and her husband, andres Martinez, said operation Shower provided muchneeded support for their soon-to-arrive baby.
‘Operation Shower’ hosted by Islanders at UBS Arena
By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com
The New York Islanders hosted 25 families with active service members for a twohour baby shower at the UBS Arena Club suite-level for the 4th Annual Operation Shower event.
Military families were showered with gifts on March 12 at noon as the team and organization gifted them various items to help mothers and fathers-to-be support their newborn babies.
The expectant parents received a variety of baby accessories including Diaper
Genies, nightlights, baby rockers, baby monitors, breast care kits, toys, boxes of diapers, and more. Families were also provided with a buffet lunch including steak, mashed potatoes, salads, vegetables, and desserts.
The festivities kicked off with hosts Sofia Davis and Andrew Sykora, who led the group in icebreaker activities, trivia games, raffles, and spirited conversation. In addition, Amy Belle Isle, the chief creative officer of Operation Shower, and Daniel Etna, the marketing manager of global events for Ryan Tax, the tax advisory partner for the Continued on page 4
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New Elmont traffic lights to be installed
By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages has announced traffic safety improvements for Elmont, which will include two new traffic lights— one at the intersection of 238th Street and Dutch Broadway, and another in front of the Elmont post office, on Elmont Road. The lights will be installed early this spring.
According to a news release about the safety upgrades, Solages said the new signals are a response to numerous accidents on Dutch Broadway and Elmont Road, including three fatal crashes since 2015.
It is a nightmare
here at times.
tion and a lifelong Elmont resident, said she recalled the tragedy, because Gabrielle attended school with Hallop’s daughter. She said that traffic safety has been a hot issue in Elmont for years. “It is a nightmare here at times,” she said. “The only thing we have as a weapon against this is traffic signals.”
The only thing we have as a weapon against this is traffic signals.
loRI HAlloP Vice president, Parkhurst Civic Association
One of those accidents, on Dutch Broadway in February 2016, resulted in the death of Elmont Memorial High School seventh-grader Gabrielle Johnson.
Lori Hallop, vice president of the Parkhurst Civic Associa-
In another incident, in October 2018, a motorist lost control of his vehicle, careened off Elmont Road and struck four teenagers, causing serious injuries. Two of them were in critical condition after the crash, Hallop said, and one took over a year to fully recover.
“The kids take their lives in their hands every time they go to school,” she said.
After the 2018 accident, Solages requested that a traffic study be undertaken at nearby intersections, which led to the installation of a traffic light at Continued on page 9
Renee DeLorenzo/Herald
Julia Martinez, left,
Hablamos
Blakeman’s State of the County address
By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman doubled down on his administration’s commitment to public safety, law enforcement, and conservative governance in his State of the County address on March 13. Speaking before a packed crowd at the County Legislature chambers in Mineola, Blakeman touted Nassau’s status as the safest county in America, and reinforced his opposition to sanctuary policies, transgender athletes in women’s sports, and public mask-wearing outside of health emergencies.
“One of my first executive orders as county executive was to declare that Nassau County is not a sanctuary county,” Blakeman said. He emphasized his administration’s collaboration with federal immigration officials, saying that Nassau is the first county in the U.S. to have a cooperation agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “To that end, we are working with ICE and our other federal law enforcement partners to remove or incarcerate those who commit criminal acts and live in the U.S. illegally,” he added.
Blakeman also announced plans to increase law enforcement staffing, promising to hire additional officers in the coming years. “I have hired over 300 new police officers and corrections officers in the last three years, and this year we will be hiring more,” he said. His proposed capital plan includes investments in police equipment, technology, body armor and vehicles, and he urged the Legislature to pass it at its next meeting.
Blakeman’s speech echoed themes from previous addresses and his campaign rhetoric, emphasizing his administration’s firm stance on several controversial policies. He highlighted his role in banning transgen-
der athletes from competing in women’s sports on county property, a measure that has sparked legal challenges.
“We will not allow our girls to be bullied into unsafe and unfair competition and have their privacy violated,” he stated. “In Nassau, boys play with boys, and girls play with girls.”
He also defended his ban on public mask-wearing, a measure he claims is aimed at preventing crime and antisemitism. “These criminals and cowards are not welcome in Nassau County,” he said.
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Beyond law enforcement, Blakeman promoted the county’s economic strength, attributing its prosperity to low taxes and business-friendly policies. He pledged that for the fourth consecutive year, his proposed budget would not raise property taxes, despite inflation. “Every day, I wake up with only one thought,” he said. “And that is your safety, health, and economic security.”
Blakeman also spoke of his commitment to saving Nassau University Medical Center, describing it as the county’s “safety net hospital.” The financially struggling facility is currently suing the state for $1 billion in funding.
Additionally, he highlighted the county’s cultural diversity, citing efforts such as a Feliz Navidad event, a Ramadan celebration, and a Black gospel performance as examples of his administration’s outreach to different communities. He also boasted of hosting major public concerts featuring Ja Rule and Steve Aoki.
Blakeman’s speech was met with sharp criticism from Legislator Seth Koslow, the Democratic challenger in the upcoming county executive race. Koslow dismissed many of Blakeman’s claims, particularly on property tax assessments, police staffing, and infrastructure investment.
“The fact that he could look Nassau County residents in the face and say he fixed the assessment system is unbelievable,” Koslow told the Herald after Blakeman’s speech. “He has done nothing to make it better.” Koslow accused Blakeman of keeping the tax rolls frozen since 2020 to benefit politically connected tax certiorari firms.
Beyond public safety, Koslow took aim at infrastructure neglect, claiming that Blakeman has ignored the county’s pothole problems and has not addressed illegal red-light camera fees that courts have ruled improper.
Tim Baker/Herald
County Executive Bruce Blakeman met with police officers as he reaffirmed his support for law enforcement.
Le Botaniste opens at Belmont Village
By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Le Botaniste, Belmont Park Village’s newest dining option added to their growing list of businesses, opened to the public in late February.
The restaurant chain — originally founded in September 2015 in Ghent, Belgium — serves plant-based, organic food with a natural wine bar. Le Botaniste currently has six restaurant locations in Manhattan, but the Belmont Park Village location is the first one on Long Island.
“We are thrilled to welcome Le Botaniste to the Village, bringing their plantbased, feel-good cuisine to Long Island for the first time,” Simon Williamson, chief merchant at Belmont Park Village, said.
Alizee Wyckmans, Le Botaniste’s chief of staff, said the Elmont location is an entirely new clientele, with guests who have more time to sit and enjoy a meal compared to guests in the city who are in and out for a quick lunch.
The restaurant has previously partnered with the Bicester Collection, which is the developer for Belmont Park Village, and operates a location in the collection’s Maasmechelen Village in Brussels. Because of the existing partnership and their common goals, Wyckmans said, the teams decided it made sense to open the new location.
Le Botaniste is focused on sustainability, she explained, which is something the restaurant shares with the village.
By virtue of not using animal products, she explained, their food production lowers CO2 emissions and promotes organic foods that don’t use pesticides.
“I’ve always been conscious of how our diets affect our health and environment,” co-founder Alain Coumont said in a statement. “Le Botaniste grew from this awareness and desire to offer a health-focused, eco-friendly, organic menu that is above all else delicious.”
The sustainability practices are also implemented within the dining experience, Wyckmans said. Guests are served food on ceramic plates, and their food is cooked in high quality pots and pans that last a long time without needing to be replaced.
The restaurant pays close to attention to where they source their ingredients, she said, and they currently use farms in upstate New York to provide supplies.
“I think it’s always our goal to make vegetables more accessible,” she said, “making it easy and more enjoyable.”
Le Botaniste attracts all kinds of demographics because, as Wyckmans pointed out, plenty of customers who are not vegan still enjoy their food. And, she said, she expects adventurous guests to visit the village who are interested in a new experience.
Guests in the village who have more time on their hands could also sit and enjoy a glass of wine, she suggested, which the restaurant offers.
“It’s unusual to have wine at a casual place,” she said. “We wanted to be surprising, in terms of experience.”
The wine is also organic and all natu-
ral, she said, which means no added sugars or preservatives. The restaurant offers a rotating list of six wines, which always includes a red, white, and sparkling wine option.
She said the company is curious to see how new people will react to the restaurant. Since the restaurant opened in late February, she said, the reaction from guests has already been amazing.
Genevieve Blasi, a food critic known as Cravings Hunter, and her husband, Joe Blasi, visited the restaurant on March 12 to try some food from the menu. She said she was invited to share a preview on her social media accounts, as well as share her thoughts on the experience.
Genevieve explained that she’s not vegan, and she normally is not drawn to plant-based food. After doing some research, she continued, she noticed the
restaurant mostly focused on comfort foods like stews, soups and pastas, instead of a standard menu of salads, which she said tends to be boring.
“They’re making things that people actually want to eat, and that people would actually enjoy even if they’re not vegan,” she said.
She was pleased with the variety of dips offered, she said, because they included flavorful spices and seasonings. The dessert she tried, a sesame-seed based brownie with a creamy sauce, was impressive to her because, despite the item being gluten-free, the texture was convincing and the flavors were a great combination.
But, the real star of the meal, she said, was the bowls. After taking a bite, she quickly remarked how great it was and recommended others to try it.
There aren’t many vegan, health-con-
A variety of finger foods and appetizers include dips with spices and seasonings, such as green-pea hummus, turmeric lemon hummus, and red beet caviar.
scious food options on Long Island, she pointed out, and especially not near Elmont. But, she said, the variety of colors, textures and seasonings in the meals available at Le Botaniste could surprise those who do not normally eat vegan.
“We’re known to leave guest feeling surprised, nourished and energized, which is perfect for shopping,” Laurent Francois, the co-founder of Le Botaniste, said.
The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit LeBotaniste.Us, for more information.
An assortment of natural wines, made in-house, will be offered on a rotating basis throughout the year and will include red, white and sparkling options.
Renee DeLorenzo/Herald photos
Le Botaniste, Belmont Park Village’s newest restaurant that serves plant-based, organic foods and wines, is now open to guests.
Islanders support local military families
Islanders, gave speeches.
Active service members invited to the event are currently stationed in Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the New York National Guard, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Thomas Brodeur, 26, an active service member stationed in McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, said the couple was unable to host their own baby shower because they are far from their families.
Thomas’s wife, Dajia Brodeur, said they have been married for four years. Life as a military wife poses difficulties for the entire family, she explained, because Thomas is away from home for extended periods of time. The couple has a three-year-old child, Nevaeh, and just had their second child about a month ago, Naomi.
She recounted her junior year of college at Valdosta State University in Georgia, where she grew up, after Thomas was sent away on assignment for a year. She was studying for two degrees— physics and astronomy— and lived two hours from family. When heavy rainfall hit the state and she lost power, she was beside herself.
“I was dealing with school, no lights, no husband, and a one-and-a-half-yearold who was crying,” she said.
Events like Operation Shower, she continued, were a huge help in providing supplies her family needs to support
their newborn baby. She grew up in an area that does not host big events like Operation Shower, she said, so living close to such a big community as Elmont with a large arena offers more resources and activities for her family to engage in.
She’s grateful to have gifts to help care for Naomi, she said, such as the nightlight she was given. It’s nice to have events like these, she added, because the items she received were things she wouldn’t even think to buy herself.
“The Gift of Years”
Your writer was grateful to find author Chittister’s book, subtitled “Growing Old Gracefully”, written by her at age seventy, the same age as your writer.
Inevitably, we come to see things differently as we age. In “The Gift of Years” these changes in the “capstone years” as she calls them, present the gift of becoming more fully alive than ever. Cicero notes that old age is richer in reflection, force of character and judgement. The maturity and mellowing of character allows the older generation to provide a behavioral model for younger generations showing them the way to a fullness of life.
Seneca said these years abound with pleasure if we know how to use them. Free of obligations and deadlines, there is freshness in these years. Understanding, enjoyment and love of life all increase, allowing for deeper, richer and more important experiences. The world looks different — more to be treasured,
explored and enjoyed. A certain serenity sets in.
Chittister writes “But we are here to depart from this world as finished as we can possibly become. Old age is...exactly the time to grow in new ways [making] sense out of all the growing we have already done. It is the softening season when everything in us is meant to achieve its sweetest, richest, most unique self”.
Chittister calls it a damping-down time of life where anger, jealousy, envy, and pride subside to awaken another whole level of life.
“As Agatha Christie put it, we ‘bloom’ as we grow. New abilities emerge, new insights arise. New vision is possible.”
A certain urgency and intensity in living sets in as we become aware of the presence of time. With forty short chapters on subjects such as Regret, Joy, Possibility, Letting Go, Success, Wisdom, Time and Appreciation, “The Gift of Years” provides an indispensable guide to aging well.
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According to Isle, the Operation Shower team works with local bases to help identify families that meet their criteria— being a military mom who is pregnant or with a newborn less than three months old, and having a spouse that is deployed or will be deployed during their pregnancy.
Operation Shower receives monetary donations from the Islanders and Ryan Tax and partners with the vendors such as Diaper Genie, Joie Baby and Blue Star Families to gather gift donations.
She said the team assures expectant families have all the essentials— diapers, bottles, sleeping and feeding accessories, diaper bags, and playtime items like toys. They also get larger gifts, such as cribs, car seats, strollers, and monitors.
“By the end of the shower, they’re really prepared,” Isle said.
Because military families move around so much, Isle said they are often separated from their families and friends. Operation Shower tries to fill in the gap, she explained, by acting as a support system military families might lack in new locations.
For some families, she added, this is the only baby shower they’ll have an opportunity to take advantage of, and it’s important for families to connect with one another for additional support.
Julia Martinez, whose husband, Andres Martinez, is stationed in McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, said the baby shower gave her more than she expected. She also received a baby carriage after winning one of the raffles.
As a New York native who grew up in Bayshore, Julia said, she comes to Long Island often to visit friends. She said the family, including their eight-year-old child, has moved to three different bases since Andres joined the military— Texas, California, and now New Jersey.
Andres, 29, said he’s been serving in the military for 11 years now, which is also how long the couple have been married.
He said military life has been difficult for Julia, who had to move from Long Island to Texas early in the marriage.
“It’s always constant change,” Julia said. “That’s the most difficult part.”
But, Julia said, the local communities are what make her feel supported. Without their families around, they rely heavily on friends they meet in the local area.
Attending the event at UBS Arena connected her with other families who understand the struggles of being a military wife.
“It means a lot to me,” Julia said. “I don’t have family around, so it’s touching that they create an event like this for us to come and enjoy. It’s a little emotional.”
Ann Rina, the executive director of community relations for the Islanders, said they have been partnering with Operation Shower since 2020.
Without a doubt, she said, the amount of travelling military families do, having a local community that serves as a support system is so important. From the Islanders perspective, she explained, it is crucial for them to connect with first responders and military members as a way of giving back to residents of Long Island and other localities.
“Showing our support for the sacrifice these families are going through is just a small token of appreciation,” Rina said. “It’s nice to put them at the forefront so other community members see what we’re doing and that there are families in need.”
Military families interested in applying for the event can sign up on their website, OperationShower.org, to check availability.
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Renee DeLorenzo/Herald
dajia Brodeur, right, and her husband, thomas Brodeur, said operation Shower provided the expectant couple with a baby shower they could not host themselves.
Book Review:
by Joan Chittister
Youthful Hofstra shoots for CAA run
By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com
The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team opened 2025 in the heart of winter on Feb. 7 with high hopes for a memorable season that will end in the warmth of spring.
An 11-6 win against Long Island University in the season opener began a stretch of four straight wins to open the new campaign following a nine-win 2024 season in which the Pride reached the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals stage. Much of the pieces were
lost however from the 2024 squad including around 70 percent of its offensive production.
“Our motto this year has just been taking it day by day looking and for our team to get better each day,” said 13th-year head coach Shannon Smith.
“Every day we’re in the trenches together, getting better, growing as a unit, both defensively, offensively and collectively as a team.”
Hofstra still returned some key pieces from last year led by red-shirt sophomore attacker
Nikki Mennella, who tallied 44
points on 24 goals and 20 assists through her first seven games. She has earned CAA player of the week honors three times including on March 10 after a five-point performance in a narrow 11-8 loss to Big Ten foe Rutgers and six goals in a 18-6 rout of Wagner.
“She has the willpower to win and is super competitive,” said Smith of Menalla, who also leads the team in draw controls with 38. “She plays with so much fire and passion.”
Mennella spearheads an offense with multiple scoring weapons including freshman
attacker Kayleigh Bender, who is second on the team in points with 27-. The Pride have also gotten offensive production early from sophomore Kristen Redding, junior Julia Harris, senior Megan Flannery and graduate student Angelica Sparacio, who previously played at Quinnipiac.
The Hofstra defense also boasts plenty of athleticism anchored by sophomore Christine Dannenfelser, who has garnered CAA Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.
The Bayport-Blue Point product registered six draw controls and two ground balls in Hofstra’s near upset of Rutgers.
“She is a sophomore captain and the team really looks up to her,” said Smith of Dannenfelser. “She is fiery and plays with
a lot of passion.”
Dannenfelser leads a defensive unit that includes seniors Brynn Hepting and Emily Weigand along with sophomore Natalie Little. Junior Luchianna Cardello, a former Massapequa High School standout, is starting her third season in net and recorded 12 saves in the narrow Rutgers loss.
Hofstra, which opened the CAA schedule with a 15-9 loss to Delaware last Friday, will look to rebound this weekend with road games Friday at William & Mary and Sunday at Elon. The Pride, who are looking to finish in the top four in the league to earn a bid to CAA playoffs, will conclude the regular season with a home game against Long Island rival Stony Brook on April 26 at 7 p.m.
Photos courtesy Hofstra Athletics Communications Sophomore defender Christine Dannenfelser has garnered CAA Defensive Player of the Week twice already this season.
HERALD SchoolS
Franklin Square school wins Magna Award
In a news release, Franklin Square Union Free School District announced it has received the National School Boards Association 2025 Magna Silver Award for its Daily Living Space program, which provides students with everyday tools in structured living environment so they can learn practical skills.
The district is one of 15 winners nationwide— three of which are grand prize winners and 12 of which are silver award winners.
The Magna Awards is sponsored by NSBA’s flagship magazine, American School Board Journal. The news release said the magazine has recognized exemplary school district programs for 30 years.
This year’s awards program focused on innovation in education and creative, out-of-the-box solutions to educational challenges. Members of the NSBA Board of Directors Awards Committee selected the winners from district submissions.
Franklin Square’s Daily Living Space program, the news release continued, is an innovative initiative designed to equip students with essential life
skills in an inclusive, real-world learning environment.
The program, which the news release said is the first of its kind in New York State at the elementary level, features a fully functional apartment setting, including a kitchen, laundry station, dining area, reading nook, bedroom, living room and sensory space.
This dynamic environment, the news release said, allows students— particu-
larly those in the district’s Intensive Support Program— to practice essential skills such as cooking, cleaning and selfcare to foster independence and socialemotional growth.
The news release explained that the Daily Living Space was created to address the need for hands-on, practical skill development for students with intensive learning needs, while also providing a collaborative space for general
education students to engage with their ISP peers. The program promotes social integration through buddy class partnerships, structured activities and playbased learning, ensuring that students develop functional life skills, as well as empathy, teamwork and confidence.
Stephen Toto, the Franklin Square Board of Education president, expressed pride in the district’s commitment to fostering innovative programs that support students.
“This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our staff and school community who work tirelessly to ensure that every student has access to meaningful, real-world learning experiences,” he said in a statement. “The Daily Living Space program exemplifies our district’s belief in inclusive, handson learning that prepares students for success beyond the classroom.”
Franklin Square and the other award winners will be highlighted in the April issue of the American School Board Journal, which will be published online on March 20.
–Renee DeLorenzo
Courtesy Franklin Square School District
Franklin Square School District received the National School Boards Association 2025 Magna Silver Award for its innovative Daily Living Space program.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Either writing about pets or looking out for them
By CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD cbabirad@liherald.com
Continuing a month-long series of interviews with influential area women in honor of Women’s History Month. Joanne Anderson writes the “Pets, Pets, Pets” column for the Babylon Herald Beacon, is the outreach coordinator for Last Hope Animal Rescue, is a member of the League for Animal Protection and volunteers for the Babylon Animal Shelter.
Herald: Tell me about yourself.
Anderson: I have always loved dogs. Both of my grandmothers were dog fanatics. I remember when I was 5 years old, I went to a barbecue with my family and there was an Afghan hound there. I saw its beautiful coat and thought how magical it looked to me. A love for animals is definitely in my DNA.
Herald: Why do you do what you do?
Anderson: I was an elementary school teacher for 33 years in the William Floyd School District, but I became involved with the Babylon Animal Shelter and animal advocacy after seeing an Afghan hound in the back of a police car. I knew who the dog belonged to for a while, but the officer said that the family didn’t want the dog back.
I had never been in a town shelter before, and when I went to the Babylon Animal Shelter, over 40 years ago, I saw that it was packed with dogs, two to a cage, and many were sick, with no protection against germ spreading. The shelters have come a long way, but that day I took home the Afghan, Alfie. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have gone into the shelter and wanted to get
involved. He opened my eyes. Shortly after, I joined the League for Animal Protection.
Herald: What has challenged you in your career so far, and what keeps you going/inspires you?
Anderson: The challenge is worrying that all the animals that have been saved are only the tip of the iceberg — what about the ones we don’t find? There are a zillion places that haven’t been touched yet. What keeps me going is that all of these animals we do find and save are given the chance at a better life because we inter-
vened, and it’s incredible to sometimes hear from the families afterward (about) the life the pets are now living.
Herald: What have been the proudest moments in your life?
Anderson: It’s hearing about the animals from the shelter and their lives afterward. It’s knowing that some were absolutely starving, and that’s never going to happen to them again. A lot of them go on to do therapy work as well. Two of my Afghans did therapy work for years, and people who would never talk would all of a sudden start because of the dogs. It’s the team — the dogs have to be placed in the right hands to bring out their potential.
Herald: What advice do you have to offer? What work is left to be done?
Anderson: The world of animal shelters has (come) so far, and while it’s difficult seeing the animals in cages initially, they’re doing much better now. We also have a new thrift store in Huntington, on New York Avenue, called Last Hope Animal Rescue Thrift and Treasures. What I love about the store is that it’s the ultimate recycling venture. You’re taking what people don’t want anymore, and the money is going toward spaying, neutering, taking in more dogs, surgeries, etc.
Last Hope Animal Rescue Thrift and Treasures is at 310 New York Ave. in Huntington. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is currently seeking volunteers. For more about Last Hope Animal Rescue, visit lasthopeanimalrescue.org, email info@lasthopeanimalrescue.org or call (631) 425-1884.
Lifting girls up with leadership and opportunity
By KELSIE RADZISKI
kradziski@liherald.com
Renee Daniel Flagler is executive director of Girls Inc. of Long Island.
Herald: Tell me about yourself.
Flagler: I’ve always been very involved in community service, which is what attracted me to Girls Inc. as an employer in the first place. I’ve always had a special affinity to helping open doors for youth and to serve youth to ensure that they have the access and exposure and opportunities. So I started working with youth just from a volunteer perspective, over 20 years ago. By 2011, I was fully working with young people, and not just volunteering, but working with organizations that served youth. I was a writer, and I was teaching writing programs with the Department of Education and different programs like drug treatment programs in prisons and schools and camps and every type of youth.
Herald: Why do you do what you do?
Flagler: Girls Inc. of Long Island (is an) affiliate of the National Girls Inc. organization, with a mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. We provide research-based programs for girls that ensure that they have the
tools, access opportunities and resources to reach their full potential and become the next generation of leaders.
(This job) was right in alignment with who I am as a person. It started all those years ago, when I was working with young people and developing an affinity to being able to help young girls who reminded me of myself when I was little … I recognized myself in them, and wanted to help create and open doors for opportunities and stuff like that for them.
Herald: What has challenged you in your career so far, and what keeps you going/inspires you?
Flagler: Sometimes being a black woman is a challenge. A lot of times for women, and especially black women, when we get to the table, we kind of have to prove that we belong there. So that’s definitely been a challenge that has been consistent throughout my entire career, from corporate to now.
Service keeps me going and inspires me. Progress keeps me going and inspires me. My faith keeps me going and inspires me. I love what I feel when I see myself progress, or the people that I’m working with or helping progress. I love to see the brightness shine in the eyes of a young person when they realize their own capabilities and they
become more confident in themselves.
Herald: What have been the proudest moments in your life?
Flagler: Professionally, it was being recognized by the network of Girls Inc. for the growth of Girls Inc. When I came into the organization, I was really committed to doing everything I can to be an asset to the organization.
This is just what I love to do, but the fact that whenever I am recognized, it’s an opportunity for me to stop and reflect on what we are able to accomplish at Girls Inc., and those moments make me proud when I’m able to pull my head up out of the grind and go, Oh, my goodness, we did accomplish it.
Herald: What advice do you have to offer? What work is left to be done?
Flagler: So I’m very proud of the fact that today I live what I call my dream journey. I get up every single day and get to do exactly what I love to do, what I feel like I was put here to do and what I’m passionate about doing, and that’s what I want to charge other people to do.
Live a life that is inspired by the pursuit of your passion and your purpose.
There are still boardrooms that are missing women. There are still industries that don’t have enough women in them. We just have to keep fighting,
because we belong there, and we know that our contributions to this world are vital, not just for us, for our communities and for our children, male and female, but those coming behind us.
To learn more about Renee Daniel Flagler’s work, visit her website at ReneeDanielFlagler.com.
Courtesy Joanne Anderson
Joanne Anderson with a Belgian Tervuren at the National Dog Show in Philadelphia in 2020.
Courtesy Renee Daniel Flagler “Service keeps me going and inspires me,” Renee Daniel Flagler says.
Traffic safety upgrades underway in Elmont
Elmont Road and Dutch Broadway in 2022.
In addition to the new signals this upcoming spring, the news release said, repairs to lights at the intersection of Bayless Avenue and Elmont Road have also been expedited, after Solages and his team advocated for swift repairs.
“I am committed to preventing accidents and promoting traffic safety for drivers, bicyclists and motorists in any way I can,” Solages said in a statement. “I am glad that our advocacy has yielded key improvements for Elmont residents.”
Dale Davids, who leads the traffic committee in the Locustwood Gotham Civic Association, said that Dutch Broadway has been a safety concern for years, because motorists tend to speed by with no regard for their surroundings.
“People are coming from the city, and it’s like they’ve got blinders on,” Davids said. “They don’t see anybody else coming across the street, or turning, or anything.”
According to a 2020 news release from Solages’s office, the Nassau County Department of Public Works repaved and restriped Dutch Broadway, eliminating one of two westbound lanes between Ridge Road and the Queens border. The changes were intended to reduce vehicle speeds and create more space for pedestrians, including students.
But, Davids said, those changes were not enough to solve the problem.
According to Hallop, traffic lights are one of the only tools the town can implement to address the issue of motorists speeding near schools.
Many Elmont students walk to school, she explained, and there are no
crossing guards for those who cross Elmont Road, unless they travel south to its intersection with Dutch Broadway. For some students, Hallop said, this adds time to their commute. Children who have just rolled out of bed, she said, are only focused on getting to school on time.
“Kids don’t always pay attention,” she said. “But you would think adults who are driving a motor vehicle would pay attention. Especially near a school.”
There seems to be a disregard for traffic signals and rules of the road, Hallop said, citing speeding as one of the central issues in Elmont over the past few years.
While the town isn’t large, she said, it is close to the Southern State and Cross Island parkways as well as Hempstead Turnpike, which exacerbates traffic problems, and many drivers going from one parkway to another use Elmont Road as a bypass.
Luckily, Hallop said, Solages has been engaged with his constituents in Elmont. When residents brought the speeding issue to his attention, she said, he quickly began working on a solution.
Between narrow walkways near the sump on Dutch Broadway, she said, and the busy intersection of Elmont Road and Bayless Avenue, which kids often cross to visit the corner 7-Eleven after school, it makes sense to add crosswalks and turn signals to help make crossing the road safer.
Davids said he thinks the new improvements secured by Solages will be effective in addressing residents’ traffic safety concerns. Having a signal to disrupt the flow of traffic, he said, could force motorists slow down and be more aware of children trying to cross the streets. “I think it’s going to help a lot,” he said.
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Courtesy Office of Legislator Carrié Solages
as a result of County Legislator Carrié Solages’s advocacy, traffic lights at the intersection of Bayless avenue and elmont road were repaired.
Women in art; an Elmont library exhibit
Elmont library’s art gallery features the work of Janine Lisette McCray Booker and Theresa Fowler
By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com
An exclusive Women’s History Month art exhibit is on display in the Elmont Memorial Library‘s art gallery, which features the paintings of two female artists through the month of March.
The acrylic paintings of Janine Lisette McCray-Booker and oil paintings of Theresa Fowler line the walls of the library’s first floor gallery, honoring their artistic expressions as women and creators.
Lee Gorray, an adult reference librarian who curated the exhibit, said it was important for her to include both McCray-Booker and Fowler in the gallery because they each represented unique views on women’s history and arts.
McCray-Booker, 67, who currently resides in West Hempstead, said she often features bald women and flower motifs in her paintings, which is a representation of her daughter Shannan’s battle with ovarian cancer.
However, she said, the bright colors, shapes and flowers symbolize her vibrant character, even in the face of an incurable illness.
“She’s my inspiration,” she said of her daughter. “I want healing through art. I want people to know that it does heal, and it does help.”
McCray-Booker described the deep internal strife she suffered after her daughter died at the age of 45 in 2022 after battling the illness for three years.
But, she said, with her newfound artistic expression, she felt she could continue Shannan’s story. With her renewed connection to her daughter, McCray-Booker found her voice again.
“I just had to do something with all my grief,” she said. “Art was it.”
Her daughter’s bold, courageous spirit could not be broken, McCray-Booker said, and her daughter’s legacy is not in her illness but instead in her resilience. “My daughter lost all her hair,” she said. “She was absolutely beautiful.”
The extensive body of work, named “The Multifarious Collection,” is an amalgamation of the love, memories and laughter shared between McCrayBooker and her daughter, she explained.
And, she hoped, it would help bring awareness to ovarian cancer and the ways in which it impacts women. Many people don’t know that teal is the color for ovarian cancer awareness, she said, which is celebrated in September just before breast cancer awareness month.
“I want to make people aware by doing art,” she said. “Let’s talk about it. Let’s not hide it.”
As for Fowler’s side of the exhibit, the oil paintings illustrate a spiritual view of women’s presence in the world, depicting famous and religious female figures such as the Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc.
Her inspiration, she said, is rooted in psychic visions.
“Sometimes I will get little messag-
McCray-Booker’s acrylic portraits of her daughter Shannan embody the many facets of her personality, as well as the memories they shared during their time together.
es,” she said of her creative process.
“My images kind of reflect on what I feel at the moment and what I’m going through in my life.”
Fowler, who resides in Far Rockaway, considers her art career to have begun at the age of five. She has always let her artistic spirit flow through her brushstrokes onto the canvas, often channeling the figures she draws, such as the angel Gabriel. Fowler allows them to communicate to her how they’d like to be depicted.
“I’m able to move the colors the way I want to move them,” she said of the oil paints she uses. “I’m in my own world, because once I have music in my ears, nobody can distract me.”
As she tells stories through her art, she continued, Fowler elevates the spirit of motherhood and allows it to guide many of her paintings.
As for her depiction of the Virgin Mary, she said, Fowler could feel the holy mother’s desire not to be portrayed in the light of admiration, but instead as a humble woman. Fowler considers
the Virgin Mary to be the mother of all creation, and her humility is a result of her maternal nature.
Fowler said she is currently working on a painting of a mother and a child, which she wishes could have been completed for her art display at the library this month. The painting, she said, depicts how the purity of a mother inspires the purity of a child.
The connection between mothers and creation, she said, is a theme she feels strongly drawn to. “Without us, there’s really nothing in the world,” she laughed.
That is why, she continued, it is important for women to acknowledge each other and lift each other up in their roles as creators.
This is exactly what Gorray said Women’s History Month is about — being conscious of women’s accomplishments and envisioning a future that supports the next generation of women.
“We should look back on other women and how they’ve survived, and hope that we can do even better,” Gorray said.
Two of McCray-Booker’s paintings utilize heavy brushstrokes of gold acrylic paint, encapsulating her rich flow of emotions.
Fowler’s paintings are often informed by her own experience as a mother, depicting women as caregivers and the bearers of human life.
Renee DeLorenzo/Herald photos
The colorful wings of the angel Gabriel spread out in this painting by Fowler, representing his powerful aura.
The colorful paintings of Janine Lisette McCray-Booker portray the bold spirit of her daughter, Shannan.
Experts address water supply challenges at public forum
By CHARLES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
South Shore residents gathered at Valley Stream Village Hall on March 6 for a Water Quality Town Hall, at which environmental experts discussed concerns about local water safety. Speakers outlined potential risks from contaminants in Long Island’s water and ongoing efforts to protect the supply.
The event, hosted by Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages and Assembly members Michaelle Solages and Judy Griffin, drew a packed audience.
1126,000 customer connections.
Liberty Utilities, which provides water to more than 126,000 customers in Nassau County, has been testing for PFAS on Long Island since 2014, according to Natasha Naola, the company’s water quality manager.
She explained that 10 parts per trillion is equivalent to 10 grains of sand in an Olympic swimming pool, highlighting its toxicity even at low levels.
“PFOA and PFOS are extremely persistent in the environment,” Naola said, “which means they do not break down in the environment at all.”
Liberty conducts quarterly PFAS tests in its raw water wells across the county. Naola said that 22 of the company’s 24 water plants in the county have detected PFAS levels below 2.5 parts
Carrie Solages stressed the need to raise awareness about water contamination and government efforts to address it.
“Water is the most underappreciated utility,” he said. “We have to do more to understand how to preserve and protect our water quality.”
Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, spoke about emerging contaminants and requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency to limit their presence in water. She described polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, as toxic “forever chemicals”
per trillion, well within compliance. To stay ahead of regulations, Liberty is planning treatment upgrades at facilities where PFAS levels exceed 2.5, ensuring that they remain well below the new limit in 2029.
2
3 million pounds.
Operation SPLASH, a volunteer-based organization in Freeport, has been working to clean and protect Long Island’s South Shore bays and waterways since 1990. The group, which monitors 32 miles of coastline from the Nassau-Queens border to Heckscher State Park, has removed over 3 million pounds of debris. Its president, Rob Weltner, highlight-
that are found in everyday products, such as cookware, cosmetics and cleaning supplies, that seep into groundwater, threatening Long Island’s drinking water supply.
In New York, public water systems must meet the state’s maximum contaminant levels of 10 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic and perfluorooctane sulfonic acids — also known as PFOA and PFOS, respectively — two common PFAS. Last April, the EPA set new regulations, set to take effect in 2029, reducing the maximum levels to 4 parts per trillion.
ed the organization’s impact, noting that volunteers have collected everything from wood and plastic waste to, yes, a kitchen sink. In addition to cleanups, Operation SPLASH focuses on advocacy and education to protect local waterways from pollution.
3
11-mile pipeline.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation highlighted the Bay Park Conveyance Project, a joint effort with the Nassau County Department of Public Works to improve water quality and storm resiliency in Long Island’s Western Bays. Nitrogen pollution, a major environmental concern, comes from wastewa -
ter, cesspools, septic tanks, and fertilizers. Excess nitrogen fuels harmful algal blooms, fish deaths, and hypoxia — low oxygen conditions that threaten marine life and degrade wetlands.
The Conveyance Project aims to reduce nitrogen pollution by redirecting 50 million gallons of treated wastewater from the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility, in Bay Park, to the Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant’s ocean outfall in Seaford. The wastewater will be discharged farther offshore, preventing nitrogen from accumulating in the bays.
Project Director Andrew Fera said the project is 85 percent complete, with around 11 miles of pipes installed. Testing is set for this summer.
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By Danielle Schwab & Tim Baker
Elaine CummingsYoung Massapequa
I survived through the winter by staying warm and knitting sweaters, socks, scarves for myself and for my family and friends. I finished this sweater that I’m wearing.
What did you do to ‘survive’ the winter?
Glen Cove
Surviving any period of winter is a lot about finding little comforts. It’s very much in the kind of like Scandinavian Higge mindset of staying warm, staying cozy, staying close to home as much as possible. We try to make a habit of having a fire at least once a week and that is not just warmth, it’s a very meditative, soothing experience as well.
Roland Provence Seaford
In the winter, I go to the lake and the harbor. I always go no matter what, even if it’s cold out. I go see the birds. We have a whole cardinal family that shows up. It helps my spirit to take care of nature.
Danny
Martinez Rockville Centre
I survived winter with a lot of hot coffee. I also watch a lot of sports, especially the Knicks and football.
Oceanside
While winter isn’t my favorite season, I do enjoy spending a lot of time with my family, playing board games. I love a good Rummikub. I also love doing art. I work at an art studio and I’m currently working on a painting about Italy for my senior art portfolio.
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STEPPING OUT
The1938 gelatin silver print “Hardware Store” was originally part of Abbott’s photo series “Changing New York,” which featured over 300 photographs. Gift of Morton Brozinsky.
Captured through a different lens
Untold narratives of the partnership between photographer Berenice Abbott and art critic Elizabeth McCausland
By Danielle Schwab
We all know that there are generally two sides to every story. For Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland, a hidden history stretches beyond their fame and official biographies — a tale of enduring love, documenting change and challenging the norms of their time.
Now on view at Heckscher Museum of Art as part of its 2025 Pride Initiative, during Women’s History Month — closing March 30 — the exhibition “Embracing the Parallax: Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland” sheds a new perspective on the artist-writer duo. Best known for their work capturing the changing landscapes of New York City, the exhibit provides a new understanding of their partnership.
Born in Ohio in 1898, Abbott first ventured to New York City in 1918. Three years later, she moved to Paris to study photography under visual artist Man Ray, eventually returning to New York City to pursue documentary photography.
“She established herself in the Parisian art scene, which is interesting because when she came back to New York, she saw how much the art scene had modernized, she was inspired,” says Jessica Rosen, Heckscher’s assistant curator, who organized the exhibit.
“Her friends thought she was crazy for giving up her prominence in the Parisian art world to go to New York, but she felt her photographic calling,” she continues
She had her first correspondence with McCausland, the Kansas-born art critic and poet in 1934. McCausland wrote a review of one of Abbott’s shows, sparking their intellectual and romantic relationship.
“This review was the first that instilled a political interpretation to Abbott’s works. Abbott responded by saying, ‘This is the first intelligent review of my work that has appeared in this country,” Rosen says.
The pair lived in Greenwich Village, forging a fascinating collaboration.
They became most well-known for a pivotal 1939 book, “Changing New York,” composed of Abott’s photography and McCausland’s captions. While it was meant to capture the modernization of New York through the artist’s perspective, the published version erased much of the original intention.
“Abbott and McCausland wanted to redefine documentary photography’s function by examining transformation through the lens of a rapidly modernizing New York City. Instead, their publisher diluted their message, producing a tourist guidebook for visitors to the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
”The tragedy of the story is that the book that they’re both so well known for is not the book that they wanted. The publishers ended up cutting a lot of
• Now through March 30
• Open Thursday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
• Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington
• Visit Heckscher.org or call (631) 380-3230 for information on related programming
Abbott’s photos and completely rewrote all of the captions that were originally very poetic and political,” Rosen explains.
Heckscher’s exhibit attempts to write these wrongs, showcasing 22 of Abbott’s photographs, 10 of McCausland’s captions and a poem that reclaims the original works never published during their lifetime.
“I tried to use this as an opportunity to have McCausland and Abbott’s voices be heard, given that they had been ignored for most of their lives, and specifically with this project,” Rosen says.
One such example is “Hardware Store,” a 1938 photograph of a storefront in Manhattan’s Bowery.
“McCausland basically writes that she’s appreciative of the hardware store. She views it as something imperative to the lifeblood of the city. The last line of the caption is ‘This is life in honest and real terms.’ Whereas what was published makes fun of the store and the things McCausland loved about it,” according to Rosen.
Another highlight is the exhibition’s namesake, “Parallax 1951,” a term that defines how the position of an object appears to shift when observed from different viewpoints. Abbott became interested in this phenomenon, which she demonstrated through two candles — one lit and one unlit — that perfectly aligned with each other’s reflection.
The story of this pair is a powerful tribute to Women’s History Month, demonstrating the resilience and challenges faced by women — especially artists — throughout history.
“This was at a time when photography was not accepted as fine art. So being a photographer, being a woman, being a lesbian — these things all put Abbott at a disadvantage to being taken seriously,” Rosen says.
“McCausland was a left-leaning lesbian that wasn’t afraid to share her opinions or call people out, and I think that’s what made her so amazing, but that’s what made her very unlikeable to her contemporaries. But throughout her work she continued to champion her belief in social justice. She was ahead of her time in every capacity.”
And through it all, it’s a story of lasting love, reuniting McCausland’s words with Abbott’s pictures.
Magical Mystery Doors
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Doors. These three iconic groups have changed the face of music as we know it. Their songs have become part of our history. Come take a step through the ‘Magical Mystery Doors’ for a night you won’t soon forget. This dynamic band blends and layers the music of three legendary bands to create something new and unique. These are the songs you know, the songs you love, the songs you sing at the top of your lungs — reimagined. Throughout the concert, Magical Mystery Doors combines some of these classic compositions in ways that surprise and delight audiences time and time again. MMD also enhances the concert experience with a captivating visual presentation. Video screens and an array of lighting allow this act to create an environment where the music comes to life.
Saturday, March 22, 8 p.m. $60, $50, $40. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at landmarkonmainstreet.org or (516) 767-6444.
Complexions
Contemporary Ballet
Complexions Contemporary Ballet versatility is on full display at Tilles Center. Complexions awakens audiences to a new, exciting genre with their singular approach of reinventing dance and contemporary ballet. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, armed with a rich Alvin Ailey lineage and a cadre of 16 stunning dancers, Complexions has been hailed as a “matchless American dance company” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, among its many accolades. Complexions once again blends the world of rock and ballet, this time with the electrifying sounds of U2. The first half of the performance showcases a diverse mixed repertory program from Complexions’ rich history. The second act is entirely dedicated to “For Crying Out Loud,” which features the full company.
Thursday, March 27, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35; available at tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville.
Photos courtesy Heckscher Museum of Art Elizabeth McCausland owned a printing press that she would use for her poetry and magazines.
Berenice Abbott opted for a bigger camera, not willing to sacrifice a single detail in her photography output. Also an inventor, she obtained four patents for photography equipment.
THE Your Neighborhood
‘Good times…’
Neil Diamond is certainly forever — as honored by the musicians who perform as Neil Forever, on the Paramount stage, Friday, March 28, 8 p.m. David Jacobson, the tribute band’s founder, has a great passion for the music and legacy of the legendary performer. David, along with his son and music director Dylan Jacobson and drummer John Cardoso began their journey in January 2023. Today, the 14-person ensemble includes bass player Ted Wyman, keyboard player Anthony Raffa, Glenn Gabberty on electric guitar, and percussionist/bongo player Eric Ziegelmeier. The horn section is led by Chris Scarnato who directs a section which includes bari sax. tenor sax, trumpet, and trombone. Jeanna Campo performs key duets and leads the vocal harmony section of three. Together they deliver an authentic, exciting and joyful live concert that captivates the legendary superstar’s fans. Performing Diamond’s music is as much about heart and soul as it is talent; it’s a celebration of the music and the man who created it. The band has forged an exciting path, as discovered by excited and passionate fans, both old and young. Audiences are thrilled by the authentic renditions of classic hits like “Sweet Caroline,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” “Coming to America,” and Kentucky Women.” Their goal is to transport the audience back in time and relive that incredible feeling of seeing Neil Diamond live. $59.50, $49.50, $39.50, $29.50, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.
Divide NYS regional meeting
Divide NYS Caucus Inc. will propose a new New York State constitutional amendment during their regional meeting, Thursday, March 27, 6:30 p.m., at Venus Family Restaurant. For more information, visit divideny.org or email Divide_ NYS@NewAmsterdamNY.org. 564 Hempstead Ave., West Hempstead.
Mercy Hospital offers
cardiac screening
You only have one heart. Protect it with a free cardiac screening at Mercy Hospital, Saturday, March 29 , 10 a.m.2 p.m. Getting your coronary calcium score scan can save your life. A coronary calcium score is like a “mammogram” for the heart to screen for blockage(s). This simple, non-invasive test can indicate coronary artery disease before the onset of symptoms or heart attacks. The scan does not require IV or Oral CT contrast.
Limited appointments available 15 minute increments. Last appointment will be at 1:45 p.m. No insurance necessary. 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. Radiology &
Sir Duke in concert
The Stevie Wonder tribute band performs at My Father’s Place, Thursday, March 27, 8 p.m. Fronted by vocalist Tom Bowes (of Tower of Power and Blood, Sweat & Tears) Sir Duke lifts the level of the tribute band genre to something riveting and unforgettable. With nine musicians, include a tight rhythm section that has played together over 15 years, the explosive combination of vocals and rhythm honors and celebrates the musicality and songwriting genius of the inspirational Steve Wonder. My Father’s Place at The Roslyn, 1221 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn. For tickets/information, visit myfathersplace.com or call (516) 580-0887.
Are you game?
Bring some friends and make some new ones during game night at Elmont Memorial Library, Wednesdays, 1:30-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. There are tons of games to choose from! No registration required. First-comefirst-seated. Elmont Memorial Library, 700 Hempstead
Family theater
Long Island Children’s Museum welcomes families to its stage, for the final performances of its current production, Friday, March 21, 10:15 a.m. and noon. It is 3017 in this futuristic, musical retelling of “Cinderella.” She’s now a space engineer looking to revolutionize space travel. When the Prince holds a space parade, Cinderella saves it by helping fix the Prince’s spaceship. Cinderella knows it’s the perfect opportunity to show the Prince her new hyper warp speed engine.
But first, she’ll have to keep her evil stepmother from throwing a wrench in her plans! $11 with museum admission ($9 members), $15 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or licm.org.
Senior Chat
Join fellow seniors for companionship, Fridays, at 10 a.m. at Elmont Public Library. Participate, or just listen, to casual discussions on special interests, concerns, and whatever happens to come up. Next meeting is Friday, Jan 3 in room 01. 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont. For more information, visit elmontlibrary. org or call (516) 354-5280.
Hot Cocoa for a Cause
Howie’s Heart hosts a community fundraiser on the corner of Scherer Blvd. & Russell St. in Franklin Square, Saturday, March 22, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Join in raising funds to plan future community service events and kindness initiatives in the community. All are encouraged to sign up for a shift to work the hot cocoa stand and/or bake items for the sale.
The stand can accommodate children and teens ages seven and up; an adult must accompany all under 18. Registration required at HowiesHeart.org. First come, first served.
Celebrate Holi
Franklin
Square Civic Association meets
All are welcome to join the Franklin Square Civic Association general meeting, Wednesday March 26 , 7 p.m., at John Street Elementary School in the small gym cafeteria. The guest speaker will be the Town of Hempstead Sanitation District #6. With free raffle for all who attend, and light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Membership@FSQcivic.org. 560 Nassau Blvd, Franklin Square.
Long Island Children’s Museum invites families to participate in Holi, the Festival of Colors, Sunday, April 6, 11 a.m.4 p.m. Originating in India, this Hindu festival marks the end of winter and the arrival of the colorful spring season. During this joyous celebration, families eat sweets, dance to traditional folk music and throw colorful powder made from flowers called gulal. Crafts, color throwing and dancing will be part of this vibrant event. Welcome spring’s arrival with Holi. Participants are encouraged to wear clothes that they won’t mind getting messy. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. Go to licm.org or call (516) 224-5800 for more information.
Having an event?
Items on The Scene 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 thescene@liherald.com.
On Exhibit
Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, the original “Deco at 100” coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) which publicly launched the movement. The direct followup to the well-received 2023 exhibit, “Our Gilded Age,” it comparably links the period’s signature innovation in the decorative arts, Art Deco, to the fine arts. The exhibit encompasses significant cultural advancements during Long Island’s Roaring Twenties/ Jazz Age movement, including votes, jobs, and the automobile for women, the beginnings of suburbia with commutation for work, and planned residential communities, which all defined the era, while the following decade brought economic reversals and the WPA program. Works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Fernand Léger, Guy Pène du Bois, Gaston Lachaise, Elie Nadelman, and Reginald Marsh, among others, along with art deco stylists of poster art and graphics, and photography will convey the Art Deco spirit along with its furniture, decorative arts, and fashion.
Like “Our Gilded Age,” the social scene of Long Island’s Gold Coast, and its personalities — both upstairs and downstairs — will be portrayed, along with the ongoing relationship with the immediate urban context of New York with its skyscrapers and deco-styled architecture. On view through June 15. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.
Hempstead House tour
April 13
Sands Point Preserve is the backdrop to explore the elegant Gold Coast home that’s the centerpiece of the estate, Sunday, April 13, noon-1 p.m. and 2-3 p.m. Visit the grand rooms inside the massive 50,000-square-foot Tudor-style mansion, the former summer residence of Gilded Age financier Howard Gould and later Daniel and Florence Guggenheim. Tours are limited in size and tend to sell out. Arrive early to purchase tickets. $10. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901.
March 20, 2025 —
LEGAL NOTICE
Public Notices
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU
WILMINGTON
SAVINGS FUND
SOCIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR FINANCE OF AMERICA STRUCTURED SECURITIES
ACQUISITION TRUST
2018-HB1, -against-
VADELL WALKER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF TONI WILLIAMS, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on January 16, 2025, wherein WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR FINANCE OF AMERICA STRUCTURED SECURITIES
ACQUISITION TRUST
2018-HB1 is the Plaintiff and VADELL WALKER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF TONI WILLIAMS, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on March 28, 2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 34 LOUIS AVENUE, ELMONT, NY 11003; and the following tax map identification: 32-363-74, 75, 76 & 77. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 610675/2021. Christine M. Grillo, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines
including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 151841
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT
COUNTY OF Nassau, U.S. Bank Trust, National Association, as Trustee of the Bungalow Series IV Trust, Plaintiff, vs. Lalchand Lakeram, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on September 17, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 82 Oakley Avenue, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 32, Block 559 and Lot 324. Approximate amount of judgment is $862,181.16 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #610315/2019. Christine M. Grillo, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 210491-1 151968
Sung Choi A/K/A
Thomas Choi A/K/A
Thomas L. Choi A/K/A
Thomas R. Choi A/K/A
Tomas Choi A/K/A
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS TRUSTEE, IN TRUST FOR CHASEFLEX MULTI-CLASS MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-1 Plaintiff, Against
Dated: 2/24/2025 File Number: 32674 CA 151982
Thomas Lee Choi, Capital One Bank New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Capital One Bank (USA), NA, Atlantic City Showboat, Inc., American Express Centurion Bank, Monrovia Growers Company, Boardwalk Regency Corp. d/b/a Caesars Atlantic City, Trump Taj Mahal Associates (formerly Trump Taj Mahal Associates, L.P.) t/a Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, Discover Bank, Chase Bank USA, NA Chung Choi Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 11/01/2018, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on 4/8/2025 at 2:00 PM, premises known as 16 Park Place, Floral Park, NY 11001, And Described As Follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Floral Park, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 32 Block 65 Lot 187 And 188. For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832. The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $742,622.44 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 606764/2017 If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine. Scott H Siller, Esq., Referee.
SHELDON MAY & ASSOCIATES Attorneys at Law, 255 Merrick Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570
LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU
DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF GSAMP TRUST
2005-AHL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-AHL, -againstMARITZA ESCOBAR, ET AL.
NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on February 15, 2024, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF GSAMP TRUST
2005-AHL MORTGAGE
PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES
2005-AHL is the Plaintiff and ESCOBAR, MARITZA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on April 10, 2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 52 LUCILLE AVENUE, ELMONT, NY 11003; and the following tax map identification: 35-36-42, 43 & 44. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT FRANKLIN SQUARE (NOT INCORPORATED) IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 602538/2020. Ronald J. Ferraro, Esq.Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines
including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 151986
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR ARGENT SECURITIES INC., ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006Ml, Plaintiff, Against LYSTRA M. RAMRATTAN AS HEIR AND ADMINISTRATRIX TO THE ESTATE OF SURDASH RAMRATTAN; RANDALL S. RAMRATTAN AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SURDASH RAMRATTAN; LYSTRA M. RAMRATTAN AS GUARDIAN OF CHELSEA K. R. RAMRATTAN WHO IS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SURDASH RAMRATTAN; ET AL Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 01/10/2019, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on 4/7/2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 1069 Concord Street, Franklin Square, New York 11010, And Described As Follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Franklin Square in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. Section 33 Block 380 Lot 260
The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $882,483.61 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 003792/2015 If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the
Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine. Ellen Durst, Esq., Referee. MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573
Dated: 2/24/2025
File Number: 17-300381 CA 151980
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF POPULAR ABS, INC. MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-4, Pltf. vs. THEYCESLYN FREEMAN, et al, Defts. Index #610776/2019. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered Jan. 28, 2025, I will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on April 3, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. premises k/a 32 Cerenzia Boulevard, Elmont, NY 11003 a/k/a Section 32, Block 672, Lot 00001. Said property known as and by Lot No. 1 in Block 645 on a certain map entitled, “Amended Map of Argo Village, N.Y., owned by Argo Homes Inc., 481 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, New York, surveyed by Howard J. Teas, Civil Engineers and Surveyors, Homeland Building, Malverne, N.Y., June 23, 1947 under file Number 4421. Approximate amount of judgment is $520,118.02 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by law. JOHN BOKLAK, Referee. HILL WALLACK, LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 260 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, Ste. 940, New York, NY 10016. File No. 20292-1223 - #102144 151972
Place a notice by phone at 516-569-4000 x232 or email: legalnotices@liherald.com
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU CitiMortgage, Inc., Plaintiff AGAINST Kettie Jean; Milius Jean; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered November 2, 2015, and Amended May 24, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 9, 2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 500 Cameron Street, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of NY, Section 0032 Block 00543 Lot 00015-00017. Approximate amount of judgment $479,741.91 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 008892/2014. Leslie Feifer, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: February 25, 2025 151976
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. GARY R. KRUG, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on January 7, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 15, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 217 Locust Street, Floral Park, NY 11001. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying
and being in the Incorporated Village of Floral Park, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 32, Block 209 and Lots 61 & 62. Approximate amount of judgment is $370,516.75 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #616915/2022. See page two for legal description.
Michael Sepe, Esq., Referee Greenspoon Marder, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2200, New York, NY 10105, Attorneys for Plaintiff SCHEDULE A - LEGAL DESCRIPTION ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING, AND BEING IN THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF FLORAL PARK, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK, KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS AND BY LOT NOS. 61 AND 62 IN BLOCK 45 ON A CERTAIN MAP ENTITLED. “REVISED MAP OF PROPERTY SECTION J SITUATED AT FLORAL PARK, NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y., OWNED BY NATION WIDE HOME BUILDERS CORP. SURVEYED JUNE 1925 BY GEO A. FAIRFIELD, C.E.” AND FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF THE COUNTY OF NASSAU ON AUGUST 4TH, 1925 AS MAP NO. 570, NEW NO. 3496, AND WHICH SAID LOTS WHEN TAKEN TOGETHER ARE MORE PARTICULARLY BOUNDED AND DESCRIBED ACCORDING TO SAID MAP FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT A POINT ON THE EASTERLY SIDE OF LOCUST STREET, DISTANT 420 FEET SOUTHERLY FROM THE CORNER FORMED BY THE INTERSECTION OF THE EASTERLY SIDE OF LOCUST STREET WITH THE SOUTHERLY SIDE OF MILLER AVENUE; RUNNING THENCE EASTERLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO LOCUST STREET, 100 FEET; THENCE SOUTHERLY PARALLEL WITH LOCUST STREET, 40 FEET; THENCE WESTERLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO LOCUST STREET, 100 FEET TO THE EASTERLY SIDE OF LOCUST STREET; THENCE NORTHERLY ALONG THE EASTERLY
Public Notices
SIDE OF LOCUST STREET, 40 FEET THE POINT OR PLACE OF BEGINNING
Section 32, Block 209, Lots 61 & 62
Property Address: 217 Locust Street, Floral Park, NY 11001 152123
LEGAL NOTICE
Separate sealed proposals for the COOPERATIVE THEATRICAL LIGHTING, STAGE RIGGING AND A/V BID will be received by the Board of Education of the Elmont Union Free School District of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, at the Elmont Road School, located at 135 Elmont Road, Elmont, New York, at which place said bids will be publicly opened and read, at the time and date specified, for the furnishing of the following:
BID:RFP #1-25/26
OPENING DATE: 4/25/25
OPENING TIME: 11:00 AM Request for Proposal forms may be secured at Elmont UFSD Business Office between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM on weekdays beginning 3/21/25.
An original signed proposal must be received by Diane Tool, Business Office, Elmont Union Free School District, 135 Elmont Road, Elmont, NY 11003 by 10:00 AM on April 25th, 2025. The outside of the envelope must be clearly marked “COOPERATIVE
THEATRICAL LIGHTING, STAGE RIGGING AND A/V BID.” Any proposals after that time will be returned to the sender.
If you should require additional information or have any questions, please e-mail Cory Walker at cwalker@elmontschool s.org . Mr. Walker will respond to concerns raised as soon as practical. Responses to questions will be provided to all parties in writing by e-mail. The Board of Education reserves the right to reject all bids, to waive any informality in said bids, and/or to accept the bid which seems most favorable to the interests of the Elmont Union Free School District.
By Order of the Board of Education
Date: 4/25/25
Anna Barbagallo District Clerk 152250
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that, pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution, the provisions of the Town Law and the Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York, as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, Town Hall Plaza, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the 25th day of March 2025, at 7:00 o’clock in the evening of that day, to consider the enactment of a local law to repeal and reenact
Subdivision C of Section 70-5 of Chapter 70 entitled, “Department of Water, Rates and Regulations” of the Code of the Town of Hempstead, in relation to payment of water bills.
The proposed local law is on file in the Office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Hempstead, Hempstead Town Hall, Town Hall Plaza, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead New York, where the same may be inspected during office hours.
ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid.
Dated: Hempstead, New York March 11, 2025 BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD
Donald X. Clavin, Jr. Supervisor
Kate Murray Town Clerk 152249
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Sale Supreme Court: Nassau County T11 Funding v Joseph Fusco, et al. Defts Index 615980/2019. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale filed and entered October 20, 2022, I will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Dr. Mineola NY 11501 on April 17, 2025 at 3:30 pm premises known as School District 17, Section 35, Block 623 Lot 32, Town of
Hempstead , County of Nassau, State of New York Sold subject to the terms of sale and filed judgment of foreclosure. Bank Checks Only, must be payable to the Referee for 25% of Bid Price, No Cash Accepted. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.” Covid-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health and safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction.
Adrienne F. Hausch, Esq., Referee 152259
If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine.
Peter Kramer, Esq., Referee. (516) 510-4020
MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573
Dated: 3/3/2025 File Number: 16-300038 CA 152253
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAA HOME EQUITY TRUST 2007-3, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-3, Plaintiff, Against JUAN S. ARBOLEDA
A/K/A JUAN ARBOLEDA, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 03/07/2023, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on 4/23/2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 267 Seidman Place, Franklin Square, New York 11010, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 0033 Block 00603 Lot 85 And 86. The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $814,558.58 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 608829/2017
Freedom Mortgage Corporation, Plaintiff, -againstElizabeth Palma, as Heir to the Estate of Douglas Palma, Olivia Palma, as Heir to the Estate of Douglas Palma, Natassia Palma, as Heir to the Estate of Douglas Palma, Nicholas Palma, as Heir to the Estate of Douglas Palma, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, United States of America - Internal Revenue Service, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Douglas Palma’s unknown heirs-at-law, next-ofkin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors, and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise, any right, title or interest in the real property described in the complaint herein, Anthony Palma, John Doe (Refused Name, John Doe (Refused Name), Defendants. Index No.: 609763/2023 Filed: March 7, 2025
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Nassau County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises are situated. TO THE ABOVE NAMED
DEFENDANT(S):
Alden Terrace’s Mini Bots team celebrates News brief
Elmont Union Free School District recognized the Alden Terrace School’s Mini Bots junior robotics team for their recent achievements in the First Lego League Explore Festival during their Board of Education meeting on March 11.
First Lego League is a science and technology program designed for children aged six to 10.
A news release about the event said Shawnée Warfield, the principal of the Alden Terrace, proudly introduced the Mini Bots, who participated in the Lego festival at Mineola High School on March 1.
Guided by coaches Kyle Yates and Maria Leva, the news release said, the
team met weekly to use creative thinking and technology to explore the layers of the ocean in the festival’s “Submerged” challenge.
Students focused on the uppermost layer of the ocean, known as the “sunlight zone,” and coded a Lego submarine to move around. They also created fish and shared their findings on pollution.
The Mini Bots’ success at the festival earned them the Special Review Award, the news release continued, which recognized their teamwork.
“They focused on core values that set the foundation for teamwork, innovation, inclusion, impact, discovery and fun,” Warfield said.
Public Notices
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the attorneys for the plaintiff within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service; or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York; or within sixty (60) days if it is the United States of America. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF
ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT
THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $381,562.00 and interest, recorded in the office of the clerk of the County of Nassau on January 06, 2015 in Liber M40139, Page 424 covering premises known as 49 Mckee Street, Floral Park, NY 11001. Thereafter, the loan was modified pursuant to a Loan Modification Agreement made between Douglas Palma and Freedom Mortgage Corporation dated July 11, 2019 recorded on December 12, 2019 in Liber M43870 Page 702 which created a lien in the amount of $321,997.60. The relief sought in the
within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.
NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME
If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property.
Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.
Dated: Bay Shore, New York
March 7, 2025 Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP /s/BY: Karen Sheehan Attorneys for Plaintiff 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, New York 11706 (631) 969-3100 Our File No.: 01-096515-F01 152226
–Renee DeLorenzo
Courtesy Elmont Union Free School District
The Alden Terrace School Mini Bots team, Dior Abbas, front left, Laila Purvis, Azian Munir, Jayce Jimenez and Aziz Guisse, under the direction of teachers Kyle Yates, back left, and Maria Leva, were recognized at the Elmont Board of Education meeting.
Employment HERALD
CLASSIFIED
Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460
E-mail your ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com
LYNBROOK PUBLIC SCHOOLS
FULL AND PART TIME POSITIONS
• TEACHING ASSISTANTS
• TEACHER AIDES
• LUNCH MONITORS
• FOOD MESSENGER
SUBSTITUTE POSITIONS
• CLERICAL
• CUSTODIAL
• LUNCH MONITORS
• TEACHER AIDES
• TEACHING ASSISTANTS
• TEACHER SUBS (Permanent/Daily)
Interested candidates email resume to our Personnel Office at Employment@lynbrookschools.org.
Please include position in email subject.
Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, Transportation and Student Support
DRIVING INSTRUCTOR
Company Car/ Bonuses. Clean Driving Record Required, Will Train. Retirees Welcome! $22 - $27/ Hour Bell Auto School 516-365-5778 Email: info@bellautoschool.com
Help Wanted
DRIVERS WANTED
Full Time and Part Time
Positions Available!
Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers. Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience. 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
E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com
DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.
Hebrew Academy of Long Beach seeks educators to join our exceptional school faculty in fostering a culture of academic exploration and excellence and dedication to spiritual, intellectual, and personal growth of all students. We are currently looking for candidates in the following divisions:
Lev Chana Early Childhood:
• Early Childhood Assistant Teachers
• Early Childhood Head Teachers
HALB Elementary School:
• Middle School Language Arts Teacher
• Elementary School Assistant Teachers
DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys:
• Business and Entrepreneurship Teacher
• Science Teacher
• STEM Teacher
• Math Teacher
• Resource Room Teacher
To learn more about our school community, please visit www.halb.org. We look forward to hearing from you! Please send resumes or inquiries to resumes@halb.org.
MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT Inside Sales
EDITOR/REPORTER
Part Time & Full Time. The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. Salary range is from $20K to $45K To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to jbessen@liherald.com
MAILROOM/ WAREHOUSE HELP
Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME & PART-TIME mailroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key. Salary Ranges fromo $16.50 per hour to $20 per hour. Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com
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 $34,320 + 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
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 key. Salary Ranges from $20 per hour to $30 per hour. Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com Social & Human Service Coord, Hempstead, NY. Bachelor Dipl. + 6 ms. exp. req. Salary $49,878yr. Email res. to vichhcare@hotmail.com
Dr. Maureen T. Berman
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Welcome to this move-in ready hi-ranch home built in 2002, located
When should piles of equipment be delivered before a house-lifting?
Q. We have to make a decision about buying materials, based on what we think tariffs are going to do to the cost of materials for our house. We’re ready to pay for our permit so we can start, but we’re still waiting for our final estimate from two contractors so we can choose one, turn in their insurance information and begin. We wanted your opinion on what to do, since we are lifting our house and both contractors will be using the same house-lifting company. The house lifters suggested we make a $20,000 payment, and then they will drop off the piles in our yard ahead of choosing the contractor, to save what could be thousands of dollars once tariffs take effect. We have two small children and our house is small — too small for our family as the kids grow. Every dollar is important, and we’re wondering what you advise about the arrangement, since we held off on the permit that was approved two years ago, and hope we get a price that’s good enough to move forward.
A. Having the piles delivered to your yard, before you get prices for the construction and choose a contractor, isn’t a good idea. You mentioned that you have small children, and I imagine that not only your children, but other curious little ones may get to the piles, which are large galvanized or stainless steel sections with blade edges like giant screws. Depending on whether you can now afford to choose a contractor and finally move forward, those piles, once dumped in your yard, are yours. You need to have a specifically worded agreement that the money you give the pile company is a down payment or deposit, and that the piles won’t be delivered until you arrange for that delivery. You must get the numbers from each contractor, choose one and get their insurance documents, specifically filled out with one set for you, the property owner, and another set for your municipality (which requires this) so you can obtain the permit.
Your yard is not to be treated as if it were a storage facility. Many municipalities require protective fencing during a construction project to protect the public. Your municipally doesn’t currently require fencing, but consider what you’re going to do next if you take the piles and can’t afford to move forward with the job. Also, you would need to ask the contractor you choose where those piles, and all the other materials, will be stored during construction.
The most efficient construction jobs have “justin-time” deliveries to avoid congestion and unsafe conditions on the site. “Just-in-time” was coined by Toyota for the way they efficiently build cars, but it translates to any kind of production, much the way the Disney Company calls each customer a guest. Hopefully you get pricing and choose a contractor, order the piles and save the money. The current state of trade has many on edge. Good luck!
© 2025 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: Monte Leeper, architect.
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AWe can’t let seniors be the victims of budget cuts
s we recognize National Nutrition Month, a time dedicated to highlighting the importance of healthy eating and food security, we find ourselves facing a looming crisis that threatens the very foundation of support for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. The proposed federal budget cuts could have devastating consequences for Long Island families, particularly for our seniors who rely on essential programs like Meals on Wheels. In 2024, EAC Network delivered 150,000 meals to thousands of hungry, vulnerable senior citizens in Nassau County alone. These meals, provided through our Meals on Wheels program and our four Senior Community Centers in Merrick, Point Lookout, Hempstead Village and Roslyn, allow seniors to maintain their independence, receive valuable nutrition, and stay connected to their communities. For many, this program is more than just food — it’s a lifeline that combats malnutrition, social isolation and health decline.
The proposed budget cuts would
severely limit our ability to continue these services at the current scale. This isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s about real people — our parents, grandparents and neighbors — who have worked their entire lives to build our communities and now find themselves in need of support. Slashing funding for senior nutrition programs means fewer meals, fewer wellness checks and, ultimately, greater strain on our already overburdened health care and social service systems.
pFor seniors like Marie, a widow who regularly visits our Hempstead Senior Center, our programs aren’t just about receiving food — they’re about dignity and survival. “I’m a widow and I live alone now,” Marie says. “Being in the house all day is not one of my things. I come every day because I like to socialize.” Stories like hers aren’t unique; they are similar for thousands of seniors who rely on our programs to remain independent.
ties, will face increased financial and emotional burdens. The loss of funding could also impact jobs in the caregiving and nonprofit sectors, further destabilizing local economies.
rograms that help them aren’t just about food, but about dignity and survival.
A Senate and House bill passed this month calls for harmful cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, including significant top-line cuts that could impact critical social service programs for our seniors, such as Medicaid, SNAP and the Meals on Wheels program. Any reductions would profoundly affect Meals on Wheels providers like us who rely on federal funding to deliver essential services to vulnerable seniors in our community. Today, nearly 13 million older Americans face the threat of hunger, and 56 percent of seniors report feeling lonely. Cuts to these vital programs are unconscionable, and must be prevented.
social isolation.
Long Island has always been a community that takes care of its own, and now is the time to stand together and demand that our leaders protect the programs that keep our most vulnerable residents safe and healthy. Investing in senior nutrition isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the fiscally responsible choice. Every dollar spent on Meals on Wheels and our senior centers helps prevent costly hospitalizations and long-term care placements, saving taxpayers money in the long run.
Failing to invest in senior nutrition today will only lead to higher health care costs tomorrow. Research shows that proper nutrition reduces hospitalizations and the need for long-term care, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in avoidable medical expenses. It’s clear: Preventing hunger is a cost-effective strategy that benefits everyone.
The ripple effect of these cuts extends beyond our seniors. Families who depend on supportive services will feel the strain as they’re forced to step in to fill the gaps. Working caregivers, already juggling jobs and responsibili-
Beyond the impact on seniors and their families, these cuts would also place immense pressure on local volunteers and nonprofit workers who dedicate their time to keeping these programs running. With fewer resources, we may be forced to turn away seniors in need or reduce meal deliveries, leaving many at risk of malnutrition and
WAs Congress debates these budget proposals, I urge our elected officials to prioritize the health and well-being of our seniors. Let’s ensure that National Nutrition Month isn’t just a time for awareness, but a catalyst for action. And I urge you, our Long Island community, to take action. Call your representatives, write letters and speak out — because protecting our seniors should never be up for debate.
Neela Mukherjee Lockel is president and CEO of EAC Network.
PSEG Long Island celebrates its engineers
hen you think about an electric company, you probably think about the lineworkers who take on physically challenging work on high-voltage equipment while standing in bucket trucks high above the ground. While PSEG Long Island does have many lineworkers, did you know we also employ more than 200 engineers?
We marked National Engineers Week in February, and World Engineering Day on March 4, but it’s still a great time to celebrate this group of practical problem-solvers and everything they do for the roughly 1.2 million customers we serve.
This year’s Engineers Week theme was “Design Your Future,” and that’s precisely what our engineers do at PSEG Long Island. We have civil engineers who design the foundations and
structures that physically support critical electrical infrastructure, laying the groundwork for the equipment that will power our lives.
We have electrical engineers who design the protection of the power system using protective relays, increasing the safety of those lineworkers who maintain the equipment, as well as the general public.
They’re laying the groundwork for the equipment that will power our lives.
We have radio frequency engineers who design and plan upgrades to PSEG Long Island’s advance metering infrastructure — an initiative that has improved billing accuracy, helped customers manage energy costs, and allowed us to even more effectively address outages. Thanks to our RF engineers, smart meters provide high read rates to improve bill accuracy and also call out their status nearly instantaneously, giving visibility of outages across the entire territory to develop efficient resource planning and provide faster outage restoration response.
We also have engineers focused on
finding cost-effective solutions to the challenges of a grid evolving to accommodate renewable energy. Some of this work is literally mapping out the future through Hosting Capacity Maps, Energy Storage Maps and Electric Vehicle Charging Maps. Engineering expertise has also been required to design the infrastructure upgrades required to interconnect with and transmit the renewable energy being built all around Long Island. This includes:
■ Engineering, surveying and designing a major expansion of the existing substation layout, including extensive relocation of existing transmission towers and redesigned transmission and substation layout in the most optimal and reliable manner to enable the interconnection of approximately 900 megawatts of offshore wind.
■ Engineering and designing a sturdier, resilient and creative solution in a space-constrained substation footprint to reliably serve increased customer demands and reduce the impact on
neighboring communities by implementing equipment that can blend in with the surrounding area.
■ Balancing environmental and community needs to service a growing customer base with new routes for power transmission on the South Fork.
■ Continuously evaluating and proposing solutions to enhance reliability and resiliency of the power grid in the evolving landscape of an energy and demand portfolio that includes renewable projects and electric vehicle demands.
I am proud to celebrate today’s PSEG Long Island engineers and everything they accomplish for the people of Long Island. At the same time, I want to celebrate the future engineers who might be reading this. We offer summer internships to college students, and we are frequently looking for new engineers to grow our ranks as we continue to build the energy grid of the future. Please visit psegliny.com/careers to learn more.
David Lyons is interim president and chief operating officer of PSEG Long Island.
nEELA MukhErjEE LockEL
DAViD LYons
Celebrating the immigrants who made America great
This month of March will see far more people attending more St. Patrick’s Day parades on Long Island and in New York City than in all of Ireland. This is a tribute to the enormous contributions that IrishAmericans have made to American life in so many fields and professions, and the importance the Irish attach to preserving and maintaining Irish traditions and culture for future generations. Whether in government, politics, the military, the police, business and finance or so many other areas of American life, the Irish have made their mark.
While these achievements are a tribute to Irish America, they are first and foremost a tribute to America, and the opportunities that are open to hardworking immigrants in our great coun-
try, which make it possible for new generations to take advantage of what has been accomplished by those who went before them.
The United States is more a stained glass window than a melting pot — a mosaic of people from many different countries, each maintaining their ethnic traditions and all comprising an overall beauty.
Despite the love for the ‘old country,’ it’s the U.S. that has helped them flourish.
The reality is that despite people’s love for the “old country,” it was the United States that made it possible for them to flourish and achieve their potential. With the Irish, it was centuries of oppression, religious bigotry, poverty and a murderous famine that compelled so many to leave the Emerald Isle. For Jews, it was antisemitism in so many Eastern European countries. For the Vietnamese boat people, it was all about fleeing Communist rule. And the list goes on.
But for this unique experiment to continue to succeed, traditions and the
rule of law must be maintained. One basic tradition that prevailed for so long was that immigrants would strive to learn and speak a common language — English. That would be the glue that bound together so many disparate peoples. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “We have room for only one language here, and that is the English language” — the language, T.R. said, of George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, and of the Declaration of Independence. Failing to encourage immigrants to learn English consigns them to linguistic ghettos and prevents them from attaining the American Dream. Similarly, immigration must be done legally. There must be secure borders. At a time when the threat of international terrorism is so real, it is more essential than ever that we know who is in this country. There is also the necessity that we not allow people with criminal records or contagious illnesses to enter the country, keeping in mind that
it would be the immigrant community that suffered. When I was in Congress, there was a period of 17 months during which the ruthless Central American gang MS-13 butchered 25 people to death — each of those victims being a fellow immigrant.
As a grandson of immigrants, I strongly believe that it is the constant infusion of new generations of immigrants that has made our nation great. People from countries that have been warring and killing each other for centuries live here in peace. Old animosities die hard, and there may not be instant love, but they find ways to work together in peace and stand together in war. They are Americans.
So, as Americans, I hope we all celebrated St. Patrick’s Day — as we do Columbus Day, Israeli Day, Pulaski Day, Steuben Day, Caribbean Day and all the parades honoring the proud history of all the races, peoples and nations that have made America great.
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.
The rise and fall of Mayor Eric Adams
November 2021 was a significant month in the history of New York City. Eric Adams was elected the 110th mayor of that great city. By any measure, most of its 8.25 million residents were thrilled to have a new occupant of City Hall, after the two lackluster terms of Bill de Blasio. Adams rode to victory on the strength of being a former police officer and an experienced elected official. While Adams is not a resident of the NassauSuffolk region, we Long Islanders have a close connection with the city, where we gravitate for work and/or entertainment. Adams was elected on a tidal wave of support from voters of both political parties. As an ex-cop, state senator and borough president, he came into Gracie Mansion with the hope that his tenure would give the city the breath of fresh air it badly needed.
De Blasio left office with very little goodwill. While he claimed numerous successes in building new housing,
there is no lasting monument anywhere in the city attesting to his success. Most of the stories about his time in office centered on his daily late arrival at City Hall after spending most of the morning exercising at a Brooklyn health club.
IFor some unexplained reason in the middle of his second term, de Blasio chose to declare his candidacy for the White House, which required frequent trips to Iowa and other primary states. His fantasy of being president required him to travel accompanied by taxpayer-funded police protection. All in all, de Blasio found a number of ways to alienate the voters in the Big Apple, and most city residents couldn’t wait for him to leave public office.
industry that needed a shot in the arm.
As a show of the need for reform, Adams selected Keechant Sewell as the city’s 45th police commissioner and its first woman in that job. Nassau County was a familiar place for Sewell, who had served in the Nassau County Police Department with distinction.
t’s a sad political tale, because his candidacy brought so much promise.
Adams started his term with a wave of good publicity about his plans for a better city. His pledges for police reform were welcomed, because the department was in need of changes and the city wanted someone who could lower the crime rate. His habit of visiting numerous nightspots was welcomed by some, because Adams was making a statement that it was safe to be out at night, and brought attention to an
For some of us who have served in government, Sewell’s short tenure as commissioner was a major disappointment. Her desire to do the job was encouraging, but shortly after she took office, there were numerous stories in the media that her appointments were being secondguessed by a City Hall deputy commissioner. When Sewell saw that her actions were being undermined, she decided to resign, and now is applying her talents to a well-paying job in the private sector.
To add to the mayor’s popularity decline, numerous deputies in his administration became embroiled in one bad story after another, and there were countless reports of alleged favoritism of one kind or another. The climax of the bad press occurred last month, when four highly respected deputies announced their resignations at
the same time.
The mayor was scheduled to go on trial next month on federal corruption charges, but the process was interrupted by the intervention of the U.S. Justice Department. With the obvious encouragement of President Trump, the prosecutors were ordered to drop the charges. Adams has denied that there was quid pro quo between him and the White House.
Whether he will get another term in office will be decided in June, when the Democratic city primary will take place. There are at least eight current candidates for mayor, with the field headed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. There are rumors that Adams may even run as a Republican, to avoid a primary loss as a Democrat.
The rise and fall of Eric Adams is a sad political tale. His candidacy brought so much promise to a city that was eager to have a new leader. Adams is no doubt disappointed by the events of the past three and a half years — and so are we.
Jerry Kremer was an assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.
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Millions are sick and tired of being sick and tired
this month marks five years since Covid-19 upended our world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1.2 million Americans died from the virus, including 86,000 New Yorkers. While life has largely returned to normal for many, an estimated 23 million Americans — 1 in 15 — and hundreds of millions more people around the globe remain trapped in a Covid nightmare.
They are suffering from post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2, or PASC, better known as long Covid. With no official definition, diagnostic tests, identifiable biomarkers, effective treatments or certainty of its causes, long Covid encompasses 200-plus symptoms appearing or persisting more than 12 weeks after a coronavirus infection.
Common symptoms often differ from those of acute Covid, and include debilitating fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, dysautonomia, post-exertion malaise, gastrointestinal issues, tachycardia, myalgia, neuropathy and breathing difficulties. No organ system is spared. Many “long haulers” have battled these health challenges for as long as five years, with no end in sight, and each combination of symptoms is unique and can change daily.
Benign-sounding terminology — fatigue, “brain fog,” “post-exertion malaise,” and even the name, long Covid — belie the condition’s severity. Millions of long haulers can’t work or even leave their beds. Many struggle to find words while speaking, or to remember recent events. Their skin burns, and their blood pressure fluctuates dangerously even when they’re sitting still.
Importantly, even mild or asymptomatic Covid infections can trigger long Covid, with each new infection increasing the risk. Some medical experts believe that almost all Americans will eventually experience some degree of the disorder. The healthiest people aren’t immune: Professional athletes have been forced to retire, and some marathon runners can now barely walk.
Without an official definition of long Covid, long haulers struggle to access Medicare, unemployment, disability and private insurance benefits when they
Inspired by a sense of sisterhood
If you have experience with long Covid — as a long hauler, caregiver, health care professional or in any other way — email us confidentially at longcovid@liherald.com.
In a rare show of unity, elected officials from both sides of the aisle, as well as scientists, doctors and policy experts, agree: America is failing the long Covid community.
Although the federal government provided $1.6 billion to the National Institutes of Health for research, those funds were wasted on an observational study rather than being used for clinical trials. Promising therapeutics remain unexplored due to funding gaps and bureaucratic obstacles, and no clinical trials got underway until just a few months ago — years after the start of the pandemic.
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need them most. Medical bills not covered by insurance can mount into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single patient.
Last Saturday’s International Long Covid Awareness Day highlighted the disorder’s devastating human toll. Children missing their formative years, and single parents unable to support their families, are just a few examples. Here on Long Island, 200,000 people are estimated to have the chronic and debilitating condition. Tragically, excruciating pain and seemingly insurmountable hardships have led an increasing number of long haulers to take their own lives rather than continue to suffer as shells of their former selves.
And long Covid isn’t just a sobering health issue. Harvard University economist David Cutler estimates that it will cost the U.S. economy more than $3.7 trillion in earnings, medical expenses and quality of life. That’s equivalent to 12 percent of an entire year of U.S. GDP.
Our national security is also at risk, with an estimated 200,000 military personnel affected. Fatigue and physical limitations can render troops unable to fight, while cognitive issues may compromise critical decision-making and intelligence analysis.
letters
But Congress might be positioned to act. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — the chamber’s health care panel — has members who are intimately familiar with long Covid. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, has long Covid, and Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican and a doctor, has a close family member with the condition. At a January 2024 committee hearing, senators from both parties expressed frustration with federal efforts to find a cure.
Marshall described taking his loved one to dozens of doctors, consulting 80 additional doctors, speaking to other senators with the condition and reading extensively about it. He said he was beyond frustrated by the experience, as are many long haulers, who have seen scores of doctors — sometimes over 100 — in the hope of finding relief. Specialists, though, can have two-year waitlists, and many health care professionals remain unfamiliar with long Covid, which often leads to medical gaslighting.
The long Covid community needs help immediately. Government must provide funding and cut red tape to develop effective drugs, educate medical professionals, improve patient care coordination, authorize novel uses of existing therapeutics, streamline access to insurance benefits, accelerate time to market of new treatments, research biological causes, and support caregivers.
We hope the new administration, including President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will take action commensurate with this growing crisis.
To the Editor: Kudos to Randi Kreiss for speaking the truth regarding the current state of our country in her op-ed last week, “Marching then, and marching now.” Her column was encouraging, and gave me hope that the things my friends and my daughters and I are currently doing will make a difference. Marching, meeting, or protesting with like-minded women brings me solace, and I come away feeling inspired by a sense of sisterhood. Hopefully those still peacefully asleep will awaken before it’s too late. Great work, Randi.
ELIzABETH MURPHY
opinions
The broken and bloated MTA needs an overhaul
washington, D.C., is known for its Metro, London for its Underground and San Francisco for BART. Downstate New York? We’re known for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which, in recent decades, has become infamous for all the wrong reasons.
The perpetual adverse headlines about the MTA are hard to ignore: Waste, fraud and mismanagement have plagued the authority for years. More than 65 million people rely on this vital agency, yet it’s clear that its leadership has failed to clean up its act. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation (A.6088) that would direct a forensic audit and a complete top-down overhaul.
The legislation would require the MTA to hire a certified, independent accounting firm to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit, which would produce a report highlighting its inefficiencies, redundancies and areas ripe for reform.
The numbers speak for themselves:
■ From 2021 to 2024, the MTA lost more than $5 billion in unpaid tolls.
■ In 2022 alone, it lost more than $700 million to fare evasion, and that total approached $800 million in 2024.
■ After the agency invested more than $250 million in the emergency intercom system Help Point, it determined that half of its calls were prank reports.
t■ The MTA was prepared to waste $1 million studying the psychology of fare evaders before scrapping the idea — proof that it continues to mismanage resources instead of focusing on real solutions like better enforcement.
fraud and abuse, including:
■ In December 2020, five MTA workers were charged with fraud for falsely claiming hundreds of overtime hours.
■ As of May 2024, the authority’s payroll jumped by $663 million, with overtime spending hitting record levels.
he agency’s operating budget is larger than the entire budgets of 14 U.S. states.
■ Nearly $8 billion spent on flood-resilience projects after Superstorm Sandy failed to prevent basic problems like broken flood door gaskets.
These are just a few examples of the MTA’s waste and mismanagement, but they are far from isolated incidents. There have been numerous reports of
Letters
A big month for theater in our schools
To the Editor:
March is Theatre in Our Schools Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the profound impact that theater education has on students, schools and communities. As a member of the Wantagh High School chapter of the International Thespian Society, I see how theater fosters creativity, confidence, collaboration and communication — essential skills for success in any field.
Theater is more than just performing on stage. It teaches students problem-solving, critical thinking and empathy by allowing them to step into the shoes of different characters and perspectives. Studies show that participation in theater programs enhances academic performance, improves literacy and public speaking skills, and strengthens students’ ability to work as a team. In our own school, productions like “Puffs” and “Jekyll & Hyde” have brought students together, inspired audiences and given young artists a voice.
When I step on stage, I feel as though I’m diving headfirst into a world of pure magic, where reality blurs and the impossible becomes possible. It’s the rush of dashing through
the chaos of “Puffs,” the underdog energy buzzing in every scene, knowing that even the “others” have their moment to shine. It’s the eerie thrill of “Jekyll & Hyde,” feeling the darkness and light battle within as the music swells, pulling the audience into the madness.
It’s the boundless joy of “SpongeBob,” where even the wildest, most ridiculous adventures carry real heart, and optimism soars as high as a sponge in mid-song. It’s the whimsy and wonder of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” where a simple rope can become a ship, and imagination turns the ordinary into something extraordinary. And it’s the absurdity of Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” where comedy and chaos reign, and every ridiculous moment is played with complete, glorious conviction. Stepping on stage is stepping into a story larger than life, where, for a little while, you’re not just yourself — you’re part of something bigger, something unforgettable.
We urge our community to support theater education by attending student performances, advocating for funding, and recognizing the immense value that the arts bring to our schools. Our upcoming performances include “Spamalot,” April 4-6, and the world premier of “Beyond the Gates,” a student-written original musical, on May 30.
was required by law to develop a transformation plan to improve operations, increase efficiencies and cut costs. A recent audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli revealed that the MTA has “not demonstrated that it achieved the objectives of improved service levels for the customer, process efficiencies and cost reductions.”
■ In 2022, more than 300 MTA employees earned at least $100,000 in overtime, and 734 employees earned more in overtime than in regular pay.
The MTA’s $19 billion operating budget is larger than the entire budgets of 14 U.S. states, and despite spending all that money, it just keeps coming back for more. Then there is its Capital Plan. Just last month, at a transportation budget hearing, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber requested more than $33 billion to help fund the $68.4 billion Capital Plan. Lieber acknowledged that no matter how much money New York state gives the agency, it will always come back for more.
We cannot justify this endless cycle of funding when the MTA is burning through everything it has. In 2019, it
Let’s be clear: The MTA is failing taxpayers. Its leadership is either unwilling or incapable of fixing the mess. Bloated budgets, mismanagement and waste have gone unchecked for too long. The agency is hemorrhaging money, and without a forensic audit, the dysfunction will only get worse: A lack of accountability creates the perfect breeding ground for fraud.
I know we’re all tired of reading about scandals and heavy spending with no results or improvements. The MTA’s years-long failure to address these festering issues is a drain on our downstate economy, which depends on a functional transportation system. Instead of pouring more money into this broken system, we should be directing those funds to communities that truly need them. The time for making excuses is over — the MTA needs a full-scale overhaul, now.
Ed Ra represents the 19th Assembly District.
Framework by Tim Baker
We invite everyone to join us in celebrating Theatre in Our Schools Month by supporting local productions and encouraging continued investment in arts education. Theater changes lives, and with our communities’ support, we can ensure it
remains a vital part of our students’ education.
Student choreographer, Troupe 1623 Wantagh High School
The Drama Club’s production of “Grease” — West Hempstead Secondary School
LIANNA MENEGALLI
Thursday, April 10, 2025
