how things did look nearly hopeless. Yours was one of those desperate situa-

NEWS

Protein For Older Adults

article, “Our findings support current thinking about increasing the recommended daily intake of protein to maintain active and healthy aging.”

Older adults should aim to eat about 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight. For example, for a person who weighs 160 pounds, that would be about 72 grams of protein per day. That compares with the current recommendation for adults (young and elderly) at 0.8 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight per day, or 58 grams of protein per day for a 160-pound person.

The bottom line is most adults get more than enough protein, but as you age, it may be beneficial to consume more protein to stay independent.

Q and A

Q: Are there health benefits to grilling?

A: Yes. Grilling allows excess fat to melt and drip off meats rather than being reabsorbed into the food, so you’re likely to consume less fat. Grilling also decreases the need for sauces and seasonings that may contain extra salt because it gives a natural smoky flavor. More nutrients may also be retained because ingredients

tions that required drastic measures. I know that selling your home was a very difficult decision, but I believe you did the right thing by scaling down. I am so happy for you. You have warmed the cockles of my heart, which I must admit came as a bit of a shock. I didn’t know I had cockles.

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “DebtProof Living.”

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

are cooked quickly on the grill. Grilling is also an invitation to spend time with family and friends outdoors. You can also put your favorite fruits and vegetables on the grill.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD..

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of March 9-15, 2025

I’m always excited when springtime is just around the corner. It’ll soon be time to get outdoors more and enjoy the warmth of our beautiful sun.

We all take our sun for granted, expecting it to be there every day, but ancient civilizations worshiped its light and heat because they recognized its life-giving properties. Today we know they were right; life on Earth, and even the Earth itself, could never exist without our nearest star.

The sun appears large and bright because it’s nearby, only 93 million miles away. Most people would consider that to be tremendously distant, but we astronomers recognize it as a mere stone’s throw on a cosmic scale.

The enormity of our sun is pretty remarkable too. The “photosphere” -- the disk that we can see (with a proper solar filter, of course) -- stretches about 865,000 miles from edge to edge. That’s large enough that 109 Earths could stretch across its face!

No wonder that we consider our sun to be immense. But, again, on a cosmic scale, is it?

Our sun is one of a class of stars known as “solartype” stars; these comprise only about 7% of the Milky Way galaxy. Most stars, however, are considerably smaller than the sun. These are known as “red dwarfs,” and they make up about 75% of our galaxy, so by comparison, our sun is huge.

But what about the other 18%? What type of stars are those? Many of them are known as “giants” and “supergiants,” and two of the best examples of these are visible tonight in the constellation Orion.

Look for Orion as a vertical rectangle of stars midway up in the southern sky just after dark; at its cen-

STARGAZERS

Our ‘Tiny’ Sun

ter lie three equally bright stars that form a straight line. Orion represents a hunter, with the top two stars marking his shoulders, the bottom two marking his knees, and the three central stars outlining his belt.

Many of the stars of Orion are giants and supergiants, but two are particularly spectacular. The bright star marking the northeastern corner (one shoulder) of Orion is known as Betelgeuse. This red supergiant glows with an orange light that’s pretty tough to miss.

small by comparison.

Some 15-20 times more massive than our sun, Betelgeuse is one of the first stars to have its size measured. And it’s big. Very big. We would need about 700 suns to cross the face of Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse is so immense that if it replaced our sun at the center of our planetary system, it would engulf not only the sun but the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, and extend nearly to Jupiter!

At the opposite corner (in one of the hunter’s knees) lies sparkling Rigel, another supergiant that displays a slightly bluish-white color. Rigel lies about 850 lightyears (5,100 trillion miles) from Earth, contains about 21 times more mass, and has a diameter some 74 times greater than the sun. Betelgeuse, on the other hand, makes Rigel appear

LOST IN SUBURBIA

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

Being the deep, substantial person that I am, I was kind of hoping that following my knee replacement surgery, my at-home physical therapist would resemble someone like Jason Momoa. Unfortunately, it seemed all the buff therapists had already been assigned, because I ended up with one who looked more like Ant-Man than Aquaman.

Still, I didn’t want him to feel like I didn’t respect his special skillset, so I asked him what his superpower was.

“I will help you get your leg straight,” he replied.

I sighed. I had been hoping for something more like, “I can manipulate time to save the world from a mutant alien arachnid species,” but I thought getting my leg straight would be good too.

In most superhero movies, there is often a villain whom the superhero must thwart to save humanity. But in my house, the only one who really fit that role was the dog. Ever since I had returned home from the hospital, I had noticed

For all its enormity, Betelgeuse isn’t the largest known star. That honor goes to UY Scuti, a red supergiant 30% larger than Betelgeuse!

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. . COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

A Super Dog Day Afternoon

that the dog would lie across the floor or leave a toy exactly in my path, setting up a treacherous obstacle for a woman with only one good leg. Although I don’t think it was his intention to hurt me, the net result would have been the same, and thus I dubbed the villainous dog “He-WhoShall-Not-Be-Tripped-Over.”

The physical therapist, who I’ll call Therapyman (because all superheroes should have “man” in their name, and also I’m not very creative when it comes to naming superheroes), realized right away that the dog would be our nemesis. It might have had something to do with the fact that Therapyman himself tripped over the dog on his way into my house. This is also when we realized that Therapyman could fly ... but only short distances and without sticking the landing very well.

Now, I’ve had interactions with superheroes in the past, so all this was nothing new to me. For many years, my husband went by the pseudonym Super Grillman. When the burgers came out, he transformed into his alias and would go off to

fight his barbecue battles with his galactic grill tools, which he kept in a titanium grill case. He didn’t so much save the world from the burgers as he did save the burgers themselves from being well done. But he was proud of his achievements, and who was I, a mere mortal, to question his status?

This would be a good time to admit that the hospital had sent me home with pain medication for the first week, and it was making me a little loopy. This may be the reason why I called my physical therapist “Therapyman” to his face. I introduced myself as “Super Knee Woman” (again, not very creative, but I was on meds, so I get a pass), who could leap off my bed on one leg in a single bound. When he tested my other skills, I failed with flying colors, which I attributed to the fact that I believed his PT bag contained Kryptonite, and therefore I was rendered practically mortal.

Therapyman was super kind, though, assuring me that it was normal to lose your superpowers after a big surgery and that I would be back to saving the world,

or at least able to get to the toilet by myself, in no time.

As Therapyman began to run me through a series of exercises, both of us neglected to see the villainous dog, “He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Tripped-Over,” lying down in the hall, directly in my path. I was teetering precariously, my cane just about to come in contact with the dog’s tail, when Therapyman flew into action, dashed across the hall at superspeed and, with superhuman strength, lobbed my 45-pound dog across the hall like a hockey puck.

This is when I realized the physical therapist’s true superpower name was “He-Who-Moves-the-Dog-Out-of-MyWay.”

Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www.tracybeckerman.com.

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

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Fish and chips is an ideal meal throughout Lent

Gourmet Fish and Chips

Makes 4 servings Lent is an important time of year for Christians across the globe. Lent is a season of sacrifice, and many practicing Christians abstain from consuming flesh meat on Fridays in the weeks preceding Easter. Abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout Lent does not require devoted Christians to avoid flavor. In fact, there are many flavorful non-meat dishes for Christians to choose from each Friday during Lent. One particularly flavorful option is this recipe for “Gourmet Fish and Chips” from Lines+Angles.

For the mushy peas:

12 ounces green dried peas, split

1 tablespoon baking soda

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Salt

Freshly ground black peppercorns

For the fries:

2 1⁄4 lbs. white potatoes, peeled

8 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon onion powder or onion salt

1) For the mushy peas: Combine the peas with the baking soda in a large saucepan. Cover with 8” water. Cover and chill overnight.

2) The next day, drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

3) Return the peas to a large saucepan and cover with about 0.5” water. Bring to a boil over a high heat before reducing to a simmer until tender to the bite, about 30 to 40 minutes; skim away any froth that rises to the surface and edges.

4) Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

5) For the chips/fries: Cut the potatoes into fries. Submerge in a large bowl of water as you heat the oil.

6) Heat the oil in a large, heavybased saucepan to 285° F; use

For the fish:

4 large white fish fillets, approximately 2 lbs., such as cod or haddock, skinless, pin-boned

1 cup flour

1 large egg, beaten

12 fluid ounces beer, chilled

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

To serve:

2 gherkins pickles, sliced lengthwise

2 lemons

Sprig curly parsley

a thermometer to accurately measure the temperature.

7) Remove the potatoes from the water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle over the corn starch, onion powder and some salt, tossing well to combine.

8) Deep-fry the potatoes until soft and starting to color, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towel and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.

9) Increase the temperature of the oil to 355° F. Working in two batches, return the fries to the oil and fry until golden-brown and crisp all over.

10) Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm; reserve the oil.

11) For the fish: Return the frying oil to 355° F; use a kitch-

en thermometer to accurately gauge the temperature.

12) In the meantime, season the fish with salt and pepper

13) Combine the flour, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Whisk briefly to combine before slowly whisking in enough of the beer to make a thick, smooth batter.

14) Working one by one, drop the fish fillets into the batter, turning to coat evenly.

15) Let the excess batter drip off the fish before carefully lowering into the hot oil. Deep-fry until golden-brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove from the hot oil and drain on paper towel, covering loosely with aluminum foil.

16) Repeat steps 14 and 15 for the remaining fish.

17) Reheat the fries in the hot oil if needed, draining well.

18)To serve: Divide the mushy peas between ramekins and place on plates. Divide the fries into individual serving baskets and arrange next to the fish on the plates.

19) Cut the lemons in half, scoring a zig-zag pattern into them with a paring knife. Serve alongside the fish and fries, garnishing the fish with gherkin slices and some parsley sprigs.

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Levittown Student Artists Reception

Lunar New Year crafts

Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray greeted Summer Townsend of Levittown as her artwork was featured as part of the Levittown Public Library’s High School Student Artists Reception on February 13.

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Wisdom Lane middle schoolers face off in relay race

The competition was fierce between Wisdom Lane Middle School’s sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes as they faced off in a variety of games for the annual schoolwide relay race on Feb. 7.

The three grades were divided into green, purple and red teams and began the day in the gymnasium to utilize teamwork to accomplish a series of challenges. Teammates in the bleachers made their cheers heard as selected students played games such as an egg toss, a hula

hoop relay and half-court basketball shots. The day concluded with a relay race that brought students through the halls, working together to perform smooth handoffs of their team’s batons. Throughout the week, classes also competed in a Super Bowl-themed soup drive, which sixth graders ultimately won. Wisdom Lane’s yearly relay race is a highly anticipated event that boosts camaraderie across each of the middle school grades.

Photos courtesy Levittown Public Schools

Without breaking the chain, seventh graders were challenged to loop through each participant’s arms.

Lane Middle School’s

race on Feb. 7 had students competing in creative races, such as in groups of four.

Students had to make it to either side of the gym while standing in hula

Teamwork was key as teams helped one students make it across on a makeshift raft.

Eighth graders showed their class spirit.

Wisdom

relay

hoops.

Students shine at Science Olympiad competition

Artists invited to showcase work at “Art in the Park”

The POBJFKHS Science Olympiad Team had a strong showing at the 2025 Nassau East Regional Science Olympiad competition.

The Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School Science Olympiad team delivered an outstanding performance at the 2025 Nassau East Regional Science Olympiad competition, earning ten medals across five different events. The achievement underscored the team’s dedication, scientific knowledge, and teamwork.

Competing against some of the region’s top Science Olympiad teams, POBJFKHS students demonstrated their expertise in a variety of challenges, including bungee drop, ecology, forensics, and geological mapping. Their success reflected months of preparation,

collaboration, and a passion for science and innovation.

The Science Olympiad is a national competition that tests students in a wide range of STEM disciplines, from biology and chemistry to engineering and physics. The Nassau East regional contest took place at Division Avenue High School in Levittown.

“Congratulations to our brilliant, hardworking, and passionate Science Olympians,” said Coach Susan Wetzler. “Facing fierce competition, our students rose to the challenge and represented POBJFK with excellence.”

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The Town of Oyster Bay is inviting local artists and artisans to participate in a special day of creativity and community at Art in the Park. This exciting event will take place on Saturday, May 17, at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park & Beach in Oyster Bay, offering a unique platform for talented individuals to display and sell their handcrafted creations. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 9, 2025.

“Art in the Park provides an incredible opportunity for local artists and artisans to showcase their best work, connect with the community, and gain recognition,” said Town Councilman Tom Hand. “Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your creativity and be part of a vibrant community event, featuring live music, food trucks, and fun activities for kids.”

Artists and artisans must be 18

years or older and can only display and sell original, handcrafted pieces. Commercial or mass-produced items will not be permitted. Participants are responsible for supplying their own 10x10 canopy and any additional equipment needed for their space. Full details, including associated costs, are outlined in the application available online.

Organized by the Town's Department of Community & Youth Services, Cultural and Performing Arts Division, Art in the Park celebrates a diverse range of handcrafted works, including ceramics, watercolors, glass, jewelry, wood, leather, sculptures, and more.

To apply, visit the Town’s website at www.oysterbaytown.com/capa or contact the Cultural and Performing Arts Division at (516) 797-7932 for more information.

Town to host first-ever Pickleball Tournament

Calling all pickleball enthusiasts!

Councilman Steve Labriola announces that the Town of Oyster Bay is bringing the heat this spring with its inaugural Pickleball Tournament, a high-energy, two-day event set for Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, 2025. Whether you're a seasoned player or just love a little friendly competition, this tournament is the perfect chance to showcase your skills and compete for glory.

The tournament will feature bracketed doubles matches for players 18 and older, promising plenty of fast-paced action and exciting rallies.

“Pickleball has quickly become one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, and our Town is proud to lead the way in creating opportunities for residents to enjoy this exciting game,” said Councilman Labriola. “So, grab a paddle, find a partner, and get ready for a weekend of fun, fitness, and fierce

competition!”

Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. on March 3, 2025 for Town of Oyster Bay residents at www.oysterbaytown.com/ sports, with nonresident registration starting on March 10, 2025. Stay tuned for more details on game locations and schedules.

For more information, please contact the Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department Recreation Office at (516) 797-7945 or visit www.oysterbaytown.com. Don’t miss your shot-sign up and get ready to play!

The Town of Oyster Bay has expanded pickleball facilities, from Bethpage to Bayville, and Massapequa to Oyster Bay. In 2024 alone, new courts were opened at Tappen Beach, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Anchor Park, and Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, with plans to bring even more courts to Farmingdale and Massapequa.