ABRAHAM ROOFING
Ask About our Affordable Annual Maintenance Plan! “The Neighborhood Leader in Roofing Service!”
1-800-347-0913 Abrahamroofing.com
HEALTH & FITNESS Pages B2-B4
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY! YOUR GUIDE TO TAKING THE CAKE
ROOFING GUTTERS LEADERS SIDING
Page B1
38
50
DAYS UNTIL LABOR DAY
DAYS UNTIL ROSH HASHANAH
Vol. II No. LXVIX | www.StandardLI.com d d | News@standardli.com d dl | Ph.# h 516-341-0445 4 4
JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2012
FREE EVERY FRIDAY
YOUR FIVE TOWNS HOMETOWN PAPER
MAJOR WEEKEND DELAYS FOR MOTORISTS AT THE ATLANTIC BEACH BRIDGE By Amanda Mayo
Fore!
Golfers taking advantage of some of the beautiful scenery and weather we’ve had most of this week in The Five Towns. This pretty path through the reeds is at the Rockaway Hunt Club in the back of Lawrence. Photo by Raimundo Ortiz
Waiting to pay the toll at the Atlantic Beach Bridge this summer seems to be taking longer than ever, with vehicles backed up Rock Hall Road and Route 878, waiting anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to get over the bridge. The reason for this heavy-volume of traffic is because the bridge is undergoing construction this summer and also because the bridge’s “fast lane,” where motorists can use Decals or a Pass Card, is located at the center of the toll plaza. Motorists are having difficulty accessing the express pay lane because it’s in the center of the plaza and people are having trouble trying to get into the
correct lane to pay. Vincent Grasso, executive director of the Nassau County Bridge Authority, said the bridge is undergoing construction for the rest of the summer, which will result in some delays when the bridge is opening and closing for passenger and cargo boats to pass by. The wait now for the bridge is about 12 minutes from open to close, whereas it is usually only about five minutes when the bridge is not undergoing construction. “The electrical system and the mechanical guts of the bridge are 65 years old. This year we’re undertaking a project to replace them,” Vincent
CONTINUED ON P. A2
COUNTY TO CUT 200 ‘Batman’ Moviegoers not Deterred by Shooting JOBS IN EFFORT TO CLOSE $50M DEFICIT By Raimundo Ortiz
By Natasha Domanski
County Executive Edward Mangano’s $45 million deficit reduction plan has been creating national headlines this week with features written in the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun, as well as being mentioned by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly. The headlines have been heralding the fact that 200 additional Nassau County jobs will be cut as part of this new plan, after Mangano previously laid off 128 employees in June 2011 and another 262 in December. Mangano said this is all part of his four-tiered plan that he presented with Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt and Comptroller George Maragos. “We anticipate an addiCounty Executive Ed Mangano tional 40-45 retirements of high level employees,” said Katie Grilli-Robles, a spokesperson for Mangano. “The bureaucratic process will likely result in the remaining departures on or before October 1st. Currently, the administration is in the process of determining which employees will face layoffs due to state civil service bump and retreat rules.” About 100 police officers also took early retirement incentives
CONTINUED ON P. A3
When 12 people were murdered and 58 wounded during an early morning screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20th, moviegoers were burdened with an element of fear beyond the villainy of Bane on the big screen. The killer, suspected to be 24-year-old James Holmes, set off smoke bombs in the theater and then opened fire with an automatic rifle, shotgun, and .40 caliber hand-
gun before eventually being arrested by police outside of the theater. Although it was an isolated act, theaters all around the country, including around the Five Towns area, have taken measures to ensure that patrons of their establishments can be safe. The premier of the movie was cancelled in Paris, but stateside theatres took a more low-key approach. According to Russ Nunley, Regal Cinemas Vice President of Marketing and Communications, moviegoers can “expect stricter con-
trols over character attire and accessories at our theatres.” While specific security measures cannot be discussed publicly, Nunley stated that they reserve the right to inspect the contents of any bag or package brought into the theater and stressed that safety is the number one priority. Regal owns the United Artists theater in Lynbrook. The Nassau County police are also making efforts to ensure moviegoer safety. Ac-
CONTINUED ON P. A2
Local Service Stations are Closing Down By Natalia Kozikowska Just take a drive through The Five Towns and you will notice that those small mom and pop gas stations are slowly starting to disappear and larger corporately owned stations are elbowing the locally owned stations out. This growing trend has small gas station owners feel hopeless and motorists say they are mainly concerned with filling up their tanks at the lowest possible cost. Many stations across the United States are closing. According to National Petroleum News, last
year 3,184 of the nation’s 164,292 gasoline stations closed their doors and went out of business − the biggest drop in five years. Furthermore, in the mid-1990s, there were more than 200,000 stations in the U.S. and experts believe that there are many more closures to come. Recently a few gas stations in The Five Towns have closed as a result of this growing trend. Shell, which was located at 415 Mill Road in Hewlett, is no longer to be found. Getty on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst closed
The former CITGO gas station in Hewlett, on Broadway and Rockaway Avenue, that is being transformed into 7-11.
CONTINUED ON P. A3
Photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Cole Brothers Clown Brings Smiles to Woodmere Rehab By Natalia Kozikowska For Tom King, “Tom E. Boy,” clowning around is no joke. King has been working as a clown for over 25 years and loves to bring laughter to places that need it the most, just like the Woodmere Rehabilitation Center. King, who now works for The Cole Brothers Circus, visited the Woodmere Rehabilitation Center on Wednesday. During his stay he visited several different units and lit up the crowd with balloon animals and plenty of jokes. When asked what he loves most about his job, King said, “The eyes − just
watching them and seeing life come into their eyes.” He added, “That’s why I do it. A lot of these folks don’t have a family so we come in to visit. It’s a big deal to them and it’s an even bigger deal for us.” Barbara Goldstein, a patient at the Woodmere Rehabilitation Center says that she felt that King and his balloon animals were very funny. “This is great for the rehab center because clowns make people happy,” she says. “A lot of us are in wheelchairs and bed and I feel like he just made them happy.” Bernard Manning, also a patient at the center, says that Tom E. Boy really
made him laugh. “He is a funny guy,” he says. Manning asserts that King was in need of a honky nose. “Once his nose honks he will be a lot funnier.” Overall Manning felt that the clown’s visit helped create a different atmosphere. “It lifts the spirits of the people and it entertains them,” he says. “It’s a nice gesture to come on down and see the different types of people.”
The Cole Brothers’ Tom E. Boy visited the Woodmere Rehabilitation Center on Wednesday.
Photo courtesy of Stuff4clowns.com.
Patient Jean Karroll also agreed that King was just what the center needed. “The people here just need to laugh every once in a while,” he says. “They are just too serious all too often.” Irene Carr, Director of Therapeutic Recreation says that entertainment like Tom E. Boy truly brings joy to the patients. “It brings laughter and smiles and that’s important,” she says. “I know he made me laugh and if you could see, the residents laughed too – they say laughter is the best medicine after all.”
CONTINUED ON P. A3
C l a s s i f i e d s B 9 • E d i t o r i a l s A 8 • H e a l t h & F i t n e s s B 2 • M o v i e s B 6 • R e a l E s t a t e B 7 • We a t h e r A 1 0