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PFY celebrates Pride Month
Thanking the student leaders
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Vol. 27 No. 25
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HERALD $1.00 $1.00
JUNE 13 - 19, 2024
Summer safety day a success at Kennedy ter, said. “It’s a time from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when the number of teen drivJohn F. Kennedy High School ing fatalities and injuries spike students are ready to hit the dramatically. So this is the perroad as the academic year ends fect time to remind them just to — and the Students Against be aware and be careful. The Destructive Decisions club reality is, if we save one life, aims to make sure they start then we’ve done our job.” High school-age the summer knowdrivers are at highing how to drive safely. e r - t h a n - av e r a g e SADD and the risk for car acciBellmore-Mer rick dents, Tepfer said, Community Parent because they’re the Center, a nonprofit newest and least based in the Bellexperienced drivers more-Merrick Cenon the road. Distral High School tractions such as District headquarcellphones and ters, organized a speeding increase day of experiential WENDY TEPFER the risk. learning to promote Director, Community “Unfortunately, safe driving practic- Parent Center motor vehicle es for about 150 stucrashes are one of dents in their health classes on the leading causes of injury May 31. and death for teens today, and Safety education is impor- the risk is highest for the high tant, the org aniz ers said, school age group — that 16- to because driving can be a matter 19-year-old g roup,” Te pfer of life or death, especially as added, “and what we know staschool ends and young people tistically is that kids, teenagers, find themselves with more free have the lowest rate of seat belt time. use of any age group today.” “We just entered what’s To understand the dangers known as the 100 deadliest of unsafe driving, students took days,” Wendy Tepfer, director part in experiential learning of the Community Parent Cen-
By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo
jdalessandro@liherald.com
Jordan Vallone/Herald
Gov. Kathy Hochul indefinitely paused a congestion-pricing plan that was set to go into effect on June 30. The Town of Hempstead opposed the plan, and Supervisor Don Clavin said for now, Long Islanders can claim victory.
Congestion pricing on pause, for now
Town of Hempstead officials react to governor’s decision By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Town of Hempstead officials claimed victory last week after Gov. Kathy Hochul put an indefinite pause on a congestion-pricing plan that was set to go into effect on June 30. The plan aimed to reduce traffic and travel time, create safer streets and cleaner air, reduce emissions and overall improve the quality of life in New York City — but the cost was high. It sought to tax car drivers $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th street, and charge truck drivers anywhere from $24 to $36, depending on the size of the vehicle. The toll would have also applied to motorcycles, taxis and ride-share vehicles. The plan was first discussed in June of last year, and Hochul faced immediate pushback across the tri-state region from representatives, who expressed concern about the burden the high costs could place on travelers. “Let’s be real — a $15 charge may not mean a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a working- or
middle-class household,” Hochul said in announcing a pause in the plan on June 5. “It puts the squeeze on the very people who make this city go: the teachers, first responders, small business workers, bodega owners. And given these financial pressures, I cannot add another burden to working- and middle-class New Yorkers — or create another obstacle to continued recovery.” Hempstead Town officials, who openly disagreed with the pricing plan, said while the victory is great for now, it is only temporary. “Yesterday, we saw the governor finally acquiesce to the will of residents throughout Long Island and the tri-state region in pausing congestion pricing, not eliminating it,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said at a news conference on June 6. “Those are very key words we need to remember because when you pause something, you pause it with the intention of bringing it back.” Town leaders were adamant that the congestion-pricing plan would’ve hurt the averConTInueD on paGe 6
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e just entered what’s known as the 100 deadliest days.
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