Bellmore
HERALD Six athletes earn scholarships
Students observe Rainbow Week
Calhoun Colts play ball
Page 10
Page 15
Page 19
Vol. 23 No. 34
$1.00 $1.00
AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020
Bellmore Car Show is canceled tion Authority vehicles close down the unauthorized “car show.” Officials escorted attenTypically held from the first dants, vendors and a DJ off the week of May through the open- lot for operating without supering week of Octovision or a permit. ber every year, the “We were not Friday Night Car issued a permit for Show, hosted by the the car show this Chamber of Comye a r, ” ch a m b e r merce of the BellPresident Jim mores, has been Spohrer said. “It’s canceled for 2020 pretty well known because it does not that we don’t have have a Town of the permit. We’ve Hempstead permit. had a message H oweve r, t h e posted on our weblack of a permit site and a sign postand a host didn’t ed in the parking stop roughly 200 lot that it’s postcar and motorcycle poned until further enthusiasts from notice. congregating for “ We c o u l d n’ t months at the conduct the shows usual location — with the social-disthe Bellmore Long tance guidelines in Island Rail Road place due to the parking lot on Bell- JIM SpohRER pandemic, so the more Avenue — President, town returned our until authorities Chamber of Commerce check for the [perbroke up a gathermit] application,” of the Bellmores ing on July 31 folSpohrer added. lowing noise comDean Fazio, of plaints from residents. Bellmore, said he had attended That night, a photographer on the car show for 17 years and the scene watched Nassau Coun- was unaware of the permit situty Police Department cruisers and Metropolitan TransportaContinued on page 7
By ToNY BEllISSIMo tbellissimo@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Dylan Lipman
JohN F. KENNEdY High School’s Student Government Association held a Zoom meeting last Saturday to discuss how the club would conduct activities virtually and reshape operations under the district’s hybrid model once school starts on Sept. 8.
Views mixed on Central’s school reopening plan By AlYSSA SEIdMAN aseidman@liherald.com
When the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District announced that it would reopen under a hybrid model for the first two weeks of school — with plans to ease from a mix of online and inperson classes to a full reopening by Sept. 21 — the decision drew mixed reactions from parents and students. While a number of parents and students lauded
plans for a return to semi-normalcy, others feared that eventual full-time in-school instruction could cause Covid-19 cases to climb. “It’s a bit disturbing to me that they’re only giving the hybrid plan two weeks,” said parent Tara Bernstein, of Merrick. “At this point, fulltime school, while good for the social-emotional piece, is not safe.” Bernstein’s son is entering 10th grade at Calhoun High School in North Merrick this
year. While she acknowledged the district’s diligence in “putting students’ needs first” in the reopening, she said the hybrid model should be tried out for a month rather than two weeks “to see how the kids respond and if there’s a major outbreak,” she said. “As my kids’ pediatrician said, ‘There is no right answer, and a bunch of wrong answers,’” Bernstein said. “Any way you slice this, the kids lose.” Continued on page 4
e couldn’t conduct the shows with the socialdistance guidelines in place, so the town returned our check for the [permit] application.