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Babylon Beacon 07_11_2024

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READER OF THE WEEK IS IMRAN ANSARI OF HAUPPAUGE

Lindy Middle School Principal Retires Page 3

Vol. 58, No. 28

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024

IN THE NEWS Five Deer Park HS grads commit to college

Deer Park High School senior athletes, Brian Ugalde (baseball, SUNY Cortland), Tyler Romero (swimming and diving, Adelphi University), Hayden Lovinsky (football, SUNY Cortland), Vincent LaCascia (baseball, Bridgeport University), Karen Garcia (soccer, Queens College) committed to continuing their sports careers in college this fall.

Five outstanding Deer Park High School senior athletes committed to continuing their sports careers in college this fall during a June 5 recognition ceremony hosted by District Administrator for Athletics, Physical Education, Health and Recreation Dominick Fontana in the school’s chorus room. Karen Garcia will play soccer at Queens College. She earned All-Division (2021, 2023) and All-League (2022) honors during her high school career. She plans to major in biochemistry. Vincent LaCascia will play baseball at Bridgeport University. He earned All-League honors (2023) and won the team’s MVP (2023) and Coaches Award (2022). He plans to major in physical therapy. Hayden Lovinsky will play football at SUNY Cortland. A three-sport athlete, he served as captain of Deer Park’s football team and played for the varsity basketball and lacrosse teams. His high school career accolades include First

Team All-State, First Team All-Long Island, All-County, First Team All-Division, 2023 Tom Cassese Award winner (best defensive back in Suffolk County), National Football Foundation Award finalist (best wide receiver in Suffolk), Best Defensive Player Award finalist, Suffolk County Student-Athlete of the Year nominee and team MVP. Lovinsky plans to major in criminology. Tyler Romero will join the swimming and diving team at Adelphi University. During his time at Deer Park, he earned numerous accolades including All-County, All-League, All-Long Island, Suffolk County Diver of the Year, Long Island Championship third place, league first place, Suffolk County first place and team MVP. Romero plans to major in physics. Brian Ugalde will play baseball at SUNY Cortland. He earned All-League and Scholar-Athlete recognition during his high school career. Ugalde plans to major in physical education.

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Amid rising incidents of drowning, Babylon Town focuses on water safety By Christie Leigh Babirad The Town of Babylon is raising awareness about water safety as summer arrives on Long Island. At a recent press conference this week, Babylon Town Councilman Terence McSweeney highlighted the alarming statistics: annually, 4,000 people die from drowning in the U.S., and 8,000 experience nonfatal water-related incidents. McSweeney, who collaborates with Bobby Hazen, founder of End Drowning Now, emphasized the need for increased public awareness and education to prevent such tragedies, which have been on the rise since 2020. The increase is partly due to many post-pandemic pool installations without adequate safety training. “As parents, we need to lead by example,” said Hazen who said that 55

percent of adults have never had swimming lessons. “It’s about education and how we can make a dent in these statistics because drowning is 100 percent preventable,” said Hazen. “It’s our job to educate families on what we can do.” Hazen outlined essential water safety measures, such as always designating a person to watch the water and have them wear a Water Watcher tag, knowing how to swim, wearing life jackets on boats, learning CPR, installing pool alarms, and ensuring pool areas have gates and safety fencing. Additionally, swimmers at the beach or public pools should always stay within sight of lifeguards. Hazen noted that 55% of adults have never had swimming lessons, emphasizing that teaching chil-

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Babylon Lions Club supports Guide Dog Foundation The Babylon Lions Club, whose members are dedicated to assisting the visually impaired, has been helping those in need for more than 75 years. One of its annual efforts is to support the Guide Dog Foundation, which raises and trains service dogs for the visually impaired and for veterans and others in need. Established by Lions Club International, the effort has grown to be the largest in the world helping those in need, worldwide. Shown in photo is Babylon Lions Club President Matt Morse and Past President Mark Agovino donating $6,000 to the cause. “The annual donation allows us to name a dog in memory of one of our members who has passed away,” said Morse, who added that this year a dog will be named “Jack O” in memory of Lions Club Past President Jack Oberholzer.


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