Issuu

_________________

Infections as of Jan. 11

3,912

Infections as of Jan. 4 3,561

________________

HERALD

Nothing to lose!

You don’t pay unless you save.

DEADLINE APPROACH

Bellmore man crash-lands plane

High school sports resume

Page 5

Page 12

$1.00 $1.00

ING

THE LEADER IN PROP ERTY TAX REDUCT ION

Hablamos Español

18/21 itc FG Demi Condensed Page xx

Maidenbaum Propert y Tax Reduction Gro up, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

JAnuARy 14 - 20, 2021

1114365

CommunIty uPDAtE

bellmore

Vol. 28 no. 2

Elected leaders decry violence at U.S. Capitol attempted insurrection, including one Capitol Police officer. In the following days, U.S. The usually routine day in the Rep. Kathleen Rice joined a United States Congress on Jan. 6, growing call from Democrats when senators and representa- and Republicans to remove tives met to certify the Electoral Trump from office, either via College results of the 2020 presi- resignation, the 25th Amenddential election, turned historic ment or a second impeachment. when a virulent mob stormed They placed the the Capitol. blame of the Thousands of attempted insursupporters of Presrection squarely on ident Trump overTrump, who has whelmed Capitol consistently quesPolice and occutioned the results pied the building, of the election forcing members based on false of Congress to barclaims of fraud and ricade themselves refused a peaceful in their respective transition of chambers. The riotpower. ers’ goal was to lAuRA CuRRAn The effects of overturn the certi- Nassau County the day were felt fication of Joseph executive here on Long Biden as presidentIsland, where reacelect. A number of tions streamed in. Republican senators and repre“The violence happening in sentatives stood with the presi- Washington today is flatly unacdent and defied the results based ceptable, regardless of who you on largely false claims of elec- supported in the election,” Nastion fraud. sau County Legislator Steve After bouts of violence, the Rhoads, a Republican from Bellmob was cleared from the build- more, wrote to followers on ing, and hours later, early on the social media the day of the riot. morning of Jan. 7, the election “This is America. It doesn’t matwas certified. Five people were left dead in the aftermath of the Continued on page 9

By AnDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

JoHn F. KEnnEDy High School seniors, from left, Danielle Kacaj, Julia Levine, Callie Burns, Tara Fusillo and Jordyn Krinsky were named semifinalists in the 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search competition last Thursday.

Bellmore-JFK boasts five Regeneron semifinalists By AlyssA sEIDmAn aseidman@liherald.com

John F. Kennedy High School’s most recent crop of Regeneron Science Talent Search semifinalists was announced on Jan. 7 by the Society for Science. Seniors Callie Burns, Tara Fusillo, Danielle Kacaj, Jordyn Krinsky and Julia Levine were among the top 300 scholars in the 2021 competition. Regeneron STS is one of the oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competitions in the country, pro-

viding students with a national stage on which to present original research. The students were selected from more than 1,700 entrants worldwide, and each earned a $2,000 award; Kennedy will receive $10,000 for school programs. “When I first saw my name, I was in shock,” said Fusillo, 17, of Merrick. “I was so happy I couldn’t move.” The semifinalists worked under the supervision of Barbi Frank in Kennedy’s Advanced Science Research class. Her students, who num-

bered a dozen in this year’s class, start their research as freshmen, and devote thousands of hours of work to their projects, which often have practical, potentially world-changing implications. Frank said this was the second time the semifinalists from JFK were all girls. The first time it happened was 2004 — the same year most of the current semifinalists were born. “I’m so excited for the representation,” said Burns, 17, of Merrick. “I think it’s aweContinued on page 3

his is not about politics. This is about safety, freedom and decency.

WHEN CANCER HITS CLOSE TO HOME, THAT’S WHERE WE’LL TREAT IT. We offer state-of-the-art cancer treatment and therapeutics on the South Shore of Long Island, including an infusion center and blade-less brain surgery with the Gamma Knife. Mount Sinai South Nassau is a nationally-accredited cancer program open for screening, surgeries, and treatment procedures. Get the care you need where you need to be. Book an appointment today at southnassau.org/cancer

1117629

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

The RegeneRon Science Talent Search is a program of the Society for Science, and is considered one of the most prestigious pre-college science competitions in the country.

Courtesy Julia Levine

The STudenTS weRe forced to conduct a portion of their research from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Julia Levine, of Bellmore, in her home lab.

All-girl group proud to be women in STEM conTinued fRom fRonT page

some that we all had this opportunity to even perform this amazing research . . . It was kind of a bonding experience for all of us girls who worked so, so hard, and it all paid off.” But the hard work didn’t come without its own set of challenges. When the state ordered schools to pivot to remote instruction last March during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, Kennedy was no exception. Frank established a buddy system between upper and underclassmen so the older students could advise their younger peers. Additionally, ASR alumni spoke to the students every week via Zoom to share their own experiences from the class and offer advice. “Once the pandemic hit, the 12 seniors rose to the occasion, and that commitment was so impressive and inspirational,” Frank said. “They were the only kids allowed to stay after school when school was closed . . . and it was their passion that drove this.” Many of the students also set up home laboratories. Krinsky, whose project studied the collective effects of diet and caffeine on Parkinson’s disease in fruit flies, said she still has a CO2 tank attached to her dining room table in Bellmore. It was used to put her subjects under anesthesia. Because of the pandemic, Kacaj’s clinical trial at Northwell Health’s Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital was put on pause. “I had to perform all of my research from home,” she said. Her project studied if pattern electroretinogram (an ophthalmologic test) could detect retinal ganglion cell dysfunction in early-

stage glaucoma patients. Each of the students has a personal tie to her chosen research topic (see box). Levine studied dietary factors and their potential influence on celiac symptoms in fruit flies. She, her mother and her sister all have the autoimmune disease. Her project is the first to examine the roles of glucose and fructose on such symptoms, and the first to use a fruit fly celiac model to investigate alternate treatment options for the disease, according to her summary. Krinsky first became interested in neurodegenerative diseases after her grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer, which spread metastatically to her brain and prevented her from performing innate tasks. Her research found that caffeine, the ketogenic diet and dietary restriction independently alleviated symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. Fusillo’s project was inspired by the pandemic’s effects on socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Using readily available mortality rates, she studied how Covid-19 has disproportionately affected these hard-hit communities and shared her findings with pharmaceutical companies so they may allocate proper testing and treatment resources. Burns’s experience as a Nassau County Youth Court advocate prompted her to investigate suspension and expulsion rates in high schools throughout Long Island. Many of the children she worked with came from the same few districts, she explained, and her research found that districts with “incorporated policing

unequally distribute discipline to minority students,” according to her summary. Kacaj’s interest in studying glaucoma, the world’s second-leading cause of irreversible blindness, came from her own experience with poor eyesight. She explained in her summary that since early-stage glaucoma patients present normal visual field tests, one may not know they have the disease until it is too late to properly treat it. She observed this firsthand while shadowing an ophthalmologist during freshman year, she said. “At Kennedy, we talk a lot about the importance of resiliency and adaptability,” said Principal Gerard Owenburg. “I can’t think of any other group of individuals that have demonstrated these traits better than our class of 2021 Regeneron Scholars. The fact that these students were even able to complete and submit their research was one of the most emotional moments of this school year. I could not be prouder.” Forty of the 300 scholars will be named finalists on Jan. 21. From March 10-17, the finalists will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron. Kennedy’s scholars expressed admiration for the work done by their fellow classmates. On the day semifinalists were announced, all 12 seniors raised the Cougar Nation victory flag, which was installed in the courtyard last month. “By the time we become seniors in the program, we are all best friends,” Levine said. “There’s no better feeling than being able to enter in the Regeneron STS competition together.”

project titles “Student Discipline in Nassau County High Schools: Comparing Distinct Layers of Law Enforcement and Disparity in Student Punishment.” By Callie Burns “Predicting Health Disparities in Regions at Risk of Severe Illness to Inform Healthcare Resource Allocations during Pandemics: Observational Study.” By Tara Fusillo “Retinal Ganglion Cell Dysfunction is Associated with Macular Microvascular Abnormalities in Pre-Perimetric Glaucoma.” By Danielle Kacaj “The Combinatorial Effects of Diet and Caffeine Mitigate Parkinson’s Disease in a Drosophila melanogaster System.” By Jordan Krinsky “Reduced Fasciclin 2 Expression in Drosophila melanogaster Leads to Impaired Locomotor Function and Abnormal Stress Response Following Dietary Alterations of Carbohydrates in a Celiac Disease Model.” By Julia Levine

BMCHSD contracts vendors to conduct testing

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

By AlyssA seidmAn aseidman@liherald.com

At its first meeting of the new year, the Central High School District Board of Education passed two resolutions that will provide Covid-19 testing capabilities to students and staff should Bellmore-Merrick be designated as one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “micro-cluster” communities. On Jan. 6, trustees approved respective agreements with ATC Testing and Screening Services and Healthcare Logics to administer PCR nasal swab tests on site in each of the district’s five schools. The tests will come at no cost to district, and the contracts also apply to Central’s four component elementary districts, according to Superintendent John DeTommaso. A geographic area can be designated a yellow zone if it has a seven-day rolling average positivity rate of 3 percent for 10 days and has 10 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day average. Other factors include whether the spread has been caused by gatherings and week-to-week growth in hospital admissions. Additionally, “If schools are in an area deemed a yellow zone, the state mandates you test 20 percent of all of the personnel in that school,” DeTommaso said at last month’s board meeting (see box). He also said he was confident that Bellmore-Merrick’s students, teachers and staff would be open to testing so each school can reach the 20 percent threshold. “As soon as we started hearing about micro cluster zones and the expectations of schools to test on site, we started doing our research,” said Assistant Superintendent Michael Harrington. “We all recognize that we want to keep our schools open, and we want to do it in the safest way.” The district sent out surveys

Zoom screenshot

during A virtuAl meeting, the Central High School District Board of Education passed two resolutions that will provide Covid-19 testing capabilities to students and staff should Bellmore-Merrick be designated as one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “micro-cluster” communities. to identify people willing to get tested should the community fall into a yellow zone. The results determined that 85 percent of Central’s staff members would submit to testing on site, with another 10 percent providing results on their own, and 70 percent of Bellmore-Merrick families would allow their children to be tested on site, with another 15 percent providing off-site results, Harrington said. Trained medical personnel from ATC and Healthcare Logics would set up designated areas in each building to conduct testing, which involves a non-invasive nasal swab of the lower half of the nostril. The PCR rapid test is considered the “most accurate,” Harrington said, and returns results within 48 to 72 hours. Those willing to get tested will be required to fill out per-

_________________

mission and insurance forms provided by the district ahead of time. Harrington said if a person or family does not have medical insurance, the districts will cover the cost from reimbursement from federal CARES Act funding, which provided a total $750,000 to Bellmore-Merrick schools via the Town of Hempstead. “We’re cognizant of the fact that we’re moving closer to that Christmas/New Year’s surge,” DeTommaso said. “We will continue with monitoring cases and quarantines and paying close attention to what the next few days and weeks will bring.” For more information about the Central District’s response to Covid-19, visit http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/district/ coronavirus_information.

bellmore ________________

HERALD HOW TO REACH US

Our offices are located at 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 and are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

MAIN PHONE: (516) 569-4000 ■ WEB SITE: www.liherald.com/bellmore ■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: belleditor@liherald.com ■ EDITORIAl DEPARTMENT: Ext. 207 E-mail: belleditor@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Press ”7” E-mail: circ@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ ClASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Ext. 286 E-mail: ereynolds@liherald.com Fax: (516) 622-7460 ■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: sales@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643 The Bellmore Herald USPS 017547, is published every Thursday by Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Periodicals postage paid at Garden City, NY 11530 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Bellmore Herald, 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Newsstand Price: $1 Subscription rates: $50 for 1 year within Nassau County. Out of Nassau County: $60 for 1 year. Copyright © 2021 Richner Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

testing by the numbers The following is a breakdown of the total number of students, teachers and staff that would need to be tested weekly at each school if the Bellmore-Merrick community is designated as a yellow zone. These numbers reflect 20 percent of each school’s population: John F. Kennedy High School: 205 Wellington C. Mepham High School: 245 Sanford H. Calhoun High School: 266 Meadowbrook Alternative Program: 18 Merrick Avenue Middle School: 170 Grand Avenue Middle School: 187 Information provided by Superintendent DeTommaso’s office.

Let us know News Brief items, including awards, honors, promotions and other tidbits about residents are welcome. Photos may be emailed, as well. Deadline for submissions is noon Thursday, week prior to publication. Send to aseidman@liherald.com

By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com

John Scalesi/Herald

A BEllmoRE mAN was in stable condition Monday morning after crash-landing his plane in Old Bethpage last Sunday afternoon.

Bellmore man crash-lands plane in Old Bethpage visor Joseph Saladino, and it crash-landed, coming to a stop on a fence. Saladino said the pilot was en route to Connecticut and attempted to tur n around to go back to Farmingdale when the engines failed. The man was able to talk to first responders at the scene, and was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in stable condition. No other injuries were reported. The FAA is investigating the incident. Compiled by Alyssa Seidman.

2021 Estate and Medicaid Planning MODERATOR

Frank G. D’Angelo, J.D.

Family Care Connections, LLC Topic: 2021 Medicaid Planning for Aging and Illness

FREE LIVE WEBINAR

FEB

10 - 11 AM

Tune in to learn about: ESTATE PLANNING, RESPONSES TO COVID-19: • Overview of a comprehensive estate plan • How estate planning has evolved with the COVID-19 pandemic • Updates to the New York Power of Attorney • Estate planning considerations for your family and loved ones • Tips to be sure you are prepared for the unexpected

Stephanie A. D’Angelo, Esq. D’Angelo Law Associates, PC Topic: Estate Planning, Responses to Covid-19

D’Angelo Law Associates, PC Your Trusts & Estates Attorney

• Wills & Trusts • Estate Planning • Asset Protection • Probate

Nassau (516) 222-1122

• Estate Administration • Elder Law • Real Estate

Queens (718) 776-7475

MEDICAID PLANNING FOR AGING AND ILLNESS: 901 Stewart Ave., Ste. 230 • Garden City, NY 11530 www.DangeloLawAssociates.com

• General medicaid eligibility for both homecare and nursing homecare • Updated income and resource criteria for eligibility for medicaid in 2021 • New rules governing asset transfers for homecare medicaid eligibility in 2021 • Accessing home care and the Nursing Home Transition And Diversion Program

RICHNER

WINTER 2021

Stephanie A. D’Angelo, Esq.

PRODUCED BY

REGISTRATION FOR

SPONSORED BY: D’Angelo Law Associates, PC FAMILY CARE CONNECTIONS, LLC

To sponsor a webinar or for more information contact Amy Amato at aamato@richnerlive.com or 516.569.4000 x 224

afternoon and night. Figliola moved to Bellmore with his wife and daughter in December. The residential nature of the area reminds him of his home borough, he said, but he now has a nature preserve practically in his backyard. “It’s not just a Queens story — it’s palatable across any place you live,” Figliola said. “It’s a neighborhood book.” Figliola is active on his social media pages; he can be found at @mikefigs on Twitter and @MikeAFigs on Facebook. “The Slow Midnight on Cypress Avenue” is available through most major retailers, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Wonderful, Developmentally Appropriate Learning Experiences For Preschool Children

Just Kids Has Been Offering Warm, Safe, Nurturing Care For Over 30 Years Creative curriculum is used which is in alignment with the Common Core Learning Standards

FULL DAY SESSIONS WITH 2, 3 OR 5 DAY A WEEK OPTIONS

Indoor Gym Large, Well Equipped Outdoor Playgrounds Air Conditioned Classrooms Registered Nurse Certified Teachers In Every Class Registered By The NY State Department Of Education and Licensed By The Office Of Children And Family Services

1117883

Skye Ostreicher

Herald Community Newspapers

PANELISTS

Photos courtesy Mike Figliola

mIkE FIGlIolA, Who recently moved to Bellmore, has released his debut novel, “A Slow Midnight on Cypress Avenue.” He spent months studying the street where he grew up, collecting the experiences of residents to form a series of vignettes.

1118007

A Bellmore man was in stable condition Monday morning after crash-landing his plane in Old Bethpage last Sunday afternoon. According to the FAA, the 57-year-old pilot crashed his twin-engine Cessna C421 by the former Old Bethpage waste disposal complex near the Nassau Fire Academy shortly after 1 p.m. Officials said the pilot took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale and was flying overhead when he reported engine troubles. The plane’s second engine failed too, according to Oyster Bay Town Super-

A war-torn veteran; a young, affable Puerto Rican girl; the old-age architecture that defines much of Queens — such images are only a few of the intricate scenes shared by Bellmore resident Mike Figliola in his new book, “The Slow Midnight on Cypress Avenue.” Figliola knows the street well. For the past eight months, he has studied life on the central block that runs between Queens and Brooklyn as he gathered material for his book, which offers a snapshot of one Sunday in the area. “Slow Midnight” is a linear story but also a collection of vignettes that focus on an eclectic array of characters. Figliola grew up in Queens, too — “I’ve lived there basically my whole life,” he said. As a self-proclaimed “child of the 80s,” Figliola’s childhood was largely spent outdoors on the streets of New York, where he would play in school yards, explore railroad tracks and venture wherever he could go. “That inspired me to write this love letter to that time in my life,” Figliola said, “and to Queens in general.” Life on Cypress Avenue is quaint but also constantly bustling, inhabited by working class residents who take the bus and shop in their local delis. Even the architecture can feel “as alive as the people,” Figliola said, with fire escapes and stoops every few feet. “One thing I wanted to make palatable is, whethPART ONE PANELISTS er you live in Bellmore or you live in a rust belt state, everybody is a neighbor,” Figliola said. “This book is about people who all know each other; they all live in the same area and share small-town gossip, and it’s a day in the life of these folks.” “Slow Midnight” is a “real character study,” Figliola said, and is divided into three parts that break up the day into morning,

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

Bellmore resident explores Queens culture in new book

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

events and activities

community update Thursday, Jan. 14

Thursday, Feb. 4

Solely Sunshine

Book Discussion and Author Visit

Solely Sunshine was founded in 2020 by 16-year-old Nicole Salvatierra as a way to send a little “sunshine” to teens struggling with OCD or other mental illnesses. Join Nicole on a Zoom session hosted by the North Bellmore Library from 7 to 8 p.m. as she explains how an Instagram post led to her ongoing letter-writing campaign and write a personal letter of your own. Community service will be awarded.

The Merrick Library will host a book discussion and author visit via Zoom from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring Greer Macallister, author of “The Arctic Fury.” Register on the website, www.merricklibrary.org.

Virtual Student Loan Workshop Join Assemblyman Dave McDonough and the State Department of Financial Services for an in-depth workshop on repayment options, deferments, loan consolidation, student loan forgiveness, FAFSA, grants, scholarships and more. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers, too. This Bellmore Library event is open to high school students and families. For those that register, you’ll receive an invitation to the Zoom meeting an hour before the program begins at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 20 Virtual Chair Yoga Chair Yoga is a gentle form of yoga that is practiced while sitting in a chair to help improve flexibility, strength, balance and focus. This class is for people who feel they may not be flexible enough for standard yoga. Come sit, stretch, strengthen and breathe your way to a happier, healthier you. This North Bellmore Library class will be held virtually; participants must register with their email address. Links to a Zoom class with a password will be sent prior to the first class. From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Facebook Pajama Storytime Watch Miss Phyllis from the Merrick Library as she leads a fun storytime on the library’s Facebook page. The storytime will begin at 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 22 Gift wrap with Birthday Wishes L.I. Birthday wishes Long Island makes sure every child has a birthday. Come help wrap boxes that will be used to create “birthday-in-a-box” sets for children in need. Participants will be given supplies to wrap 1-2 boxes at home and to make personalized birthday cards. Supplies can be picked up at the North Bellmore Library beginning Friday, Jan. 22. Register at northbellmorelibrary.org.

Virtual Music & Movement During this interactive Bellmore Memorial Library program, your child will hear

l l l l l

Ongoing Courtesy North Bellmore School District

Dinkelmeyer kindergartners inspired to write One by one, kindergartners walked up to a box, looked inside, and saw their reflections in a mirror. Students in Marianne Devine’s class at Dinkelmeyer Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District knew they were being introduced to an author, they just didn’t know it would be them. Above, Lucas Lau, left, and Nico Pignataro worked on their books, which included their personal interests.

familiar rhymes and songs to get them moving and dancing. Recommended for children ages 5 and under. An invitation link for Zoom will be sent via email. Register at bellmorelibrary.org.

Friday, Jan. 22 Tech Talk: Intro to 3D Printing Join the Merrick Library for the first Tech Talk of the new year. The library has been the vanguard of the maker movement in libraries, and 3D printing has been a huge component of that trend. Come and learn the basics of 3D printing, such as information about the 3D printers we use, how to find and prepare a project and how to start designing your own. This event will take place via Zoom from 2 to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 27

Monday, Feb. 1

Virtual Winter Mediation

Zoom Event: Freedom Quilts

Learn the basics of calming and slowing down the mind, relaxing the body and opening to greater well being. Learn a variety of techniques, including deep breathing awareness, visualization, mindfulness, guided body relaxation, mantra, sounds that relax the mind and more. Learn why meditation can lower blood pressure, enhance work performance, improve sleep and help one enjoy life more fully. Each student will be provided with the tools to create a daily meditation practice to bring calm and relaxation into one’s lifestyle. Register for this Bellmore Memorial Library program at bellmorelibrary.org. From 7 to 8 p.m.

At 4 p.m., discover the stories that quilts told in the days of the Underground Railroad to assist runaway slaves on their journey to freedom. Learn to “read” various quilt codes, then use mathematical patterns and fabric shapes to design a quilt that tells your very own personal story. Registration begins Friday, Jan. 15th. Pick up kits for this Merrick Library program from Monday, Jan. 25-29, during regular library hours. If you are a Merrick resident and are unable to come to the library to pick up a kit, but still wish to participate in the program, email childrensroom@merricklibrary.org.

Budget Advisory Committee The North Merrick Board of Education is forming the Budget Advisory Committee for the 2021-22 budget. Members provide input through questions and suggestions to assist the board in finalizing the budget. If interested, contact District Clerk Joanne Long at (516) 292-3695.

HAVInG An EVEnT? Items on the Community Update pages 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 aseidman@liherald.com

Strike Out Cancer is holding a clothing drive on Jan. 30. Email strikeoutcancer21@gmail.com for details. Off the Brook, a new bistro and cocktail lounge, is now open at 1810 Merrick Road in Merrick. A brand-new coffee shop, Soul Brew, will soon open in the former site of The Bellmore Bean. Food Truck Fridays presents “Brunch in Bellmore” @ the Bellmore LIRR, Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two BMCHSD teachers were awarded $500 grants from Jovia Financial Credit Union.

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE â€” January 14, 2021

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

Nassau lawmakers react to Capitol violence By Laura Lane, andrew Garcia and Scott Brinton llane@liherald.com, agarcia@liherald.com, sbrinton@liherald.com

“For those asking, my staff and I are safe,” tweeted Congresswoman Kathleen Rice at 4:03 p.m. Wednesday, as she and others barricaded themselves within the chambers of the U.S. Capitol against a mob of insurrectionists. Lawmakers were scheduled to spend the day debating the certification of Electoral College results in the presidential election — a usually uneventful day in Congress. It was interrupted, however, by thousands of supporters of Presi d e n t D o n a l d T r u m p who stormed the Capitol, overrunning police barricades, scaling walls and invading the structure. Sometime between 3 and 4 p.m., Congress members were instructed to retrieve gas masks from under their chairs. “Tear gas had been used in the Rotunda,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, of Glen Cove, during a Kathleen rice call to the press from an undisclosed area. His voice was measured and calm when sharing his experience. “The chaplain of the Congress said a prayer. The doors in the chamber were locked, but then people began banging on them.” The rioters had forced security to barricade the doors to the House chamber with furniture, their weapons drawn, prepared to fire. Republican and DemoGregory meeks cratic lawmakers huddled together, said Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive. One insurrectionist broke through the glass on the main door, which the president enters through for the State of the Union. “The glass is broken, but I don’t know if it was shots or banging,” Suozzi said. “I did hear a ‘pop, pop, pop.’” “My staff and I are safe and andrew Garbarino currently in lockdown,” U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement during the melee. “The storming of the U.S. Capitol is a stain on American democracy. Make no mistake—this disgraceful violence will not stop the inauguration of Joe Biden on Jan. 20.” Lawmakers in both houses of Congress later reconvened after a 6 p.m. curfew, during which time police escorted the insurrectionists out of the Capitol. The Congress members voted to certify the Electoral College results that declared former Vice President Joseph Biden as the president-elect. Several representatives and senators have placed the blame of the attempted insurrection squarely on Trump, who for weeks had sown discord and spread lies about false instances of fraud in the November election. Protesters in and outside of the Capitol were clad with Trump merchandise. “The president incited a domestic terror attack on the Capitol,” Rice, who represents the 4th Congressional District, wrote on Twitter. “He is an imminent threat to our democracy, and he needs to be removed from office immediately. The cabinet must invoke the 25th Amendment.” Rice later re-tweeted a video from U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, who joined the call for Trump’s removal. Invoking the 25th Amendment would require the support of Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the president’s cabinet. Pence would then assume the role as president if Trump were found

Courtesy Tom Suozzi

u.S. rep. tom Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive, was in the House of Representatives chamber when violence broke out at the Capitol last Wednesday. He is shown here in the early morning hours on Thursday, after lawmakers voted to certify the election of Joe Biden as president of the United States. unfit for office. Last Thursday, Rice again tweeted, questioning where Chad Wolf, the head of Homeland Security, was during the protests. “Absolutely unacceptable for him and the entirety of [the Department of Homeland Security] to be completely absent during this domestic terror attack,” she wrote. Local reaction to last Wednesday’s events was swift. “For hundreds of years, the peaceful transition of power has been a foundation of our country,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “It doesn’t matter who you voted for — violence like what we are seeing in Washington today should never be accepted in a free society. This is not about politics. This is about safety, freedom and decency. I am lending my voice in support of law enforcement who are keeping everyone safe.” U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, who represents the 5th Congressional District on the southwest Queen-Nassau bor-

der, spoke to the history of the moment on Twitter. “The world is watching as the greatest democracy braces against an attempted coup.” Referring to President Trump, he continued, the day’s events were “stirred by its leader who’d rather watch the country burn than transition power. “Our ability to advocate for democracy around the world,” Meeks said, “will be significantly hurt after this tragic day in America.” Andrew Garbarino, the newly elected representative from the South Shore’s 2nd District, had only been in Congress four days when the Trump protesters stormed the Capitol. At a little before 4 p.m., he tweeted, “It doesn’t matter which side you support — violence is never the answer. This must stop now.” He added, “Thank you to the law enforcement at the Capitol for working diligently to keep everyone safe.”

Local leaders react to Capitol uprising

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

ConTinUed from fronT page

ter what side of the aisle you fall on, when protest turns to violence, it is wrong, and what we are seeing today is against everything we stand for. Our prayers go out for all who work at the Capitol and for the members of law enforcement working hard to keep everyone safe.” “Violence like what we are seeing in Washington today should never be accepted in a free society,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “This is not about politics. This is about safety, freedom and decency.” Town of Hempstead Councilman Chris Carini, a former police officer, posted a remembrance of the Capitol Police officer who was killed during the attack. “RIP to U.S. [Capitol] Police officer Brian Sicknick, a 12-year veteran of the department,” he wrote. On Sunday afternoon, a group of Trump supporters gathered at the Bellmore train station and were met by a group of counter-protesters, according to a Nassau County Police Department press information officer. The group of roughly 30 people eventually dispersed after police were contacted. Lawrence Garfinkel, president of the Merrick Historical Society and the Merrick Brotherhood, said the answer to preventing catastrophes like the one that unfolded in Washington, is one word: education. From a young age, children must be taught to recognize right and wrong, he said, which is passed down from parents, educators and social clubs, like the Society and Brotherhood. “We must continue our education here in the United States to do all we can do to produce youngsters who will eventually understand the best choices that they can make,” Garfinkel said. Courtesy Martin Falbisoner via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. CapiTol was attacked last Wednesday by a mob of angry Trump supporters.

Heart attacks and strokes don’t stay home. Don’t avoid the ER out of anxiety. Don’t die of doubt. Don’t stay silent and don’t stay home. If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1. When seconds count, the hospital is the safest place to be.

Heart.org/DontDieofDoubt

1108953

Locally supported by

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

Coliseum may see concert surge later this year NASSAu coLISEum IS expected to see a spike in concert activity in late 2021 and early 2022, according to a report from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.

By BRIAN STIEGLITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com

Nassau Coliseum may see a surge in the number of concerts that it hosts late this year and early next year, according to a report from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency. The IDA hired consulting firms Camoin Associates and RMG SportsVentures, which conducted the 13-page report last month to forecast the Coliseum’s economic impact once coronavirus pandemic restrictions lift. The consultants predicted that demand for live music would surge in the fall of 2021, during which Madison Square Garden, the Barclay’s Center and other large music venues are booked with acts that had to reschedule during the pandemic. Such high demand could “create a short-term positive” for the Coliseum by drawing in more acts that could not secure a spot at the larger venues, according to the report. The Coliseum may not see the same success with hockey games, however. The Islanders are expected to start playing games at the Coliseum this month, if the 2020-21 NHL seasons commences. Then, in late 2021, the team will relocate to its new home at the UBS Arena at Belmont Park. The report states, however, that “it is not clear whether there will be in-person attendance, and at what capacity, for games at either location.” The consultants developed the report from a series of interviews conducted in November with executives and officials from the music and sports industries. The report does not take into account other events that the Coliseum offers, such as LI Nets basketball games and family entertainment shows. All of the consultants’ findings depend on the venue’s ability to meet certain Covid-19 guidelines, such as proper ventilation, vaccination availability, and rapid testing of employees and talent. The report also states that the Coliseum is “a secondtier venue” and may have a slower economic recovery

Christina Daly/Herald

than the larger venues like MSG and the Barclay’s Center. Once the pandemic ends, the consultants predict, it may take another four to six months before the Coliseum is back to normal. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Coliseum generated about $4 million in annual revenue to the county. In August, the Coliseum’s former tenant, Onexim Sports and Entertainment, defaulted on payments and handed control of the arena and the Nassau Hub development to its lender, the U.S. Immigration Fund, which is running the Coliseum under the name Nassau Live. The deal reached between the two parties recovers $2.2 million in overdue rent owed to Nassau County by Onexim, which temporarily shuttered the Coliseum two

months before because of the toll the venue took from coronavirus restrictions. USIF is based out of Jupiter, Fla., and run by Nick Mastroianni II. Although not directly tied to the U.S. government, USIF created a $100 million loan for the Coliseum renovation, soliciting 200 Chinese investors through a federal program that grants visas for job-creating projects. Bruce Ratner, owner of Forest City Ratner, sold the Coliseum lease to Onexim in 2015 and developed the financing program. Mastroianni then secured the loan under another company called Nassau Coliseum Funding 100.

Staying home for college amid the pandemic By NIcoLE ALcINdoR nalcindor@liherald.com

When college doors reopened in the fall and fears of spreading the virus were widespread, many Long Island colleges adopted a hybrid model of in-person and online classes and extracurricular activities— which changed the academic and physical dynamic of the college experience for many. With new social-distancing guidelines also being applied colleges, Long Islanders attending university from home or those living in college dorms experienced many social, emotional and psychological changes and challenges. With only a few weeks before the spring semester begins, and with the second wave of the pandemic in full effect, many college-aged Long Islanders are faced with the decision to return to their dorms for school or transfer to local schools. Herald Inside LI hosted a free live Zoom webinar, sponsored by Molloy College, last Thursday to discuss many of the questions that college-aged students and their parents have about staying local for college. During the webinar, representatives from Molloy College, Adelphi University, Nassau Community College and the New

York Institute of Technology provided insight about how their schools have become more flexible because of the pandemic, including their recent decision to accept students on rolling admissions to accommodate those making last-minute decisions to stay local for the spring semester. “We went test-optional by eliminating the requirement of applicants having SAT and ACT scores for admissions, and now we are only looking at academic scores,” said Marguerite Lane, assistant vice president of enrollment management at Molloy College. “They can send ACT or SAT scores if they want, but Molloy College won’t use students’ scores for their disadvantage, but only to their advantage, because many students might not have been able to test more than once or take a review course because of the pandemic.” Molloy College will start the spring semester Jan. 20, and students still interested in applying have up to two weeks into the beginning of the semester to apply. “Most of our students had a good experience in the fall semester at home doing school, and I know they are continuing with that in this upcoming spring semester because our admission numbers for the spring are where we expected,” Lane

said. “People have been resilient, and college students, particularly new ones, have adapted well to the hybrid model for events and classes, but we hope to return to a normal college experience in the new year.” Nassau Community College went 90 percent online for the fall semester, and it will continue that way in the spring. For the community college, SAT and ACT scores have always been optional. For the spring semester, NCC has adopted a late start semester to allow students to apply later than usual and start later than usual. “Even though we have seen an uptick of 22 percent more students taking winter classes, we are under the normal enrollment for spring semester,” said Dave Follick, dean of admissions at Nassau Community College. “We are doing more initiatives to get more people to enroll, but we think a lot of people are not returning because they did not like online school.” In the new year, Nassau Community College will offer in-person sports options and mostly virtual clubs and extracurricular activities. For Adelphi University, the vice president of enrollment management and university communications, Kristen Capezza, said enrollment has been the same for spring semester; however, she said she

has noticed a shift in students who are participating in clubs, with more students than ever joining virtual clubs. “People can still remain connected if they want to, and we offer dorms, as well as virtual tours where students interested in applying can provide commentary and receive feedback while getting an online tour,” she said. “This past semester, we also saw students who had stellar grades, and then because of the pandemic, we saw a fall in their grade point average. We know that the pandemic affected them, so we just asked those students to share what happened, and we are doing our best to be understanding.” In the same way, Karen Vahey, the dean of admissions and financial aid enrollment management at New York Institute of Technology, said students at her college have been more involved in virtual events. “Even though I worry about students getting bored with virtual events, [many] more students are getting involved in virtual activities than they ever did before with in-person campus activities,” Vahey said. “We pushed back our deadlines for enrollment and waved the standardized testing to get in. We just want to get these students over the finish line, despite the pandemic.”

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

R&U AUTO BODY Quality, Service and Experience We outperform all our competitors in Merrick

TAKE $250 OFF

Valid only for Collision valued at $2000 or more when you mention ad.

R&U Auto Body Collision • 516-379-6581

WE ARE AN APPROVED BODY REPAIR FACILITY SERVICING ALL MAJOR INSURANCE COMPANIES FREE ESTIMATES • TOWING AVAILABLE • RENTALS AVAILABLE 24 HOURS COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR & MAINTENANCE TOO!

516-379-6581 10 Kees Place Merrick NY, 11566 • ruautobody.com CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS OUR #1 PRIORITY

1117387

Live Operators Are Standing By

Go time for Bellmore-Merrick sports By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

For the first time since mid-March, Nassau County high school athletes participated in practice for their respective sports on Jan. 4 as the long-anticipated season for low- and moderate-risk winter sports got off the ground despite rising Covid-19 cases. Public high schools all across Long Island are moving forward to compete in bowling, gymnastics, track and field, fencing and swimming/diving, with events beginning this week. High-risk winter sports such as basketball, wrestling, hockey and competitive cheerleading remain on hold subject to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s guidelines. In the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham High Schools combine their students to form teams in bowling and boys’ swimming, while each has its own boys’ and girls’ track teams. Nassau’s track and field schedules had to be revamped after the county was notified by St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington that it would be unable to host meets inside its fieldhouse. Instead, Section VIII, the governing body for Nassau high school athletics, moved to Plan B: outdoor meets at high schools. The first few weeks will be strictly virtual, with the possibility of in-person dual

Alyssa Seidman/Herald

CaLhOuN hIgh SChOOL’S girls’ track and field team is preparing for a condensed season with all meets taking place outdoors, weather permitting. meets in play for late January and early February. “It’s really exciting to be back with my teammates,” Calhoun senior track standout Faith Dwyer said. “It has almost been a year since I raced and I’m hoping to show my times to college coaches. Running outside in the cold will be difficult, but everyone is in the same boat.” Colts girls’ track and field coach Joe

Migliano is hopeful every team in Nassau can compete in up to 10 meets. “We’ve had 50 girls at practice,” he said. “They know they’ll be outside and competing with masks on, but they’re willing to do whatever they need to do.” Coach Bob Kaefer said the district’s boys’ swimming/diving roster is nearly 50 percent smaller than usual, with 16 athletes compared to the usual 30. “The low

turnout isn’t great for the team or the sport, but it’s good for social distancing rules,” he said. “We have seven dual meets on the schedule and hopefully we can conduct division and county meets.” Like the track and field athletes, swimmers are likely to be competing against some opponents virtually, with teams located at different sites. Times and scores would be compared to determine a winner. Maxwell Hahn, a junior at Mepham who swims the backstroke and freestyle, said he’s excited about the start of the season, and believes the team can compete for a division championship. District boys’ bowling coach Joe Bianca said the program will only compete at the varsity level and carry a roster of eight. Bowlers must wear a mask at all times. “Practices have gone smooth,” he said. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association said it will not put another potential start date on basketball, wrestling, hockey and competitive cheer, and instead wait for authorization from the governor’s office. Longtime Kennedy boys’ basketball head coach Rory Block said he was hopeful the sport would be pushed back to later in the school year. “It’s a very difficult time,” he said. “I feel bad for the kids. They only have so many years they’re able to compete at the high school level.”

ENERGY EFFICIENCY KNOW HOW DID YOU

KNOW...

ENERGY STAR® certified clothes dryers use 20% less energy?*

HOW TO SAVE...

Get a $50 rebate with a new eligible ENERGY STAR® appliance.

For more energy saving know how: PSEGLINY.com/SaveMoney *Source: energystar.gov/products *Source: energystar.gov/products

1117805

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

Garden City Antiques

How to share what’s important to you in the Bellmore Herald

and Fine Arts Limited

D GAZETTE — April

seA

TE — April 26, 2018

12, 2018

p Brownie Troo of Sea Cliff rolling Members lly in their to energetica s up high 22 bounced ing their hand ng world of chairs, shoot about the exciti d to ask questions . The troop was treate pashing News unity print publi Herald Comm y. a tour of the City last Frida look in Garden s pers’ office d the scene d got a behin , and toure The troop paper is made headat how a news ties at the Herald’s , the facili the many the newsroom wareincluding ters, press ing quar and the print sales floor, ero Mike Rom house. Assi stant on Exec utive a presentati s the tour with kicked off and photographn articles, ads, e publicatio about how into a singl over get condensed Brownies thumbed . The product. every week the finished to see nd to s past issue taken arou troop was ding Next, the nts, inclu rtme depa rial. the diffe rent n, and edito g, productio tment advertisin each depar ined what ld’s multiple Romero expla Hera the uce does to prod s. nies down weekly paper ght the Brow Then he brou warehouse. The girls’ ing towerinto the print to take in the ed upward uce the eyes glanc mass -prod ines that ing mach week. and each s newspaper d questions a nies aske t the tour, The Brow ghou ged throu stayed enga

GLEN COVE HERAL

rald.com

aseidman@lihe

ws Glen Cove ne ighbors rescu e owl

When Kevin Nelson left house early his Glen Cove one morn ing last week wasn’t expec ting to make he a feathery friend “I noticed [the owl] on . at about 6 my way to a.m. work Nelson wrote in the middle of the road, in an emai encounter. l explaining ” “I turned aroun his what it was d, not know . Friday and ing last was City amazed little owl starr in Garden ing up at me.” to see a tiny the Herald office to visit Nelso a n picke Troop 22 made a while befor d up the owl and pet Cliff Brownie it for e putting Then he gave it on the grass. it some of his lunch. He calle d William Whit ton, the city’s Marra, becau his girlf riend , Clau promotion to police chief, congr dia se “she loves the she couldn’t , loves owls Courtes atulated Teddy to the challenge. rank of detective. Deputy and believe it,” Karousos, cente y Tab Hauser her to Chief Chris Ortiz he said. “I ”. check r, on told up his said that Karou later she called on him. About a minu sos was “up te me saying I’m in love!’ ‘A over and over.” w, oh my God, After pettin g the owl, she it in a box tried to put After eight but her new years as flew away. feathery frien Glen Cove ’s Teddy Karo a patrol officer, d Deputy Chief usos was prom ed to detec tive. At a city Chris Ortiz ot- Karo usos was well on March council meet added that 27, where suited to the this precious the promotion ing is one of the finalized, job. “This little scam most impo Polic was have ing out in the rtant posit told Karousos, e Chief William Whit in the polic ions we middle of the p was hangton said. e departme road when Kevin Nelson trade, you’r “You have the tools (not pictured), of the crime “You’re dealing with nt,” Ortiz e intelligen greet his feath stopped to t, you’re a person.” He victims of s. ery neighbor. good when You’re helping them added that at a moment avoidance Karousos’ and uarte strict can they’re often at the ofrsswea headq any r words was weakest they be. You’ve tour of comp throwback. I have never got to help “like a up build them conducted the and show ro foul word. heard him Rome back them I’ve hear him use that you can TAnT mike members. that’s abou say “shoot” a their crime and solve exeCuTive Assis t it.” bring them curious troop but very the from justic important e. It’s a took questions dy’s up to the task, and I know that Tedchallenge.

Police departm ent promote s detective

n/Herald Gazette

Seidma Photos by Alyssa entire office, Toured the The Brownies interesting portrait of an taking note of F. Kennedy, made many t Richner. The President John co-owner Stuar es how pixby ago years it demonstrat nail-based portra print. els translate into

Courtesy Kevin

Sales profes

ANTIQUES WANTED:

Nelson

• Old Oil Paintings Carved Furniture • Oriental Rugs • Chandeliers • Clocks • Marble & Bronze Statues • Bric-A-Brac • Mid Century Furniture

siona

We Are Hiring ls need apply! Salespeople Join our Growin G sales It’s not only for organizations, elected leaders or

es! d Savings Rat Great CD ancount that’s right for you. Choose the

* 12 Month CD Richner Commun

5in%the News is a celebration SaleS Job F 8 1 % non-profits. Neighbors 0 1 2 of our neighbors% and everyone can participate. air 2 Year CD*

APY



100% liquid

No monthly fee maintenance

Grand Yield Savings®

1 60

APY

ications, one of the Marketing firms on Long Island is fastest growing Advertising/ looking to expand team.APY If you have the our join us to find out drive to succeed and proven expe sales  abou rience, • Outside Adverti t our exciting open positions: sing Sales (must have car) • Telemarketers - Inside Sales • Onli of ne Adverti for balances sing Sale s up** $2,500 and



nue, Sea Cliff Glen Cove Ave 5 today! 333 Cliff branch r, 516-674-718 Visit our Sea Curreri, Branch Manage to um balance inEileen t, a $1,000 minim

team!

When:

Wednesday, Apr and 4PM-7PM il 18 • 10AM-1PM RCI Headquarte 2 Endo Blvd., Garrs den City Can't make it to the job fair? Interviews availa ble Where:

careers@liherald.comby appointment. Email your resum

If you have a special moment you would like to share, RICHNER like a 100th birthday celebration, your child’s athletic achievement or a simple outing with your family in our coverage area send us your photo and a short descriptive paragraph. apple bk - SEA

CLIFF-GLEN

HEAD HERALD

GAZETTE

- CD-GRAND

S - EFF DATE

YIELD SAVING

e to

1863 · Member Established

FDIC

nk.com

www.appleba

2/27/2018

970925

s Accoun or require any time. *CDsFor the Grand Yield Saving APY, $50,000 um ** the Bank at changed by an Apple Bank branch. $25,000-$49,999: 1.60% ,000 maxim d as and may be opene combined $3,000 99: 1.60% APY, of 3/6/2018 be opened in person at account. A s. This account may be effective as $10,000-$24,9 disclosed are y may apply. CDs must -$9,999: 1.60% APY, deposit required to open same addres tage Yields (APYs) awal penalt at these tiers: $2,500 99. $100 minimum a family residing at the Annual Percen interest. Early withdr d as $1-$2,4 or more es between t. A household is define open and earnon daily balances of $2,500 t prior notice. t paid on balanc Accoun withou s interes earned time no Saving terest at any Grand Yield APY. There is be withdrawn more: 1.60%household applies to the t. Offer may deposit per or statement savings accoun a passbook

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

INC

4:27:59 PM

1 3-6-18.indd

For more infor

mation call: 516www.LIHerald. 569-4000 X239 com

967351

Cal will cloamnd I your ho e to Immed use iately!

Email your submission to Andrew Garcia at agarcia@liherald.com

Feeling sad because your clothes aren’t fitting anymore? Feeling concerned about working out at a gym? Want to tone up but feel like you need help doing things safely?

Call for a FREE PRICE QUOTE Sterling Silver: All Flatware: Wallace, Tiffany, Gorham, Georg Jensen, etc. Tea Sets and Serving Pieces

take advantage of our 30 Day KiCKstart to HeaLtH Program to get

Diamonds • Jewelry • Watches Certified GIA Gemologist on premises Thank you for all your years of trust

• Personalized fitness and nutrition program to help you tone up & feel confident.

We Specialize in Mid Century Modern Furniture and Asian Antiques

• Workout in a 3000 square foot facility, with an a hygiene rating and maximum of 4 people in the gym at one time.

516-524-6000

• address pain to ensure your movements are safe. Offer Ends January 21st 2021

Book an intro CaLL at our website www.lotusfitnessny.com or call at (516) 513-0252 now because there are only 4 spots available due to capacity.

3058 Hempstead turnpike, Levittown, nY 11756

(516) 513-0252

www.gardencityantiques.com

• Licensed, Bonded & Insured Dealer • Member of the American Society of Appraisers • AAA Rated Member of the Better Business Bureau 1117320

Lotus Fitness

HIGHEST PRICES PAID!!!

1117591

ation that . clear indic g the troop alists amon future journ

s iN the Ne

HEAD HERALD GAZET

munications Richner Com there were a few

By AlyssA seidm

Neighbor

SEA CLIFF/GLEN

s iN the Ne

es a tour of Troop 22 tak

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

rs 35 Yeagrity e Of Int

Ever wondered how to be included in our Neighbors in the News page?

Neighbor

Our commitment of caring for Long Island is well-established, so we decided to shorten our name. We’re now Catholic Health Services of Long Island. No matter your health need, you can count on our highly-awarded, compassionate network of care.

HOSPITALS:

CONTINUING CARE:

MEDICAL GROUP:

• St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center®

• Catholic Health Home Care • Good Shepherd Hospice

• Catholic Health Physician Partners

• Good Samaritan Hospital

• Good Samaritan Nursing & Rehabilitation

• St. Charles Hospital • St. Catherine of Siena Hospital • Mercy Hospital • St. Joseph Hospital

• Our Lady of Consolation Nursing & Rehabilitation • St. Catherine of Siena Nursing & Rehabilitation

Learn more at chsli.org/catholichealth

Catholic Health Services of Long Island is now Catholic Health 1117764

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021 Photos by Brian Stieglitz/Herald

BLAck LIvES Matter demonstrators marched in Wantagh last weekend to condemn the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Protesters clash at Black Lives Matter march By BRIAN STIEGLITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com

Two political groups faced off at the Wantagh Long Island Rail Road station on Saturday during a Black Lives Matter protest in response to the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Protesters were marching to condemn systemic racism and double standards in policing, they said, specifically in light of last week’s swarming of the Capitol by a mostly white crowd protesting the results of November’s presidential election. “They want to take us back to a time when everyone else was under their boots,” Terrel Tuosto, 28, of West Hempstead, said of the demonstrators in Washington. Tuosto was one of the organizers of the Wantagh protest, which included members of the local activist groups Black, White, Brown United and Long Island Peaceful Protest. As Tuosto spoke, a group of about a dozen counterprotesters congregated across the street and began chanting “All lives matter!” and “This is what communism looks like!” among other phrases. The group carried a large “Trump 2020” flag, and most wore sweatshirts that said “F--- Antifa,” while others sported propolice shirts and hats. Nassau County police separated the two groups on opposite sides of Railroad Avenue, in front of the LIRR platform. Addressing the Black Lives Matter protesters, Tuosto brought up the reaction of many Trump supporters to Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who in the 2016 NFL season took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality. Many who disagreed with Kaepernick said he was disrespecting the American flag, Tuosto said. But some of the protesters who raided the U.S. Capitol building were seen removing an American flag and replacing it with a Trump flag, among other actions of vandalism. “Where is the outrage now?” Tuosto asked. He encouraged the group to ignore the

TERREL TuoSTo, LEfT, spoke with Nassau County police officers before the march. counterprotesters, and likened them to children screaming to get attention. “You don’t have to explain yourself to them or go back and forth,” he said. “That’s what they want.” Before the group started marching, a Nassau County police officer explained to Tuosto that they could not block vehicular or pedestrian traffic and had to march on the sidewalk. They stepped off and began marching on Wantagh Avenue, before police officers began shouting that they would be arrested if they did not leave the street. Officers then shepherded the protesters and counterprotesters to the sidewalks on either side of the avenue, where both groups marched north. Tuosto has led a number of marches on Long Island since George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last May. Terrel and his brother, Tiandre, were arrested on June 12 at a protest in East Meadow for allegedly blocking traffic. Tuosto’s arrest was captured in a video, which later went viral on Twitter, that shows officers throwing him to the

ground and pinning him to the pavement before handcuffing him. Over the course of dozens of protests since then, Tuosto and his fellow organizers have been handcuffed, pinned to the

ground and detained a number of times for similar infractions. Most of the incidents can be seen in videos on the Facebook and Twitter pages of Long Island Peaceful Protest. Saturday’s march came after Tuosto resigned from the county’s Police and Community Trust and Community Collaborative Task Force — a subset of the county’s Public Safety Committee — along with several other members, over what they called a lack of inclusion or input in the county’s plans for police reform. The Public Safety Committee has been drafting plans for police reform at public meetings in response to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations all summer and in the months since. But advocates like Tuosto have said they were not given enough time to address their concerns at Public Safety Committee meetings or enough knowledge about the county’s plans. About an hour into Saturday’s demonstration, the counterprotesters left and the Black Lives Matter group continued to residential side streets of Wantagh. They marched until sunset, finishing back at the Wantagh LIRR station.

Public Notices

LBEL1 0114

LEGAL NOTICE BELLMORE-MERRICK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BELLMORE U.F.S.D. MERRICK U.F.S.D. NORTH BELLMORE U.F.S.D. NORTH MERRICK U.F.S.D. TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU NOTICE TO BIDDERS: In accordance with provision of Section 103 of the General Municipal Law, the Board of Education of the Bellmore-Merrick Transportation

Consortium hereby invites the submission of sealed bids for: Bellmore-Merrick Cooperative School Year Bid 2020-2021 Bids will be publicly opened and read at the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Business Office, 1260 Meadowbrook Road, North Merrick, New York, on Tuesday, January 26, at 10:00 am. Specifications and Bid Forms may be obtained from the office of Tom Volpe, Director of

Transportation, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. The Board of Education reserves the right to waive any informalities in or to reject in whole or in part all bids or to accept any bid which in its judgment is in the best interest of the school district. By order: Board of Education BELLMORE-MERRICK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BELLMORE U.F.S.D. MERRICK U.F.S.D.

NORTH BELLMORE U.F.S.D. NORTH MERRICK U.F.S.D. 124379

PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com TO PLACE AND AD CALL 516-569-4000 x 232 PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES To place a notice here call us us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com

HERALD

Employment

CLASSIFIED

To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5

Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail you ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.

Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify and ad.

(We said it was simple. We didn’t say it was easy.) to join our outside sales team, contact Rhonda glickman. send your resume today. rglickman@liherald.com, 516-569-4000 x250.

Civil Service Positions

Cleaner Substitute (P/T)* (on a will call/as needed basis; must be available am or pm) Exp. Pref’d. Salary: $15.50/hr

*Applicants must be approved by NC Civil Service & obtain fingerprint clearance from NYS Ed Dept. Must pass fingerprint and background check by NYS Dept. of Criminal Justice Services & review by US FBI

School Monitors (P/T)*

HERALD Community Newspapers

real local, real news EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted $18.50 NYC, $16 L.I. & up to $13.50 Upstate NY! If you need care from your relative, friend / neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as a personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed. Phone: 347-713-3553

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, Night Availability is a Must. Please Email Resume to ehecker@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

HANDYMAN WANTED

Must have clean driver's license. Must be able to do light plumbing and carpentry. 4-day work week. $700 per week. 100% Medical & Dental, 401K, Uniforms, Paid Vacations, Sick and Holidays. Apply in person: MondayFriday between 9am & 7pm At: CALL-A-HEAD CORP. 304 Crossbay Blvd., Queens, NY 11693 INSTALLER HELPER FOR SHOWER COMPANY IMMEDIATE HIRE WILL TRAIN F/T Heavy lifting. Positive Attitude. Team player. Freeport/Merrick area. Call 516- 634-4000

RELIANCE HOME SENIOR SERVICES 1 SUNRISE MALL, MASSAPEQUA, NY 11758

West Hempstead UFSD Openings

If interested, submit letter of interest, resume by January 28, 2021 (Noon) to:

Effective immediately:

Part-Time School Monitors - $17.19/hr. Sub Clerical - $15.00/hr.

Dr. Alison Offerman-Celentano Assistant Superintendent

INC

LEGAL SECRETARY PT: Freeport Law Office. Minimum 4yrs. Personal Injury Experience Required. Bi-lingual A Plus But Not Necessary. Call 516-384-6511 Or Email Resume To: stephencivardi@pobox.com

MEDIA SPECIALIST: For Sharona Beck Realty, A Long Island Real Estate firm. Must be creative and dependable and be able to create, oversee and execute content on their social channels. Expertise in Social Media Platforms, Understanding of CRM databases and Competent with photo/video editing software a must. Email info@sharonabeckrealty.com with a resume

MULTIPLE POSITIONS Lindenhurst, NY area. Financial Analysts: Determine cost of operations; collect operational data. Guide cost analysis process by establishing & enforcing policies. Marketing Managers: Oversee & develop marketing campaigns. Conduct research & analyze data to identify & define audiences. Send res & specify position to Visual Citi Inc., 305 Henry St., Lindenhurst, NY 11757.

OFFICE HELP WANTED: MANY POSITIONS AVAILABLE

$22.50 PER HOUR PLUS MEDICAL/DENTAL. Employment type: Full time /Overtime available Multiple Shifts Available LOOKING TO HIRE TODAY!!! No Lay offs! WILL TRAIN. CALLAHEAD OFFERS 2 WEEKS PAID VACATION, HOLIDAY S , 4 0 1 K , A N D H E A LT H A N D DENTAL BENEFITS. PLEASE APPLY IN PERSON MONDAY- FRIDAY AT 304 CROSS BAY BLVD, QUEENS NY 11693

1117438

liherald.com

WALK-IN TO APPLY AT

FAX (516) 431-7550

Sub Cleaners, Sub Monitors - $14.00/hr.

Equal Opportunity Employer A Service of Nassau BOCES

$18.50 NYC, $16 L.I., up to $13.50 Upstate NY! If you need care from your relative, friend/ neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as a personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed.

Phone: 347-713-3552 ROUTES AVAILABLE AT CALLAHEAD Corp.

NO CDL required, 4 DAY WORK WEEK, (enjoy 3 days off). Run your own route. Year round No lay offs! 100% medical, dental, uniforms, 2 weeks paid vacation. 401K. Plus commission. Will train! 4am-2:30pm. . Route driver $800.00 per week, includes $100.00 weekly bonus program. Plus 10-12 hours overtime. Apply in person Monday- Friday 9am-7pm at 304 Crossbay Blvd, Queens NY 11693 SCHOOL BUS AND Van Drivers Best Pay/Benefits package in the industry Start at $25.19 Bus and $21.97 Van Call Hunti n g t o n C o a c h t o d ay 6 3 1 - 2 7 1 - 8 9 3 1 www.huntingtoncoach.com Why Not Print

Send cover letter & resume to: Amy Tenenbaum, Personnel Coordinator West Hempstead UFSD 252 Chestnut Street West Hempstead, NY 11552 Or E-mail: hr@whufsd.com

1112179

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

 ALFREDO (917) 833-9370

Assist students in the cafeteria and/or on bus Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm Salary: $14.00/hr *Must be approved by NC Civil Service & obtain fingerprint clearance from NYSED. All school monitors have opportunity to join the Employees’ Retirement System

salary, commission, bonuses and benefits. must have own vehicle and valid driver’s license.

RICHNER

BENEFITS: • $14.41 Immediate Job Placement • Health, Dental, Vision, & Life Insurance ($5) • 1199 Union Benefits • Weekly/Overtime/Holiday Pay • Tuition Reimbursement • Member Wellness Benefits • Direct Deposit • Cases in Nassau Co & 5 Boroughs REQUIREMENTS: • PCA/HHA Certification • Flu Shots • NYS Photo ID & SS Card • Inoculation Record • Physical Exam, Drug Test • 2 Reference Letters

CLUTTER

choose

RICHNER Printing Services

Call Lou today at 516-569-4000 ext 223

Equal Opportunity Employer One phone call, one order, one heck of a good price to run your ad in any state, or across the country.

Call the USA Classified Network today!

1-800-231-6152

CRAZY? driving you

Sell your merchandise in no time! Email your Ad to the Herald and PrimeTime Classiﬁed Department at

sales@liherald.com • Eco friendly facility • Environmentally safe soy based inks • Recycled paper • Help reduce the carbon footprint

1117790

We hire the smartest people who can solve the hardest marketing objectives with an arsenal of solutions and a smile through the journey.

PERSONAL CARE AIDES NEEDED IMMEDIATELY!!!

Island Park, New York

to run a FREE "Finds Under $100"

1117911

RecRuiting a great sales team is Really simple.

ISLAND PARK UFSD

1104975

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

HOME OF THE WEEK

Hewlett Harbor

e s t. 1 9 1 1

Luxury Living in Hewlett Harbor

his home is a one of a kind stunner in exclusive Hewlett Harbor. Built with top of the

line materials and appliances, this home sits high above the street and features finishes unlike any other. The exquisite moldings, marble flooring and high end appliances throughout make this home very special. You will be wowed from the minute you pull up in the circular driveway and step into the stunning two story foyer. This home is Located in a top school district and in close

© 2019 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. All rights reserved. CENTURY 21® and the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated. It is your responsibility to ensure that the marketing materials you choose or create are compliant with real estate and other local laws in your area.

proximity to Manhattan, Brooklyn

CENTURY 21 Celebrating 50th ANNIVERSARY

RVC Sherlock Homes, Est 1982 Century 21 Franchise Since 1993

Roger Hart & Judith Hart, Broker/Owners 43 N. Park Ave, Rockville Centre C21sherlock.com l 516-764-2601

REAL ESTATE Open Houses EAST ROCKAWAY 1 Thompson Dr, OPEN HOUSE BY APPT, 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Exp Ranch w/Open Layout in Waverly Park Area. Updtd EIK. O/S Prop w/Deck. Att Gar. SD#20..$599,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman RE 516-238-4299 HEWLETT HARBOR ba, 236 Richards Lane 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary Home on an Acre Of Resortlike, IGP, Open Floor Plan. Full Fin Bsmt. Main Flr Master. SD14...$1,499,000 WOODSBURGH 185 BAY Dr, OPEN HOUSE BY Appt, 5/6 BR, 4.5 Bth Exp Ranch on Parklike 1/2 Acre Prop. Guest Q u a r t e r s , F u l l B s m t , 2 C a r G a r. SD#14...$1,450,00 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

1117905

Family Owned Business Support Local

House For Sale EAST ROCKAWAY WATERVIEW! 3Bds, 2Bths, EIK, FDR, LR, Den, FBasement, Garage,,Large Yard. Zone X-no flood insurance. Too Much To List! 516-241-6075 MLS: 3271059/ Coldwell Banker HEWLETT BAY PARK 40 Heron Dr, NEW TO MARKET!! 10,000 Sq Ft Waterfront Proper ty on an Acre of Parklike Grounds Tucked away in Cul de Sac. 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary. Soaring Ceilings. IG Pool, Hot Tub. 285' Vinyl Bulkhead Raised & Redone, Dock. 3 Car Garage...$4,650,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman RE 516-238-4299 HEWLETT HARBOR 105 Lake Dr, NEW TO MARKET!! Spectaular Water & Golf Course Views. 4 BR, 4.5 Bth 4500 sq Ft Contemporary w/ Open Layout & Soaring Ceilings, 2 Car Gar, SD#14..$1,995,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman RE 516-238-4299

and Queens. Schedule your private tour today 516-791-1313.

Ronnie Gerber 516-238-4299

1117569

• To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

OPEN HOUSES BY APPOINTMENT SUNdAY, 1/17/21 HEWLETT BAY PARK

40 Heron Dr, BA, NEW TO MARKET!! 10,000 Sq Ft Waterfront Property on an Acre of Parklike Grounds Tucked away in Cul de Sac. 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary. Soaring Ceilings. IG Pool, Hot Tub. 285' Vinyl Bulkhead Raised & Redone. Dock. 3 Car Garage ....................................................................... $4,650,000 70 Heron Dr, BA, 6 BR, Contemporary with Open Layout on an Acre of Parklike Property. Move Right in! SD#14 ..... $1,699,000 159 Meadowview Ave, BA, Stately 5200 Sq Ft Colonial Featuring 6 BR, 6.55 Bths on Acre Of Resortlike Prop with IG Pool, Tennis Ct, & Outdoor Kit. Fin Bsmt, 2 Car Gar, Fabulous Location in SD#14 ................................. REDUCED!! $2,699,000

HEWLETT HARBOR

105 Lake Dr, BA, NEW TO MARKET!! Spectaular Water & Golf Course Views. 4 BR, 4.5 Bth 4500 sq Ft Contemporary w/ Open Layout & Soaring Ceilings, 2 Car Gar, SD#14 ........... $1,995,000 3 Payne Circle, BA, 5 BR, 3.5 Bth Spacious Split on Beautiful Street in Cul de Sac. State of the Art EIK, 2 Dens, Bsmt, & 2 Car Gar. SD#20 .................................................................$1,190,000 236 Richards Lane, BA, 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary Home on an Acre Of Resortlike Prop with IG Pool. Open Floor Plan. Full Fin Bsmt. Main Flr Master. SD14 ........... REDUCED! $1,499,000

WOOdSBURGH

185 Bay Dr, BA, 5/6 BR, 4.5 Bth Exp Ranch on Parklike 1/2 Acre Prop. Guest Quarters, Full Bsmt, 2 Car Gar. SD#14 .. $1,450,000

EAST ROCKAWAY

1 Thompson Dr, BA, 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Exp Ranch w/Open Layout in Waverly Park Area. Updtd EIK. O/S Prop w/Deck. Att Gar. SD#20........................................................................... $599,000 101 Emmet Ave, BA, WATERFRONT! Rebuilt in 2010, 4 BR 3.5 Bth Split w/ Pool, Outdoor Kit & Deck. Open Layout. Private Mstr Ste, 2 Car Gar, SD#20 ....................................... $1,250,000

Helping you find a HOME or sell a HOME

516-791-1313 1208 Broadway Hewlett, NY 11557 VIPropertiesNY.com

75 SEAMAN AVENUE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE o: 516.766.7900 | signaturepremier.com

THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING? Contact one of our hardworking professionals today for all of your real estate needs!

We look forward to providing home buyers and sellers with the highest level of personalized service and support. *If your property is currently listed with another brokerage, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the listings of other brokerages.

1112376

Apartments For Rent CEDARHURST NO FEE Pr ivate Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For O n e B e d r o o m W h e n Ava i l a bl e. (516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978 EAST ROCKAWAY - LARGE STUDIO All Newly Redone. Beautiful Updated Kitchen, inc Dishwasher, Access to Washer/Dryer, Near Train. Avail. Immediatlely. $1650 + 1 Mth Security. inc Utilities. Stan 516-434-9385 VALLEY STREAM NORTH, Lower Level Studio. Suitable One, No Smoking/ Pets. Includes All & Cable $825, 516-561-2155

Space For Rent YARD SPACE - WANTAGH, Residential Backyard. Car, Jet Skis, Snowmobiles,, ATV's $125/month. 516-816-7383.

… a place to call your own. Suburb or country, house, condo, townhouse or apartment, our Classifieds can help you find a HOME that fits your style, your budget and Real Estate needs... it’s a MUST SEE!

Call us today!

Your Hometown Newspaper

To Place an Ad Call: 516-569-4000 • Press 5

Rent Your Apartment through the Herald and PrimeTime Classified section. Call us for our great *specials. 516-5694000, press 5 for Classified Dept. *(private party only)

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

Homes

HERALD

‘Are we living in a police state?’

Homes

HERALD

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

• To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Now is the time to buy or sell a home. Buyers are enjoying lifetime low interest rates. Sellers are getting multiple offers at and above asking prices. Housing inventory is extremely low and buyer demand is strong.

Real estate

1117653

Call me for a free professional consultation.

Melinda Beauchamp Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Mobile: 516.721.7805

mbeauchamp@coachrealtors.com mbeauchamp.coachrealtors.com 314 Sunrise Highway Rockville Centre NY 11570

Melinda & Thor

ApArtments For rent Freeport/BAldwin AreA No Pets or smokiNg

spacious 3 Br top Floor 2 Family House, parking, nice Area $3000 +Gas & electric.

Broker - 516-378-2884

1116846

luxury 1 Br Fully renovated, large walk-in Closet, elevated Bldg, walk to lirr. $2400 +Gas & electric.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR HOME IS WORTH?

Call for Your FREE Home Market evaluation now! Lisa a. Fava CBR, sRs, aBR

LiCensed assoCiate BRokeR, LiCense #10301204103 1116815

50 Hempstead avenue Lynbrook, nY

516 815-2434

“Going Above & Beyond to find your Dream Home”

IN BRIEF Coach Realtors Welcomes Meliza Berrios

Meliza Berrios also known as Liz is a lifelong resident of the 5 Towns. Growing up in a diverse community taught her to embrace cultures, to be humble and be diligent. After 25 years working in the medical field, she has decided to change careers and assist people in finding their dream home. She has a passion for renovation, restoration and décor, allowing her to guide each client to see the possibilities in a property and look beyond any imperfections. Liz has a cheerful personality, is compassionate and takes pride in ensuring people are content. Her administration and communication skills are some of the attributes she will be adding to the Hewlett team. She is bilingual - speaking Spanish and English. With her extensive background, social network and work ethic, she is prepared to find a buyer for your home and/or find the perfect home for your family. Contact our office to meet her and LIST with LIZ! Meliza Berrios mberrios@coachrealtors.com 516-668-1145 Realtors are encouraged to send briefs and photographs to: Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd.., Garden City, NY 11530.

Rhonda Healy

M: (516) 236-7269

Real Estate Salesperson, abR, SRS E: Rhonda.Healy.VW@gmail.com Verdeschi & Walsh Realty 1025 W. Beech St. | Long Beach, NY

OneKey Multiple Listing Service

1114108

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

One phone call, one order, one heck of a good price to run your ad in any state, or across the country.

Call the

USA Classified Network today!

1-800-231-6152

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, It’s inESTATE the Herald Classifieds... REAL & MORE... To Advertise Call 516-569-4000 JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... press 5

Q. I’m so confused. I keep seeing programs on TV where it looks much simpler and the cost is so much lower than I’m getting estimates for. I also notice that there are no building inspectors, architects or permits. Why is this? Are we living in a police state? What is the real situation? I need to save time and money.

A. I’ve noticed, over the years, the difference between the generation that trusted architects and engineers to advise them and the Information Age clients, who get their answers from TV shows and cellphones, even if the media information is staged, exaggerated and inaccurate. It really all comes down to money, and it always has. Unless cononte eeper sumers understands that they know only a tiny amount of the full equation, they feel emboldened by the misinformation being fed by inexperienced or uneducated people offering opinions without substance. You need to realize that the shows you see on TV are paid for and starred in by people who aren’t licensed professionals, and even when they’re pouring their heart into how nice-looking they can make the home or how much they can get for their investment, they’re often creating issues that would not pass in your state or climate region. What I experience, weekly, are people who are given wrong advice by non-professionals who have generally never experienced having to put their name on the project, legally, and haven’t had to accept responsibility, either personally or professionally, for the unknowing problems they create. In just a single week, I encountered multiple problems with people making bad decisions. Many media shows are made in places where there is minimal regulation. States where some shows are filmed require no professional input. Many shows never include anything official in the form of licensed professionals, building officials, regulations, permits or even the mention of permits. While permits don’t make buildings stand up, shows mislead people into thinking of how easy or fast a project can get built. Thus, the reality upsets people who, in some cases, refuse to accept the truth. People feel empowered to defy the law. During only one day, a contractor decided to ignore the hours when construction work could be done, another told the client he could change the structure, and another tried to defy the zoning requirements by changing the height. The next day, a potential client showed me their foundation-less deck, intending for it to be documented for a permit so they could sell. They weren’t expecting to be told they would need to invest in foundation piers under each post, which the law requires. Then there are the contractor and plumber who were willing to do the work and take the money, during the pandemic, just not to cooperate with filing for the permit when the building department reopened. Hollywood is based on myth and illusion. Reality actually saves time and money, if you get caught or things have to be done over again.

Ask The Architect

© 2021 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.

Market Place • •

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Dave marlOWe Plumbing, inC.

947101

DBA BOB PHILLIPS PLUMBING

Over 100 Years Of familY Plumbing Oil to Gas • Toilets • Faucets • Repairs & Replacements Waste Piping • Water Piping Mention this ad and get

10% Off on labor only

1114047

• Permits & Legalizations • Certified NYS Backflows • Licensed Master Plumber • Insured • FREE Estimates 1113171

OffiCe: 516-766-4583 Call/TeXT: 516-840-9432

A Fresh CoAt For A Fresh stArt!

OWA_LessIsMore_BW_Bold Sunday, August 02, 2020 11:27:28 AM

CAll JD PAINtING & reMoDelING CorP

If Your Plumbing STINKS

FUTURE WINDOWS & SIDING 718-224-7079 917-945-7079

Father & Son Owned

• Oil to Gas Conversions • Hot Water Heaters • Boilers All Plumbing & Heating Work For House Lifts • Licensed and Insured!

SPECIAL!

FREE ESTIMATES 4 HR EMERGENCY SERVICE

wenkpipingandheating.com

OFF

Any Service Call For New Customer

1105410

$999 VINYL SIDING Up to 1000 sq ft

Licensed & insured

1112267

1066253

Sinks • Tubs • Toilets • Sewer Lines

1117369

senior Citizen Discounts

Call For Winter Specials

• ConCrete • BriCk Patios • stooPs • stuCCo • Belgium BloCks • sidewalks • drainage ProBlems • Cellar entranCe • waterProofing • driveway sealing demolition • dumPster serviCe • Powerwashing • handyman rePairs

Page 2 is 4C constructed in InDesign. This page is a PDF exported from page 2 and converted to grayscale. Use 600 dpi for exporting.

1078401

1117988

No service in Long Beach

516-424-3598 516-807-3852

www.lucyluulivingwater.com

1113846

Se Habla Espanol

516-668-3607

(516)409-9696 • (631)422-9696

CALL FOR MORE INFO

BLACKTOP

Cell:

Email: gaby1234@optonline.net to own the Enagic Ionizer Machine.

ALL CLEAR DRAIN & SEWER SERVICE

ALFREDO’S CONSTRUCTION in

1.99 Per Gallon

Free estImates...call anthony romeo

CALL NOW FOR LOWEST PRICE

BeSt priceS in town

lucy MenSAh

516-678-6641– Licensed & Insured

RELIABLE • 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE FAMILY OWNED FOR OVER 65 YEARS

the

AlkAline WAter Sold

It may not always be as pure as you think, and your tap water may be cleaner than you realize. What you need to know.

Also specializes in ★ Kitchens ★ Bathrooms ★ Finished Basements ★ Flooring ★ Repairs ★ Woodwork/mouldings ★ Siding ★ Gutters

HOME • COMMERCIAL

Specializing

conSuMer reportS:

Is Bottled Water Safer?

“Anthony & J Home Improvement, Inc.”

HEATING OIL

It's Healthier For You, Your Family, And Your Pets!

Residential and Commercial - All Phases

(516) 766-1666 FREE • Chimneys Repaired, Rebuilt & Tuckpointing ESTIMATES • Stainless Steel Liners Installed

Chimney Cleaning & Masonry Services Done By Firefighters That Care chimneykinginc.com

(516) 379-2727

Switch To Electrolyzed Restructured Water

Carpentry & Painting Specialist

Chimney King, Ent. Inc.

Fully licensed and insured Nassau • Suffolk • NYC

licensed and insured

Free estimates

1115133

Exp. 2/28/21

Installed

FLAT ROOFS SHINGLE ROOFS

W eNK PIPING & HEATING CORP. $25

$189

1109243

Call The WeNKS! 516-889-3200

1110755

aboveallgutters.com

1109488

516-297-1885

jairorzc58@gmail.com

1112012

516.431.0799

1112911

Safe Roof and Exterior Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Repairs, Installations

Specializing in: • Interior/Exterior Painting • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Basements • Wall Paper Removal • Power Washing

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

HERALD

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

HERALD

Stuff

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 Electricians

MERCHANDISE MART

Antiques/Collectibles We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 40 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid.. SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464

SERVICES

E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas. Services/Repairs. Violations Removed. Free Estimates Low Rates. 516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.

Handyman HANDYMAN: All Kinds OF Interior Repairs. Baths, Kitchens, Tiles, Plumbing, Sheetrock, Painting, Carpentry. Licensed A n d I n s u r e d . E m e r g e n c y Wo r k . 516-810-0067 l handynyman.com MIKE THE HANDYMAN: Light JobsPlumbing, Electrical, Specializing Vinyl Tiles, Gardening, Powerwashing, Painting. Interior And Exterior. Experienced. Reliable And Honest. Call Cell 516-225-8107; 516-837-3436

• To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 Home Improvement

Home Improvement

CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/ Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641

HANDY DANDY NO JOB TOO SMALL! *Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761

Check out our Service Directory for all your repair, decorating, party planning, cleaning or moving needs, and much more!

HErald

Crossword Puzzle

*MICHAEL LO BAIDO CONSTRUCTION*

Cement Specialist, Brickwork, Interlock Bricks, Belgium Blocks, Stoops, Patios, Basement Entrances, Pavers, Waterproofing. Quality Work, Lic./ Ins. Owner Always Onsite Free Estimates 516-354-5578

Junk Cars Wanted

Autos Wanted

HIGHEST CA$H PAID

DRIVE OUT BREAST Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

All Cars Bought 24/7 FREE Pickup

Serving Nassau County 41 Years No Title, No Keys=No Problem ID Required. CALL US LAST!

Call us at 516-766-0000

THE GENERAC PWRCELL, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-888-871-0194

Miscellaneous DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice R e m o t e . S o m e r e s t r i c t i o n s a p p l y. 1-888-609-9405 GET DIRECTV! ONLY $35/month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package.) PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918

Plumbing PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES! Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers. 24 Hour Emergency Response. 516-599-1011 PLUMBING & HEATING ALL TYPES Boilers, Bathrooms. Small/Large Jobs. Licensed. Call Chris 516-697-8001 or Tony 347-843-9243.

Tree Services T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE *Tree Removal *Stump Grinding *Pruning *Roof Line Clearing. Residential and Commercial. "We Beat All Competitors' Rates." Lowest Rates. *Senior Discount. Free Estimates. *516-223-4525, 631-586-3800 www.tmgreencare.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

NEED A CAR? Find it in the HERALD Classifieds.

&/877(5 GULYLQJ \RX

CRAZY?

Careers/Training TRAIN AT HOME TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

Education

6HOO \RXU PHUFKDQGLVH LQ QR WLPH

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

(PDLO \RXU $G WR WKH +HUDOG DQG 3ULPH7LPH &ODVVLÀ HG 'HSDUWPHQW DW VDOHV#OLKHUDOG FRP WR UXQ D )5(( )LQGV 8QGHU

Health & Fitness VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! 1-855-579-8907

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

Autos For Sale BUICK ROADMASTER 1994: Leather Interior, Excellent Working Condition, Must See To Appreciate. $3750. 516-428-3915 MERCEDES BENZ E350, 2006: 4-Matic, 70K Miles, Excellent Condition. Must See! $12,000. 516-603-8697 MERCURY 2007 MARQUIS LS, Auto A/C, New Tires, Only 52k miles, Must See $6500. 516-378-4258.

Autos Wanted ***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highe$t Ca$h Paid$ All Years/Conditions! WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct + Ca$h. DMV ID#1303199 Call LUKE 516-VAN-CARS 516-297-2277

Answers

to todAy’s puzzle

opInIons

spent last Wednesday afternoon scurrying up and down the stairs at home, rushing between my desk upstairs and the TV downstairs. I flipped between CNN, MSNBC and Fox, my pulse, as measured by my watch, racing faster as the afternoon went on. I was reporting on the insurrection at the Capitol for liherald.com, shooting emails to editors and reporters, talking with them on the phone and typing as fast as my fingers could move. By 4:30, we had published a story in which U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi sCoTT recounted the horrifying details of BRInTon the Capitol takeover by a violent mob. He had escaped unscathed, but he was clearly shaken. The afternoon was the ignominious end to the Trump presidency, a final, inglorious melee that concluded with five people, including one Capitol Police officer, dead. President Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Rep. Mo Brooks spoke at a rally that preceded the Capitol takeover, stoking anger. And so, only days before Trump will leave office, he is, it appears, once again under investigation. Karl Racine, the attorney general for Washington, D.C., told ABC News Friday that his office would examine the president’s

alleged role in inciting the violence. “Clearly, the Capitol was ground central in the mob’s behavior,” Racine told “Good Morning America.” “Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, even the president were calling on supporters and hate groups to go to the Capitol, and in Rudy’s words, ‘exercise combat justice.’ We’re going to investigate not only the mob, but those who incited the violence.” It was all unfathomably shocking, but unsurprising, given the angry messaging that Trump had telegraphed ever since he ran for president in 2015. Since Wednesday, officials and pundits, both Democrats and Republicans, have spoken out, calling the president a clear and present danger to the American people. Trump is, and has been, a destabilizing force, continually acting to divide rather than unify, they correctly noted. What we often lose amid Trump’s rapidfire tweets and fire-and-brimstone rally speeches, though, is the direct effect of his policies on the American people, in particular his dismantling of many environmental regulations enacted over decades to protect our health and our world. Before the insurrection, I had intended to write this week on all that President-elect Joe Biden must do to clean up Trump’s disastrous environmental policies, beginning with rejoining the Paris Agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions, which the

U.S. adopted in December 2015, President Obama signed in August 2016 — and Trump withdrew from in June 2017. The accord was signed by 196 nations before the U.S. pulled out. To date, the U.S. has been the only country to withdraw. It might seem incongruous to write about Trump’s environmental policy on a week when insurrectionists, egged on by the president, stormed the Capitol. It might, but it’s not. Both are directly related to the well-being of the American people. The invasion of the Capitol desecrated one of our most sacred government institutions and posed a direct threat to our democracy. Loosening environmental regulations while defiling our sacred lands — our national forests and parks — poses a direct threat to the planet. Humans — and all life forms, for that matter — require clean air and water. That was of little consequence to the Trump administration, however. According to the World Resources Institute, a Washingtonbased environmental think tank, Trump, nearly from the start of his presidency, targeted the Obama-era Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Under Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency repealed the plan — which, according to an EPA internal analysis, could result in 1,400 premature deaths because of air pollution and $30 billion in

an. 6 was an ignominious end to the Trump presidency.

health damages, with the worst effects in the industrial Midwest. Imagine that: The federal agency vested with protecting our environment and our health actually rolled back a policy that would help protect our planet and save lives. Let that sink in. That was Trump’s macro approach to our environment — a wholesale reduction in sound standards — but he also took a micro approach. He blocked a U.S. Department of Energy policy, established under the Bush administration in 2007, to phase out energy-inefficient light bulbs. The rollback, according to WRI, is expected to cost the average American household an extra $100 a year, and in the aggregate, families and businesses will spend an additional $12 billion a year. Imagine that: The federal agency charged with improving energy efficiency actually rolled back a policy aimed at doing just that. Why? The only answer is greed. Such rollbacks, of which there were dozens more under Trump, benefited not the American people, but the president’s corporate cronies. Yes, we must pay very close attention to the dangers before us in the here and now, but we also must address the slow-burning fires that Trump quietly set while distracting us with his Twitter tirades. Scott Brinton is the Herald Community Newspapers’ executive editor and an adjunct professor at the Hofstra University Herbert School of Communication. Comments about this column? SBrinton@liherald.com.

When it comes to Trump, newspapers go BIG

have seen my share of heart-stopping headlines. In The New York Times, I read “MEN WALK ON MOON,” “NIXON RESIGNS,” “U.S. ATTACKED” and the one-word, stand-alone headline from Nov. 5, 2008: “OBAMA.” These bold, 96-point headlines are saved for momentous, ground-shifting news. One editor famously said that if a headline writer wanted to go bigger than 96 point, it better read, “THE SECOND COMING.” Last week, the day after armed RAndI Trump supporters kReIss stormed and invaded the Capitol building, the Times blasted, “TRUMP INCITES MOB.” The San Francisco Chronicle went with one word, “INSURRECTION,” and The Guardian, in England, wrote, “ANARCHY IN THE USA.” Even though I saw the mob storming the Capitol in real time on television, I still could not fully absorb the impact of what was happening. Trump followers were incited by the president of the United States to loot and damage the Capitol building because inside, a fully legitimate election

was about to be formally signed and sealed. The raging violence of the mob was shocking, even though, in hindsight, it was inevitable. The president has been stoking this fire for years. But “anarchy” in the USA? Photos flashing around the world of crazed vandals desecrating our cherished monuments, breaking through windows to ransack the speaker’s desk? It looked like a Halloween melee gone berserk, complete with weird hats and freaky masks. One man wore a T-shirt that read “Camp Auschwitz.” They were clownish and rabid, rather than organized in any way. They got lucky, because law enforcement agencies weren’t organized, either, and so the mob raged for way too long, before the cavalry arrived. These people are Trump’s posse. He owns them; he owns the events of Jan. 6. And I sure hope we do more as a society than take away his freaking Twitter account. No one knows what will happen in the coming days, but in order to set the country right, every one of the thugs in the Capitol building that day, and every single one of the enablers and inciters, up to and including Trump himself, have to be held accountable for their parts in the riot. Otherwise, what has been undone,

what the mob did to destabilize our government, can never be reconciled. It won’t do to wipe off the fingerprints and pick up the broken pieces. How can we feel good about ourselves as a country until the violators are brought to justice? We Americans have always known our story. It is part of our national narrative. It goes like this: We are winners. We are optimists. We have a can-do attitude that allows us to face down our enemies and conquer any challenge that life presents. We invent things, fix things and help others. We are smart as hell, and we don’t come in second. Slowly, that narrative has unraveled. It didn’t happen last week when the Trumpers stormed the Capitol; it has been happening since Trump took office. Our pride and position have been diminished, and our reputation has been sullied. Serendipity played a part as well, with a worldwide pandemic landing on our doorstep, crushing us into small, isolated spaces. So, the new narrative is: In a creepy confluence of circumstances, a charismatic but fatally flawed leader rose to power in America at the same time that millions of people

nd I sure hope we do more than take away his Twitter account.

were drifting, feeling disenfranchised as the rich got richer and more powerful. A match was struck in the weeds of this discontent, and the conflagration began. It is still consuming our nation. Witness the events of Jan. 6. We have become reactive rather than proactive. Our leaders have had a failure of imagination. Rather than foreseeing and avoiding problems, we’re in the business of doing patches and fixes and cleanups. Wasn’t anyone reading Trump’s tweets when he was urging followers to come to Washington? Couldn’t anyone in the National Guard or the Capitol Police possibly have foreseen the danger ahead? We begin to reclaim our dignity by finding and arresting the people who ran amok last week. We begin by giving our new president and his people a chance to do the right things. People can disagree. They can raise their voices loud and long and vote their hearts and minds, but they cannot break windows in the people’s house or plant pipe bombs around the capital of the United States. Something has permanently shifted in our collective consciousness. Something unthinkable is possible that was not possible before: TRUMP INCITES MOB. Copyright 2021 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

A day of reckoning after four frightful years

Herald editorials

Bellmore

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

HERALD and Bellmore Herald News Established 1994

Please, get vaccinated when it’s your turn

Incorporating Bellmore Life

AlyssA seidmAn Editor Andrew GArciA Reporter robert cumminGs Advertising Account Executive office 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Web: www.liherald.com E-mail: belleditor@liherald.com Copyright © 2021 Richner Communications, Inc.

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS

Robert Richner Edith Richner Publishers, 1964-1987 ■ clifford ricHner stuArt ricHner Publishers micHAel boloGnA Vice President - Operations

n Monday, New York entered Phase 1b of the state’s Covid-19 vaccination program, meaning first responders, public safety and transit workers and anyone 75 or older can now get the vaccine. Phase 1a started in mid-December, with vaccinations first offered to health care workers and longterm care facility residents. By all measures, the vaccines are safe and effective. If you can sign up, you should seriously consider doing so. Getting the vaccine is a personal decision. No one can be forced to receive it. If we want to beat this virus, however, the vaccine is the way to do it. In Nassau County, we clearly need more vaccination sites, working around the clock, to get this job done. Social distancing and mask wearing are critical, but these measures were never intended to defeat the virus, only to slow

its progression until a vaccine could be developed and administered. Even after we have reached “herd immunity,” when 60 to 70 percent of the population has been vaccinated, we will likely have to continue preventive measures for some time to ensure that we are doing all we can to eradicate this viral invader. Last week, Nassau’s Covid-19 test positivity rate hovered around 5 percent — among the lowest in the country. Only three states — Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont — and the District of Columbia reported positivity rates below that. We must continue working to drive the rate down, remembering that it was less than 1 percent just over three months ago. New York state’s positivity rate last week was 7.9 percent, which was good compared with many other states — only 12 had lower rates. Still, it wasn’t good to see New York’s rate rising. Only a month ago,

the state had the fourth-lowest positivity rate in the country. In New York, and particularly downstate, we have suffered more than many other parts of the country, in large part because of our population density — the coronavirus breeds among people who are in close proximity to one another. When you’re wearing a mask in public, don’t let it drop down below your nose. The mask does little to no good if your nose is exposed. When you’re in line anywhere, respect social-distancing protocols. Stand six feet apart. We know, people are tired of hearing this again and again. It’s been 10 months since the coronavirus broke out in New York. We have to say it, though. If we can’t keep the positivity rate down, then the alternative is another shutdown, which no one wants.

■ scott brinton Executive Edtitor Jim HArmon

Copy Editor cHristinA dAly Photo Editor tony bellissimo Sports Editor KAren bloom Calendar Editor ■ rHondA GlicKmAn Vice President - Sales ellen reynolds Classified Manager lori berGer Digital Sales Manager

■

Jeffrey neGrin Creative Director crAiG wHite Production Coordinator crAiG cArdone Art Director ■ diAnne rAmdAss Circulation Director ■

HerAld community newsPAPers Baldwin Herald Bellmore Herald Life East Meadow Herald Franklin Square/Elmont Herald Freeport Leader Long Beach Herald Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald Malverne/West Hempstead Herald Merrick Herald Life Nassau Herald Oceanside/Island Park Herald Oyster Bay Herald Guardian Rockaway Journal Rockville Centre Herald South Shore Record Valley Stream Herald Wantagh Herald Citizen Seaford Herald Citizen

Published by richner communications, inc. 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 (516) 569-4000

It’s high time truth prevails once again

oseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s short, mercurial, ruthless propaganda minister, was known to many as the “poison dwarf.” By all accounts, he was insanely obsessive and manipulative, practicing the dark art of disinformation distribution like no one else. “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it,” Goebbels was quoted as saying, according to the Holocaust Research Project. We have been told any number of big lies — again and again — in recent years. The biggest, undoubtedly, was the one perpetuated by President Trump that he won November’s election. He did not. Joe Biden won — by a lot — as affirmed by our

courts, our state legislatures and now Congress. Last week, however, that lie cost five people their lives, after Trump riled up an angry mob of insurrectionists with fiery rhetoric and they stormed the Capitol, smashing through doors, stealing government property and pushing, shoving and striking members of the understaffed and overwhelmed Capitol Police force. During and after the melee, conservative news pundits and Republican lawmakers baselessly — and falsely — claimed that members of the left-wing, anti-fascist group Antifa were responsible for the riotous behavior of the loosely affiliated mass of Trump supporters, white supremacists and conspiracy theorists. That lie was

letters Hasn’t Trump done enough damage? To the Editor: In my six decades of being a U.S. citizen, never have I been more ashamed than after the events that occurred on Jan. 6. Just as we are anticipating good things for 2021 — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House; vaccines to eradicate, or lessen, the effects of Covid-19; the end of social distancing, working remotely and mask wearing; being able to hug family members who don’t live in the same household; sharing birthdays and holidays and any days with our friends and family — Trump trumps it all! It’s obvious he wanted to go out with a bang. But to incite a riot? He couldn’t have left bad enough alone? Hundreds of children separated from their parents at the border, still possibly never to be reunited? Downplaying the danger of Covid-19, even when he and his family members

amplified by hundreds of thousands of retweets. Last Wednesday, many have said, was a day of reckoning for Trump, and he now must own up to what he has done: peddled lies for political gain. It should also, though, serve as a day of reckoning for all of us — an inflection point when we decide, once and for all, to disown the disinformation campaigners and restore normalcy to our media stream. Truth, based on knowable facts, must be our hallmark. It is a tough ideal to live up to, for sure, but we must do better than we have in recent years. The alternative, as we saw last week, is to descend into chaos and demagoguery, and we know how that turned out for Germany.

opInIons

nauguration Day, Jan. 20, will bring much-needed change in our country. President-elect Joe Biden has made controlling the coronavirus pandemic a priority, and for the first time, the incoming administration will have a presidential adviser who will focus solely on health equity and pandemic-related racial health disparities. Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a Yale physician and researcher, will lead a new White House task force that will focus on equitable access to testing, treatments and vaccines, parmartIne ticularly in communities hardest Hackett hit by Covid-19. This national strategy promises to give the appropriate attention to the longstanding issue of health inequity that existed long before the pandemic began. An effective approach will need to be adjusted based on place, because where you live plays a role in your health. More than half of Americans live in suburbs, and health equity will look different here.

Even with the political influence that suburban voters had in recent elections, there has been little attention paid to understanding the significant role that suburban spaces have on the health of their residents. On Long Island and across the country, Black and Latino residents have disproportionately been infected by and died from the coronavirus. The reasons for their increased risk include working in “essential” in-person jobs, taking public transportation, living in more crowded housing, and lacking access to quality health care and respectful treatment. Though the task force’s immediate focus will be targeting medical resources and vaccines to vulnerable communities, members will also tackle the underlying social and economic inequalities that put them at risk in the first place. Nunez-Smith said that “what’s needed to ensure equity in the recovery is not limited to health and health care. We have to have conversations about housing stability and food security and educational equity, and pathways to economic oppor-

new task force will focus on equitable access to treatment.

Letters finally got the disease? Perhaps if “the people” he represents got the same VIP treatment and the same medicinal cocktail he received, then we could all say it’s nothing. But the staggering number of deaths in the U.S. indicates otherwise. Last Wednesday, as the chaos unfolded, Trump’s hoards of followers were rampaging through the Capitol, trying to stop his chosen vice president, Mike Pence, from doing his job, and the members of Congress from doing theirs. Seeing photos of them cowering under chairs sadly reminded me of the awful images we have seen or heard about too many times in our country, of schoolchildren, religious worshippers and others being in that same unfortunate situation. Some were lucky enough to be led out of harm’s way, but too many were not. We have seen so much ugliness in our country thanks to this “leadership.” I would be fired from my job if I ever referred to a colleague as “Pocahontas.” Yes, racial tensions have been around for a while, but they have escalated under Trump’s watch: BLM, anti-Semitism (yes, one of the rioters was wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” T-shirt). I could go on and on, but why? Until the powers that be open their eyes, I fear that things like this may just be allowed to happen, as they have been for the past four years. Now we are hearing about the rioters being arrested and eventually prosecuted to the “full extent of the law.” The followers are already being pursued, but

tunities and promise.” This comprehensive health equity approach needs to be understood in suburban regions like Long Island. Though we saw an outpouring of response to food insecurity in our communities as hundreds of distribution sites were set up, many of our fellow suburbanites used these services for the first time. The need for healthy and affordable food will persist when the pandemic has passed. Housing stability in the suburbs requires shifting from traditional singlefamily homes to multifamily housing and overcoming community resistance to supportive housing. Zoning changes will be required. At the same time, educational equity on Long Island is a fundamental suburban challenge as residential segregation and local control has restricted the quality of schools. Even something as basic as having local data publicly available to quantify health disparities so actions can be targeted is often missing in the suburbs. Nowhere on Nassau County’s daily “Covid-19 by the Numbers” tracker, for

example, is there a count of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations or deaths segmented by race and ethnicity. We cannot address what we do not see. Creating health equity in the suburbs will require a shift in how we approach what it means to be healthy. We cannot use the same approach and expect different results. The pandemic may have provided the push we need. Consider that the approved Covid-19 vaccines are based on a new approach to protecting against infectious diseases. Instead of putting an inactive germ in our bodies to trigger an immune response, mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that produces antibodies to protect us from infection. This approach has been around for decades, but it took a crisis to push it into reality. The incoming Biden administration’s stated commitment to combating health care injustice during and after the pandemic is an opportunity for the suburbs to shift our approach to finally attain health equity. Dr. Martine Hackett is an associate professor in the Master of Public Health and Community Health Programs at Hofstra University.

Framework by Christina Daly

what about the instigator? Why is the president still the president? SUSAN WALD North Bellmore

Taxpayers and commuters deserve accountability To the Editor: There is more to State Sen. Todd Kaminsky’s call to speed up repairs to the East River railroad tunnels. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said in June 2016 that the Federal Transit Administration provided $432 million in Superstorm Sandy funding to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for repairs to the East River Tunnel. Almost five years later, there is no evidence that any of the funds have been used for their original intended purpose. The MTA and LIRR have yet to complete negotiations with Amtrak to start this work. Are there any other FTA grantfunded capital projects still not under contract, behind schedule, over budget or with excessive change orders to base contracts? Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senators Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, MTA board members and other elected officials, including Kaminsky, and transit advocates need to look at how the billions of dollars in previously approved federal funds are being spent before complaining about future

He had the pier to himself — Oyster Bay

levels of Washington financial assistance being insufficient. Taxpayers and commuters deserve accountability. LARRY PENNER Great Neck

Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 NY Office.

BELLMORE HERALD LIFE — January 14, 2021

New leaders are the suburbs’ best shot at health equity

January 14, 2021 — BELLMORE HERALD LIFE

Wishing You And Yours A Joyful, Healthy, And Prosperous New Year

110 WALT WHITMAN RD, HUNTINGTON STATION, NY 11746. 631.549.7401.

1117566

Merrick Office 2300 Merrick Road 516.623.4500