Bellmore Herald 02-16-2023

Student performs standout

seniors compete in symposium

By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

For the second year in a row, seniors at John F. Kennedy High School were named regional semifinalists in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, a premier research competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Following several rounds of presentations, they’ll have the opportunity to win up to $12,000 in scholarships for future collegiate expenses.

From Bellmore, Tyler Bissoondial, Jessica Blumberg, and Amanda Levine, all 17, completed extensive

Continued on page 2

Community takes strong stance against fentanyl crisis

By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

At the Bellmore-Merrick Community Parent Center’s “One Pill Can Kill” event last week at the Brookside School in Merrick, one thing was abundantly clear: Families and parents are concerned about the increase in teens’ and adults’ use of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is infiltrating the national and local drug trade.

“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, one of the single deadliest drug threats our nation has ever encountered,” Wendy Tepfer, the parent center’s director, said. “No community is immune from

this poison.”

In partnership with the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District and the BellmoreMerrick Community Coalition, the parent center hosted its second informative gathering focused on fentanyl on Feb. 9, led by Ron Riebl, an advocate and community member from Bellmore.

“Last year, over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses driven by fentanyl, and the fastest-growing group of people that have been impacted are under 19 years old,” Tepfer added before turning the presentation over to Riebl. “Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, 100 times

DEREK MAltz

Retired DEA agent

stronger than morphine, and it is being laced into all kinds of other drugs, pills and powders and being sold by dealers to unsuspecting buyers.”

Riebl, whose three children attended Mepham High School, got involved in drug use preven-

tion after losing his 31-year-old godson, Timothy Mulligan, to a heroin overdose. The toxicology report revealed that the heroin was laced with fentanyl.

“He didn’t have a chance,” Riebl said. “I don’t ever want any parent of anybody to ever go through this.”

Addressing a mixed crowd of families, parents and students,

Riebl explained that today it is almost too easy for children, preteens and teenagers to get their hands on drugs. On social media apps like SnapChat, it’s easy to find dealers who will sell to just about anyone. What kids don’t realize is that a pill that might look like Percocet, or oxycodone, may actually be pure fentanyl,

Continued on page 11

Kids are supposed to learn from their mistakes, not die from their mistakes.

Jordan Vallone/Herald

JESSIcA BlUMBERg, AlYSSA Farber, Amanda Levine, Tyler Bissoondial, Luke Feldman and Ty Gelman, seniors at John F. Kennedy High School, were named semifinalists in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. They presented their projects at a competition last Sunday.

Years of work, for a shot at scholarship prizes

research projects for the competition, while enrolled in Kennedy’s Advanced Science Research program under the leadership of teacher Barbi Frank.

Three students from Merrick — Luke Feldman, Ty Gelman and Alyssa Farber — were also named regional semifinalists in JSHS.

As part of the Advanced Science Research program, aside from submitting projects to the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition — in which Bissoondial and Feldman were named semifinalists — students also have the opportunity to submit the same projects to other competitions, like JSHS. Bissoondial’s and Feldman’s projects were featured in the Jan. 26-Feb. 1 edition of the Bellmore Herald.

Unlike the Regeneron competition, Frank explained, students are judged solely on their research to be considered for a JSHS award.

“As opposed to the Science Talent Search, where it’s your paper and essays and whole scientific portfolio,” she said, “this is just based on your actual research — just based on the actual paper.”

JSHS offers first, second and third place prizes in categories including environmental science; life and behavioral science; medicine and health; biomedical science, engineering; math and computer

science; physical sciences; and chemistry. This allows individual projects to excel in particular fields of study.

Blumberg’s project, she said, focused on something she’s always been passionate about: women’s health. In particular, she studied endometriosis, a disease which effects the uterus, causing severe pain and infertility.

“It was really weird to me how such a common disease that affects about 190 million people was really understudied, under-researched and underfunded,” she said. “I came across a data science project, and that intrigued me, because I never really heard of women’s health being combined with data science and machine learning.”

Blumberg’s initial project soon became two separate ones. The first, which she submitted to Regeneron, helped define different types of endometriosis flare-ups that people face, and how to predict them from data.

Her second project, which she is currently working on, is using voice analysis by putting recordings of speech through a neural analyzer. “We can see if we can derive any characteristics out of that, that can predict their health sta-

tus,” she explained.

And Blumberg’s project has already been recognized — just last week, she received official word that she was invited to attend the 15th World Congress of Endometriosis in Scotland this summer, in recognition of her research and efforts.

Levine told the Herald she wanted to focus her project on addiction, because some of her family members had struggled with it in the past. As it was hard to research drug addiction among high school students, she instead decided to study caffeine.

Levine used fruit flies to aid her research, because 75 percent of the genes that cause disease in humans are also found in those insects.

Normally, fruit flies react to caffeinated food or drink in a negative way, Levine explained, often leading to death. She crossbred flies to remove their sense of smell and taste, and found that when the flies couldn’t taste the bitterness of caffeine, they consumed more regular food, and died at a slower rate.

“It suggests that taste and smell are connected in the fly like they are in humans,” she said. “And when regular flies die from caffeine, it was likely due to malnourishment and dehydration, and

not from eating food with caffeine in it.”

As regional semifinalists, Bissoondial, Blumberg, Levine, Feldman, Gelman and Farber presented their projects to a panel of judges on Feb. 12 at York College in Queens. Regional finalists are still to be named, but those chosen will advance to the national symposium, slated to take place in April in Virginia Beach.

Blumberg and Levine both said participating in ASR allowed them to do and learn more things than other students their age.

“I think this program is a wonderful opportunity to improve a wide breadth of skills, not only communication skills, but in general presentation skills and general research skills,” Blumberg said. “It really prepares you for college, and what else you might do in the future.”

“I think ASR just really differentiates its students from everyone else because you just dedicate so much time to one thing, and becoming an expert in one field,” Levine added. “It’s just a lot of work, and a really good experience to have to go through, and to complete it is really rewarding.”

To learn about Gelman and Farber’s projects and acceptance into JSHS, and to learn about Bissoondial and Feldman being named semifinalists in the Regeneron competition, visit LIHerald.com/ Merrick. For more about the science symposium, visit JSHS.org.

Ithink ASR just really differentiates its students from everyone

AmAndA LevIne Student

ALISON

WOhLStetteR

ANd Beverly Kleinman, students at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, have teamed up with a group of students in East Meadow to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Courtesy Beverly Kleinman

Students across three towns collaborate to fight cancer

By MALLORY WILSON mwilson@liherald.com

Two students from Bellmore-Merrick, Beverly Kleinman and Alison Wohlstetter, have partnered with students from East Meadow to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Ryan Monahan, Andrew Ignatiou, and Benjamin Krieger, all of East Meadow, are leading the fundraising team “Finding the Cure,” as candidates for the LLS Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. Their high school team has over 30 students, and is part of the Long Island Chapter which puts them against roughly 20 other teams.

Student Visionaries of the Year is a philanthropic leadership development program for high school students. During the campaign, students learn what it’s like to grow their entrepreneurship, marketing, management and organizational skills.

The campaign comes to its grand finale on March 23. All funds raised will benefit the LLS mission, — to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

The team has already raised over $2,000, and they have plenty events planned in the coming weeks.

They are directly collaborating with Kleinman and Wohlstetter, who attend John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, for a bingo fundraiser at the North Merrick firehouse at 2095 Camp Ave., in Merrick on March 4 at 7 p.m. The boys will then later host a “Taco Tuesday” night fundraiser at the East Meadow Chipotle at 2312 Hempstead Turnpike on March 7 from 4 to 8 p.m.

The East Meadow students were first introduced to Kleinman and Wohlstetter at an LLS event for all of the teams in November. They decided to collaborate because the girls’ team — Good Vibes

Save Lives — is only composed a few members. Kleinman has been a candidate for the student visionary campaign for the past three years.

“It’s about helping each other and our towns are so close,” Monahan said. “It allows us to kind of cooperate there and it’s about raising as much money as you can, so the more people, the better.”

Ignatiou said that the tips that the girls have given them helped them to reach out to businesses to secure sponsors.

“Even in our biggest year we had maybe 17 members,” Wohlstetter said. “It’s really exciting to see how many people really want to contribute to this type of fundraising, and I’m really excited to work with them to figure it out.”

For Wohlstetter and Kleinman, it’s all about community activities. They’ve done bake sales, Zumba classes, art classes and other fundraisers. So far they’ve raised over $800. Over the years, their efforts generated over $20,000.

“Beverly’s been involved with the campaign way longer than us so it’s all about helping each other and giving ideas,” Monahan added. “It’s a like a mentorship.”

Although the campaign journey has just started, the teams have definitely learned valuable skills.

“Public speaking is a very important trait,” Krieger said. “We went to a carnival at Eisenhower Park and there was businesses there and I would get really nervous to speak to people because it’s tough, but Beverly taught us that we just have to accept the “no.” You should always ask, because if you don’t, you won’t know what they would’ve said.”

Leadership, organizational skills, and confidence are what the students needed most in order to run a successful campaign.

“The best part about it,” Ignatiou said, “is that we have the opportunity to make an impact on a patient’s life and be one step closer to a cancer free world.”

RILeY FRIed, LeFt, Poetry Out Loud lead teacher Nicole Maresca and Sydney Florio. Fried took second place at a regional Poetry Out Loud Competition, and Sidney Florio, a fellow Mepham student, made it to the third round of the competition.

Riley Fried wows judges in regional poetry competition

By ROKSANA AMId ramid@liherald.com

Wellington C. Mepham High School senior Riley Fried took second place in the regional Poetry Out Loud competition on Feb. 3. Poetry Out Loud is an arts education program that encourages the study of poetry in high school students across the country at dynamic recitation competitions.

The competitions help bring out a student’s inner artist and performer by encouraging them to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Since its establishment in 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4.1 million students and 68,000 teachers from 17,000 schools across the country.

Fried’s talent in interpreting and analyzing poetry, combined with her natural public speaking ability, helped her secure the impressive win.

For the competition, students are expected to select poems, other than their own, which are meaningful to them. They memorize these poems and focus on aspects such as their stage presence, voice, and articulation, conveying the meaning of the poem through its language and accuracy throughout their performance.

Fried recited three poems, with each having their own unique, significance to her.

Fried first preformed “Big City Speech” by W.S. Di Pier, because she liked the structure of it. Fried said it’s as though the author is writing a letter to the city that he lives in, with layers of emotional complexity.

Her second poem, “Charles Sumner” By Charlotte L. Forten Grimke, is a piece Fried wanted to challenge herself with because of its length, old English syntax and the poem’s exploration of grief.

Her third performance, “Flowers” by Cynthia Sarin, was selected because Fried said it sounded like the author was speaking to a loved one while having a casual conversation about flowers that he bought her.

Fried will now move on to the state competition on March 11 in New York City, where she will compete against other regional winners.

Fried is an active community member

both inside and outside the classroom. She’s part of the school’s student-athlete leadership team, school choir, the Bellmore-Merrick Lady Sharks swim team, and the Long Island Aquatic Club. Her friends and family help to keep her motivated, she said, and provide emotional support through her busy days.

“I’ve just been doing as much as I possibly can, and it does get stressful — it gets very stressful,” she said, “but something that I find helps is surrounding myself with people who also go through similar things.”

Fried said she was first encouraged to compete on the advice of her English teacher Nicole Maresca, who is also the lead teacher for the Poetry Out Loud program. When Fried first competed, she did not place in the competition. Although Fried felt a little discouraged after the loss, Maresca convinced her to enter again.

“Riley has a natural ability to captivate an audience with her poise and confidence,” Maresca said. “Watching Riley recite poetry for a live audience was a real treat.”

From a young age, Fried was surrounded by literature and literary references under the guidance of her mother, who’s also an English teacher. As she grew older, Fried learned to mix the craft of writing and expressing her emotions, but it wasn’t an easy start for the young poet.

As a child, Fried said she was closeted about her emotions and writing. “I wouldn’t necessarily want people to know that I felt the way I did,’” Fried said, “because I didn’t want them to take it as vulnerability.”

As she continued to write and express herself more freely, she realized that writing and exploring her feelings was a form of strength.

“It is a manner in which you can kind of show yourself and be who you really are in front of other people.” she noted. “It’s something that a lot of people can’t do.”

Although it took time, self-discipline, and perseverance, Fried eventually learned how to be comfortable with herself. “I need to trust who I am and trust what I feel and understand that people won’t judge me for that,” she said. “And if they do, then they don’t deserve to hear how I feel.”

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Bingo for a Cause!

Saturday, February 25 I 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Chances to win cruise swag, prizes and a $2000 Celebrity Cruise Gift Certificate on the final Bingo game. Donations requested for Bingo Cards and all proceeds will go to the Long Island Crisis Center, a non-profit organization.

SPACE IS LIMITED, RSVP TODAY

(516) 900 5483

Bellmore FD Exempt Hall 228 Petitt Avenue Bellmore NY www.ExpediaCruises.com/Merrick

GUTTER cl E anin G SERV ic ES

School Daze with Talya Lippman

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As a high-school student, I often wonder: Are the classes I’m taking enough? Do I need more extracurriculars? Am I taking the correct variation of classes to seem well-rounded, but not too eager?

All these questions are entirely valid and there is, as always, a balance. Colleges seek more than just adequate grades. Strangely, they are more interested in you as a person and what you can contribute by attending their university. It can be discouraging to work so diligently to show your academic level only for it to not be enough.

Step 1:

Double click the red link on the left "1. Content details of your event.

Your involvement should include items that would be of value to write on a college resume, in addition to other types of participation. Seek out opportunities that will allow you to be seen as an exemplary student by your teachers and fellow students.

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Step 3:

I am currently in 11th grade and college is looming over me and all my fellow peers. I have one older sister attending a college upstate and another awaiting acceptance. While you are still attending high school, you should attempt to focus on what I like to call, “Making yourself known.”

In order to expand and boost your upstanding reputation, find activities within your community. Take advantage of local volunteer and paying work opportunities. You can easily find these opportunities by pursuing your everyday hobbies. Decide what your main interests are, narrow them down to potential possibilities and start calling!

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This does entail some heavy involvement, so try to be extroverted even if you’re faking it. Persevere and keep looking out for opportunities that you connect with the most.

The time you spend on this endeavor will not be wasted. The connections and relationships you will by default develop will be of benefit to your future. Keep in mind that it is easier to indicate that you will make a positive impact on a prospective college campus if prior you have contributed purposefully to your high school community.

Talya Lippman is a student contributor for the Bellmore & Merrick Heralds.

Tax forum keeps residents informed

Aaron Verska of Bellmore, Oksana Bykouskaya of North Bellmore, Dalia Steinberg of Westbury and other local residents met Town Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll during a Town of Hempstead Taxpayer Forum on Feb. 6 at the Bellmore Memorial Library.

Talya lippman

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

73

spotlight athlete

Collective effort lifts Calhoun

By gaRRett D. URiBe sports@liherald.com

With only 13 members, the Calhoun girls’ track and field team knew it had hardly any margin for missteps Feb. 7 at the Nassau Class B championships at St. Anthony’s; every Colt would have to harvest points – some in multiple events – for the club to avenge a stinging spring loss and claim a second straight county indoor title.

JURRel hall

West Hempstead Senior Track

hall stole the show at the Nassau Class C Track and Field championships Feb. 8 to help the Rams to a secondplace finish. He captured the triple jump (school record 44-feet, 11-inches), high jump and long jump titles, matching a feat he accomplished last spring.

BasKetBall plaYoFFs

Friday, Feb. 17

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class AA quarterfinals

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class A ffirst round

saturday, Feb. 18

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class A first round

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class AA quarterfinals

tuesday, Feb. 21

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class A quarterfinals

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class B semifinals

Friday, Feb. 24

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class AA semifinals

saturday, Feb. 25

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class AA semifinals

Monday, Feb. 27

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class A semifinals

tuesday, Feb. 28

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class A semifinals

Wednesday, March 1

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class B finals

saturday, March 4

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class AA and A finals

In a flurry of personal bests, which included two school records, Calhoun –led by senior Sara Manson and aided by calculation as cold as the air outside the Student Center – fended off rival Valley Stream North to win back-to-back winter championships after seizing its first indoor Nassau title a year ago.

Manson, a reigning holder of several spring and winter county titles, set a program record in the triple jump with a first-place mark of 36 feet, 4 ¼ inches in the final; successfully defended her winter title in the 55-meter hurdles clocking a season-best 8.86 in the final; and took third in the long jump falling just shy of first-place teammate Yolina Bastien’s 16-2.5 winning mark.

“We needed everyone to come through because we knew Valley Stream (North) would be tough,” said Colts coach Joe Migliano, whose team finished runner-up in spring to VSN at the county Class AA championships. “Sara’s our cornerstone. She was terrific, a big part of us winning two in a row.”

Added Migliano: “We also had everything planned out, down to each point, so we could take advantage and also stop (VSN) from scoring.”

Helping to carry off of a key Calhoun maneuver, Bastien, a junior, finished fifth in the triple jump behind winner Manson and junior teammate Sophia Hines, whose runner-up 35-2.5 was a personal best. “We loaded up the triple jump,” Migilano said. “Every time our kids beat one of (VSN)’s, it’s a four-point swing. We wound up scoring 20 in that event to their four. It was about taking away from their strength.”

Colts sophomore Taylor Halvorsen

took first in the 1500-meter race walk, winning in 8:56.49, while Julia Baguiao set her second school record this season finishing third in the 300-meter dash in 42.57, which qualified the Calhoun senior to run in the New Balance Nationals next month in Boston. Baguiao, who also led off the Colts’ 4x200- and 4x400-meter relays – which placed second and third respectively – ran a program-best 27.04 in the 200 dash last month.

Hines placed second in the high jump with a season-best 4-10, while Colts junior Sofia Zampella missed a win in the 1,000 meters by a second and a half, finishing second-place in a personal-best 3:09.31.

Brooke Cancellarich placed third in the 55-meter hurdles, while fellow Colts sophomore Kaitlyn Stibritz finished fourth in the 3000-meter run.

Along with Baguiao, Calhoun – which won its fifth straight league title at January’s Conference 3 championships – will send Manson in the 60-meter hurdles and triple jump to the nationals, as well as the aforementioned relays. Next up for the Colts is this week’s State Qualifier at St. Anthony’s.

“We set the standard last year,” Migliano said. “Anything less than first now is a loss for us. We’ve really changed the culture here. Just excited to keep it going.”

Eric Dunetz/Herald senioR saRa Manson set a program record in the triple jump and also won the 55 hurdles as the Colts repeated as county champs.

THE FEIL FAMILY Pavilion will feature an expanded emergency department at Mount Sinai South Nassau, along with 40 critical and intensive care beds, and nine new operating rooms. The Feil family donated $5 million to the hospital as part of a series of generous donations over the years.

Feil family donates $5M for new pavilion

Gift is single largest donation in Mount Sinai South Nassau’s history

By KARINA KOVAC kkovac@liherald.com

The Louis Feil Charitable Lead Annuity Trust has pledged the largest single gift in the history of Mount Sinai South Nassau — $5 million. And, in return, it will help usher in a new state-of-the-art facility, with the Feil name on top.

The new four-story, 100,000-square-foot building, is scheduled to open in another year. And when it does, it will be named the Feil Family Pavilion.

This new $130 million pavilion will double the size of the hospital’s current emergency department, increase the critical and intensive care inpatient capacity to 40 beds, and add nine new operating rooms.

“Mount Sinai South Nassau is our local hospital, and we are grateful for the expert care it provides to our communities on the South Shore,” said Jeffrey Feil, chief executive of the Feil Organization— and a longtime Rockville Centre resident — in a release. “We are so fortunate to have an outstanding medical center right in our backyard. The Feil family is honored to support the growth of Mount Sinai South Nassau.”

The Feil Organization is a real estate investment, management and development firm based in New York City with more than 70 years of expertise. Feil’s portfolio commands millions of square feet in industrial, commercial and retail, as well as more than 5,000 residential properties and thousands of acres of undeveloped land across the United States.

Feil and his family — including his parents, the late Gertrude and Louis Feil — have been longtime supporters of the hospital. With their latest gift, the family has donated a total of $17 million to benefit the hospital and the patients it serves.

The family previous gifted $2 million in 2019, and $1.5 million in 2018 to help centralize the hospital’s cancer care services.

The family also donated $3 million in 2011 that supported the continued growth and expansion of the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center.

“This generous gift by the Feil family will have a direct impact on improving patient care on the South Shore,” said Adhi Sharma, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau, in a release. “We are deeply thankful for their generosity and support. It will be the hospital’s distinct honor to name the new patient care tower in honor and recognition of the Feil family, and their longstanding commitment to Mount Sinai South Nassau.

“Their support and commitment has been vital to the growth of our emergen-

cy services and cancer care program as well as the hospital’s tradition of excellence in the delivery of advanced care services.”

The Feil gift is the second major contribution made to the new four-story patient building currently under construction. Last year, the hospital’s immediate past board chair, Joseph Fennessy, made an undisclosed gift to the hospital that earned his family’s name on top of the pedestrian entrance to the new emergency department. Additional naming opportunities remain within the new pavilion, officials said, including nursing stations, lobby areas and surgical suites.

It’s part of an overall $400 million capital building fundraising campaign Mount Sinai has undertaken in recent years.

Currently, South Nassau’s emergency department treats 65,000 people each year, but is designed to handle half that. When construction is complete, the emergency department will nearly double the size of a football field, increasing its annual capacity to 80,000.

In addition, the department will feature centralized nursing stations that will allow for direct oversight of patient rooms. There also will be bedside triage, expanded pediatric trauma treatment areas with an adjoining radiology area, a decontamination room, dedicated areas for geriatrics and behavioral health, and a spacious waiting and reception area with free Wi-Fi, and charging stations for phones, computer tablets and laptops.

The operating room and its surgical suites will be configured and designed to accommodate the nonstop advancements in surgical technologies and equipment. The combined impact of the redesigned and larger operating rooms will allow Mount Sinai South Nassau and its staff of surgeons to increase its surgical scheduling capacity to accommodate projected volumes in same-day, elective, and emergency surgeries.

The new surgical suites also could pave the way for an open-heart program at the Oceanside campus, pending state health department approval.

“The ultimate beneficiary of the Feil family’s generosity is our South Shore community that turns to Mount Sinai South Nassau for compassionate, quality health care,” said Tony Cancellieri, cochair of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s board of directors, in a release.

“On behalf of the hospital’s board of directors, we are grateful to our dear friends Jeffrey and Lee Feil and their entire family, and are honored to name the pavilion as a permanent expression of gratitude for this gift and the ongoing support of the Feil family.”

TONY CANCELLIERI, CO-CHAIR of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s board of directors, joined Feil Organization chief executive Jeffrey Feil, and Andrew Triolo, vice president of facilities, design and construction at Mount Sinai South Nassau in front of what will become the Feil Family Pavilion at the Oceanside hospital. Feil’s foundation donated $5 million to the hospital.

Photos courtesy Mount Sinai South Nassau

Sc H ool S

Learning is reimagined during annual ‘Play Day’

For young minds, play is an essential part of learning. The North Bellmore School District emphasizes this every year for its 2,000 plus elementary students by taking part in the Global School Play Day initiative.

Now a long-standing tradition in the district, Play Day was celebrated on Feb. 1 with activities that were both fun and educational. Kindergartners at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School started off the day by creating with Play-Doh. Teacher Lauren LoBello said that it helps students work on their fine motor skills while also using their imaginations, as they could make anything they wanted.

“They can see where their mind takes them,” LoBello said. “Students have a sense of pride when they share with their classmates and say, ‘Look what I did!’”

First graders brought in games from home and played with their classmates in small groups. Teacher Kelly Navin said that the goal was for each student to teach their peers how to play. It was a chance for them to take on a leadership role in class, while learning about teamwork and sportsmanship.

Second graders in Jennifer Kafka’s class worked on the English language arts skills by playing a variety of games. In roll-a-sentence, students took turns to roll dice with pictures of different objects, then had to create full sentences that included those words. They also played Pop, a sight words game.

In Kim Rackley’s fourth grade class, students worked on their math skills in a fun way. They rolled

two dice and had to mark off on the board the fraction, or an equivalent fraction, that it made. Students competed to see who could make the most fractions.

Dinkelmeyer Principal Danica Brugge said that Play Day is a reminder that learning takes place in many ways, not just through typical structured activities. Brugge made sure there were plenty of chances for play, with tubes of bubbles outside for students to

use when they arrived at school and a small trampoline by the main office.

“We believe in the power of play as it provides students with opportunities to be creative, problem solve and explore their imaginations,” she said. “All of these skills prove to be beneficial within the classroom.”

–Jordan Vallone

Fourth graders, From left, Nicholas Truglio, CJ Kayantas and Lucas Rivas played a fractions dice game at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School on Feb. 1 for North Bellmore Play Day.

Courtesy North Bellmore School District

Blakeman not yet ready to unfreeze assessments

By MICHAEL MALASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

It’s a vital component of the property tax system, yet for the third straight year, Nassau County won’t be conducting a tax assessment of homes and businesses.

Such a freeze first gained momentum under former Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, but lifted by his successor, Laura Curran. However, the freeze was reimplemented during Covid-19, and now continues under Bruce Blakeman’s tenure.

The difference — at least according to the county legislatures Democratic minority — is that Blakeman campaigned against Curran, promising to roll back the tax increases caused by the reassessments done under her administration. Yet, they still remain frozen.

“As housing prices soared at an unprecedented rate during the worst of the pandemic, the minority supported a temporary freeze to protect property owners from dramatic swings in a remarkably turbulent market,” minority spokesman Daniel Schrafel said. “However, ‘temporary’ is key. History has demonstrated that freezing the tax rolls for extended periods distorts assessed values to such a degree that the only way for property owners to protect themselves from overpaying is to grieve. We must do everything in our power to break this unjust, exploitative cycle.”

The reassessments are supposed to happen annually to review property value and

tax property owners accordingly. When they don’t happen, properties that have risen in value become under-taxed, while those that may have dropped end up paying a higher tax than they would have otherwise.

The value of property impacts school taxes and other issues.

When in office, Curran called the reassessment process “corrupt” and “broken.”

The Democrat pledged to fix it in a 2018 opinion piece published in the Herald, only to freeze it once again during the pandemic.

Democrats now criticizes Blakeman for the continuing the freeze despite the economic pressures of the pandemic subsiding, particularly in light of Blakeman’s promise to do so.

“Mr. Blakeman vowed to rescind the

county’s increases that he blamed on the recent assessment,” Democratic county legislator Debra Mulé said. “That basically means that if you’re over-assessed, you’ll be stuck paying more than your fair share of taxes this year, unless you successfully grieve your assessment.”

State Sen. Kevin Thomas joined in the chorus against the freeze to highlight that grievance process.

“Every homeowner in Nassau has received solicitations from tax grievance workers, myself included,” Thomas said. “These grievance workers use deceitful tactics that lead many to believe filing a grievance is just too complicated for the average resident.

“That is not the case — homeowners can file grievances themselves. You are not required to use an attorney or a specialist, nor is there a fee to file. You can even file online from today until March 1 by yourself. It should be as simple as that.”

Thomas introduced a bill in Albany intending to bring more trust and transparency to the tax grievance process.

For his part, Blakeman called the phase-in plan of his predecessor a failure, and says it won’t expire until next year. He is extending the grievance deadline, however, from March 1 to April 3.

“My administration has reviewed the comptroller’s comprehensive audit that uncovered many inaccuracies in valuations,” Blakeman said in a statement, “and I felt it was important to give residents additional time to grieve.”

My mother may soon be applying for Medicaid. How does this affect funeral arrangements?

The latest Medicaid regulations now permit individuals to set aside a portion of their assets in an irrevocable trust account in order to have funds for future funeral expenses. When an individual approaches the time when Medicaid coverage seems likely, social workers generally advise families to look into this funeral pre-funding option.

Here’s how we can help:

• The Family will make an appointment with us to discuss just what we are to do when the death occurs.

• We discuss options and record their wishes not just about preferred funeral home services but cemetery, church, monument inscription, newspaper notices, etc. We inform the family of exactly what the funeral home and third party costs are at the present time.

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If we can help you with this important matter, call us and our knowledgeable staff will answer your questions. Moreover, there is no cost involved

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald

STATE SEN. KEVIN Thomas, second from left, was joined by Nassau County Legislators Carrié Solages, far left, Debra Mule, and Joshua Lafazan at a news conference to discuss the county’s freezing of property tax assessments for a third consecutive year. County Executive Bruce Blakeman is extending the grievance deadline to April 3.

Thomas L. Kearns

Parent Center keeps families, students informed

and can kill them within seconds of being ingested.

Derek Maltz, a retired agent in the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration who is regularly featured on national news segments that focuses on the fentanyl crisis, joined the discussion via Zoom, and explained how the drug is ending up in the hands of young teens.

“This is not a drug problem,” he said. “This is the poisoning of our kids. The Mexican cartels are operating with impunity right now, and moving drugs into this country like they’ve never had in the history of the U.S.

“Make no mistake — there is a clear and present danger to our citizens right now,” Maltz continued. “It’s a national security problem that we’ve never had in the past.”

Just last week in Houston, he said, a task force in Texas found and shut down a lab creating fentanyl. Chemicals used to create the opioid typically come from China, he added.

“We now have people in America that are not necessarily connected to the cartels ordering up chemicals from China and making this stuff in their house with pill presses,” Maltz said. “Some of these pill presses can make 7,000 to 10,000 pills an hour.”

He made it clear that while he understands that it’s normal for kids to experi-

What is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine. Under medical supervision, fentanyl relieves severe pain, and is typically given to people with advanced cancer.

Illicit fentanyl, which is infiltrating the drug trade, is an uncontrolled substance that can kill a user almost instantly. As little as 2 milligrams can be lethal, depending on body size.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has found fentanyl pills ranging from 0.2 to 5.1 milligrams more than twice the lethal dose.

Fentanyl is a major factor in the

ment when they’re teenagers, they need to be aware of the consequences. “If you buy from the streets, if you buy it from the internet, it’s going to kill you, most likely,” Maltz said. “Kids are supposed to learn from their mistakes, not die from their mistakes.”

One of the videos Reibl showed, called “Dead on Arrival,” is a 21-minute documentary about fentanyl overdoses featuring candid interviews from parents who have lost children. Advocacy groups

increase in opioid-related deaths in the U.S. Between Jan. 2020 and Jan. 2021, overdose deaths involving opioids rose 38.1 percent.

Its effects can be tamed but not reversed by nalaxone, more commonly known by the brand name Narcan, the only Food and Drug Administrationapproved treatment of an opioid overdose. It is administered as a nasal spray, but officials emphasize that immediate medical attention is still needed for an overdose victim.

For more information and resources, visit DEA.gov.

across the country are working to make viewing the video mandatory in school districts, as a way to discourage children from trying drugs.

Steve Filson, an advocate and a retired police officer from California who lost his daughter to an overdose, is featured in “Dead on Arrival.” He regularly takes part in prevention presentations across the country, and he also joined last week’s on Zoom.

“We give our presentations all the time

at schools,” Filson said. “We show ‘Dead on Arrival’ — it resonates with kids. And most importantly, it opens a dialogue between us and kids. It’s a real story. And I think they get it when it comes from people with an experience such as ours.”

Some parents in the audience asked how ‘Dead on Arrival’ could become required viewing in Bellmore-Merrick and surrounding towns. While nothing could be done immediately, a representative from State Sen. Steve Rhoads’ office, who attended the presentation, said Rhoads planned to meeting with school superintendents in the 5th District, and that they could discuss a fentanyl-prevention program.

Maltz applauded the Bellmore-Merrick community for focusing on the fentanyl crisis. “I want to thank the superintendent of the Bellmore-Merrick school district for taking the leadership and the courage to step up to teach the community, educate the kids about this issue,” he said. “America has to wake up — and the citizens of Bellmore-Merrick are waking up, because you’re here tonight.”

To view the documentary, visit TinyURL.com/FentanylPrevention. For information about upcoming drug prevention programs offered by the parent center, call (516) 992-1086. And to get in touch with a local community counseling and prevention center, with offices located in the Central District, visit TempoGroup.org.

Full LIRR service to East Side finally coming

By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

Commuters are riding the high of never-before-seen rail service aimed at connecting the Long Island Rail Road to the bedrock of Midtown Manhattan at Grand Central Madison.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority celebrated a turning point with the long-anticipated opening of its 750,000-square-foot East Side Manhattan transit hub with the first shuttle train from Jamaica station on Jan. 25. Now the terminal is set for a full rollout of regular train service beginning Feb. 27.

The East Side Access Project, as it was known, has already drawn a daily rush of commuters — albeit under a limited format with shuttle service from the Queens station to Grand Central Madison.

Rather than plunging straightaway with full service, MTA officials said the station is in a soft-launch phase, enabling riders to slowly acclimate themselves to the additional shuttle service from Jamaica, find their way around the facility and test out commuting options.

Once Midtown’s terminal comes fully online, it will no doubt reorder the MTA’s transit system and send ripples through its 11 Long Island train branches, each offering direct or transfer service to Penn Station on the West Side, and Grand Central Madison.

For LIRR commuters, this change will

be felt most acutely in adapting to an overhauled train schedule that divvies up Manhattan-bound train service between the two sister terminals.

Some commuters may feel more taken to the change than others with the promise of greater accessibility and efficiency to their commutes. Still, others can’t help but groan over the foreseeable loss, and longing for their preferred service lines and connections.

But at least for MTA chair and chief

executive Janno Lieber, the change is a net-gain for most commuters — and a sign of economic renewal for the metro Long Island area, with a 41 percent increase in service.

Grand Central Madison provides “faster, more convenient travel that brings Long Island closer to the heart of the City,” Leiber said, in a release. “The new schedules are going to be a major shot in the arm for the local economy and the effort to get people back to offic-

es, theaters and shopping.”

But critics are quick to point out that the often-touted 41 percent service increase — raising the number of daily trains from 665 to 936 — is relative to current service which has experienced a major cutback of its own compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Weekday ridership continues to hover at about 65 percent of what it was before any of us had ever heard of Covid-19.

And while MTA officials expect nearly 45 percent of riders to shift over to Grand Central Madison, there are nagging concerns about the potential travel headaches brought by the decline in available morning rush-hour train service to Penn.

Take, for example, the fact that the Long Beach branch which will get 10 additional rush hour trains from its current 13 at Penn Station. Yet, it will have two fewer rush hour trains at Penn Station with shared service lines to Grand Central Madison.

“The new schedules are designed to have more evenly spaced trains and fewer large gaps in service,” MTA spokesman Dave Steckel said. “There will also be more frequent service to Queens and on the Ronkonkoma and West Hempstead branches. New service promises decrease travel times from Long Island to Manhattan, and reduce crowding at Penn Station.

“We will continue to monitor and adjust service based on ridership trends and other factors.”

Courtesy Metropolitan Transportation Authority

FULL PASSENGER TRAIN service from the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Madison is set to begin Feb. 27 according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Limited shuttle service opened up late last month, bringing in some of the first LIRR passengers to Manhattan’s East Side.

STEPPING OUT

Dinodaze to life Dinosaurs of all kinds

By Karen Bloom

he herd is back. Kids of all ages

Quest — the traveling dinosaur “experience” — returns to Nassau Coliseum for four days of prehistoric adventuring. Jurassic Quest takes families back to the days when these prehistoric creatures ruled the lands, Friday through Monday, Feb. 17-20.

• Feb. 17-20; times vary

• Tickets start at $22; available at MonsterQuest.com or NassauColiseum.com

• Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale

This immersive spectacle features a bevy of lifelike dinosaurs — of all shapes and sizes — that are an impressive lot. They transform the arena environment to a time 165 million years ago during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods where visitors can get up-close and personal with the creatures.

“They are all life-size and authentic,” Park Ranger Marty (aka Marty Hoffman) says. “You get to see what dinosaurs are really like, hearing the different sounds they made.”

Described by Park Ranger Marty and the Jurassic Quest folks as North America’s largest and most realistic event, the creative team collaborates with leading paleontologists to ensure each dinosaur is painstakingly replicated, from coloration to teeth size, to textured skin, fur or feathers — drawing on the latest research about how we understand dinosaurs and these ancient creatures looked and moved. Plant settings, sound effects, lighting and electronics add to the authenticity of the setting.

But perhaps what makes the experience more than just a spectacle is the way it pulls on the heartstrings. As Park Ranger Marty — who proclaims himself a “dinosaur nerd” — put it: “It’s a great time for everyone. Especially the kids, but also the adults. We’ve all had that time in our lives when we loved dinosaurs. Then we get away from it. When we take the time to see them through the kids’ eyes, we reconnect with that love of dinosaurs we all had.”

It’s all self-guided, so visitors proceed at their own pace. That means you can approach the mighty T. rex, check out the 50-foot-long Spinosaurus, largest known carnivorous dinosaur, even longer and heavier than the T. rex, also the enormous Apatosaurus with its whip-tail, along with sea creatures, and many others.

“One hundred sixty million years worth of dinosaurs are here,” Park Ranger Marty enthuses.

And there are those baby dinos, “hatched” specifically for Jurassic Quest: Cammie the Camarasaurus, Tyson the T. rex, and Trixie the Triceratops.

“People really love them,” Park Ranger Marty says. “Kids want to hang out and pet them. It’s an amazing thing to see. The interaction between the babies and the kids is really fun.”

While the dinosaurs are the main draw, of course, the event includes a fossil dig, where budding paleontologists can dig up bones, along with an excavation site, with actual fossils and themed rides, among other activities.

“There really is something for everyone,” Park Ranger Marty says. Plus an education component is worked in — and the kids won’t even realize it.

“We like to think of dinosaurs as the ‘gateway science,” he explains. “Kids are learning about biology and geology, and more, when they explore dinosaurs. Also other sciences like astronomy and engineering. It all relates back to dinosaurs andancient plants. And this all comes out of the kids thinking dinosaurs are cool.”

Park Ranger Marty and Dino Trainer Dustin hanging out, at left, with a Tylosaurus skull. Open wide! An enthusiastic young visitor, at right, finds his way into an Allosaur head

Alan Doyle

The prolific Canadian singersongwriter has boundless appeal. The moment he burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with his band Great Big Sea, Canadians fell in love with the pride of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, whose effusive charisma and sense of humour was eclipsed only by his magnetic stage presence. His influence is now being heard in a new generation of artists as his solo work continues to endear him to roots music fans everywhere. That’s clearly evident on Doyle’s latest EP ‘Rough Side Out,’ which finds him collaborating with Canadian country music superstars Dean Brody and Jess Moskaluke, while at the same time offering his own distinctive interpretation of contemporary country. His songs all have a strong personal meaning, according to Doyle, who believes ‘the best songwriters in any genre are the ones who can look in their own backyard and find something they want to sing about.’

Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. $41, $37, $29. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Dublin Irish Dance

The acclaimed Dublin Irish Dance ensemble visits Long Island with their new production, ‘Wings: A Celtic Dance Celebration.’ Wings features exquisite Irish and World champion dancers alongside Ireland’s musical and vocal virtuosos. Complete with original music and choreography, this groundbreaking production, infused with world dance and musical influences, will thrill audiences with its transformative emotional energy and imaginative design. The vivid and illuminating production portraying rich Irish heritage themes, in spectacular dance and musical performances by this superb cast that will thrill audiences of all ages. Everyone will be entranced by these world champion Irish dancers as they defy gravity in this captivating spectacle.

Friday, March 17, 8 p.m. $60, $45, $35. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.

THE SCENE

Art talk

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” live, via Zoom, Thursday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. She’ll discuss the current exhibition, “The Big Picture: Photography Now.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program. Register at least 24 hours in advance to receive the program Zoom link. Also Feb. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

All-Star Comedy Show

Governor’s Comedy Club and GovsRadio.com offer a showcase of the finest comedy acts from Long Island, New York City and beyond, Thursday, Feb. 16, doors open 6 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to see the best comics in one, big show. Tickets are $14. Must be 16 and older to attend, 2 item minimum per table. 2792 Merrick Road, Bellmore. Call (516) 781-5233.

Gotcha Covered

Musiscal duo Gotcha Covered performs at the North Merrick Library, Sunday, Feb. 19, 1:30 p.m. Enjoy tunes from the 70s through the 2000s, including rock and folk hits of the last 50 years. 1691 Meadowbrook Road, North Merrick. Call (516) 378-7474 for more information.

On stage

Eric Neumann

The Hot Sardines

The band brings their distinctive sound to the Landmark stage, Friday, March 3, 8 p.m.

Their unique recipe blends hot jazz and sultry standards from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s, rich New Orleans sounds, a dash of ’40s Paris flavor, and vibrant musical surprises. It’s all steeped in salty stride piano and the music Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt and Fats Waller used to make. The result is straight-up foot-stomping jazz. Their name says it all: their iconic ‘hot’ styling will paint a vibrant picture with smoky sounds and audiences revel in the steamy, swanky influence of their art form. With their contagious brand of joy, grit, glamour and passion, they invoke the sounds of nearly a century ago, yet stay right in step with the current age. $60, $50, $46. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at

Mo Willems’ popular The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Saturday, Feb. 18, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, Feb. 20-23, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Eric Neumann, a rising standup comic who made his debut on The Tonight Show, performs at the Brokerage in Bellmore, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25. Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $25. Must be 16 and older to attend, 2 item minimum per table. 2792 Merrick Road, Bellmore. Call

Transportation requests

Requests for transportation to private or parochial schools outside of the North Merrick Union Free School District must be received by April 1. Children must be registered in the North Merrick District first before submitting an application. Families moving into the district after April 1 have 30 days to submit a request. Transportation is not provided to those older than 6th grade, children who will not be 5 by Dec. 1, 2023, to schools located further than 15 miles from a child’s home, or to schools located less than 2 miles from a child’s home. All requests must be sent to 1057 Merrick Ave., North Merrick. Applications can be picked up at Fayette School, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

On exhibit

Photography’s ascent in the art world is an international phenomenon. Nassau County Museum of Art’s exhibition spans the historical roots, wth works by Ansel Adams and his generation and such contemporary masters as Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, James Casebere and Gregory Crewdson.Through March 5. NCMA, 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

N. Bellmore transportation information

North Bellmore Union Free School District provides transportation for students in kindergarten through third grade living a distance greater than a half mile up to 15 miles and in grades fourth through sixth living a distance greater than one mile up to 15 miles from the school they attend. Transportation to a day care is also provided under certain circumstances, also to private and parochial schools. Transportation requests to schools outside of the district must be made by April 1 — the child must be registered in the district. Applications are online at NorthBellmoreSchools.org or call 516) 992-3000 for info. Requests should be sent to 2616 Martin Ave., Bellmore.

Volunteer Opportunity

The Garden at St. Francis seeks volunteers, Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon, at the church’s Charity Crafting Circle. Email stfrancisec@gmail. com for info or call (516) 679-1184. Church is located at 1692 Bellmore Ave., North Bellmore.

Having an event?

Voyage

The Journey tribute band visits The Paramount, Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. The popular band takes everyone back to the ‘80’s when Journey’s timeless music ruled the airwaves. Hailed by fans and critics alike as the world’s top Journey tribute band, this group performs their music with chilling accuracy. Fronted by Hugo — a dead ringer for Steve Perry, both visually and vocally — he continues to delight fans with his miraculous resemblance, exact mannerisms and identical voice to Steve. Fans agree that Voyage delivers an experience to the original Steve Perry-fronted lineup. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 7453000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Items on The Scene page 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 thescene@liherald.com.

Platanos Y Collard Greens

See the romantic comedy about what happens when an African American and a Latina college student fall in love, presented by Nassau Community College Theater and Dance Department and the Africana Studies Department, Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 16-18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m., with talkback session with playwright David Lamb, immediately following final performance. Threaded by the culture of hip-hop, the lovers defend their relationship, as friends and family learn that this “food fight” calls for fusion instead of feud. Nassau Community College’s Mainstage Theatre, Garden City. Tickets $10; NCC students free with valid ID; $8 veterans, alumni, seniors 60+, students and NCC employees. For tickets/ information, visit NCC.edu or call (516) 572-7676.

Family theater

The beloved fairy tale springs to life in a delightful musical romp, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Monday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m.; Friday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m.; Sunday, Feb. 26, noon. All the

Protecting Your Future

with Michael and Suzanne Ettinger Attorneys-at-Law

Medicaid Asset Protection Trust Myths

Why don’t more people do the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT)? The answer is that clients often get the wrong advice from well meaning but ill informed professionals, family and friends. Here are some of the most common MAPT myths.

1. You Can’t Sell the House. The MAPT may sell the house at any time. The money is paid to the MAPT. You may invest the money and use the income for a rental or you may purchase another residence in the name of the MAPT. The five year clock does not start over.

2. You Lose Your Property Tax Exemptions. Properly drafted MAPT’s preserve your Senior, STAR and Veteran’s exemptions as well as the exemption from capital gains on the sale of the primary residence —$500,000 for a couple or $250,000 for a single person.

3. It Takes Five Years. While it takes five years to protect ALL of your assets from long-term care in a facility, the time “pro

rates”. For example, if you have to go into a nursing home four years after you set up the MAPT, you only have to pay for the one year that is left.

4. You Can’t Get Your Money. The trust pays you all of the income. Principal may be gifted from the trust in any amount to any of your heirs.

5. The MAPT Cannot Be Revoked. Strange as it may seem, in New York you may revoke an irrevocable trust. Here’s why. It’s irrevocable because you, the grantor, cannot revoke it alone. However, New York has another rule on the books that says that if every person named in the irrevocable trust agrees in writing that they no longer want the trust, then you may revoke it on consent of all the named parties. Since that is just you and your adult children, it is usually a simple matter to accomplish. If a child won’t sign, we simply amend the trust to remove them and then their signature is no longer needed.

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Catalytic converter thefts alarms officials

A surge in the theft of catalytic converters on Long Island has officials worried organized crime might be targeting Long Island driveways.

Senator Chuck Schumer announced startling numbers at a Jan. 30 event in Mineola with local officials. Schumer said catalytic converter theft has risen 385.6 percent since 2021 in Nassau County.

“This is out of control,” Schumer said. “Dangerous at the worst and maddening at the least.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman joined with Schumer in calling for federal resources to help local law enforcement.

Schumer specifically called on the Department of Justice to create a specialized team to investigate ties to organized crime and the converter thefts.

A catalytic converter, part of a vehicle’s exhaust system, contains precious metals such as rhodium, palladium, and platinum. The value of these precious metals is extremely high—as of March 2022, rhodium is valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce, as reported by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Theft of catalytic converters is costly to auto dealers, as well as the driving public. It can cost a dealer $2,000 to $3,000 to replace a stolen converter in order to fix damage to a vehicle’s undercarriage, fuel

BREAKING DOWN BOUNDARIES WITH CANCER BREAKTHROUGHS

Catalytic converter thefts

Nassau reported converter thefts

2019 — 1

2020 — 100

2021 — 472

2022 — 2292

2023 — To date 69

–Sen. Schumer’s office

line, and electric lines in the process of a theft.

In December, Blakeman announced the culmination of “Operation Cat-Track”, a yearlong investigation with Nassau County police, U.S. Homeland Security, Nassau District Attorney, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. That investigation netted more than $4 million in cash, $3.2 million in bank accounts, and thousands of catalytic converters.

“It is becoming clear that the potential for organized crime or a theft ring is what is behind all of this,” Schumer said, “and we have to get to the bottom of who it is and where the converter cash is going.”

LIJ Medical Center is in the top 10% of hospitals nationally for oncology, according to U.S.News&WorldReport.

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Town urged to reject ‘discriminatory’ maps

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

“Change the boundary, redraw the lines” was the message dozens of community members tried to articulate to the Hempstead Town Board last week. But in the end, many felt their pleas were completely ignored

Don Clavin faced some heat from the crowd after the town supervisor decided to cut the microphone feed for each speaker off exactly at the required three minutes they were allotted to speak. When Deputy Town Supervisor Dorothy Goosby — who notably challenged Hempstead’s discriminatory at-large voting system in 1988 — was asked if she had anything to say about the redistricting process, she declined to comment.

The Hempstead redistricting saga is nearing its end, and opponents of the proposed maps are not giving up without a fight. A group of angry voters rallied outside of Hempstead Town Hall minutes before the Feb. 7 meeting to air out their frustrations.

Former county legislator Dave Denenberg, who organized the rally, said there is an ulterior motive behind the elected officials drawing the district lines they way they’re doing it.

“Whenever there’s redistricting, you see a political machine do exactly what they always do: They are going to draw districts in a way that tries to maintain their majority,” Denenberg said. “But that’s voter suppression.”

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, founder of the Elmont Cultural Center, said she saw a “glimmer of hope” at the redistricting commission’s last work session. The three commission members seemed they would finally recommend one of the six map proposals to the Hempstead Town Board. These options included the town’s preliminary “Skyline” map, as well as five alternative proposals from civic groups and local attorneys they say would help provide a

more equal voice for minority groups.

But that optimism was quickly extinguished when the commission failed to put forward a map, and instead agreed to officially recommend the town board produce a final map that keeps communities of interest intact.

Since the first day of the redistricting process, the concerns raised by opponents to the initial town-drawn maps circle back to a single theme: District lines should be redrawn to have a more balanced demographic represen-

2022 Merrick Office Awards

tation. That means creating three “minority-majority” districts, that would allow minority communities a chance to elect someone who would be more likely to represent them on the town board.

For example, 90 percent of Elmont’s population are people of color. However, the current map proposal places Elmont in a district with Garden City, which has an 88 percent white population.

Placing Elmont in a district with neighborhoods they have nothing in common with dilutes the votes of its residents and impairs the outcome of elections, claimed Claudia Borecky, president of the Bellmore Merrick Democratic Club, in a letter to the Hempstead Town Board.

“People told heart-wrenching stories of how hard they and their ancestors fought for the right to have a vote that counted,” Borecky said. “Yet, the motion made by the redistricting commission for the Town Board to only consider keeping communities whole is totally deaf to what your constituents plead.”

Under the guidance of the Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders law firm and redistricting expert Sean Trende, the Town Board released a redistricting map proposal last month, which they say takes into account public comments as well as the views of the redistricting commission.

However, some doubted these intentions.

“If (the town) passes this map, I’m going to Garden City because that’s my district,” Pierre-Johnson said. “I’m going to show up with my friends to (Garden City) town meetings, to the zoning board, because I want what they have for Elmont.”

Critics also questioned the map’s compliance with federal and state voting rights protections — specifically the Voting Rights Act and New York’s John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. If Hempstead finalizes the current map as it stands, it could expose the town to costly litigation at the taxpayers’ expense.

Ana Borruto/Herald

FORMER NASSAU COUNTY legislator Dave Denenberg leads a rally outside of Hempstead Town Hall just before a town board meeting discussing redistricting. As the mapping process nears its end, voters are getting louder about their demands for three minority-majority districts.

Lorraine Margulies #5 GCI

County to hold public hearing on redistricting

Nassau County is holding a public hearing Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. about its redrawn legislative district lines based on the 2020 U.S. Census.

During the hearing, the legislature will discuss a proposed maps for all 19 legislative districts. The hearing will give residents, community leaders and legislators a chance to publicly speak about the plan.

The hearing will take place in the Schmitt Memorial Legislative Chamber at 1550 Franklin Ave., Mineola. Details of the proposal are available online at NassauCountyNY.gov. The hearing will be livestreamed on the county’s website.

The county established a Temporary

Districting Advisory Commission comprised of 11 members. The chairperson is a non-voting member, appointed by County Executive Bruce Blakeman. There are five members who were appointed by Presiding Officer Richard J. Nicolello, and five members appointed by Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams.

The commission has held 12 total public meetings in every city and town throughout Nassau to ensure residents of every community had the opportunity to attend and participate in the hearings. At this point in the process the commission has recommend its proposed maps.

— Mark Nolan

D’Esposito to chair security subcommittee

Congressman Anthony D’Esposito was selected to serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology of the House of Representatives. It falls under the Homeland Security Committee and includes emergency preparedness/response, crisis mitigation, resiliency and recovery efforts; private sector preparedness integration; interoperability and emergency communications; DHS grant programs; and highconsequence biological and chemical threat preparedness.

The subcommittee has oversight

duties covering the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Science and Technology Directorate, and the Office of Health Security.

“The power to conduct oversight should never be taken lightly and must be used to ensure transparency in our federal bureaucracy,” said D’Esposito. “I look forward to advocating on behalf of my Long Island neighbors and making sure our Nation’s public servants are always working to advance the interests of the American people.”

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Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff, vs. JOHN BIANCO A/K/A JOHN S. BIANCO INDIVIDUALLY AND AS LIMITED ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE ESTATE OF MARTHA E. BIANCO, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 22, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 9, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 2596 Haff Avenue, North Bellmore, NY 11710. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 56, Block 503 and Lot 50. Approximate amount of judgment is $153,995.13 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 614213/2017. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Hayley Greenberg, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York

10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff Firm File No.

220885-1

137064

Feeling the love across Bellmore-Merrick

Students across the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District wore purple and spread messages of kindness and inclusion on P.S. I Love You Day, which was observed on Feb. 10.

This special day is meant to bring awareness to the importance of mental health and the schoolwide effort to reduce bullying.

At the middle school level, students in seventh grade health classes also learned about P.S. I Love You Day this week and districtwide counseling and wellness staff pushed into those classrooms to provide information on the district’s mental health supports in the building.

that a little kindness can go a long way to helping make someone else’s day just a little better,” Motley said.

At Merrick Avenue Middle School, the Natural Helpers and Pride Club worked together to spread love throughout the hallways of Merrick Avenue. During lunch periods, students sold kindness grams and were asked to guess how many Hershey kisses were in the jar.

At John F. Kennedy High School, the Key Club raised $1,200 in T-shirt sales that will be later donated to the P.S. I Love You Foundation.

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

BNB BANK, formerly known as THE BRIDGEHAMPTON

NATIONAL BANK successor by merger with FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF NEW YORK, successor in interest to MADISON

NATIONAL BANK, Plaintiff -against- BARRY

DAVID COHEN A/K/A

BARRY COHEN; JILL

DONNA COHEN A/K/A

JILL D. COHEN A/K/A JILL COHEN, et al

Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 18, 2019 and entered on March 19, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 15, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in Bellmore, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, bounded and described as follows:

BEGINNING at point on the Southerly side of Rebecca Street, distant 317.59 feet Easterly from the extreme end of an arc of a curve connecting the Southerly side of Rebecca Street with the Easterly side of Judith Drive; being a plot 60.00 feet by 100.00 feet by 60.00 feet by 100.00 feet. Section: 63 Block: 337 Lot: 6.

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of the sale, including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering the deposit and at any subsequent closing.

Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules issued by the Supreme Court.

Said premises known as 2654 REBECCA STREET, BELLMORE, NY

Approximate amount of lien $607,993.91 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

This foreclosure sale is subject to a first mortgage in an unknown principal amount.

Index Number 16-008771

MALACHY LYONS, JR., ESQ., Referee CULLEN AND DYKMAN LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff One Battery Park Plaza, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10004

137180

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 2022-2023

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

Monday, March 6, 2023, 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. 137358

Grand Avenue Middle School SADD Club decorated the school with purple hearts with positive messages and affirmations that encourage students and staff to be kind to each other, accepting of all, and to prioritize their own mental health every day.

Julia Motley, a math teacher, and Dr. Rachel Aguilar, a school psychologist, serve as the club’s faculty advisors.

“They created and decorated hundreds of hearts and posters for our building. Our hope is that the positive messages around the school brighten our students’ day and provide a little reminder

Wellington C. Mepham High School students hosted a free bake so that students and staff could enjoy sweet treats throughout the day, as well we purple heart stickers. They also posted kindness notes around the school and offered resources for mental health services.

Staff and students at the district’s Meadowbrook Alternative Program were invited to take or leave an inspirational message from a wall in the hall. Student Sadie Zaretz started the wall to spread kindness and positivity.

Students in the district’s Prep Academy wore purple to raise awareness and also volunteered at the district’s food pantry, the Community Cupboard.

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 16 of the Town Law of the State of New York, as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Village and Town of Hempstead, Hempstead, New York, on the 28th day of February, 2023 at 7:00 o’clock in the evening of that day, to consider the proposed amendment of Article XXXIV of the Building Zone Ordinance, in relation to flood hazard zones. The proposed amendment is on file in the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Hempstead, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Village and Town of Hempstead, Hempstead, New York, and available at hempsteadny.gov, where it may be inspected during office hours.

ALL PERSONS INTERESTED in the subject matter will be given an opportunity to be heard with reference thereto at the time and place abovedesignated.

Dated: Hempstead, New York

Photos courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District MephaM high School students hosted a free bake so that students and staff could enjoy sweet treats throughout the day.

During lunch perioDS, the Natural Helpers and Pride Club at Merrick Avenue sold kindness grams and were asked to guess how many Hershey kisses were in the jar..

The prep acaDeMy Huskies spread the love for P.S. I Love You Day by wearing purple for mental health awareness and volunteering at the district’s food pantry, the Community Cupboard.

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Real estate

IN BRIEF

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FULL TIME LIBRARY AIDE Are you customer-service focused? Do you love libraries? Apply for a FT Library Aide position at the Baldwin Public Library. This is a rare opportunity that does not require a Civil Service exam. Job is 35 hours per week with at least one night per week and rotating on Saturdays. $30,000-40,000 depending on qualifications and experience. Possibility of Sunday hrs. Send resume and cover letter to dkelly@baldwinpl.org.

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Realtors are encouraged to send briefs and photographs to: Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd.., Garden City, NY 11530.

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Now we need a ResCheck?

Q. We are in a quandary about insulation. Our house was built in 1948, and isn’t insulated well. We decided to add a master bedroom and kitchen extension and insulate as much as we can. Our building plans examiner wants something call a ResCheck from our architect, and wants to know how much of the house we’re going to do. We only want to tell them about the additions, even though we want to do our attic and the whole exterior from the outside, if we can. We understand that if we tell the plans examiner about the rest of the house, they can make us do a more expensive energy analysis, which we don’t think is necessary. Also, our contractor wants to only insulate the attic floor, but the architect said that the latest energy code requires us to insulate the roof and not the attic floor. Can you advise?

A. It’s frustrating that if you were not in the permit process, you would just insulate, but the moment government learns that you are doing everything the right way, with permits, they make things more involved.

A ResCheck is the name given to a 10-page energy-analysis document, complete with areas of windows and doors, walls, floors and ceilings along with calculated heat loss and energy coefficients. It’s like taking an exam and the way it is done, to be registered with the state online, we don’t get to know if the numbers provided will pass until we get to the end of the document. If it’s failing the requirements, we aren’t shown why, so we have to start over, trying to guess what needs to be beefed up.

I like to do these in the presence of clients so they understand that it’s serious business, not just some form to fill out. Unfortunately, I don’t get to do these analyses in front of the contractors who often contradict the ResCheck by substituting lesser fiberglass batting for the higher-rated foam material, to save money and labor, since they usually need to get a subcontractor to install foam instead of using their own cheaper laborers.

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In general, when your project constitutes more than 50 percent of home building area or dollar value compared with the home value, then the examiner wants a more expensive and involved Home Energy Rating System engineer to provide a much more detailed report. This includes a test at the end of the construction in which the home is pressurized using air fans, then gauges are applied, usually at a front door opening, to determine how quickly the house loses pressure, thereby gauging the amount of gaps where air can leak to the atmosphere. This gives an accurate idea of how much cold or heated air can get into the house, which you’re trying to avoid by insulating.

Since this is a big question, tune in to my next column for the rest of the answer. Stay warm and good luck!

© 2022 Monte Leeper

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Monte

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Two isn’t always a winning number

There are all types of numbers associated with politicians. Pollsters are constantly bombarding us with numbers. Defeated candidates keep complaining that they won, and say they have the numbers to prove it. But the bottom line in this discussion is that the number 2 is by far the worst number to be attached to any political figure.

As living proof of the value of being second, I cite Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. There is no question that either of them would become No. 1 if anything happened to her/his boss. But looking at their scope of responsibilities shows that they have very little to do. Harris is rarely in the news, primarily because she hasn’t been given that much to do on a daily basis. She’s called upon to attend important funerals, but the press rarely says much about her.

With the 2024 presidential election coming up, there is speculation about whether President Biden will make Harris his running mate if he decides to run again. Most political observers think she would be a drag on the 2024 ticket, because she hasn’t been associated with any winning issues. Shortly after she took on her official duties, the president assigned her the responsibility of helping solve the border crisis, which is proving more difficult than curing cancer. There was an opportunity for Harris to make some serious recommendations on how to solve the crisis, but she felt the issue was too toxic and declined to actively take on the role. She has been lobbying for the passage of the George Floyd Act, which would better clarify what the role of the police should be, but she wouldn’t be able to make any waves without Biden doing the heavy lifting. There’s also a possibility that the president has chosen not to boost her credentials because of the 2020

debates, when she went out of her way to attack Biden on school segregation. No matter how you try to define the role of the vice president, it’s very hard to write out a list of specifications. The president decides what the V.P.’s job will be, and there are many examples of presidents giving their vice presidents serious duties. President George W. Bush delegated most of his high-level duties to Dick Cheney, and many claimed that Cheney became the real president. But the late Vice President James Nance Garner, who served under Franklin Roosevelt, is said to have had the best definition of the job, describing the vice president’s job as not being worth “a bucket of warm spit.”

Delgado’s situation is an interesting one. He’s a graduate of Colgate University and Harvard Law School. He was a very effective member of Congress who was willing to resign to take on the No. 2 position in Albany. Gov. Kathy Hochul spent every waking hour of her time as lieutenant governor traveling to every

corner of the state. She got to know every local chamber of commerce, and elected officials marveled at her nonstop visits. There is no doubt that her tenacity helped her get elected governor.

Currently, however, the only job Delgado has is to preside over the State Senate, which isn’t the most exciting work. No doubt after April 1, when the state budget is out of the way, Hochul will decide what role he will play. Delgado is personable and articulate, and was well received during his campaign swings. He could be a great advocate for the governor’s programs. She is badly in need of someone who can reach out to the Assembly and Senate members and make some friends. Delgado could help her a great deal in that role.

But either way, being No. 2 in government is hardly the best job in the business.

Jerry Kremer was an Assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.

Minx or madman: the George Santos story

Don’t mess with puppies, George. From what I’ve read and what I’ve heard in statements coming out of your very own mouth, you seem estranged from most commonly held beliefs of what is true and what is false, what is a factual statement and what is a lie. What happened and what didn’t happen.

RANDI KREISS

Assiduously, I have ignored the media high jinks and political circus surrounding your behavior, but last week’s revelation of the alleged puppy caper in Pennsylvania’s Amish country in 2017 unleashes my inner Cujo.

Oh yes, the temptation to joke is overwhelming due to the ridiculousness of many of your quasi-legal escapades and the seemingly endless stream of revelations concerning your grandiose claims, self-promotion and transgressions.

Last week we read in The Washington Post that a farmer in Pennsylvania had come forward with a story about you “buying” golden retriever puppies from him with rubber checks. Other

farmers have come forward with similar claims. Related to these charges is the story about the “charity” you claim to have established, Friends of Pets United, but the Post reported that no IRS records of the group could be found. It also reported that you stole money that had been raised to help a disabled veteran care for a dying dog. A disabled veteran?? A dying dog?? What’s wrong with you, George?

I am very disappointed in you. If I were your mother — but oh, wait, your mother died tragically in the 9/11 attacks, unless she didn’t. Can’t be sure. Well, if I were your mother, I would get you some help. The impulse among us in the media is to point at you, since you have become something of a one-man sideshow. But dude, you need serious therapeutic intervention.

New York City, or worked for a bank, or owned various houses, or knew people in the Pulse nightclub shooting, or graduated from NYU or played high-stakes volleyball.

Some say your name isn’t even George Santos. Pinning down the truth as torrents of lies pour from your mouth is like pinning down Jell-O. You are inventive and indefatigable in your stream of wishful thinking out loud, Walter Mitty on a bad trip.

How long will the Republicans allow the public evisceration to continue?

What we can be sure of is that you aren’t Jewish, or Jew-ish, despite your repeated claims to the contrary. According to The Forward, even though you said that your grandparents escaped the Holocaust, they actually were safe and sound in Brazil at the time. There’s no proof you were really mugged on your way to pay a delinquent rent check in

Mostly this is terribly sad. You need help, but you won’t find it in Congress or any public office, for now. Why not step down and save yourself further humiliation?

You can’t expect assistance from your mates in Congress, George. As long as you have a pulse and can vote the party line, they will let the public evisceration continue. You won’t find solace in Congress or real collegiality or decency. You are a GOP vote. Full stop.

Readers, from my perch in the press, the buffoonery of George Santos and his enablers fits perfectly into this time and space. Congress and the Senate have always had their share of nudniks, but Santos is part of a wave of new-age

liars. The toxic lies spewing from people like Marjorie Taylor Green, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, Lauren Boebert and Ron Johnson are poisoning the processes of government. They are all using Santos in what has become a spectacle and a shame.

Last, a shout-out to our neighbors in the 3rd Congressional District, the people of Mineola, Great Neck, North Hills, Port Washington and Oyster Bay. Assuming all of you are literate and somewhat paying attention, how did George Santos sweep by you and right into office? Was holding a Republican seat really a wise trade-off for allowing a candidate with not even a passing appreciation for the truth represent your interests in the People’s House?

As we approach the birthday of another George, the George of American history, who could not tell a lie, I wonder what the people of that era would do with someone like Mr. Santos? Hopefully summon some empathy and not put him on public display. During the reign of another George, King George the First of England, someone like our George might have officially played the part of the fool.

Now we don’t quite know what to do with him.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

Who’s got less to do, the vice president or the lieutenant governor?

JERRY KREMER

HERALD

Gambling addiction is no game

the Kansas City Chiefs edged the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s biggest game Sunday night, watched by more than 100 million people around the world.

But more than 50 million sports fans here at home in the United States had more invested in the game than pride in their favorite team. They wagered as much as $16 billion on Super Bowl LVII, according to the American Gaming Association. And just like football, someone’s going to win, which means someone has to lose. The thing is, being on the wrong side of a good bet is more common than not.

The money bet on the Chiefs and the Eagles was said to be more than double the total spent last year, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. And these days that betting involves more than just choosing which team will win.

Take prop bets, more formally known as proposition bets. They aren’t tied to the outcome of the game — like traditional spreads, moneylines and totals. Instead, they focus on more non-traditional occurrences like the length of the national anthem, or what color Gatorade will be poured on the winning coach.

Prop bets are currently the biggest driver of revenue for many sports gambling sites, according to news reports. That is, except in New York, where the law requires that all bets be tied to the game itself.

letters

Lafazan should rethink his GEORGE Package

To the Editor:

Nassau Legislator Josh Lafazan’s recommendations last week to prevent future egregious candidate misrepresentations a la George Santos (“A useful way to enshrine a name we’d sooner forget”) are unnecessary and provide for a cure worse that the disease. Lafazan’s recommendations are to enshrine in law at all levels the following:

1. Mandatory background checks for all candidates “just like any employee.” There are significant legal restrictions on the nature and scope of employee background checks, and this is unnecessary, as the most rudimentary opposition research would have exposed Santos.

2. Barring anyone with an open foreign arrest warrant from holding office. Lafazan couldn’t possibly have thought this through. So, any foreign country simply has to issue an arrest warrant to remove our public officials? Talk about foreign interference in elections.

Even with those restrictions, New York-based gamblers placed more than $472 million in legal sports bets during the Super Bowl between the Rams and Bengals — part of a larger $16 billion wagered in the first year of legalized online betting in New York. So far, based on the weekly figures from the state gaming commission, this year’s figure is predicted to be even larger. All from a practice that didn’t even exist here a couple years ago.

There are currently nine different mobile applications legally recognized by the state, with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesar’s Sportsbook among the bigger ones. FanDuel and DraftKings began a decade or so ago, focused on fantasy sports, in which fans build their own teams and compete against each other using real-life game statistics.

But as sports gambling has gained more widespread legal acceptance, the influence of those two companies has grown, and they have shifted gears and focused most of their attention on this new, much-more-lucrative market.

There are strong opinions on both sides on whether gambling should be legal, or if it’s even moral. But something many agree on is that if you’re going to gamble, do it responsibly. Wager only what you can afford to lose. Don’t stretch — or even break — those limits.

And no different than a casino, mobile and online sports betting can also lead to problem gambling.

Like many addictions, gambling can be attributed to the release of dopamine brought on by the thrill of risk-taking and the potential rewards. Gambling, for the most part, is perfectly legal. But then again, so are cigarettes and alcohol.

But gambling is sometimes considered a “hidden addiction,” because it’s not something that might be as obvious as drugs or alcohol, manifesting physical symptoms, although some gamblers have problems with sleep, anxiety, depression and guilt.

For the working-class poor, gambling can also create a perpetual loop in which addicts throw away much-needed and typically hard-earned cash that would otherwise be spent on necessities like housing and food.

The good thing, however, is that there are services in place to help. The Long Island Problem Gambling Resource Center, for example, offers several services for individuals and families impacted by gambling.

These issues shouldn’t necessarily disqualify any talk of bringing a new casino to Uniondale, but they certainly should be part of the conversation — a big part of it. Every resource should be available to keep wagering responsible, and to avoid the destruction of families — both functionally and economically.

As always, if you or a loved one are dealing with problem gambling, you can get help by calling (516) 266-8342, or visiting NYProblemGambling.org.

How political extremism became the norm

Viewing the American political scene today, I can’t help thinking about what Yeats wrote more than a century ago: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

I’m not suggesting anarchy is imminent, or that our governmental structures are collapsing, but there are warning signs that should be heeded for our nation to cope with the enormous challenges facing America at home — and throughout the world — effectively. Not only is there bitter partisanship between the parties, there are also bitter divisions within them.

There can be honest debate as to when this severe fracturing began. Politics is always a combat sport. The days of peace, love and harmony — the “good old days” — never existed. Certainly not during the 28 years I was in Congress. But no matter how bitter the debate and severe the divisions were, certain lines weren’t crossed. Richard Nixon had reason to contest the 1960 election results, but gracefully conceded the race to John F. Kennedy. Al

Gore challenged George W. Bush’s razorthin electoral vote margin in 2000, but conceded with class after losing a similarly razor-thin 5-4 decision in the U.S. Supreme Court.

I believe the major turning point in the rules of political combat was the 2016 TrumpClinton race and its aftermath. It wasn’t just the heated charges and countercharges of the campaign, but the refusal of some Democrats to accept Trump’s victory, and much of the mainstream media’s defense of their erroneous predictions.

Nor was it just the refusal of prominent Democrats such as Rep. John Lewis to attend President Trump’s inauguration, but the allegations made by Democratic leaders, the intelligence community and major segments of the mainstream media that Trump’s election resulted from his campaign colluding with Russia.

This led to the Mueller investigation, which went on for almost two years, tying up the Trump administration and — with media support — giving credibility to the unprecedented belief that an American president was elected by colluding with a foreign enemy.

Being on the House Intelligence Committee and sitting through endless hearings, listening to countless witnesses and

studying reports and analyses, I was convinced there was no collusion whatever. Stripped of defensive rhetoric, the Mueller report reached the same conclusion. But the damage had been done, and the political well was further poisoned.

Then there were the riots in the summer of 2020, which raged throughout the country following the police killing of George Floyd. At least six people were killed. Cities like Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, were under siege. New York streets became nightly war zones. Police stations were attacked and set on fire. Churches were vandalized. The White House itself was threatened.

Yet Democratic leaders offered only perfunctory disapproval of the violence, emphasizing that most demonstrations were “peaceful.” Following a night of violence in Brooklyn — in which bottles and other objects were thrown at cops — then Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “I stand with the protesters.”

In Manhattan, the Democratic district attorney refused to prosecute hundreds arrested for looting and rioting, including a getaway driver aiding those caught on video vandalizing St. Patrick’s Cathedral. All further poisoning the well.

Then, beginning on election night in 2020, Trump — citing no credible evi-

dence — charged that the election was “rigged” and “stolen.” Never explaining why, in a rigged election, Republicans would pick up 12 House seats while he lost the popular vote to Joe Biden by more than 7 million, Trump continued to attack the results.

The culmination of this constant onslaught — whether intended or not — was the disgraceful and violent assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. No rational American — certainly no Republican claiming to be a patriot — can defend that outrage in any way.

Shockingly, however, too many Republicans are willing to minimize the violence as just a protest out of control, and still deny the election results.

What the nation saw last month, when it took 15 ballots over five days for Republicans to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy speaker of the House, was a further rejection of tradition and civility. It is an ominous sign that this was the most protracted election for speaker since the decade preceding the Civil War.

It’s time for the sane forces on both sides to step forward. The United States has come too far as a nation, and faces too many challenges, to allow the voices of anarchy to prevail over our traditions and values.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. A version of this essay originally appeared in The Hill.

Framework by Tim Baker

3. Make it a misdemeanor (i.e. a crime) for a candidate to lie about his or her background. Just what we need: candidates routinely trading criminal charges. (“You only graduated cum laude, not magna cum laude!”) Again, basic opposition research is all that’s needed, not competing police reports.

This is an example of a politician giving the appearance of “doing something” about a problem that may very well make it worse.

TeRRANCe J. NOLAN Lynbrook

Who will stand up to the extremists?

To the editor:

As a student of history, I am distressed each day as I read and listen to the news, and I wonder:

When did it become appropriate to ignore a congressional subpoena and then be rewarded with the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives, the thirdmost important position in the nation?

Why is it OK for Supreme Court nominees to lie at their confirmation hearings and then, after being appointed, overturn decades of court precedent?

When was it determined that politicians

should be permitted to ignore experts in curriculum, history scholars, trained teachers and trained librarians to ban books, whitewash American history and ban topics that are contrary to their ideas? Isn’t the purpose of education to expose students to diverse ideas?

When did it become fashionable to elect people to Congress who lie, yell, curse and bully — people who have no ability to legislate, and no understanding of the word “compromise”?

When did we turn our backs on the hardfought-for rights of all people and return to the days when voting rights were restricted?

In the end, the real question is, when will the moderates in government, and the many moderates in the country, stand up to the extremists on both ends of the political spectrum? Left alone, they will destroy our democracy. We would be wise to remember the words of the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller, about the Nazis.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

An ’80s Glow Party and a father-daughter dance — Valley Stream

ReNA BOLOGNA Bayville

the turning point in the rules of political combat was the 2016 TrumpClinton race.

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