_________________ BALDWIN ________________
HERALD Adult education offered for all
Former Baldwin fire chief dies
Cracking down on illegal ATVs
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Vol. 30 No. 34
AUGUST 17 - 23, 2023
$1.00
At-risk people helped in wake of Covid-19 place shortly after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the implementation of Matilda’s The pandemic may be in the Law in March of 2020, protectrearview mirror, but several ing individuals who are 70 and area supermarkets and organi- older by requiring them to stay zations are still continuing to home and limit home visitation help Baldwin’s most vulnerable to immediate family members and underserved or close friends. residents. During the One local superheight of the panmarket, Gala Fresh demic, local restauFar ms, at 2485 rants provided Grand Ave., continoptions for both ues to provide early pickup and delivery. access for customers However, Novi: New ages 60 and over, as Old Venice Inn, at 99 well as those with Merrick Road, cond i s ab i l i t i e s. Fo r tinues to offer those these vulnerable services, while A residents, the store Touch of Italy, at opens from 7 a.m. to JENNy JoRGE 1187 Grand Ave., 8 a.m. and provides owner, exclusively offers a special senior dis- Gala Fresh Farms pickups. count on Tuesdays. During the pan“We still have demic, Baldwin Pubfree deliveries for anyone who lic Library employees encourneeds help or support,” Jenny aged local residents to use their Jorge, owner of Gala Fresh community resources, which Farms, said. included e-books, audio books, Jorge added that the grocery live tutoring, language courses store diligently follows Covid-19 and test preparation. Residents safety protocols and guidelines who did not have a library card during all operating hours, espe- were offered digital library cially during the period when cards to provide access to these they serve the elderly and dis- resources. In the aftermath of abled population. the pandemic, library employees These safety protocols took ContInued on page 18
By ClARE GEHlICH
Intern
W
Tim Baker/Herald
Some commuters believe that the service on the Long Island Rail Road doesn’t warrant such a fare hike.
Fare hike not so fair? Train ticket prices will increase by 4.3 percent By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
Baldwin residents who commute via the Long Island Rail Road blasted the planned 4.3 percent fare hike in their weekly and monthly tickets that the MTA is expecting to implement on or around Aug. 20. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR’s parent company, recently voted unanimously to raise the base fare prices for LIRR train trips for the first time in four years. A one-way ticket from Long Beach to Manhattan, for example, will increase from $14 to $14.50 during peak hours, and from $10.25 to $10.75 during offpeak hours.
The fare hike will impact Baldwin commuters who frequently take the LIRR, and some straphangers said they believe that the quality of the train service does not warrant the new ticket price increase. “I don’t think the quality of service and the frequency of the trains with the new schedule justify a 4.3 percent increase,” said Sheree Nicole, a Baldwin resident who commutes to the city four days a week. “Driving to the city is not an option for me, so I really don’t have a choice but to pay the increase unfortunately.” Nicole purchases a monthly ticket of $227, so any fare hike will cause her financial stress, she said. She added that she is ContInued on page 12
e still have free deliveries for anyone who needs help or support