Baldwin Herald 08-19-2021

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_________________ BALDWIN ________________

HERALD

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BACK - TO - SCHOOL 1 — Herald Community Newspapers

August 19, 2021

— August 19, 2021

Resetting Expectations

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BTS: Resetting Expectations

Seniors take in the summer sun

Grand Festival seeking vendors

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Vol. 28 No. 34

AUGUST 19 - 25, 2021

Baldwin F.D. turns 125 with a parade By CRiSTiNA ARRoyo RodRiGUEz carroyo@liherald.com

Cristina Arroyo Rodriguez/Herald

ThE pARAdE’S GRANd marshal, Ex-Chief Thomas FitzSimons, a 56-year veteran of the fire service, with Baldwin’s 1951 Ahrens-Fox pumper before the parade started.

The Baldwin Volunteer Fire Department celebrated its 125th anniversary Aug. 12 by hosting a Drill & Parade, which started at Milburn Avenue and ended at Baldwin Fire Department headquarters on Merrick Avenue. Firefighters from across Long Island competed in the drills, scored for speed and accuracy. The Bellmore Ballbreakers became the 2021 New York State Old Fashioned champions.

The parade started at Millburn Avenue and Eastern Boulevard, traveled north to Merrick Road, west to Grand Avenue and then north to the headquarters. A block party followed. Chief Joseph Sotira and the officers and members of the Freeport Fire Department took first place in the 2nd Battalion Parade, as well as first place overall for the day. The parade featured antique and modern fire apparatuses, including Baldwin’s 1951 Ahrens-Fox pumper, which led the parade with the procesContinued on page 15

After addressing audit, Bethany House looks to the future By CRiSTiNA ARRoyo RodRiGUEz carroyo@liherald.com

According to a limited review of Bethany House’s compliance with the Nassau County Living Wage Law released July 28, the emergency shelter implemented all the county comptroller’s office recommendations made in an Oct. 8 audit report last year. Bethany House, a Baldwin nonprofit agency that provides housing to homeless adult women and women with children seeking emergency shelter, implemented all 26 recommendations stemming from nine audit findings, based on collected data from Jan. 1, 2017 through Dec. 31,

2018. The office commended Bethany Housefor its efforts. The latest report states, “This illustrates Bethany House’s dedicated efforts towards strengthening its internal controls to improve the accuracy and efficiency of its operations and to decrease the risk for fraud, waste and abuse.” The 2020 audit identified several Living Wage Law issues at Bethany House, including failure to maintain adequate documentation, questionable payments exceeding $35,000, no formal petty cash policy, unallowed petty cash expenses, related

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t is our goal to help the women, and women with children, we serve, to be empowered to build sustainable lifestyles. JohN GAlANTE Bethany House

party transactions and nepotism, violation of the state NonProfit Revitalization Act, co-mingling of the organization’s funds

with personal funds and underpayments for work. In response, Bethany House put in place policies to ensure that codes and guidelines for nonprofits, federal regulations and its memorandum of understanding with the county were all followed. It also ended all cash payments to actors within the organization; established a

petty cash policy; maintained proper documentation; instituted a code of ethics with a conflict of interest policy; and reimbursed under-compensated employees. “Under our new executive director, Doug O’Dell’s, leaders h i p, B e t h a ny H o u s e h a s addressed and implemented Continued on page 9


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