Amityville Herald Record 07-09-2026

ReCORD

Also serving Amityville, North Amityville, Amity Harbor, Copiague, and East Massapequa

Babylon marks nation’s 250th with commemorative photo

Babylon Town officials gathered with local, county, state and federal representatives in front of Old Town Hall in Babylon Village for a commemorative photo marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary this Fourth of July weekend, we were proud to commemorate this historic milestone while highlighting the strong partnerships that unite all levels of government, regardless of party affiliation, in service to our residents,” Town Supervisor Richard Schaffer said. Schaffer organized the event with Councilman Anthony Manetta.

The photo features Supervisor Richard Schaffer, Town Clerk Gerry Compitello, Councilmen Anthony Manetta, Terry McSweeney and Tony Martinez, who stood with a commemorative banner.

Also shown are Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine; Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy; Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr.; Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo; Suffolk County Chief Assistant District Attorney Allen Bode; Suffolk County Legisla-

tors R.J. Renna, Tom Donnelly and Jason Richberg; Assemblyman Michael Durso; state Sen. Monica Martinez; Suffolk County Police First Precinct Inspector Brendan Forte; Amityville Mayor Michael O’Neill and Trustee Owen E. Brooks Jr.; Lindenhurst Trustees Maryann Weckerle, Patrick M. Pichichero and David Collins; Babylon Village Mayor Mary Adams, Deputy Mayor Frank Siebert and Trustee Jeff Szabo; and community historians Joe Guidice of Amityville; Anna Jaeger and Marianne Guglieri of Lindenhurst and Wayne Horsley and Judy Skillen of Babylon. Members of local fire departments also attended, as did Babylon Town Historian Mary Cascone.

“We were honored to welcome an outstanding turnout of elected officials from across the Town of Babylon, including representatives from our villages, as well as county, state and federal government, fire departments, police and historical societies,” Manetta said. “Happy Independence Day, America, and best wishes to all the residents of the Town of Babylon,” he added.

Lawmakers okay tax credit increases for volunteer firefighters

By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com

The New York State Senate and Assembly have approved legislation aimed at strengthening recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers by significantly increasing the state income tax credit available to those unpaid first responders. The bill, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Monica R. Martinez, (4 th SD), would raise the existing tax credit from $200 to $800 for eligible individual volunteers and from $400 to $1,600 for married couples filing jointly when both spouses qualify.

The measure passed both the Sen -

ate and Assembly during the 2025-26 legislative session and is eligible to be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for consideration. If signed into law, the legislation would provide one of the largest increases ever made to New York’s volunteer firefighter and ambulance worker tax credit program.

Supporters say the increase is long overdue. The current credit was established in 2007 and has remained unchanged for nearly two decades, reducing its value over time because of inflation. The legislation is intended to provide meaningful recognition for volunteers who dedicate their time to protecting their communities while helping local departments address ongoing staffing shortages.

“The service our volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers provide is invaluable, but the tax credit supporting them has not kept pace,” Martinez said. “The credit has remained unchanged for nearly 20 years, reducing its value over time. If New York is serious about recruiting and retaining volunteers, we must provide support that reflects the demands of their service.”

New York State Assemblyman Mi -

chael Durso, (9th District), who supported the measure said that while it provides some incentive, he and some other lawmakers would have liked to have seen an even greater incentive.

“There was a measure to pass along a $2,500 tax credit but that was voted down,” said Durso. “Eight hundred dollars is good but $2,500 would have

Courtesy Steve Gravano, Town of Babylon

Conserving water starts with everyday choices

Officials at the Suffolk County Water Authority warn that water demand is approaching record levels due to a severe drought and forecasted high temperatures. The U.S. Drought Monitor currently classifies Long Island in a severe drought.

Reports indicate high water infrastructure demand during overnight and early morning hours from irrigation systems. Consequently, water storage tanks begin the day at low levels and require more time to refill. These tanks maintain required water pressure across the

distribution network. Low tank levels reduce system pressure, which can lower flow to homes and limit water availability for fire protection.

With production facilities operating at capacity, no additional infrastructure is available to meet this demand.

“It is exceptionally early in the summer season to experience severe drought and nearrecord water demand,” said SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz. “Without immediate reductions in water use, pressure drops will occur, compromising emergency fire response.”

“Our crews are working to maintain system pressure, but conservation is a shared responsibility,” said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo. “Unchecked demand risks pressure drops that affect public safety and firefighting capabilities.”

Weather forecasts project continued dry conditions, meaning demand will remain elevated without active conservation.

For details and water-saving methods, visit www.scwa.com/conservation

Here are five simple ways to conserve water:

1

Fix leaks promptly. Even a slowdripping faucet or a running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water over time. Regularly checking plumbing fixtures and making repairs as soon as a leak is noticed can prevent unnecessary water loss and lower utility bills.

2

Take shorter showers. Reducing shower time by just two or three minutes can save several gallons of water with each use. Installing a lowflow showerhead can help conserve

even more water without sacrificing water pressure.

3

Turn off the tap when it’s not needed. Water doesn›t need to run while brushing your teeth, shaving or scrubbing dishes. Turning off the faucet until it is time to rinse is a simple habit that can save thousands of gallons of water each year.

4

Choose water-efficient appliances. Modern washing machines, dishwashers, toilets and showerheads are designed to use significantly less water while providing the same level of performance. Replacing older fixtures can make a noticeable difference in household water use.

5

Water landscapes wisely. Lawns and gardens need less water than many people think. Watering early in the

morning or in the evening reduces evaporation, while using mulch, native plants and rain barrels helps keep soil moist and reduces the need for additional watering.

Water conservation doesn’t require major lifestyle changes. Small actions, practiced consistently by individuals, families and communities, can have a lasting impact. By using water wisely today, we help protect this essential resource for ourselves, our neighbors and future generations.

VFW Post honors Amityville residents for service to veterans

By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com

The Sgt. John J. Kreyer Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7223 in Amityville recently honored local quilters who made blankets for veterans, Rosemarie Bozza and post member Dave Heller for their dedication to veterans and the community.

Bozza was recognized for her longtime support of the post and its fundraising efforts.

“Since the beginning of our golf outing at Bergen Point, she has consistently led the way with generous donations and unwavering dedication to this and other events,” Post Commander Chuck Vinciulla said.

Heller was named the post’s first-ever Veteran of the Year for 2025-26, an honor recognizing his service to fellow veterans and his contributions to the organization.

In announcing the award, Vinciulla praised Heller’s commitment to the post and its mission.

“Dave has devoted countless hours to supporting our members and has been instrumental in driving the positive progress of our post’s future,” Vinciulla said. “His tireless commitment to strengthening our mission for veterans and our community is truly commendable.”

Heller, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served from 1967 to 1970, said he was caught off guard by the recognition.

“I was very surprised and had no idea they were doing this,” he said.

Among his volunteer efforts, Heller has helped oversee renovations at the VFW post headquarters on Broadway and has been involved in efforts to restore the monument honoring Sgt. Robert E. Watson, located in front of St. Martin of Tours Church. Watson was one of only two Amityville residents killed in action during World War I. Heller is also working with others in the village to replace a statue that once stood atop the centuryold memorial.

In addition, he has advocated for relocating a veterans monument currently located at the former American Legion Hall property on Dixon Avenue, now occupied by a church. The monument honors veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

“We’d like to relocate that memorial statue to the VFW, where it would more properly be displayed,” Heller said.

The awards were presented during a recent post social gathering attended by members and their families. Suffolk County Legislator Jason Richberg also attended and presented Heller with a proclamation recognizing his service and volunteer efforts.

Former Suffolk DA appointed to leadership role at Nixon Peabody

By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com

Former Suffolk County District Attorney and Babylon Village resident Tim Sini will lead Nixon Peabody’s 400-member Litigation Department and join its management committee, effective Sept. 1. With an office in Melville, the law firm has 15 locations across the U.S., as well as Hong Kong and London.

Currently a Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense partner, Sini first joined the firm in 2022. Prior to his work as district attorney, he served as commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department and an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

“Through his deep leadership experience, Tim has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor to public and private sector leaders and also among his colleagues,” Nixon Peabody CEO and Managing Partner Stephen Zubiago said in a news release about Sini’s appointment.

“I look forward to building upon the Litigation Department’s strong performance rooted in the strength of our people and continuing to elevate the way we serve our clients,” said Sini.” I’m looking forward to drawing on my background leading large, complex organizations to strategically recruit and empower talented colleagues and embrace new technology, including the appropriate use of AI, to empower the durable growth of our Litigation Department.”

Sini will succeed Anthony Barron as head of the Litigation Department. During Barron’s five-year tenure, department revenue increased annually, including double-digit growth in each of the past two years, and attorney headcount grew by more than 20%, according to the firm.

Courtesy Nixon Peabody

Former S.C. District Attorney Tim Sini who was recently named to management committee at Nixon Peabody.

Courtesy Sgt. John J. Kreyer Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7223

Honoree Dave Heller, center, is presented with a Proclamation from S.C. Leg. Jason Richberg, right, as Commander of Sgt. John J. Kreyer Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7223 Chuck Vinciulla looks on.

Honoree Rosemarie Bozza is shown accepting her award from Commander of Sgt. John J. Kreyer Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7223 Chuck Vinciulla.

VFW quilts, donated for veterans through Grace Marcus. Shown are Maria Ferris, Peg Leeson, James Westphal, Alice Reardon, John Leeson, Donna Westphal, Anna Winter and Mike Scuderi.

THURSDAY, JULY 9

•Amityville Rotary Club Meeting: 8 a.m., Brownstones Coffee, 55 Merrick Road, Amityville. For more information, please call President Carolyn Dodd at (631) 374-8712.

•Church Attic Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville. For information, call (631) 264-0152 or email amitychurch1792@gmail.com

•Town of Babylon Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting: 6 p.m., Town Board Room, Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst. For more information, please call (631) 957-3012.

FRIDAY, JULY 10

•Simpson United Methodist Church Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 30 Locust Ave., Amityville. For more information, call (631) 789-2569.

•St. Mary’s Thrift Shop: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 175 Broadway, Amityville, enter from rear parking lot. Lots of collectibles, glassware, clothing and other gently used items. For information, call (631) 464-4899.

SATURDAY, JULY 11

•Amityville Village Farmers Market: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville. The market will be every Saturday until October 24. For more information, call (631) 264-0152.

•Church Attic Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville. For informa -

tion, call (631) 264-0152 or email amitychurch1792@gmail.com

•St. Mary’s Thrift Shop: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 175 Broadway, Amityville, enter from rear parking lot. Lots of collectibles, glassware, clothing and other gently used items. For information, call (631) 464-4899.

SUNDAY, JULY 12

•Simpson United Methodist Church Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 30 Locust Ave., Amityville. For more information, call (631) 789-2569.

MONDAY, JULY 13

•Town of Babylon Planning Board Meeting: 7 p.m., Town Board Room, Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst. For more information, please call (631) 957-4434.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS CRIME WATCH

TUESDAY, JULY 14

•Emotional Health Recovery and Support Group: 7:30 to 9 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9592, 55 Hickory Lane, Levittown. Free weekly, in-person meeting of Emotions Anonymous, a 12-step support group for anyone experiencing emotional difficulties. For more information, call Steve at (631) 332-0552 or Jill at (516) 220-7808. All calls are confidential.

•Church Attic Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville. For information, call (631) 264-0152 or email amitychurch1792@gmail.com

•Town of Babylon Accessory Apartment Review Board Meeting: 6 p.m.,

Calendar items are printed for non-profit organizations, as space permits, or when an event, service or information is being sponsored by a profit-making organization without charge to readers. Submit items to us at Richner Communications, attn: Record Editor, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530; or email: dconsola@liherald.com at least two - three weeks prior to the publication date in which the item must appear. Sorry, but open-ended requests without the specific dates of the events are not acceptable. While we make every attempt to accommodate each request, we cannot guarantee publication of any items. For more information, call 516-569-4000.

Scholarship program now

open for descendants of those who died on 9/11

As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Barasch & McGarry Charitable Foundation has opened applications for its Sept. 11 Descendants Scholarship Program.

Many Long Island families, first responders and recovery workers continue to be affected by 9/11-related illnesses.

The foundation will award five onetime scholarships of $25,000 each, totaling $125,000, to graduating high school seniors whose families lost a loved one to a 9/11-related illness.

The scholarships are funded through a partnership with Barasch & McGarry, a law firm that represents members of the 9/11 community. To apply go to: baraschfoundation.org/

“While this year’s graduating seniors were not yet born when the attacks occurred, many grew up expe -

Town Board Room, Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst. For more information, please call (631) 957-7468.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

•Amityville Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting: 6 p.m., 19 John Street, Amityville. For more information, call (631) 264-0567.

•Town of Babylon Rental Review Board Meeting: 6 p.m., Town Board Room, Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst. For more information, please call (631) 957-4434.

•Emotional Health Recovery and Support Group: 7:30 to 9 p.m. Free weekly, virtual meeting of Emotions Anonymous, a 12-step support group for anyone experiencing emotional difficulties. For more information, call Steve at (631) 332-0552 or Jill at (516) 220-7808. All calls are confidential.

•Church Attic Thrift Shop: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville. For information, call (631) 264-0152 or email amitychurch1792@gmail.com

riencing the loss of a parent or loved one to a 9/11-related illness,” Michael Barasch, managing partner of Barasch & McGarry, said in a statement.

“Through these five $25,000 scholarships, we hope to honor their resilience, support their educational goals, and invest in the next generation.”

Eligible applicants must be accepted to an accredited college, university, community college, vocational school or trade school. Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the student’s educational institution.

Recipients will be notified by Aug. 3 and recognized at the foundation’s “Giving Back Benefit: Honoring the 25th Remembrance of 9/11” on Sept. 2.

The foundation also provides grants to nonprofit organizations that support and advocate for members of the 9/11 community.

The following incidents have been reported by the Suffolk County Police Department’s 1st and 3rd precincts, the Amityville Village Police Department other law enforcement and emergency service units:

PETIT LARCENY

Copiague: Representatives from Target, 1149 Sunrise Highway reported that someone stole approximately $90 in merchandise. That was reported shortly before 5 p.m., June 25.

North Amityville: An unknown individual stole a key fob from inside of a vehicle parked on 46th Street June 24. The subject started the vehicle but then left the scene on a bike, taking the fob with him/her.

GRAND LARCENY

Amityville: A 2023 BMW was stolen from Albany Avenue June 24. The vehicle was later recovered. That incident was reported June 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Copiague: The representative for a business on Strong Avenue called police to report that several business checks for businesses expenses were intercepted in

the mail. The amounts on the checks were changed, resulting in a loss of approximately $20,000 to the business.

ARRESTS

Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired John Rogers, 24 Mill St., Amityville; Tyler Montano, 19 of 126 Coats Ave., Holbrook; Maxwell Lourenco, 24, of 81 27th St., Copiague.

Petit Larceny

Scott Gallub, 45, of 134 Hale Rd., North Babylon; David Guidice, 40 of 912 Fire Island Ave., West Islip; Christopher Ryan, 44, of 311 W. Main St., Patchogue; James Wilson, 34, of 3553 Great Neck Rd., North Amityville; James Maxwell, 58, of 15 South 28 St., Wyandanch; Jacob Key, 29, of 52 State Ave., Wyandanch.

Public Lewdness Carter Craig, 59, of 140 Amsterdam Ave., West Babylon.

Grand Larceny

Danielle Lewis, 33, of 23 E. Avon Dr., North Amityville.

Senate and Assembly bill awaits the governor’s signature

been better.”

According to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, the number of volunteer firefighters statewide has declined by roughly onethird over the past 20 years. The cost to taxpayers statewide to adopt a paid service model to replace these essential services would exceed $4.7 billion.

Ambulance services have faced similar challenges, with some communities reporting longer response times because of a lack of volunteers. Supporters argue that strengthening the tax credit could encourage more residents to join and remain active in volunteer emergency service organizations.

Amityville Fire Chief Robert Macomber said fire officials encourage the Governor to sign the measure.

“We all face declining membership and the members we do have, have less time to volunteer because they are often working two jobs and their spouses are working as well,” he said. “Anything the state can do to put a little more coin in the pockets of volunteers means more time they can spending

serving and responding to calls for assistance from their communities.”

Massapequa Fire Chief Ryan Zimmerman concurred. “Our volunteers dedicate a lot of time to serving their communities, which means they have less time working and earning money for their families,” he said. “Whatever the state can do to make it easier for them to join and stay in the volunteer fire service is well worth it.”

Efforts to get the measure passed were made by the New York Fire Chiefs Association. According to the association’s past president. Anthony LaFerrara, the organization formed a lobbying committee to help get the tax credit measure—and about four other laws—passed during the 2025-26 legislative session.

“We recognized this as a vital piece of legislation not only for attracting volunteers but also for retention,” said LaFerrara. “And while we recognize this is a cost to the state, it is vital to maintaining volunteer fire departments and emergency service units throughout the state.”

St. Mary’s Church vacation Bible school, July 13-17

St. Mary’s Church in Amityville is offering a free vacation Bible school July 13-17 from 9 a.m., to 12 p.m. Youngsters enrolled will enjoy games, music, crafts,

Bible stories and more.

St. Mary’s is at 175 Broadway, Amityville. To register go to st.arysamityville. org/vbs or call (631) 264-0004.

Soldier Ride Babylon, July 17

Join the 25-mile cycling event and ride alongside the brave men and women who served our county in support of their journey to recovery on July 17 beginning at 7 a.m. at the Babylon Town Hall, 200 E. Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst.

The cost is $100 for adults and $40 for children. The adult price includes an

JUL 9–AUG 23 SEP 10–OCT 25

event tee-shirt. To register, please visit soldierride. org/Babylon. For more information, visit communityfundraising.woundedwarriorproject.org/events/674. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email communitysr@ woundedwarriorproject.org

Herald file photos

NYS Sen. Monica Martinez, author of the tax credit bill in the Senate, left, and NYS Assemblyman Michael Durso, right, who supported it in the Assembly.

Sagtikos Manor program explores Revolutionary War loyalties on LI

Would you have been a loyalist or patriot?

By CAROLYN JAMES cjamesd@liherald.com

Visitors to Sagtikos Manor stepped back into the Revolutionary War as the Sagtikos Manor Historical Society presented “Loyalist or Spy? If Walls Could Talk,” an interactive program exploring the difficult choices Long Island colonists faced during the American Revolution. The event was held June 14.

The presentation centered on Judge Isaac Thompson, the original owner of the Thompson estate, now known as Sagtikos Manor. During the Revolutionary War, Thompson allowed British Commanderin-Chief Gen. Sir Henry Clinton and British forces to use the manor as temporary headquarters.

While many Long Island residents refused to swear loyalty to the British Crown and fled the island during the war, Thompson and his family remained at the estate.

According to the presentation, tensions between Great Britain and its American colonies escalated in 1775 when King George III called on colonists to sign declarations of loyalty to the Crown. The effort was intended to reaffirm allegiance to British rule and discourage rebellion. Many colonists ignored the request, and historians often view the period as a turning point in colonial attitudes toward British authority.

Judge Isaac Thompson, portrayed by Joseph Bentivegna, explained how Long Islanders were divided in their loyalties. Supporters of independence cited grievances including taxation without representation, the desire for self-government and economic concerns.

A discussion between Thompson and

Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, portrayed by Kurt Langer, examined those issues and the difficult decisions colonists faced. Audience members were then asked whether they would sign an oath of loyalty to the British Crown.

For many colonists, the choice carried significant consequences. Those who refused to take the oath while living under British occupation risked imprisonment, confiscation of property and, in some cases, execution.

The event also featured reenactments by the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers, a historic and highly decorated British Army regiment established in 1689, along with demonstrations of colonial-era crafts and trades.

Throughout the day, visitors encountered opposing sides attempting to persuade them to either sign an oath of loyalty to the Crown or support the patriot cause by signing the Articles of Association. Reenactors staged skirmishes between the British 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers and local militia portraying the 23rd New York Regiment.

Colonial artisans demonstrated everyday trades, including hat making, weaving, candle making, broom making, pewter casting and period music, giving visitors a glimpse into 18th-century life.

“Today, many people do not know about the British occupation of Long Island during the American Revolution or the important role Isaac Thompson may have played at Sagtikos Manor,” said Phyllis Chan Carr, of the Sagtikos Manor Historical Society. “Events like these help educate and inspire people today.”

Sagtikos Manor is at 677 W. Montauk Highway in Bay Shore. For more information, visit sagtikosmanor.org.

historian

influential women from

Danielle Little highlights influential women through embroidery

Embroidery historian Danielle Little presented “A History of the Five Marys,” an exhibit celebrating five notable British women whose accomplishments helped shape history:

Mary Linwood (1755–1845): An English needleworker known for exhibiting her worsted embroidery in London and operating a private school.

Mary Morris Knowles (1733–1807): An English Quaker, poet and abolitionist.

Mary Delany (1700–1788): An English artist, letter writer and member of the Bluestocking circle of educated and intellectual women.

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797): An English writer and philosopher widely recognized for advocating women’s rights.

Mary Shelley (1797–1851): English novelist and author of the Gothic classic Frankenstein.

Sagtikos Manor is at 677 W. Montauk Highway in Bay Shore. For information, call (631) 885-4797 or visit sagtikosmanor.org.

Carolyn James/Herald

Geri Gendron and Laura Miller, of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Col. Josiah Smith Chapter in Patchogue.

Judge Isaac Thompson, portrayed by Joseph Bentivegna, tells visitors about the manor’s role during the Revolutionary War.

General Sir Henry Clinton, portrayed by Kurt Langer, welcomes visitors to Sagtikos Manor during the interactive Revolutionary War program.

Carolyn James/Herald

Embroidery

Danielle Little displays “A History of the Five Marys,” highlighting

British history.

Paumanauke Pow Wow coming to Copiague, August 8

The Paumanauke Native American Festival Inc., in partnership with the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts, BACCA, and the Town of Babylon, proudly present the 44th Annual Paumanauke Pow Wow, taking place August 8, from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. with Grand Entry Ceremonies taking place from noon to 7 p.m., and August 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Grand Entry Ceremony taking place at noon. The

event will take place on both days at Tanner Park in Copiague, 400 Baylawn Ave., Copiague.

Celebrating Native American heritage and traditions, this family-friendly annual event welcomes visitors of all ages for two days filled with vibrant cultural experiences including traditional, Inter-Tribal and Aztec dance performances, exciting dance competitions, traditional drumming, Native American

Bethpage State Park hosting family program July 11 and 19

Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale will be holding a family program, Passport Through Parks, on July 11 and 19 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Discover Long Island’s many state parks in an ongoing hiking series through every state park on the island.

July 11 is the more accessible and shorter distance hike of 1 to 2 miles.

Receive your passport book on your first passport through parks hike. Earn a sticker for every hike. Present five stickers for a free hat and present 10 stickers for a pin

and to be entered in a raffle at the end of the year.

July 19 is the more challenging 3 plus miles.

Reservations are required. Please visit Eventbrite.com and search #NatureEdventure. There will be a $4 fee per adult and per child. Children under 3 are free. There is also an $8 parking fee in effect and reservations are taken two weeks prior to the program.

For more information, visit parks. ny.gov or call (518) 474-0456.

artisans, artists, crafts, authentic foods and specialty vendors.

The Pow Wow offers an opportunity for the public to experience and learn about Native American culture while supporting an important cause. Proceeds from the event benefit the Native American Scholarship Fund.

Admission is $10 for adults. Seniors 60 and over and teens ages 12 through 16,

the cost is $5. Children under 12 are free. There are no advance ticket sales and cash only at the gate. The event will take place rain or shine.

For more information, visit paumanauke.org or call or call (516) 495-6076. Information is also available through the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts at babylonarts.org or by calling (631) 5873696.

ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH

147 Park Ave., Amityville Office Tel. 631-264-0763 The Rev. Thomas W. Cusanelli, Pastor

WORSHIP SERVICES: Sunday Worship & Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Wednesday Worship 7:30 p.m.

Accessible to the Physcially Challenged “The Friendly Church”

Fr. Dale W. VanWormer, Rector

Woo Young Choi, Pastor

Inspirational drawings from our youngest readers

Ashly R. 6th G W. Babylon Junior High School

Keilani C. 5th G California Ave. School

Rubi 4th G California Ave. School

Jayden C. 2nd G California Ave. School

Anabelle D. 6th G W. Babylon Junior High School

Karol M. 4th G California Ave. School

Mila O. 4th G California Ave. School

Janelle H. 3rd G California Ave. School

Samantha P. 6th G W. Babylon Junior High School

Mia H. 6th G West Babylon Junior High School

Mia A. 6th G West Babylon Junior High School

Jocelyn C. 5th G California Ave. School

AMERICA

By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com

Between 1860 and 1942, agriculture remained a defining part of life on Long Island across Nassau and Suffolk counties. During the same period, transportation improvements and expanding connections to New York City began shaping economic changes that would influence Long Island’s future development.

According to the Long Island Farm Bureau, agriculture has been an important industry on Long Island since the earliest periods of Native American cultivation and European settlement.

Before European settlement, the 60,000-acre Hempstead Plains in Nassau — the largest natural prairie east of the Mississippi River — served Indigenous peoples as a vital landscape for hunting, gathering and managing natural resources. English colonists later used the expansive grasslands to graze livestock, establishing agriculture as one of the area’s earliest industries.

The organization reports that fertile soils, access to fresh water, and proximity to major markets helped make Long Island one of New York State’s most significant agricultural regions. The Farm Bureau notes that farmers produced a wide range of crops and agricultural products, including vegetables, potatoes, fruits, poultry, livestock and shellfish.

Historical records published by the Town of Brookhaven show that early residents were primarily engaged in farming, fishing and whaling. The town’s historical records further indicate that additional industries developed during the nineteenth century, but agriculture remained an important part of the local economy.

Transportation became an increasingly important factor in the region’s development. According to the Town of Brookhaven’s historical overview, the arrival of the Long Island Rail Road during the mid-19th century made travel and the movement of goods faster and easier. Historical records of Long Island transportation show that rail service reached the eastern end of

Farming fueled Long Island before suburbia

While the landscape and industries of Long Island have changed over the years, the East End holds onto its farming roots. Every spring, the Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden in Manorville plants over a million tulips for the annual Tulip Festival.

the island in 1844, creating stronger links between rural communities and larger markets.

By the late 19th century, however, parts of Nassau County’s rural landscape were undergoing dramatic change as wealthy industrialists purchased North Shore farmland to build lavish country estates, creating the famed Gold Coast.

Even as the North Shore evolved, farming remained a dominant force across central Long Island. Throughout the 19th century and into the first half of the 20th century, the Island ranked among the nation’s leading potato-producing regions.

Throughout the 19th century and into the first half of the 20th century, the Island ranked among the nation’s leading potatoproducing regions.

Farming remained a dominant force across central Long Island. Throughout the 19th century and into the first half of the 20th centu-

ry, the Island ranked among the nation’s leading potato-producing regions. Thousands of acres were planted with potatoes, supporting a thriving agricultural economy and supplying markets throughout the Northeast.

While much of eastern Suffolk County remained rural during this period, signs of long-term change were emerging. Historical information published by the Town of Brookhaven states that the 20th century witnessed the town’s expansion from an agrarian community into a more diversified economy.

The transition had not yet fully occurred between 1860 and 1942, but the transportation networks and market connections established during those years

helped shape the conditions under which later development would occur.

Manorville itself retained strong agricultural roots. Historical accounts of the hamlet describe it as a farming community for many years, reflecting the broader agricultural character that defined much of central and eastern Suffolk County during the late 19th and early 20 centuries.

That era began to fade after World War II. As returning veterans fueled an unprecedented demand for housing, farmland rapidly disappeared beneath subdivisions, highways and commercial development. The transformation was perhaps most evident in Levittown, where beginning in 1947 more than 4,000 acres of former potato fields were converted into what became the nation’s most iconic suburban development, symbolizing the shift from an agricultural landscape to the suburban Long Island recognized today.

Angelina Zingariello/Herald

AMERICA

By BRIAN KACHARABA, ALYSSA R. GRIFFIN & LAYLA EASON of the Herald

Across Long Island, history is not just preserved — it is built into the landmarks that still stand in its villages, harbors, downtowns, and shorelines, where centuries of American life are reflected in manor houses, churches, libraries, museums, crossroads, and memorials.

Together, these sites form a living timeline of the nation’s past, showing how Long Island evolved alongside the United States over more than 300 years.

One of the earliest stories begins in Bay Shore at Sagtikos Manor, one of Suffolk County’s oldest surviving structures. Built around 1697 by Stephanus Van Cortlandt, New York City’s first native-born mayor, the manor grew from a colonial estate into one of the region’s most enduring landmarks.

During the American Revolution, British forces occupied the property, placing it directly within the war’s contested landscape. In the early years of the republic, the manor is also associated with President George Washington, who stayed there for one night during his 1790 tour of Long Island, further linking the site to the nation’s founding era and its first presidential administration.

In Massapequa, Old Grace Church, established in 1844 on land donated by General Thomas Floyd-Jones, preserves nearly two centuries of community life and remains a lasting symbol of the area’s early settlement era. Nearby, the Elbert Floyd-Jones Servants Cottage,

Landmarks define Long Island’s history

built around 1870, survives as one of the few remnants of Massapequa’s grand estate period, offering a rare glimpse into daily life on Long Island’s 19th-century South Shore estates.

The Phillips House Museum in Rockville Centre, built in 1882 and once home to village founder James Phillips, reflects the community’s late-19th-century growth driven by commerce and transportation. Saved from demolition in the 1970s and restored during the Bicentennial era, it now stands as one of New York’s premier small historic museums.

Long Island’s rise to national prominence is reflected at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, built between 1884 and 1885 for Theodore Roosevelt. The Queen Annestyle home served as both his family residence and Summer White House, where policy and diplomacy shaped the Progressive Era. Today, it remains a National Historic Site and one of the country’s most significant presidential homes.

The growth of suburban Long Island is traced to Pearsall’s Corners, later Lynbrook, where a 19th-century crossroads centered on the Pearsall family store evolved into a stagecoach and railroad hub. With the arrival of the South Side Railroad, the community expanded rapidly and adopted the name Lynbrook in 1894, marking its transformation from rural hamlet to suburban village.

In Massapequa, the Delancey FloydJones Free Library, built in 1896, became the community’s first public library and remained its only one for more than 50 years. Now preserved within the Massapequa Historical Society Historic Complex, it reflects the rise

of civic institutions across Long Island.

On the South Shore, Long Beach reflects early 20th-century coastal planning. The home at 226 W. Penn Street, built in 1909 as part of William H. Reynolds’ resort vision, is one of the city’s earliest surviving structures. Now the Long Beach Historical Museum, it preserves the story of a barrier island community that grew from seasonal destination to year-round city.

The North Shore Historical Museum in Glen Cove occupies the former 1907 Justices Court Building, a State and National Register landmark that preserves the legacy of the Gold Coast era. In nearby Sea Cliff, the Village Museum—founded in 1979 and housed in a former Methodist church—continues that preservation effort through extensive archives of photographs, artifacts, and village records.

In Freeport, history spans multiple eras. A historic marker at Babylon Turnpike and Lakeview Avenue commemorates Washington’s passage through Long Island during his 1790 tour, linking the village to the nation’s earliest years. Nearby, the World War II memorial honors local service members who fought in the nation’s defining 20thcentury conflict, while the Vietnam War memorial stone at the Freeport Memorial Library stands as a tribute to those who gave their lives in service.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, these landmarks underscore a simple truth: history is not confined to textbooks. It continues to live in the buildings, streets, and communities that shaped Long Island — and helped

shape the nation itself.

Photo 1 - Sagtikos Manor in Bay Shore, built around 1697, stands as one of Suffolk County’s oldest surviving homes and a rare link to Long Island’s colonial, Revolutionary War, and early presidential history.

Brian Kacharaba/Herald

Photo 2 - The World War II memorial plaque in Freeport honors residents who served and sacrificed during the conflict.

Layla Eason/Herald

Photo 3 - Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, the longtime home of President Theodore Roosevelt, reflects Long Island’s role in American leadership history and served as his residence and “Summer White House” during his presidency.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Photo 4 - A historic marker at Babylon Turnpike and Lakeview Avenue in Freeport commemorates President George Washington’s passage through the area during his 1790 tour of Long Island.

Layla Eason/Herald

Photo 5 - The Old Grace Church in Massapequa traces its roots to 1844, where community members gathered to establish an Episcopal church closer to home rather than traveling to Hempstead for worship.

Alyssa R. Griffin/Herald

Photo 6 - Built in 1882, the Victorian home now housing the Phillips House Museum was once owned by sea captain and village founder James Phillips, whose family played a key role in the early development of Rockville Centre as a growing center of commerce and banking.

Alyssa R. Griffin/Herald

YBy JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

It is nearly impossible to discuss American literary history without mentioning Walt Whitman. Often called “America’s poet,” Whitman left a lasting mark as a writer, journalist and teacher, with a legacy deeply woven into both the nation’s history and Long Island’s own.

Born in what is now Huntington Station in 1819, Whitman came from a family whose Long Island roots stretched back to the 17th century. Though the family moved to Brooklyn when he was young, the island remained part of his foundation. His formal schooling ended at 11, but his education continued in print shops, newsrooms and city streets, where he developed a lifelong appetite for language, politics and the lives of ordinary people.

ou cannot really understand America... without ‘Leaves of Grass.’

MARY BERENsON

Art historian

As a teenager and young adult, Whitman worked as a printer, teacher and journalist across Long Island and New York City. When he returned to Huntington, he founded The Long-Islander, a local newspaper that is still being published.

His formative years placed Whitman in close contact with people from every corner of American life: laborers, commuters, families, readers, voters and strangers passing through the world around him. That broad human canvas helped shape the ideals that came to define his poetry — a sweeping appreciation for everyday Americans.

Whitman carried those influences into “Leaves of Grass,” the collection he first published in 1855 and continued revising until his death in 1892. What began as a slim, unconventional volume grew into a sweeping body of work that challenged literary traditions and helped redefine what American poetry could sound like.

Much of Whitman’s work opens a window onto everyday American life, but “Song of Myself” may be his most expansive expression of that vision. In it, the speaker stretches beyond the individual, seeing himself reflected in all people and all things — a voice that is deeply personal and collective.

The poem stands apart for its bold embrace of the body, its deep connection to the natural world and its insistence on elevating the ordinary individual.

“Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,”

AMERICA Long Island’s own Walt Whitman helped give America its voice

Courtesy Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [LC-USZC2-4855]

Walt Whitman, one of America’s most renowned poets, taught at a summer school in Woodbury in 1840. The school building, erected in 1807, was acquired by Alexander M. White around 1927, who moved it to his estate in Oyster Bay Cove. The desk from the schoolhouse once used by Whitman is now at his birthplace, a historic site, in Huntington Station.

Whitman writes — a line that captures the layered, generational nature of belonging. It suggests how roots are formed not only through family, but through the places people claim as home. For Whitman, one of those places was Long Island.

Today, the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association maintains the New York state historic site Whitman was born in. Open to the public for tours, the home provides Long Islanders with insight into his early childhood, which influenced his work. Tours run daily in the summertime, and between Wednesdays and Sundays after Labor Day.

On the grounds of his original home is also an Interpretive Center, which opened in 1997, further allowing the birthplace association to build a tourist destination and regional hub for arts and literature, that offers unique, interdisciplinary programs.

“You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without ‘Leaves of Grass’…” art historian Mary Berenson once wrote of the work, according to Whitman’s profile on Goodreads, a networking site for readers. “He has expressed that civilization, ‘up to date,’ as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him.”

LeaH Ramai (HunteR)

By Leah Ramai (Hunter)

Sewanhaka High School freshman

AReader, three centuries is a long time.

ridiculous amount of possibilities could generally happen. Robots mating and artificial intelligence becoming the structure of everything.

America at 300. It’s long enough for your name to become dust. Long enough for every person you have ever loved to disappear. Long enough for your bedroom to become a room nobody remembers belonged to you. Long enough for the sound of your laughter to vanish from the earth entirely.

And perhaps, before you continue reading, I ask something of you. Look at your mother. Look at the shine in her eyes. The bliss, the warmth in her hugs. Look at your father. His tired eyes of making income and he doesn’t get a minute to himself. Not as parents. Not as permanent figures suspended safely in the background of your life. Look at them as people. As living things, imagine the lines of their faces softened by time until even memory struggles to hold them together.

Imagine the sound of their voices becoming some-

AMERICA America at its 300th anniversary

thing distant. Imagine reaching for a memory and discovering it has begun to fade. That it simply doesn’t exist anymore. Where do these memories go? Certainly not in the future. Horrifying, isn’t it? Yet this is not fantasy. This is not horror fiction. This is reality moving exactly as it always has, because time does not wait for anyone whatsoever.

When people speak of America 300 years from now, they speak of progress. They speak of technology, discovery, innovation, and futures polished bright enough to distract themselves from the darkness beneath them. The good and positives. Yet I find myself haunted by something far quieter. Far more patient. The casualties time leaves behind.

How many voices will history never bother to remember? How many political figures will be jacks of spades in newspapers and magazines. How many poets will spend entire lifetimes filling notebooks only for their words to disappear without ceremony?

How many artists will devote themselves to beauty only for time to consume their work without even acknowledging it existed? Somewhere tonight, a child is creating something absolutely extraordinary. Somewhere, a story capable of changing a life is being written for the very first time. And somewhere else, another story dies before it is ever born. Reader that should terrify you. Not because it is unlikely. Because it is ordinary for dreams to never be pursued.

That is what makes humanity sacred. Not permanence. Not survival. Not the illusion that anything was

ever promised forever. If life stretched endlessly before us, love would become weightless. If grief did not exist, devotion would mean nothing. If death never arrived, neither would urgency, nor wonder, nor the desperate and beautiful need to create something before time steals the opportunity away.

It isn’t the fear of leaving, but leaving behind something utterly unfathomable, Humanity. Edgar Allan Poe understood this. Mary Shelley understood this. Beneath every graveyard, every ghost, every monster stitched together from pieces of the dead, there lingers the same unbearable realization. Existence is precious because it ends.

America, 300 years from now, will not be measured by what it builds. It will be measured by what it remembers. By whether someone still believes stories matter. By whether a child still stays awake long after midnight scribbling poems in a notebook because their heart feels too large for silence, deeply madly in love. Love, will you still feel the same flutter in your heart.

It’s chronically insane, isn’t it reader? To have to ask if a feeling would still sit in your anatomy because of how the world can change. By whether humanity still possesses the courage to create despite knowing everything eventually disappears. Knowing you have a purpose, but genuinely? It will end one day. Because the greatest horror has never been death. It has always been reaching the end of a life without leaving behind proof that you were here at all.

Look into the future

Photo: Credit: Courtesy Sewanhaka High School

STEPPING OUT

Photos courtesy LICM

Young artists created colorful works during last summer’s ArtVentures. This year, the program is expanded into four categories and families can enjoy similar creative experiences.

Bright colors and creative techniques come together in the watercolor project, one of the hands-on activities Kids can experiment how colors react to elements, and other colors.

More than art

Cool off with an ‘Artventure’

By Stacy Driks

Long Island Children’s Museum invites families to put down the screens this summer, pick up a paintbrush and discover the many ways to create art.

With the launch of Summer ArtVentures [July 7], the museum expands its arts programming into a season-long celebration of imagination, hands-on learning and creative exploration four days a week.

Whether it’s experimenting with watercolor, building collages, sculpting with clay or creating artwork inspired by professionals, every visit offers something new.

The lineup grew from a pilot series the museum introduced last summer. After seeing children return week after week and hearing families ask for more opportunities to create, museum educators decided it was time to think bigger.

“We had such a positive reaction, people were asking if we could do them on other days and if we could offer more arts programming,” says Jeanmarie Walsh Mansfield, the museum’s director of visual arts and community initiatives. ”We found families kept coming back, and kids were building on what they learned from one week to the next.”

That enthusiasm inspired a full calendar of art experiences running throughout July and August, with activities designed to appeal to toddlers, schoolage children, teens and even adults.

Unlike traditional art classes, participants aren’t divided by age. Instead, everyone creates together in the same space, allowing each person to work at a level that’s comfortable while learning from one another.

“It’s sort of like an old-school classroom,” Mansfield says. “Kids of all ages learn with and from each other.”

Each Tuesday, the museum hosts Imagine That! Summer ArtVentures Workshops, where participants explore a different artistic medium or technique. One week may focus on collage, while another introduces mosaics, sculpture or animation. Before children begin creating, participants are introduced to artists whose work connects to that week’s project.

Some come from centuries ago, like Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, whose portraits famously transformed fruits, vegetables and other everyday objects into imaginative faces. Others are contemporary artists such as Octavio Ocampo, whose optical illusion paintings encourage viewers to look beyond first impressions.

Fireworks with the South Shore Symphony

“I want kids to learn that art can be much more than they think art is,” Mansfield says. “Art can be everywhere and made from anything. All you need is your creativity, your imagination and a willingness to experiment.”

Fridays offer Watercolor Wonder Pop-Ups, rotating through different galleries with new watercolor techniques and themes each week. One session explores the effects of salt on watercolor paint, while another teaches children how oil pastels and watercolor interact to create surprising results. Other activities draw inspiration from nature, encouraging families to experiment with flowers, color and texture.

What program is best for you?

• Tuesday: Imagine That ArtVentures workshops run from July 7 to Aug. 25, 1-3 p.m. Fee: $4 for children three and up.

• Friday: Watercolor Pop-Up run from July 10 to Aug. 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free with museum admission.

• Saturday: Amethyst Playground Pop-Up runs from July 11 to Aug. 1, noon-2 p.m. Free with museum admission.

• Monday: Squish Studio runs from July 27 to July 31, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Free with museum admission.

Still craving more fireworks? Rockville Centre’s annual celebration is just the ticket! Head to Pette and Barasch Fields for a festive evening with the South Shore Symphony, capped off by a spectacular Grucci fireworks display. It’s a beloved summertime tradition that brings together everyone for a rousing spectacle. Music Director Adam Glaser passes the baton to conductor Eileen Murphy who leads the orchestra in a program of Broadway hits, movie themes, pop hits, and patriotic standards. Selections include American Salute by Morton Gould, Suite from Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, RimskyKorsakov’s Procession of Nobles, Sousa’s Washington Post March and John William’s Raiders March. The orchestra begins performing at 7:30 p.m., the fireworks begin at 9:15 and the orchestra continues after. Hosted by the Village of Rockville Centre and the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts, this free event has been a favorite for more than 30 years. Admission is free and is open to everyone. Rain date is July 12.

Hope shows her art project inspired by Kelly Olshan’s “Amethyst Playground” exhibit.

On Saturdays, Amethyst Playground Pop-Up connects directly to the current Artists’ Corner exhibition by Kelly Olshan. Families transform leftover materials from the artist’s creative process into colorful magnets, demonstrating how everyday objects can become works of art.

For children who love getting their hands dirty, Squish Studio, running July 27 through 31, offers an entire week devoted to clay. Young artists can experiment with different tools, create personal sculptures and contribute to a collaborative creature that grows throughout the week.

Clay holds a special place for Mansfield.

“I’ve been wanting to do clay-based workshops for a long time,” she says. “Kids really respond to it. It’s intuitive, it’s hands-on, and it helps develop fine motor skills while encouraging creativity.”

But the aim is for visitors leave with more than artwork to hang on the refrigerator.

Creating art helps children build confidence, develop criticalthinking skills and become more comfortable taking creative risks, Mansfield explains. Working alongside others also teaches collaboration, communication and problem-solving.

“Art making reduces anxiety,” she says. “It can be meditative. We know screens can increase anxiety, but when children are creating with their hands, they’re engaged, they’re present and they’re learning.”

Perhaps most importantly, art teaches children that mistakes aren’t something to fear.

“You fail sometimes,” Mansfield says. “You make something and it doesn’t come out the way you wanted. That’s an important life skill — mistakes are learning opportunities and that you can pivot and try something different.”

And the experience sparks curiosity. Rather than providing step-by-step instructions with one “correct” outcome, educators encourage children to ask questions, explore materials and decide for themselves what they want to create.

“There’s no wrong way to make art,” Mansfield says. “I want kids to push their boundaries and realize they’re artists.”

And this is only the beginning.

Museum leadership plans to further expand programming beyond the summer, with additional workshops during school breaks and perhaps a future art festival that celebrates creativity throughout the museum.

Until then, paint, sculpt, squish and create all summer — one colorful adventure at a time. For schedules, admission and registration information, visit licm.org.

Saturday, July 11, 7 p.m. Pette and Barasch Fields, 244 S. Park Ave, Rockville Centre. For more information, visit.rvcny.us.

The Bronx Wanderers

What do you get when a father, his two sons, and two high school classmates come together to create a show? A wildly entertaining mix of hilarious personal stories, a powerhouse playlist spanning every genre and decade, and one unforgettable family’s journey through life and music. Meet The Bronx Wanderers — a high-energy musical experience that’s been bringing audiences to their feet for over 20 years. With a unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll nostalgia, modern hits, and dynamic storytelling, this band has mastered the art of connecting with fans of all ages in one sweeping, musical tour de force. They’re still having the time of their lives — and by the end of the show, you will be too.

Sunday, July 12,7:30 p.m. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com

Your Neighborhood CALENDAR

Wendy Klemperer: Wrought Taxonomies

Vanderbilt Museum welcomes everyone to enjoy the exhibition of outdoor sculpture at the historic summer estate of William Kissam Vanderbilt II. Klemperer’s sculptures. a haunting assemblage of animal forms that span imaginary, endangered, familiar, and exotic species, celebrate natural history and the nonhuman world through evocative interactions with the surrounding environment. Using materials salvaged from scrapyards, she composes ecological narratives that respond to the history and collections of Suffolk County’s first public park and museum. Her brilliant use of gestural lines captures the spectator’s attention and invites museum-goers to reflect on the relationship between an interest in animal life and the incessant push of human industry. Visitors are encouraged to picnic on the grounds.

• Where: 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport

• Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Contact: vanderbiltmuseum. org or call (631) 854-5579

‘Everybody

Loves Raymond: Celebrating 30 Years’ Visit the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame for an immersive exhibit (designed by LIMEHOF Creative Director, renowned designer Kevin O’Callaghan). It features the 70-foot-wide set from the show’s recent 30th anniversary TV special on CBS, never before on display. Visitors can walk into the world of the Barone family and explore their home through original studio sets, which include the living room, the kitchen and other areas of the house. Also see a variety of iconic items, including original clothing, the famous fork and spoon, and the Christmas toaster, among other classic items from the series. Multimedia clips, including behind the scenes and rare out-takes and a range of related videos play in LIMEHOF’s surround sound theater.

• Where: 97 Main St., Stony Brook

• Time: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Contact: limusichalloffame. org or (631) 689-5888

Summer tunes

The Town of Babylon Summer Concert Series continues with The Men of Soul. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and

Wild Child

This is not a typical tribute or pretend concert act. Wild Child relies on recapturing the original: sound, feel, mood, dynamics and delivery of the Doors music. In true Doors fashion there are no: wigs, props, costumes, or phony banter between songs. It’s about the music and its delivery. Wild Child lead singer Dave Brock’s Doors tribute debuted with a triple sellout at the Whisky a-Go-Go. Since the band debuted, the act has been touring and playing at sold out national act venues and festivals around the world. Wild Child became the mold that “tribute bands” aspired to become, as they flooded the market in the 1990s with good and bad impersonations of famous artists. In 2010 Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors, invited Dave to tour with them as their vocalist on their concert engagements. Robby Krieger of The Doors, invited Dave to tour with them as their vocalist on their concert engagements. This was perhaps the best compliment Dave has ever received from anyone for his work. Being selected by these two Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame musicians was a huge honor; the ultimate compliment of his talents and speaks volumes for his credibility as a Doors style frontman and vocalist. Fans and critics alike praise Wild Child performances as the closest thing to a real 1960s Doors concert and live Doors experience.

enjoy a night of entertainment for the whole family.

• Where: 500 Mount Ave., West Babylon

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 957-3000

Fridays

on

the Greene

10

Thrift Shop

Stop by Simpson United Methodist Church’s Thrift Shop for some unique finds.

• Where: 30 Locust Ave., Amityville

• Time: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 789-2569

• Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington

• Time: 8 p.m.

• Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com

jul

11

Farmers Market

Stop by for fresh produce and products from various vendors.

Open every Saturday until Oct 24.

• Where: 97 Main St., Stony Brook

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: limusichalloffame. org or (631) 689-5888

jul

13

Nourish Babylon SitDown Dinner

Every Monday Nourish Babylon holds a sit-down dinner at Christ Episcopal Church. All are welcome to attend.

• Where: 12 Prospect St., Babylon

• Time: 5-6:30 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 661-5757

jul

14

Grab-and-Go Free Dinners

Free dinners are available at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, every Tuesday. Drive into the parking lot behind the church and a meal will be hand-delivered to you.

• Where: 576 Deer Park Ave., Babylon

• Time: 4-5 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 987-2896

jul

15

Kid Zone Children in grades Pre-K-5 are invited to First Presbyterian Church’s Kid Zone, weekly. Included is dinner, a Bible story, as well as crafts and games.

• Where: 79 E. Main St., Babylon

• Time: 5:30-7 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 587-5838

Come out to Greene Avenue in Amityville Village for their street party. Enjoy music featuring the Mike Barry Band and order in to have your supper delivered from local Amityville restaurants. Tables and chairs are provided, first come/first served.

• Where: Greene Ave., at the corner of Broadway Route 110, Amityville.

• Time: 6-10 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 264-6000 jul

Summer sounds

The concert series continues with Somethin’ Fresh. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy a night of entertainment for the whole family.

• Where: Tanner Park, 400 Baylawn Ave., Copiague

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 957-3000

St. Mary’s Thrift Shop

Stop by St. Mary’s Thrift Shop to check out some found treasures. Choose from collectibles, glassware, clothing and other gently used items.

• Where: St. Mary’s, 175 Broadway, Amityville (enter from rear parking lot)

• Time: 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 464-4899

‘The

Tempest’

Vanderbilt Museum’s Shakespeare in the Courtyard series returns with the Bard’s dramatic tale, a story of shipwreck and magic, It’s performed by the Carriage House Players in the Mansion’s beautiful Spanish Revival courtyard. $20, $15 seniors and students.

• Where: 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport

• Time: 8 p.m.: also July 12 and July 15

• Contact: vanderbiltmuseum.org or call (631) 854-5579

• Where: First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville

• Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 264-0152

Church Attic Thrift Shop

Visit First United Methodist Church for their weekly thrift shop.

• Where: First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway, Amityville.

• Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 264-0152 or email amitychurch1792@gmail. com

Concert time

jul

12

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame welcomes Bleeding Egos. The four-piece rock band writes and performs music with an emphasis on melody and harmony influenced by REM, the Beatles and Tom Petty, among others.

Summertime grooves

The Town of Babylon Concert Series continues with Forever Donna, the Ultimate Donna Summer Tribute by Rainere Martin. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy a night of entertainment for the whole family.

• Where: Tanner Park, 400 Baylawn Ave., Copiague

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 957-3000

Having an event?

Items on the Calendar page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to kbloom@ liherald.com.

Notice of formation of NAILSXSAH

LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 06/01/2026. Office location in SUFFOLK COUNTY. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC 128 Broadway, Amityville, NY 11701. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

26-135. 6/10. 17, 24, 7/1, 8, 15

Action by New Montefiore Cemetery located at 1180 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon, NY  11704, to declare abandoned & re-acquire certain unused grave sites on the grounds of INDEPENDENT

DOLINER

BENEVOLENT

SOCIETY INC., pursuant to NY CLS NPCL 1513-a. Contact information: New Montefiore Cemetery c/o Anthony Biolsi (631249-7000)

26-140. 6/24, 7/1, 8

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be conducted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Amityville on Monday, July 13th, 2026 at 7:00 PM in the third floor Court Room of Village Hall, 21 Ireland Place, Amityville, NY for Introductory Local Law No. 2 of 2026, a local law to amend § 166-4 B of the Village Code regarding the term of licenses for storage trailers.

By Order of the Board of Trustees Village of Amityville Catherine C. Murdock Village Clerk/Treasurer

7/1/26   2 x 26-145. 7/1, 8

NOTICE is hereby given that the BOARD OF APPEALS of the Village of Amityville will hold a Public Hearing in the Court Room of Village Hall, 21 Ireland Place, Amityville, NY at 7:00 P.M. on THURSDAY, July 16th, 2026, to consider the following applications: Application of  Meghan Chimienti.  Applicant seeks a variance to install a 6-foot vinyl fence pursuant to Section 183-139 A. (3) of the Village of Amityville Code.  Premises located on the Northeast corner of Riverside Avenue and Cooper Avenue in a “Residential A” District known as 130 Riverside Avenue a/k/a SCTM#10110-4-10.

Application of Zachary Chanmin.  Applicant seeks a variance to install a 6-foot vinyl fence pursuant to Section 183-139 A. (3) of the Village of Amityville Code.  Premises located on the West side of Grand Central Avenue approximately 67 feet South of Merrick Road in a “Residential B” District known as 11 Grand Central Avenue a/k/a SCTM#101-10-2-41.

Application of Donald Chabus.  Applicant seeks a variance to install a 6-foot vinyl fence pursuant to Section 183-139 A. (3) of the Village of Amityville Code.  Premises located on the East side of Stuart Avenue approximately 748 feet South of Bingham Place in a “Residential B” District known as 68 Stuart Avenue a/k/a SCTM#101-13-7-13.

Public Notices — Your right to know

Application of Jonathan Pesce.  Applicant seeks renewal of a previously approved special exception for a two-family owneroccupied dwelling pursuant to Section 183-43 C (6) of the Village of Amityville Code.  Premises located on the North side of Oak Street, approximately 51 feet East of Lake Street in a “Residential B” District known as 122 Oak Street a/k/a SCTM#101-4-4-25.

Application of Marlene & Anthony Marinucci.  Applicant seeks renewal of a previously approved special exception for the outside storage of materials pursuant to Section 183-96 of the Village of Amityville Code.  Premises located on the South side of Maple Place approximately 730 feet East of Albany Avenue in an “Industrial” District known as 63 Maple Place a/k/a SCTM#101-4-1-66.

Application of Napco Security Systems.  Applicants seek multiple variances associated with the proposed construction of a 37,805 square foot one-story addition to a commercial building.  Variance 1 is to reduce the required rear yard setback from 25 feet to 12 feet 9 inches pursuant to Section 183-104 of the Village of Amityville Code.  Variance 2 is to reduce the required parking spaces from 313 spaces to 240 spaces pursuant to Section 183129 of the Village Code.  Variance 3 is to increase the allowed lot coverage from 40% to 55.04% pursuant to Section 183-106 of the Village Code.

Premises located on the East side of Bayview Avenue approximately 554 feet South of Dixon Avenue in an “Industrial” District known as 333 Bayview Avenue a/k/a SCTM#1014-2-12.

Application of Carol Ann Kaplan on behalf of Vernick Realty LLC.  Applicant seeks multiple variances associated with the proposed conversion of an Indoor Motor Vehicle Storage Facility to an Indoor Sports Facility.  Variance 1 is to operate as a non-permitted use in the B Residence District pursuant to Section 183-43 of the Village of Amityville Code.  Variance 2 is to maintain the pre-existing nonconforming front yard pursuant to Section 183-50 B and C of the Village Code.  Variance 3 is to reduce the required parking spaces from 71 to 44 pursuant to section 183129 of the Village Code.  Variance 5 is to maintain the pre-existing non-conforming side yard setback pursuant to Section 183-51 of the Village Code.  Premises located on the West Side of Broadway approximately 212 feet South of Railroad Avenue in a “Residential B” District known as 249 Broadway a/k/a SCTM#101-4-3-34. Application of David Sherland on behalf of Sheyla Hernandez.  Applicant seeks a variance to exceed the allowed accessory structure area from 500 square feet to 644 square feet associated with the proposed construction of a 500

square foot pavilion in the rear yard with an existing 144 square foot accessory building pursuant to Section 183-55 of the Village of Amityville Code.  Applicant also seeks a special exception to maintain an existing 4-foot solid vinyl fence in the front yard and a 6 foot vinyl fence in the side and rear yards pursuant to Sections 183-139 A. (1) and 183-139 A. (3) of the Village of Amityville Code.  Premises located on the West side of Belmont Court approximately 230 feet south of Oak Street in a “Residential B” District known as 8 Belmont Court a/k/a SCTM#101-63-73.2.

By Order of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Amityville Catherine Murdock, Clerk/ Treasurer 26-148. 7/1, 8

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BY THE TOWN OF BABYLON ACCESSORY APARTMENT REVIEW BOARD

Pursuant to provisions of Local Law # 9 of the Babylon Town Code, notice is hereby given that the Town of Babylon Accessory Apartment Review Board will hold a public hearing in the Town Board Meeting Room in the East Wing of Town Hall, 200 East Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst, New York on Tuesday eve, July 14th, 2026. Public hearings begin 6:00pm.

NEW APPLICATIONS:

•Mavis Douglas & Elaine Watson-McGhee (HAPT6283)

51 Poplar Rd North Amityville, NY 11701

SCTM#0100•Eric Schwarz (APMT-26-18)

99 South Bay Drive Babylon, NY 11702

SCTM#0100•Ankit Narula (APMT-26-44)

253 15th Street Deer Park, NY 11729

SCTM#0100-87-3-39

Printing Instructions: RENEWALS BY AFFIDAVIT APPLICANTS, ARE NOT REQUIRED TO APPEAR. ALL NEW CASES WILL BE HEARD IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE ADVERTISED.

All interested persons should appear at the above time and place by order of Sandra Thomas, Chairperson, Accessory Apartment Review Board, Town of Babylon, North Lindenhurst, Suffolk County, New York. Amityville Record: Wednesday, July 8th 2026 26-149 7/8

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AND/OR INFORMATIONAL HEARINGS BY THE TOWN OF BABYLON PLANNING BOARD

Pursuant to Chapter 186, Site Plan Review, and Chapter 213, Zoning, of the Babylon Town Code and Section 276 of the Town Law, notice is hereby given that the Town of Babylon Planning Board will hold public and/or informational hearings(s) at the Babylon Town Hall, Town Board Room, 200 East Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst, New York, on the Monday, July 13, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. prevailing time or as soon thereafter as can be heard to consider the following application(s): PUBLIC HEARING/ MINOR SUBDIVISION

JOB# PLAN-26-17; MR Property Builders LLC: SCTM# 0100152.00-01.00-108.000 and 0100-152.0001.00-109.000: Zone – C Residence: SEQRA – Unlisted Action, Uncoordinated Review: The applicant is proposing to subdivide and reconfigure two parcels totaling 19,717sf into one 9,667sf parcel (Lot 1) and one 10,050sf parcel (Lot 2) in order to construct two (2) new, two-story, single-family dwellings.: Property is located on Northeast corner of Deer Park Avenue and Whalen Street, North Babylon, Suffolk County, Town of Babylon, New York PUBLIC HEARING/ SITE PLAN REVIEW

JOB# HPLN-17 (2452A); Sunrise Dealer d/b/a Sunrise Kia: SCTM# 0100-175.0001.00-069.004, 0100175.00-01.00-069.005, 0100-175.00-01.00069.006, 0100-175.0001.00-069.007 and 0100-175.00-01.00071.001: Zone – EB Business: SEQRA –Unlisted Action, Uncoordinated Review: The applicant is proposing to demolish an existing residential structure in order to construct a parking lot and expand outdoor storage of vehicles at an existing car dealership and service center, along with associated site improvements.: Property is located on the north side of Sunrise Highway, 420’ east of Bayview Avenue, Copiague, Suffolk County, Town of Babylon, New York All interested persons should appear at the above time and place by order of Patrick Halpin, Chairperson of the Planning Board, Town of Babylon, North Lindenhurst, Suffolk County, New York

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS

Amityville Record: 07/08/2026 26-151 7/8

The Town of Babylon Rental Review Board will hold a Public Hearing at The Town of Babylon 200 East Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst, New York (East Wing Board Room) on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 6:00pm NEW APPLICATION

1. DAB Development LLC 54 Tiber Ave. Deer Park NY 11729

SCTM NO: 010093-1-158

2. Dhruba Biswas 39 Arcadia Ave. Dix Hills NY 11746

SCTM NO: 010019-2-12

RENEWALS

1. Shannen Caldone 158 Park Ave. Deer Park NY 11729

SCTM NO: 010087-2-83

2. Frances & Anthony Dalisa 210 Silver St. West Babylon NY 11704

SCTM NO: 0100141-1-56 26-150 7/8

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TOWN OF BABYLON - ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

Pursuant to Chapter 213, Article II of the Building Zone Ordinance of the Town of Babylon, notice is hereby given that the Town of Babylon on Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a Public Hearing at TOWN BOARD ROOM

(Located in the East Wing) at Babylon Town Hall, 200 East Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst, New York

on THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2026

BEGINNING AT 6:00

P.M.

6:00 p.m.

1. Application #26-118

Steven L. Rivera and Natalie Duque-Rivera, 10 Nottingham Drive, Wheatley Heights, NY.

Permission to allow a pool in the front yard; increase total building area from 15% to 28.2% (over by 2,237.8 sq. ft.); allow a 6’ high fence beyond the front building line along Straight Path. All in connection with a proposed pool and to legally maintain a paver patio, fire pit, gazebo, shed and front yard fence. Property located on the south side of Nottingham Drive, 472.78’ west of Burrs Lane, Wheatley Heights, NY.

SCTM#0100-16-324

Zoning District: Residence A

6:05 p.m.

2. Application #26120 Monica Miranda, 45 Leonardo DaVinci Street, Copiague, NY.

Permission to diminish north side yard setback from 10’ to 4.6’; diminish total side yards from 25’ to 13.5’; diminish rear yard setback from 30’ to 8’. All in connection with a proposed

Public Notices

front addition and a second-story addition. Property located on the west side of Leonardo DaVinci Street, 100’ north of Marconi Boulevard, Copiague, NY.

SCTM#0100-1773-27

Zoning District: Residence C 6:10 p.m.

3. Application #26121 Latoya Nicole Youngblood-Ellis and Jamell Ellis, 5 Rosewood Avenue, Amityville, NY. Permission to increase total building area from 20% to 26.2% (over by 752.1 sq. ft.). All in connection with a proposed one-story addition. Property located on the east side of Rosewood Avenue, 120’ south of Harrison Avenue, Amityville, NY.

SCTM#0100-1691-2

Zoning District: Residence B 6:15 p.m.

4. Application #26126 Bryan Ranker, 59 Doges Promenade, Lindenhurst, NY. Permission to increase area of garage from 500 sq. ft. permitted to 800 sq. ft. proposed; increase height of garage from 14’ permitted to 16.6’ proposed; diminish distance to rear yard lot line from 6’ to 2’; increase number of accessory structures per parcel from two (2) permitted to three (3) proposed; diminish front yard setback from 30’ to 23.8’ (for roofed over porch). All in connection with a proposed garage and to legally maintain a cabana, deck, roofed over hot tub and roofed over front porch. Property located on the east side of Doges Prominade, 60’ south of W. Clearwater Road, Lindenhurst, NY.

SCTM#0100-1891-65 & 66

Zoning District: Residence C 6:20 p.m.

5. Application #26117 1301-1321 Montauk Hwy Corp., 132 S Wellwood Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY. Permission to allow a multiple residence on 0.57 acre where 2 acres is required; diminish front yard setback from 30’ to 14.1’ at Montauk Highway (for Building #1); diminish front yard setback from 30’ to 12’ at Montauk Highway (for Building #2); diminish front yard setback from 30’ to 10’ at St Ann’s Avenue (for Building #2); diminish east side yard setback from 30’ to 3’; allow 11.4 units per acre where 15 units is permitted. All in connection with a proposed construction of a new 2-story apartment building for eight (8) one-bedroom units and interior alterations to the existing mixeduse building to convert retail space into an additional one-bedroom apartment for a total of seven (7) units. Property located on the southwest corner of St Ann’s Avenue and Merrick Road (Montauk Highway), Copiague, NY.

SCTM#0100-1943-65.001, 66, 67, 68 Zoning District: Multiple Residence Subject Premises: 1301, 1305, 1321 Merrick Road (Montauk Highway) and 78 St. Ann’s Avenue, Copiague, NY 6:25 p.m.

6. Application #26127 Bolla Oil Corp. (tenant)/Franklin Johnson, Inc. (prop. owner), 3605 Merrick Road, Seaford, NY. Permission to diminish distance to property line from 10’ to 2.3’; increase height of ground sign from 15’ to 26’ – 3”; increase area of ground sign from 32 sq. ft. permitted to 55.8 sq. ft. proposed; increase number of signs per pole from one (1) to two

(2); increase area of price sign from 12 sq. ft. to 53.90 sq. ft.; increase number of signs per elevation on the west wall from one (1) to three (3). All in connection with legally maintain ground and wall signs. Property located on the southwest corner of Bayshore Road and Commack Road, North Babylon, NY.

SCTM#0100-1171-1

Zoning District: Business E

Subject Premises: 170 Bayshore Road, North Babylon, NY ALL PERSONS OR THEIR DULY APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE MUSTAPPEAR IN PERSON AT THE ABOVE HEARING. ALL CASES WILL BE HEARD IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE ADVERTISED, TO BE FOLLOWED BY ADJOURNED CASES. BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

MICHAEL KANE, CHAIRMAN

Dated:

Babylon Town Hall Lindenhurst, New York

June 30, 2026 26-152 7/8

College move-in day planning starts now

The end of summer is bittersweet for many families because it means that the college move-in date is on the horizon. Across most colleges, the academic year begins in August or early September, with schools in warmer climates leaning toward the earlier side. That means that family vacations and other plans will compete with college planning and packing this time of year.

According to the National College Attainment Network, FAFSA applicants increased by 1.6 million incoming students in the 2026-2027 academic year. That marked a 52 percent increase from the previous school year’s applicant pool at the same time. NPR indicates college enrollment in the United States continues to rise, which means that scores of students will be spending the final weeks of this summer preparing to begin the next phase of their academic careers. These tips can help families ensure a smooth move-in process.

Coordinate with a roommate

College students can benefit from connecting and coordinating with their roommates before their movein date. Doing so will help avoid duplicating items that will be shared among the dorm room, such as cleaning supplies, snacks and any allowable furniture or appliances, including mini refrigerators.

Know what is allowed

Students should review the university’s list of banned items, which often include candles, hot plates, halogen lamps, and certain lithium-ion battery items. There may be rules regulating which appliances can be brought as well.

Shop sales

Taking advantage of sales when they happen can help students save money. Most colleges have twin or twin XL beds. Linens may be bought

for a discount in bulk, so coordinating with roommates can help everyone score a deal. Invest in a mattress topper, mattress cover, allergy- and pestprohibitive zippered pillow cases, and a cozy comforter.

Label everything

Label suitcases and storage bins that can be used for storage so belongings will remain organized. Packing similar items together will make for faster unpacking later on.

Aim for comfort

Bring a fan, air purifier or dehumidifier to help circulate and keep the air in the dorm room fresh. This also can help make the room more comfortable when moving in, as it tends to be quite warm on move-in day.

Book the slot ASAP

An earlier slot on move-in day means avoiding peak crowds as well as the heat of the day. Students should regularly check their emails to know when to sign up for a move-in appointment if the school employs this approach.

Plan for food

Some schools will offer refreshments on move-in day or even enable new students (and their families) to try out the dining hall fare free of charge. Otherwise, scout out food options so that no one turns up “hangry.” A meal enjoyed together can be a chance for everyone to say their goodbyes.

Enlist helpers

Move-in day can be chaotic, particularly for freshmen just learning the ropes. Many schools require items be dropped curbside before finding parking. Having one or two able-bodied individuals means someone can remain with the stuff while another parks the car. Then everyone can help move belongings into the dorm room.

College move-in day will be here soon enough. Students can begin their planning early to ensure a smooth processtips can help families ensure a smooth move-in process.

Courtesy Metro Creative Connection

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

DRIVERS WANTED

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Positions Available!

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Hours Vary, Salary Ranges from $17 per hour to $21 per hour Night Availability is a Must. Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

EDITOR/REPORTER

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Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Representative that thrives in a quick sales cycle environment. Compensation ranges from $35,360 + commissions and bonuses to over $100,000 including commission and bonuses. We also offer health benefits, 401K and paid time off. Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to ereynolds@liherald.com Call 516-569-4000 X286

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PRINTING PRESS OPERATORS FT & PT. Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for Printing Press Operators in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Hours vary, so flexibility is

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SWhat to do about cracking concrete

Q. We have large cracks in our concrete driveway and garage floor, and want to make sure they are repaired correctly, since they appear to be recently done, possibly within a year before we purchased the house. In particular, there is a nearly round hole that turned to gravel, kind of, and we want to know why it happened and avoid having it happen again. What can you tell us?

A. Concrete reacts to extreme weather changes. That is a given to designers of concrete structures, even though most people think concrete is the “immovable object.”

Nature moves mountains, so your driveway was no challenge for the forces of nature.

Extreme cold causes concrete to contract, push in on itself, while the heat has the effect of stretching this fairly rigid material to its limits. In the heat of summer, as you may have heard, the beautifully engineered Autobahn in Germany just buckled in various places. I’ve seen cars going nearly 200 miles per hour on that roadway, but with a buckled road, sections were shut down.

The key to any material selection is understanding its reaction to two major factors in nature, namely, water and movement. Throw in other factors, like chemical reaction and deterioration rates, and you realize that concrete is vulnerable. You have to work with its basic properties to have it adapt and cooperate with your intended use.

All that being said, the hole is basically like a zit, a buildup of pressure in a weaker place across the surface. Concrete develops strength as a chemical reaction to the specific combination of materials it is made from. With too much water in the mix, it will be weaker, especially in a particular spot. If it has no way to expand over a large area, as a thin sheet, only 4 to 6 inches thick over 10 to 20 feet, its strength is reduced because of a strengthto-distance ratio. So, to relieve the intensity of the expansion or contraction, separations, or “joints,” are made so the slabs can spread the forces of shrinking or expanding, a little.

Concrete is known to be very strong in compression, meaning you can press it together, to an extreme, before it crushes. On the other hand, it has very little ability to resist being stretched or pulled apart. To counteract the problem, steel, which is very elastic (stretchable) is spaced within formed concrete to increase the resistance to cracking apart. The combination of steel, in the right ratio and strength, and expansion joints, to let the concrete separate without unsightly cracks, makes the concrete more stable. Even just a depressed joint, not through and through, helps, by basically letting the concrete crack in a controlled way, where the crack runs in a straight depression instead of looking like a big rip.

I recommend having a professional make the repairs, with caution. You want an experienced company that works from a calculated solution, not just a quick fix. More next week. Good luck!

© 2026 Monte Leeper

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn:

8,

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OpInIOns

The administration just won’t let up on deportation

There was an especially poignant happening on Long Island recently, amid the Trump administration’s campaign against immigrants, when honor student Sara Lopez Garcia returned — virtually — for graduation ceremonies at Suffolk County Community College and gave a video presentation.

A year earlier, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had raided Garcia’s home in Mastic and arrested her.

As Bart Jones reported in Newsday, Garcia, who had a 3.9 GPA, “told the crowd … that while she joined in celebrating their new degrees, including hers, the day was bittersweet, as she was forced to watch from 2,500 miles away in South America.”

“This day brings really difficult memories for me,” Garcia, dressed in graduation regalia, said from Colombia. Of her arrest, she added, “It was one of the moments of my life when I felt fear. I was so scared, and everything was uncertain. I didn’t know what would happen to me, to my family, to my future.”

She was sent to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana. She had been brought to the United States by her mother, who was also arrested, and has no criminal record.

Jones wrote that SCCC English Professor Cynthia Eaton had nominated Garcia to speak at graduation because “she was a model of determination in the face of adversity.” Said Eaton: “She is a good thinker. She’s a good learner. She’s a good person … Everybody on our campus knew Sara’s smile. They all loved Sara. She was like a magnet … upbeat, positive.”

followed by laws enacted by New York state that prohibit “local governments, state and local police, and state and local corrections” from entering into “agreements with the federal government that allow for state and local enforcement personnel and facilities to be used for civil immigration enforcement purposes” — and that also ban “state, local and federal officers from wearing face covering while interacting with the public.”

A former Border Patrol chief talks of deporting over 100 million people.

Jim Morgo, ex-chief deputy Suffolk County executive, a former vice chair of the college’s board of trustees and a teacher, said that Garcia “is the perfect example of everything that’s wrong with mass deportation. There’s no distinguishing the honor students from the rapist.”

On Long Island, as is the case in the rest of the nation, there’s opposition to President Trump’s deportation program. For months there have been protests. The Town of East Hampton and, before that, East Hampton Village passed laws blocking their participation with ICE.

The town and village actions were

IBut Tom Homan, the exdirector of ICE who was given the title of “border czar” by Trump, has vowed that if New York passed “this ridiculous legislation,” ICE would “flood the zone. You’re going to see more ICE agents than you ever seen before.”

And in a party-line vote in the U.S. Senate, Republicans passed $70 billion in new funding for ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol, in addition to $150 billion the agencies received last year.

Meanwhile, Greg Bovino, the former Border Patrol chief who was removed in January after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, has announced that he is running for president, and said, “My one and only priority is deporting the 106 million illegal

immigrants who are here.”

The website Mediaite commented that this is one-third of the nation’s population, and “the true number of illegal immigrants peaked at 14 million in 2023, according to Pew [Research Center].”

Back to earth and Long Island, the Bridgehampton Museum recently held an exhibition titled, “What We Carry: Memory & Migration.” “Rooted in themes central to the East End and beyond, What We Carry underscores how migration stories are embedded in local history while resonating on a global scale,” the museum wrote, and was co-curated by Jeremy Dennis, a Shinnecock Native American; Mark Wilson, who has roots in Australia; and Darius Yektai, who has an Iranian and Greek background.

The exhibition was scheduled to be followed by presentations by East Hampton attorney Lenny Ackerman, the author of “Leibisch’s Journey,” a book about his father’s escape from the horrors of the Russian Revolution through Europe to the U.S., and Tara Rider, a Stony Brook University professor of history, to speak about her book “Journey of Hope: The Irish in New York.”

Karl Grossman has been an investigative reporter in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.

Staying ahead of microplastics

f you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve probably seen headlines about microplastics — tiny plastic fragments and fibers showing up in the human body. It’s a topic that understandably raises questions, and as the CEO of the Suffolk County Water Authority, which serves more than 1.2 million people on Long Island, I’m focused on addressing this issue proactively and making sure our customers know where things stand.

Microplastics are everywhere in the modern environment. They’ve been found in oceans, in rain, in the food we eat and in some water supplies. The health effects are not yet fully understood, and the science is still developing.

There are currently no federal regulatory limits for microplastics in drinking water. But the concern is real enough that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering requiring public water systems to test for them

under the upcoming Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule — a program the EPA uses every five years to study emerging threats before setting any standards. That’s a significant signal that the federal government is taking this seriously, and so are we.

OSCWA didn’t wait to be told to act. At the end of 2025, we completed one of the first voluntary microplastics assessments of a groundwater-based public water system in the United States. We tested source water, treatment effluents and finished drinking water across a wide range of wells and treatment locations — including some of our shallowest wells, which would be the most vulnerable to surface contamination.

of 325 plastic particles per liter in bottled water. Long Island tap water, drawn from a protected underground aquifer, performed dramatically better.

ur customers deserve accurate information about their drinking water.

We also applied strict quality-control procedures throughout the testing to confirm that our sampling and analysis process itself wasn’t introducing contamination. Those controls showed zero or near-zero particle counts, validating the accuracy of our findings. Sixty percent of our analyzed samples showed equal or fewer microplastics per liter than the blanks themselves.

study microplastics in the aquifer and examine how they might enter our groundwater system, including through stormwater recharge basins. That kind of regional, scientific collaboration is exactly what this issue calls for.

The results were reassuring. The vast majority of samples showed no detectable microplastics. Where particles were found, levels were extremely low: typically, just one to five particles per sample, with no pattern suggesting widespread presence in the aquifer or any introduction through our treatment process. Our average was just 3.6 particles per liter. To put that in perspective, a peer-reviewed study found an average

We didn’t do this study because a regulation required it. We did it because our customers deserve clear and accurate information about their drinking water, and because staying ahead of emerging issues is what responsible water management looks like. Waiting for mandates is the easy path. Understanding the science before you’re told to is how you actually protect people.

We’re not alone in that commitment. The Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection has partnered with the United States Geological Survey to

And that brings me to a broader point. Microplastics are not solely a drinking water problem. Just as we’ve seen with PFAS — so-called “forever chemicals” — and other contaminants in recent years, drinking water is one of several possible exposure pathways — not the only one. Food packaging, synthetic textiles, household dust and consumer products are all sources. A serious, evidence-based response to microplastics must account for all these vectors, not single out one source while ignoring the others.

SCWA will continue to monitor the science, follow developments in regulatory guidance, and evaluate whether additional or expanded testing is appropriate as analytical methods improve. What I can tell you today is this: The water coming from your tap has been tested, the levels of microplastics found are extremely low, and we are not waiting for a crisis to take the issue seriously.

Jeff Szabo is chief executive officer of the Suffolk County Water Authority.

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Investing in libraries pays dividends all year

Summer has a way of reminding us about the simple pleasures in life. For many, that means relaxing on the beach with a good book, spending time with family or finding fun ways to stay cool during the hottest days of the year.

But while a great novel may be the perfect beach companion, the local public library offers so much more than books. It is one of the smartest and most valuable investments any community can make.

Libraries have evolved far beyond quiet reading rooms lined with shelves full of books. They are vibrant community centers that welcome residents of every age and every background. They’re places where curiosity is encouraged, lifelong learning is celebrated and neighbors come together at author readings, musical performances and movie screenings.

Summer is one of the busiest times of the year for libraries. Children who might otherwise lose valuable academic skills during the school break can take part in summer reading programs intended to keep their minds engaged while making learning fun.

Teens can explore new interests through workshops, volunteer opportunities and technology programs. Adults can attend lectures, careerdevelopment seminars, financial-literacy classes and cultural events. Seniors can take part in social gatherings, edu-

letterS

Scott’s column should be required college reading

To the Editor:

Re Robert A. Scott’s column, “What it means to be a college graduate,” in the June 24-30 issue: At a time when some are questioning the value of a college education, Dr. Scott offers a thoughtful perspective on this important issue. Drawing on his own experiences at Bucknell University as well as research that demonstrates the many positive outcomes of college, he makes a strong case for post-secondary education. At its best, Scott notes, college can not only improve students’ writing and speaking skills and boost graduates’ earning power, but also foster personal growth and enhance one’s outlook on the world. “College is, or should be,” he writes, “as much about character development and active citizenship as it is about preparation for careers and advancement in commerce.”

cational presentations and wellness activities that help combat isolation while strengthening community connections.

Libraries are free public spaces open to everyone. They provide safe, air-conditioned environments in which families can spend time together, students can study, remote workers can focus and anyone can simply enjoy a quiet place to read, learn or reflect.

These services don’t disappear when summer ends. Throughout the year, libraries host civic meetings, support groups, educational workshops, cultural performances, technology training, tax-preparation assistance, job search resources and countless other programs that strengthen the social fabric of our communities. They serve as gathering places where ideas are exchanged, friendships are formed and local organizations find a home.

Elected officials deserve recognition when they prioritize funding for public libraries. Public investments often bring to mind roads, bridges or major construction projects, and those investments certainly matter. But investments in libraries produce returns that cannot always be measured in dollars. Whether funding is for the renovation of a community room to expand programs and services or a much larger capital project that overhauls the entire building, libraries aim to improve educational outcomes, encour-

age civic engagement, reduce social isolation, create stronger, more connected communities, and make their facilities more welcoming, accessible and functional for everyone who walks through their doors.

These projects also reflect a broader truth: Investments in libraries are investments in people. Every renovated classroom, meeting space or children’s area creates opportunities for learning, connection and growth that extend well beyond the life of the construction project itself.

At a time when many people worry about loneliness, educational gaps and divisions in society, libraries quietly address each of those challenges every day. They remain one of the few places where everyone is welcome, regardless of age, income or background, and where the only requirement for entry is a willingness to learn.

As summer unfolds, residents should take full advantage of everything their local libraries have to offer. Borrow that next beach read. Sign a child up for a reading challenge. Attend a lecture, explore a new hobby, join a community group or simply spend an afternoon discovering something new.

Every library card opened, every book borrowed and every program attended is a reminder that one of the greatest investments we can make is in institutions that educate, inspire and bring us together.

opinions

Biofuels can help decarbonize L.I.’s school bus fleet

as the deadline for school districts to begin purchasing zero-emission school buses loomed, state lawmakers rightfully hit the brakes by delaying the mandate for five years.

The reasons are as clear as they are daunting: the electric grid isn’t ready, charging infrastructure remains scarce compared with ambitious state targets, and the upfront cost of a single electric bus can be triple that of a traditional one.

For Long Island school districts already grappling with a high tax burden and unique costof-living challenges, this represents yet another significant financial strain that would fall squarely on local taxpayers. State leaders should be lauded for recognizing these realities. But as officials continue to debate these and other changes to the state’s climate law, we can’t fall into an either-or trap, just as we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Letters

new york already has a solution that has been in use for decades, and is easily deployed: renewable liquid fuels.

Transitioning the existing school bus fleets to renewable diesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86 percent immediately. Unlike electric buses, which require specialized chargers and rely on our dangerously thin electric grid, renewable diesel works in the engines we already own. It requires no costly equipment overhauls, no new infrastructure, and performs reliably in cold new york winters.

rfrom entering our air annually. officials aim to complete the conversion of all city-owned vehicles this summer.

new york became the first state in the northeast to offer the fuel to state agencies, authorities, schools, municipalities and nonprofits in 26 counties, including nassau and Suffolk. Still, too few are availing themselves of this resource.

e newable diesel fuel works in the school bus engines we already own.

While the state waits years for the grid to catch up, municipal leaders are already proving that renewable liquid fuels — biodegradable fuel manufactured domestically from vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled restaurant grease — can deliver significantly carbon reduction today without breaking the bank.

new york City is leading the way, having transitioned its fleet of garbage trucks, emergency vehicles and other heavy-duty machines to renewable diesel in 2024, a move expected to prevent 162 million pounds of carbon dioxide

Scott’s column should be required reading for every new college student, especially those entering with the misguided notion that college is little more than a quick ticket to a job. While finding a career that’s a good fit should certainly be part of everyone’s college years, students should also use this time to learn about themselves, to engage ideas, to come to grips with life’s complexities, and to develop a deeper understanding of the world that’s waiting for them after graduation.

Colleges themselves would also do well to pay attention to Scott’s advice. Too many schools present themselves as career factories, highlighting their programs’ “real world” skill development while paying only minimal attention to the transformative experiences that a college education can (and should) provide. Graduating thoughtful, knowledgeable and insightful human beings — people capable of seeing life’s big picture and acting on behalf of the greater good — should be a primary goal of higher education.

Given the cost of college, as well as our collective anxiety about the future of America’s workforce, I can understand many students’ wish to choose a major that will help them make their way. But preparing for a career needn’t preclude being open to activities and experiences, both in and out of the classroom, that will invite students to stretch intellectually, socially and emotionally. There are indeed many valuable lessons to be learned here; students should not miss out on them.

And while much of today’s conversation centers on delays in transportation electrification, concerns about the pace and practicality of electrification are also growing in the homes and buildings sectors, as well as budget-strapped public facilities — especially our schools.

Consider a high school in Brooklyn where administrators recently replaced traditional heating oil with the renewable fuel alternative, making it the first school in new york City to convert to a heating system running entirely on biofuels. This historic transition to cleaner renewable fuels proves that giving schools and other institutions the flexibility they need to adopt a range of clean-energy solutions — not just electrification — is how the

Framework by Tim Baker

state can continue to make meaningful climate progress while keeping energy reliable and at a manageable price point.

This common-sense approach is what new yorkers are demanding as they navigate a punishing economy. With affordability continuing to be top of mind and the state grid operator warning of a razor-thin reliability margin that leaves Long Island particularly vulnerable to blackouts, a pragmatic, costeffective approach to making environmental progress today is the smart approach for the region’s school districts and the taxpayers and families who support them.

The debate in Albany often presents a false choice between a costly mandate and a climate delay. But a true all-of-theabove approach to energy options being advanced by Gov. Kathy hochul and some legislators can find an effective middle ground when the right tools are brought into the mix.

The grid will catch up eventually, but our environment and hardworking Long Islanders can’t afford to wait. It’s time to choose the solutions that work today.

Rocco J. Lacertosa is CEO of the Hauppauge-based New York State Energy Coalition.

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