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Vol. I No. XXXIII | www.StandardLI.com d d | News@standardli.com d dl | Ph.# h 516-341-0445
NOV. 4-10, 2011
YOUR FIVE TOWNS HOMETOWN PAPER
NO TAX INCREASE COUNTY BUDGET APPROVED 11-8
FIGHTING SUBSTANCE ABUSE MAIN TOPIC AT DIST. 15 TOWN HALL By Amanda Mayo Substance abuse challenges that are being faced by students was the main topic of discussion on Wednesday, November 2 at Lawrence High School. Residents of the Lawrence Public School District came together to discuss these challenges and the efforts put forth by faculty, students and community leaders to combat these problems. The meeting was the second in a series of Town Hall meetings at Lawrence High School and was attended by various faculty members from the school district, students and their families. Gary Schall, Superintendent for the district, made opening remarks about how he is personally driven and committed to raise awareness about drug abuse in the schools in hopes to combat the problems. He said the issues were extremely sensitive in nature and “cuts through all racial, economic and social divides.” He specifically spoke about heroin problems among some Lawrence students, some of which have led to death. Pat Pizzarelli, Assistant Superintendent for Student and Community Affairs, spoke about corrective measures that were being put into place to combat any issues of drug and/or alcohol abuse. “We have a zero tolerance for illegal substances, including alcohol,” he said. Measures he spoke about included suspending a student for a minimum of three months, with
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FREE EVERY FRIDAY
By Jonathan Walter
Standard Staff Reporter
October Freezes Over A freak late October snowstorm blanketed the local area with anywhere between two and four inches of snow on Saturday, creating hazardous driving conditions and beautiful scenery. Here, snow falls over Motts’ Creek in North Woodmere. Photo courtesy of Michele Rabinowitz.
The Nassau County Legislature approved the $2.6 million 2012 budget proposed by County Executive Edward Mangano 11-8 mostly along party lines with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats opposed. The newly approved budget calls for the layoffs of hundreds of county employees and the closure of two police precincts. Mangano has said that such drastic action would not be necessary if he could get $150 mil-
Fire at Gourmet Glatt Shuts Store Down By Scott P. Moore
Standard Staff Reporter
A minor fire took place at Gourmet Glatt Emporium in Cedarhurst on early Thursday morning, shutting down the supermarket for business on Thursday and Friday, according to Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department Chief Joseph Sperber. The fire took place at around 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning in the basement of the Gourmet Glatt supermarket at 137 Spruce Street in Cedarhurst, Sperber said. The fire department received a call at 12:39 a.m. alerting them of the fire and arrived on the scene shortly after. The fire was suppressed within 30 minutes of the fire department’s arrival and the entire cleanup after-
Gourmet Glatt’s main floor suffered smoke damage, but the building was not in considerable harm following Thursday morning’s fire.
Photo by Scott P. Moore. wards took roughly 90 minutes. The fire was investigated by the Nassau County Fire Marshall
which said the fire appeared to not be suspicious. Sperber said the fire appeared to have been
caused by electrical equipment in the basement near a food preparation area and walk-in freezer. Fire suppression equipment, including a sprinkler system, was able to keep the fire in check until the fire department’s arrival. Most of the direct damage was contained to the basement level of Gourmet Glatt, according to Sperber. The building, however, could not be opened immediately to the public due to smoke damage on the first floor and would have to be inspected by the Department of Health. Two Gourmet Glatt employees who were in the building at the time of the fire were treated for smoke inhalation, but nei-
lion in concessions from county unions, including the Police Benevolence Association, who has said that they will not make any more concessions. “There is also an opportunity for union presidents to avoid the severity of extensive layoffs and unpaid furloughs by working with me to be part of the solution,” Mangano said. “Rest assured, while special interests yell and waste members’ dues on t-shirts, childish slogans, silly sign trucks and distorted media campaigns, the voice I hear the loudest is that of our residents who cannot afford a tax increase during this stagnant economy.” Republican District Seven Legislator, Howard Kopel, who voted for the 2012 budget admitted that it is a tough budget, but necessary given the situation the county is currently in. “It’s necessary simply because we can’t raise taxes,” Kopel said. “It really comes down to that at this point.” The county is also relying on $450 million in borrowing for the year, which has been approved by Nassau Interim Finance Association, as they move toward eliminating borrowing entirely. “We’re getting relief with NIFA and that’s very helpful,” Kopel said. “It’s transitional borrowing to fund some of the old messes left by the Democrats when they controlled
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Local Food Pantry Has Shortage, Needs Donations By Susan Varghese
Standard Associate Editor
The Jewish Community Center’s food pantry, which serves over 200 families, is experiencing a shortage. The kosher food pantry was started seven years ago and is in constant demand, Rina Shklonik, Executive Director of the JCC of the Greater Five Towns said. “The first year, we served about 35 families, during the years and changes in the economy, the need for food in the community grew,” Shklonik said. With the help of the Five Towns Community Chest and communi-
ty members, Shklonik said that they serve over a 1,000 people in total. “There is a need for more food. We need the community to have more food drives and bring more food in. We need more because of Thanksgiving. When we had the Jewish holidays, the food came in and went out. “ The coordinator at the food pantry, Ellen Warshall, said, “ The shelves look full now, but if you came back in a week, they’d be empty.” Those in need get a list of food based on the number of people in their family. Last week alone, the pantry had 20 families come in two days. Because of the impending holidays, it’s important to have food
stocked, Warshall noted. “ Things for Thanksgiving are so expensive. We need turkeys for all of the families. We put our orders in with Island Harvest and Long Island Cares, but they can only give what they can. We have a lot of kids. We need snacks like macaroni and cheese, juice boxes – anything kid friendly. For families with five or six kids, it’s a lot.” According to Hunger in America 2010: The Local Report for Long Island, an estimated 283,700 Long Islanders, including nearly 110,000 children face the risk of going hungry everyday.
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Possible Precinct Closing on People’s Minds at Forum By Jonathan Walter Howard Kopel hosted a Public Safety Forum at Young Israel of Woodmere on Tuesday night, where he invited officials from local law enforcement organizations to speak about safety within The Five Towns. The event was protested by supporters of the Police Benevolent Association, who held signs and hand-
ed out flyers outside. Voicing what was perhaps on everyone’s mind during the meeting, one audience member asked Kopel if the Fourth Precinct would be one of the two Nassau police precincts to be shut down as was approved in the 2012 Nassau County Budget. “I believe in the Fourth Precinct. That hasn’t been decided yet, but when it has been de-
cided, we’ll study it. I would say that I would do everything in my power to make sure that the Fourth Precinct stays open.” When another audience member asked whether or not the closing of the Fourth Precinct would affect safety in the area, Kopel said that he didn’t believe it would happen, before
Super Kids to the Rescue! Costumed trick-or-treaters are all smiles after receiving candy on Halloween from a home in Inwood. The children were on their way to see the haunted house on Wanser Avenue. Photo by Scott P. Moore.
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C l a s s i f i e d s B 8 • E n d o r s e m e n t s & E d i t o r i a l s A 1 0 • M o v i e s B 6 • E x p a n d e d S p o r t s B 4 - B 5 • We a t h e r A 7