East Meadow Herald 02-22-2024

East Meadow says ‘P.S.

I love You’

Students and teachers throughout the East Meadow Union Free School District organized activities to celebrate P.S. I Love You Day on Feb. 9. Above, teachers at Bowling Green Elementary School sported purple in honor of the day. Story, more photos, Page 3.

Taking a look at health and physical education curriculum

By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

Jason Supple, the East Meadow Union Free School District’s director of physical education, health and athletics, led board members through an informative presentation Feb. 7 that focused on important initiatives within his department, and the curriculum that students are learning at all levels of early education.

Supple also highlighted the tremendous efforts of East Meadow’s high school athletics throughout the fall and winter season.

Supple said the district’s website has new tab highlighting the district’s nursing services that

recently went live.

“You can find it on the district webpage in the menu tab — there’s a circle to the far right,” he explained. “And you can also access that from the menu tab of any building website as well.”

The site offers pertinent forms and information regarding nurses and health services.

East Meadow employs 13 full time nurses, which Supple said is “a pretty robust staffing.”

“It gives us the opportunity to have at least one-and-a-half full-time nurses per building,” he said. “Having that support is critical to our students. Life happens, people have to miss days for various reasons, and having that extra support

Head of the class at Clarke

Juliet Cimaglia, Lauren Henning named the top students for 2024

By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

Not many students have what it takes to be named the best in their high school graduating class. But at W.T. Clarke High School in the East Meadow School District, Juliet Cimaglia and Lauren Henning have done just that — as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the Class of 2024.

TBoth top academic achievers, their journey to educational excellence, coupled with athletic pursuits and extracurricular passions, have made Cimaglia and Henning stand out at Clarke.

The seniors shed light on the importance of time management, seeking out academic passions while prioritizing mental health amid the pressures of high school life.

Cimaglia’s hard work, both in and out of the classroom, has resulted in her earning a weighted grade point average of 109.71. She’s taken some of

the most rigorous courses Clarke has to offer, and is a member of several honor societies and clubs. An avid soccer player, she was the varsity soccer team captain during the fall season.

But of all the passions and academics she’s balanced throughout her years at Clarke, her biggest one she found by chance. A member of band when she attended middle school, Cimaglia said she decided to drop it when she entered high school.

“I entered into a technology education course — I didn’t really know what it was about, I just needed something to fill my schedule,” Cimaglia, 18, said. “And that was the best decision I’ve ever made. It set me on my path to engineering.”

Since freshman year, she’s taken four engineering classes, and as a junior, she joined the robotics team, which she “instantly fell in love with.”

“That’s how I spend most of

Continued on page 2

Courtesy East Meadow Union Free School District

Exploring passions led to success for duo

Continued from page 1

my time,” she said. “I spend my free periods in (the robotics room). I spend my weekends in there. That has really driven my path to want to go into engineering, as at least some STEM-based field where I think I can really excel.”

Henning’s dedication and hard work throughout her time at Clarke has resulted in a weighted grade point average of 109.06. She has also taken a rigorous course load, and is a member of several honor societies and clubs. A talented athlete, Henning has played on the varsity field hockey team since her freshman year, where she established herself early on as a team leader.

A self-proclaimed “math and science girl,” Henning, 17, said she wants to pursue a doctorate of pharmacy after high school.

“It involves more math and science and involves hands on work,” she said. “It’s a very nice career to go into, because you’re not stuck kind of in one thing for the next 40 years. You can hop around, you can grow, you can build.”

Henning has big aspirations, and wants to be able to use her successes to help others, she said. “I aspire to help people, use my knowledge of math and science to help make the world a little bit of a better place,” she said.

Both Cimaglia and Henning emphasized the importance of compartmentalizing things — whether it’s their rigorous academics, sports or other extracurricular activities.

“There have been a lot of times where I’ve been very overwhelmed, and sometimes that really sends me spiraling,” Cimaglia said. “You have to really just focus on one thing at a time, and that’s the way I’ve kind of been able to dig myself out of holes that I sometimes put myself into.”

Henning tore her anterior cruciate ligament in December of 2022 — a major setback for an athlete. Through physical therapy, support from her teammates and coaches, and self-determination, she persevered.

“If I were to give advice to someone with this major setback, and they don’t know what they’re going to do, you really sometimes just have to take it one day at a time,” she said. “You can’t worry about what’s going to

happen on Friday, because right now it’s Tuesday.”

Both students suggested having breaks in class schedules, whenever possible, for times to enjoy other things. For Cimaglia, that’s robotics, and for Henning, American Sign Language, which she’s taken since seventh grade.

“You really need to find a course or a subject that you want to stick with, even if it’s a college course or AP course,” Cimaglia said. “That’ll be your time to decompress for the day.”

Henning said, “When you’re in classes, it’s all input, input, input. You need time to process that information.

So if there’s a buffer period, it’s great.”

Cimaglia said the pressure students place on themselves can be crippling, and while there’s nothing wrong with striving for success, it’s okay to take a step back.

“If you’re going to suffer because you want something so bad, there’s no point in wanting it so bad,” she said. “People think that you’re going to remember that test you took in freshman year that you maybe got a 75 on — trust me, you will not. I promise, everything will work itself out in the end.”

For those still navigating high school, Henning advises them to recognize the importance of creating memories, and maintaining a social life outside of academics.

“No one’s going to say that they liked high school because, ‘I loved my mountain of homework,’” she said. “How do you enjoy high school? You enjoy high school when you spend it with the people that make you laugh.”

Timothy Voels, Clarke High School principal, said Cimaglia and Henning are “exemplary students and role models.”

“Their determination, dedication, passion and compassion serve to inspire,” he said, “and bring out the best in everyone around them.”

The East Meadow High School valedictorian and salutatorian will be featured in next week’s edition.

Al Kanfei Nisharim (AKN) is a registered 501c3 organization that supports Single Mothers. These women can rely on Al Kanfei Nisharim to provide support, resources and guidance to help them achieve independent financial stability.

Courtesy East Meadow School District

Juliet Cimaglia, left, and Lauren Henning, right, are valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the Class of 2024 at W.t. Clarke High School. Both balanced a rigorous course load with extracurricular passions.

HERALD NEIGHBORS

Spreading positivity on P.S. I Love You Day

Students and teachers throughout the East Meadow School District organized several activities to celebrate P.S. I Love You Day on Feb. 9.

P.S. I Love You Day is a day to spread love, decrease bullying and promote mental health awareness. Students and staff wore purple that day, which promotes kindness and a welcoming environment, and educates others that mental health is just as important as physical health.

The day is an annual event observed on the second Friday of February. Participants are encouraged to wear purple, as a symbol of solidarity and to signify their commitment to spreading kindness and combating bullying. Schools, communities, and organizations often organize events and activities to raise awareness about mental health issues, encourage positive interactions, and foster a supportive environment for individuals struggling with mental health challenges.

It serves as a reminder of the importance of showing love and support to one another, reaching out to those in need, and promoting mental well-being in communities.

The K Kids Club at each East Meadow elementary school delivered kindness grams to students through-

out the school, and they helped to “chalk the walk” on the morning of Feb. 9 to welcome all students to school.

–Jordan Vallone

The K Kids Club at Meadowbrook Elementary School in East Meadow read books about kindness to students in grades K-2.

Photos courtesy East Meadow Union Free School District

Students and teachers at Meadowbrook Elementary School in East Meadow celebrated P.S. I Love You Day on Feb. 9.

P.S. I Love You Day is a day to spread love, decrease bullying and promote mental health awareness. Students, above, at Bowling Green Elementary School.

Bowling Green Elementary School students on P.S. I Love You Day.

The current

is

indexed for inflation. For most clients this presents no issue – their estates will never approach the exemption. However, for the fortunate few who have assets, including life insurance, that may exceed roughly seven million dollars, there is a significant tax liability. Changes in New York estate tax law in the last few years introduced a “fiscal cliff”. Whereas formerly New York only taxed the amount over the exemption, if you exceed the limit today (by a mere 5%) they tax the whole estate. You’re over the cliff!

The tax is surprisingly large. On a roughly seven million dollar estate, the taxes payable to New York exceed five hundred thousand dollars. An estate over ten million would owe over a million in estate tax.

These New York estate taxes are avoidable if you have a spouse and you create an estate plan using two trusts, which doubles the exemption. Another way to avoid the fiscal cliff is to use the “Santa Clause” providing that you gift to charities of your choice all amounts over the exemption. Gifts to charities are deductible

from estate taxes.

While the Federal estate tax exemption of 13.61 million is “portable”, i.e. if the first spouse doesn’t use their exemption or any part of it, it passes to the surviving spouse, New York does not allow for portability. It’s use it or lose it.

The Federal exemption is expected to be reduced from the 13.61 million exemption, passed by the Trump administration, to the 6.94 million, adjusted for inflation, that New York uses, at the end of 2025. For larger estates, there remains a planning opportunity by making gifts while the higher exemption is in place. You may use any of your Federal estate tax exemptions to make gifts while you are living. These gifts are reported to the IRS and get subtracted from what you may give at death.

One added attraction to gifting is that New York does not tax gifts -- so that gifts may also be used to avoid onerous New York estate taxes at death. There is a minor exception that gifts made within three years of the death of the donor are brought back into the donor’s estate for New York estate tax purposes.

Crash in East Meadow leaves one dead

A car crashed into a tree on Feb. 14 in East Meadow, leaving one person dead. Nassau County police say the accident occurred around 1:25 p.m.

According to detectives, a female driver, 78, operating an SUV, left the roadway and struck a tree near the intersection of 3rd Street and Hempstead Turnpike.

She was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead by a hospital physician.

No one else was injured in the crash.

The investigation remains ongoing and police have not yet identified the victim.

Ozone Park man arrested for two larcenies

An Ozone Park man was arrested for a grand larceny that occurred in North Bellmore and East Meadow, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

According to detectives, officers responded to a Walgreens located on Newbridge Road in North Bellmore on Feb. 18.

They were notified that a man, who was currently in the store, made a fraudulent purchase the prior day in the amount of $252.91. He allegedly used a female victims’ credit card through a cell phone application.

A subsequent investigation revealed that Eugene was responsible for an additional larceny at another Walgreens, located on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow. The same victim’s credit card was used fraudulently for $459.26.

Elijah EugEnE

Elijah Eugene, 27, was arrested without incident.

Eugene is charged with grand larceny, two counts of identity theft, two counts of unlawful possession of a personal ID, falsifying business records and four counts of petit larceny.

He was arraigned on Feb. 19 at the First District Court in Hempstead.

–Jordan Vallone

–Jordan Vallone

Courtesy John Scalesi

A car struck a tree last week in East Meadow, causing the death of a 78-year-old female driver.

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Superintendent reads to students at Barnum

First graders in Jennifer Lasher’s class at Barnum Woods Elementary School in East Meadow were treated to a special guest reader on Valentine’s Day.

Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Rosner visited the class and read the book, “The Bear Under the Stairs” by Helen Cooper. The book is a charming story about a

child’s imagination and learning how to overcome a childhood fear.

Afterward, Rosner gifted Lasher’s class with a gift card to Barnes & Nobles and the book, “There’s a Monster in Your Book” by Tom Fletcher.

Additionally, first graders gifted Rosner with their own Valentine’s Day messages.

Photos courtesy east meadow union free school district

Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Rosner visited first graders in Mrs. Lasher’s class at Barnum Woods Elementary School in East Meadow as a guest reader on Valentine’s Day.

Rosner read the book, ‘The Bear Under the Stairs’ by Helen Cooper.

Artificial intelligence through the years:

OpenAI, an artificial intelligence and research company, publicly released ChatGPT-3 on Nov. 30, 2022. Now, a little more than a year later, the sophisticated chatbot — with more than 180 million monthly users — is seemingly developing faster than users can keep up. To understand how this language model became one of the most technologically advanced virtual assistants in the world, you have to go back nearly 75 years.

Imagining classrooms — and a future

By Ben Fiebert, Parker Schug & Nicole Wagner

First part in a series exploring the presence of artificial intelligence in our schools, and over time, in society as a whole. Thoughts? Questions? Ideas?

Email us at execeditor@liherald.com.

Artificial intelligence — it all starts with an idea. One developed by a computer programmed to mimic the human intelligence process through learning, reasoning and self-correction.

AI is already deeply ingrained in society. Whether it be smartphones with virtual assistants like Siri and Bixby, search engines making suggestions for what we’re looking for online, to even the spam filtering and email categorization in email platforms like Gmail.

The fast-growing advancements of AI may be hard to keep up with, especially as more and more platforms develop that specialize in AI like ChatGPT and Canva.

Television and news outlets focus more on how AI can turn your dog into a Muppet, or how it can instantly write a sonnet about someone’s favorite desserts.

But AI is finding its way into more and more of our everyday lives and it’s something that has institutions like our public schools racing to find the best ways to not only adapt, but to appropriately integrate AI into the classroom.

receives,” ChatGPT responded when asked what it was designed for.

It’s commonly used to answer a variety of questions, or brainstorm ideas. It can help draft emails and compose essays. It can help with extensive research, and even translate text from one language to another.

And for those looking to be a little less serious, ChatGPT can tell jokes, strike up a casual conversation, and even participate in storytelling and roleplaying scenarios.

But it can also write term papers, or essays. Or complete homework. And detecting when AI is being used is virtually impossible. That has created some concerns for school administrators, while at the same time tasking them to redevelop curriculum that prepares future minds for a future where AI is prevalent.

Ting Wang, a Stony Brook University associate professor who also directs its Algorithmic Learning, Privacy and Security Lab, describes the original conception of AI as “a feeble attempt to recreate intelligence and to help humans achieve specific tasks.” He believes developers have come a long way in achieving success doing just that.

ChatGPT is a popular example of this. Launched in late 2022, the software describes itself as an online interface that is “like having a conversation with a very knowledgeable and helpful friend — except this friend is actually a computer program.” It has been trained on swaths of data, making it capable of completing many different tasks ranging from gathering information, getting some helpful advice, or even looking to simply have a friendly chat.

“ChatGPT is designed for generating human-like text based on the input it

“From the academic perspective, I think one of the challenges is that it’s becoming harder and harder to obtain these AI models because they’re super expensive, the training costs, and have a requirement of huge amounts of data,” Wang said. “Those type of resources are not so accessible for the academia world.”

Where is AI?

Google, Bing and other search engines have used forms of artificial intelligence for years, but more recently began making its integration more obvious. Google integrated what it calls “generative AI” into its systems some 20 years ago, which typically predicts the next word in a search phrase.

ChatGPT also can edit certain articles, blog posts or other forms of writing. If someone asks ChatGPT to write an email with specific requirements, for example, the AI can handle it because its “training” has covered these sort of scenarios. What makes ChatGPT unique from other AI platforms, Wang said, is the massive amounts of data that “trains” it.

“You can see many artists, especially digital artists, using this program to create content that you cannot easily create manually,” Wang said.

Brett Tanzer — a product management vice president for Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure — says models created by AI developers are installed in products like Bing and Microsoft Copilot, an

Nicole Wagner/Herald

A reporter asks ChatGPT to describe not only itself, but the artificial intelligence language model that powers it. AI has gone from science-fiction to science-fact, and schools are among a number of institutions around the world working to adapt.

AI companion technology which utilizes ChatGPT among other language models, to aid users in their day-to-day lives.

This helps users brainstorm alternatives for ideas on a given issue if they get stuck.

“It’s already being applied to help people reduce workforce time,” Tanzer said.

Creatives aren’t the only ones utilizing AI for their work. Many in the health care industries are using AI products like those offered by Microsoft to accelerate medical research for advanced treatment and diagnosis of diseases.

“That’s really helping practitioners and doctors in their day-to-day experiences with patients,” Tanzer said.

Educators are utilizing AI in classrooms around Nassau County. In Franklin Square, for example, a robot named Milo interacts with students to help them hone their social and emotional skills.

Pamela Taylor, Franklin Square’s pupil personnel services director, said at the time the school had done a lot of

training to bring Milo into the classroom.

While Milo is the first robot of its kind to be used in a Long Island classroom, its ability to work with students on their confidence in emotional skills is something Taylor is eager to spread throughout the district.

“We are looking to expand,” she said, “because he’s appropriate for all learners.”

An artificial intelligence elective course at Bellmore-Merrick school district’s Sanford H. Calhoun High School is teaching students about the basic principles of AI through exposure to machine-learning algorithms in Python computer programming language.

Danielle Caliendo, a math and computer science chair at Calhoun, says this course prepares students for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“It also equips them with the skills necessary for today’s world where artificial intelligence is shaping the way we live and work,” Caliendo said, in a

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is coined by John McCarthy. Computer scientist Arthur Samuel develops a program called ‘Samuel’s Checker Players’ to play checkers, which is the first to ever learn the game independently.

Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg create the first ‘expert system’ called Denral, which was AI programmed to replicate the thinking and decision-making abilities of human experts. The purpose of this program was to map the structure of molecules, and to help chemists identify unknown organic molecules.

MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum creates the first chatbot called Eliza to simulate human conversations. The program was designed to mimic human conversation, utilizing words users entered into a computer, and then pairing them to a list of possible scripted responses.

The U.S. government

little interest in continuing to fund AI research.

1970s:

1980s:

AI is booming. Government funding led to breakthroughs in research. The use of the expert system program becomes more popular, allowing computers to learn from their mistakes and make independent decisions. This leads to the development of the Fifth Generation Computer project, with a goal of creating computers that could converse in human language and express reasoning on a human level.

1997:

2011:

2016:

2014:

2020:

Seeing artificial intelligence in daily life?

recent interview.

What does the future hold for AI?

Overall AI research at Stony Brook is intended to maximize the practical impact of artificial intelligence. Wang works on AI’s resilience against malicious manipulations, preserving privacy among users, and making the data written by AI more transparent and interpretable to users.

“People don’t have a great understanding of what AI can and can’t do,” Wang said. “I think people use AI as a magical box, and it actually may not work as expected for normal users.”

Yties to transform power in engineering, productivity, health care and cybersecurity.

Wang envisions ChatGPT becoming even more customizable and personalized than it is now. Although it’s already quite adaptable, users have their own individual requirements and writing styles that ChatGPT is not necessarily trained to understand.

ou can see many artists . . . to create content that you cannot easily create manually

TIng WAng associate professor Stony Brook University

As AI models become more sophisticated, Tanzer said, Microsoft has its sights set on developing models with advanced capabili-

“You may want the program to draft an email in your own style and have your own specific writing requirements,” Wang said, “and currently, the chatbot may not be able to do that.

”It’s an ever-evolving landscape,” Wang said. “I think from the perspective of classroom teaching, people are still trying to figure out what is the best way to harness the power of AI, and at the same time kind of limit and curve the harmful impact of this technology.”

third-grade students at franklin Square’s John Street School learn how to hone their social and emotional skills with the help of milo the robot. equipped with adaptive artificial intelligence, milo is designed to read facial cues from those around him to teach students techniques to cope with their emotions.

showed

Deep Blue — a computer run by the AI program alpha–beta search algorithm and developed by IBM — beats world chess champion Gary Kasparov, becoming the first computer program to beat a human chess champion. This kickstarts an era introducing AI into everyday life through innovations such as the first Roomba and speech recognition software on Windows computers.

Apple releases Siri, the first popular virtual assistant, found primarily on the company’s iPhones.

Amazon releases the Echo, powered by a voicecontrolled intelligent personal assistant named Alexa. These devices are smart speakers equipped with microphones for voice commands.

Google releases the Google Assistant and its voice-activated speaker: the Google Nest.

OpenAI starts beta testing GPT-3, a model that uses deep learning — a method of AI that teaches computers to process data in a way that mimics the human brain — to create code, poetry and other writing tasks.

Rei Wolfsohn/Herald file

HERALD SPORTS

Clarke captures second wrestling title

By BRIAN KACHARABA sports@liherald.com

After waiting years for their firstever county title, the Clarke wrestling team now has two in four seasons.

Richard King, William Grassini and Justin Gonzalez all won their respective weight classes as the top seed and the Rams had four more advance to the final to win the team championship at the Section VIII Division 2 tournament at Cold Spring Harbor High School Feb. 9-10.

Clarke collected 280.5 points, 54.5 better than second place Seaford, which had one winner and two other finalists. The Rams finished 19th in the Division 1 event last year and fourth in their last Division 2 tourney appearance in 2022 after capturing their first county title in 2020. There wasn’t an event in 2021 due to the pandemic.

“It came along pretty quick and we did it with a lot of young kids too,” coach Mike Leonard Jr. said of the second title. “Most of our point scorers and finalists were all underclassmen.”

King breezed through the 116 bracket with four pinfall victories, including one in just over three minutes over Devin Pellizzi of the host Seahawks in

the final. The sophomore lost his opening bout last year and advanced as far as the second round of the consolation bracket.

“I was very proud of him,” Leonard said. “He’s been putting in the work every offseason. Since he was a seventh grader, eighth grader, he’s been there throughout the entire year, and I think that’s what separates the good kids from the great kids.”

Gonzalez also enjoyed pinfall wins in all four of his matches, with three of them coming in just over a minute. The junior needed only 65 seconds to beat second-seeded Louis Cannata of Seaford in the 152 final.

“He is everything you ask for in a wrestler,” Leonard said. “He looked great, he’s moving great and he’s really a very good wrestler.”

Grassini, a freshman, recorded a

major decision win and two pinfalls before outlasting North Shore’s Matteo Porres 6-2 to win the 131 bracket. He too lost his first bout in the main bracket a year ago.

“He did a great job,” Leonard said. “Will’s a gamer. I kinda figured that out when he won in seventh grade. He’s one of those guys that can turn it on when the lights are on.”

Junior Sebastian Barco (138), sophomore Sebastian Mejia (145), freshman Bryan Araujo (170) and sophomore Marcus Rosario (190) all advanced to the final, and freshman Victor Rosario (124) and senior Anthony Arevalo (215) finished third. Junior Nicholas Barco (145), sophomore Jose Pacheco (152) and senior Carlos Guevara (160) all battled hard to place fourth.

Among that group, Leonard was especially pleased with Arevalo’s performance because it ended any doubt about his ability.

“He was very much like a roller coaster,” he said. “Sometimes he looked great and then sometimes he doesn’t. It’s nice to see him go out on top.”

Leonard believes that Gonzalez is the “front runner” to place at states and will be one of the tougher competitors to beat along with King.

County title for East Meadow’s Rodriguez

By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com

Vin Romanotto first saw potential in Matthew Rodriguez becoming a county champion during his first season as East Meadow’s wrestling coach when he moved him up to varsity as an eighthgrader.

Five years later Rodriguez fulfilled that goal with the East Meadow senior capturing a county championship in the 160-pound division on Super Bowl Sunday with a 6-3 win against Long Beach’s Gregory Milone. Rodriguez reached the top of the podium at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex a year after finishing as runner-up in the 152-pound finals in the same venue.

“When we brought him up in eighth grade I knew that if we keep pushing him he is going to do really good stuff,” Romanotto said. “Last offseason he wrestled a lot of matches and he has made great strides.”

Rodriguez reached the 160-pound finals in dominating fashion with pins of Manhasset’s Harris Ghaffari in the semifinals and MacArthur’s Michael Waters in the quarterfinals. He entered the county championships as the top

seed at 160 with a 35-3 record that included also wrestling at 170 earlier in the season.

The county crown advances Rodriguez into the New York State Wrestling Championships at the MVP Arena in Albany this weekend. Penn State commit PJ Duke from Minisink Valley High School will be the heavy favorite at 160, but Romanotto said it will be a wide open bracket to reach the finals stage.

“I think anyone else can make those finals and I think Matt has a great chance to do so,” Romanotto said. “He’s got to show up and wrestle like he’s been doing and I can see him in the state finals.”

The Rams nearly sent another wrestler to Albany with senior heavyweight Joseph Arbitello falling to Brandon Goldstein of Bellmore JFK by pin in a state tournament qualification match. Arbitello reached the semifinals and placed third in the counties with a pin of Roslyn’s Samuel Ilizarov in the consolation finals.

“He wrestled tough but in the end it just didn’t pan out,” said Romanotto of Arbitello, who reached states last year when the top three from Nassau County qualified.

East Meadow produced four other All-County finishers in senior Brady Hohlman (fourth, 145), junior Matthew Motamedian (fifth, 124), freshman Nicolas Rodriguez (sixth, 131) and sophomore James Galiano (sixth, 145).

Nicholas Rodriguez, the younger brother of East Meadow’s newest county champion, also came up to varsity as an eighth-grader last winter and has potential to also reach the podium someday. Romanotto said he likely would have had higher finish this season if not for an injury during counties that resulted in forfeiting the fifth place bout.

The six All County honorees marks the most for the East Meadow wrestling program since 2007.

“I think it shows we are making gains where we need to and that the kids are buying into the way we’re coaching,” Romanotto said. “I think a big part of it is I have a lot of help with our coaches and the volunteers who help with all the offseason work.”

East Meadow senior Matthew Rodriguez captured the Nassau Division 1 160pound wrestling title Feb. 11 and is headed to the state championships.

Paul Grassini/Herald Richard King, top, was one of three Rams to capture county championships Feb. 10 to help lead Clarke to the team title.

Hunter leads Clarke to impressive finish

By GARRETT D. URIBE sports@liherald.com

Christian Hunter’s trio of titles at last month’s Conference 5 championships served notice the Clarke boys’ track and field vet was a triple threat for All-County honors.

Capping an impressive winter, Hunter made good on a pair of those threats at the Nassau Class C championships Feb. 7 at St. Anthony’s High School. The Rams senior took his first indoor title winning the long jump at 19 feet, 8.5 inches and was runner-up at county for a second straight season in the 55-meter hurdles (8.27 seconds).

Backed by All-County teammates Ryan Melkum (second place in the 600 meters and 4x400-meter relay; third place in the 4x800) and Zachary Small (third place in the weight throw), Hunter – Conference 5’s winter champ in the long jump, high jump and 55 hurdles – helped Clarke seize a second-place team finish at county.

“Christian is a natural-born athlete,” said Clarke coach Brian Doxey. “He’s been able to handle lots of different

events for us this season. Wherever I put him, I know he’s going to score points. And he came through for us again at the county championships.”

The only Ram to earn All-County recognition in three events, Melkum was two tenths of a second back of Wheatley’s Nicholas Ramalhete in the 600 final, finishing second-place in 1:30.24. Melkum, a junior, ran anchor to finish Clarke’s runner-up 4x400 relay in 3:45.25, two seconds back of winner Friends Academy. He then moved to lead-off helping Clarke secure third in the 4x800.

“I saw a lot of strength and progress toward the end of the season,” Doxey said of Melkum, who took third in the 600 meters at the Conference 5 championships in January.

“Overall, I think Ryan took the next step this year in his running career,” added Doxey. “He was good last year, but this year he was great. And that’s going to continue in spring as well.”

Taking up the weight throw just this past fall, Small, too, closed the season strong. The Clarke sophomore surpassed his personal record – set at the conference championships – by more than

seven feet, logging a new best throw of 41 feet, five inches to cinch a third-place finish at county.

“It was amazing to see [Small’s] progress throughout the fall and the winter,” Doxey said. “And then, finally, to have that huge throw at the final meet. He really worked hard and came up huge for us.”

“Every single person on this team did their part,” added Doxey, whose team finished just behind this winter’s county champ Oyster Bay. “We always would like to win the whole thing. But as far as execution, this team exceeded what their expectations were, and what other people’s expectations were. They worked their butts off all season. They came out and did what they had to do.”

In order, Platonas Demosthenous, Ethan He and Carl Themistocle preceded Melkum on Clarke’s 4x400 relay; while Nicholas Lindo, Constantine Pozapalidis and Noah Saenz followed Melkum on the 4x800 – with All-County honors accruing to each squad member.

“Everyone on this team should be extremely proud of how they performed and how they excelled this year,” Doxey said. “I certainly am.”

Love is in the air at the Coral House

East Meadow couples renew martial vows in special Valentine’s Day ceremonies

In celebration of Valentine’s Day — the most romantic day of the year — Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray presided over vow renewals of 116 couples on Feb. 14.

In total, 232 Town of Hempstead residents took part in the Valentine’s Day event, with ceremonies being held at the Coral House in Baldwin — on the backdrop of a snow-kissed lake, thanks to snowfall from the day prior.

Several vow renewals were of couples who had been together for decades, including one married couple who have been together for 74 years. Additional couples had been together for 60 years, and other duos ranged from just one year of marriage to 59 years of marriage.

Valentine’s Day is already a day dedicated to love and romance, making it an ideal occasion for reaffirming marital vows. The symbolism of celebrating love on this day adds an extra layer of significance to the renewal ceremony.

Renewing marriage vows on Valentine’s Day is a way for couples to reflect on their journey together, celebrate their love, and look forward to the future — and more years of marriage to come. The Town of Hempstead event served as an opportunity to reaffirm the promises couples made on their wedding day and strengthen the bond that they share.

–Jordan Vallone

On a beautiful backdrop of a snow-kissed lake, 116 couples renewed their vows. Among them was Stephen and Kathleen Pagano of East Meadow, together for 46 years.

Those who renewed their vows on Feb. 14 were celebrating anywhere from one to 74 years of marriage. Barry and Susan Godel, of East Meadow, are celebrating 35 years together.

Photos courtesy Town of Hempstead

Vito and Mary Ann Turso of East Meadow celebrated 44 years of marriage.

Thomas and Rosemary Wortington, of North East Meadow, who have been married for 54 years, renewed their marital vows on Feb. 14, in a ceremony presided by Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray.

Richard and Rita Smith hit the golden anniversary mark this year, with 50 years of marriage under their belts.

HOST

ANTOINETTE BIORDI

4X AWARD-WINNING REPORTER NEWS 12 ANCHOR/REPORTER

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SARA GORE TVHOST, NBC UNIVERSAL LUXURYREALESTATESPECIALIST, SERHANT.

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Hundreds unite to remember Beckwith

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Bob Beckwith rushed out of retirement as a New York City firefighter to help a friend find his missing son at ground zero, three days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that shook New York City — and the country — to its core.

This selfless choice turned Beckwith into a beacon of hope for the nation when he stood on the rubble at President George W. Bush’s side — hope he embodied until the day he died on Feb. 4. He was 91.

Beckwith ultimately succumbed to a 9/11-related melanoma, and was remembered by family, friends, leaders and a large number of off-duty firemen during Beckwith’s Feb. 10 funeral in Baldwin, before he was buried at Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.

Some will remember Beckwith for the iconic photo and video featuring him with Bush on Sept. 14, 2001, while others recall how Beckwith was a humble man who would sit in the back row of St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin every Saturday evening while still finding time to visit a Levittown diner with his friends each week.

Beckwith enjoyed playing the piano, fishing, watching “Jeopardy,” spending time with his grandchildren, and attending their lacrosse games. He also took part Irish step dance competitions, and spent time at the Baldwin American Legion post.

Beckwith was an ordinary man, he would proclaim, who by chance was given the opportunity to uplift Americans during one the country’s darkest times.

Beckwith was retired for more than a decade after 30 years of service with the New York City Fire Department when he learned the son of his old friend, Jimmy Boyle, was missing amid the ruins of the twin towers.

inspiring words, with his arm draped around Beckwith.

“America, today, is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, for the workers who work here, and for the families who mourn,” Bush said at the time.

Bush would remain close to Beckwith, and shared a statement for former U.S. Rep. Peter King to read at his funeral.

“Laura and I are saddened by the passing of Bob Beckwith,” Bush said, explaining how the retired firefighter raced toward danger, showcasing the resilient spirit of all Americans during 9/11.

“I want to say that no one is indispensable,” King said in his own eulogy. “Bob Beckwith is indispensable. He was one of a kind.”

Beckwith was born April 16, 1932 in Astoria. After graduating from Rice High School in Manhattan in 1952, Beckwith joined the U.S. Navy n the tail end of the Korean war, before going on to study at LaGuardia Community College.

After graduating, Beckwith held various jobs like driving for UPS. But it was in 1964 Beckwith became an FDNY firefighter, kickstarting a 30-year career with the department.

Having lost two sons of his own, Beckwith understood the grief Boyle was going through.

So, he sprang into action and headed to ground zero while the rest of the nation remained in shock.

Beckwith later described how he was just in the right spot at the right time. Bush was paying his respects to those lost at ground zero, and wanted to speak directly to those who were digging through the rubble looking for survivors.

The president spotted Beckwith, and had him stand next to him where, using a megaphone, Bush delivered

Beckwith met his wife Barbara at a picnic in 1956. They were married a year later, settling down on Fairview Avenue in Baldwin, where they raised their six children.

Beckwith retired from the FDNY in 1994. He would find himself enjoying time at home, entertained by his two great-grandsons with a smile across his face.

Besides his wife, Beckwith is survived by daughter Christine; sons Bob, Richard and Stephen; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by sons Joseph and Tommy.

Christine Rivera/Herald

Firefighters salute the casket of Bob Beckwith as it is placed on top of a Baldwin Fire Department fire truck.

to

Sands Environmental Impact Study Moves Forward

Long Islanders weigh in on Sands proposed robust environmental impact study during the January hearings in Uniondale

When building an integrated resort complex with a multi-billion-dollar investment, it is crucial to outline and quantify the tangible effects of economic growth, job creation, and community benefits. One key aspect that developers often strive to minimize is their environmental impact on the surrounding area through comprehensive research and mitigation measures.

Under the New York State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act and its implementing regulations, projects, like the Sands New York Integrated Resort, are required to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement that identifies and evaluates impacts and presents mitigation measures that avoid or reduce those impacts. The SEQR regulations require public scoping to determine what should be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement, and the first step in the scoping process is the preparation of a Draft Environmental Scope by the applicant. The draft scope outlines the issues that will be studied in the Environmental Impact Statement. The public comment period and hearing process on the draft scope of the Environmental Impact Statement ensures public participation is at the center of establishing a comprehensive scope of study on the surrounding environment and community character.

Through the process of creating the scope for the Environmental Impact Statement for their planned Long Island integrated resort and wellness destination, Sands has gone above and beyond on their impact studies. The comprehensiveness of the draft scope and the studies proposed for the Environmental Impact Statement demonstrate Sands’ commitment to community benefits and documented record of global environmental sustainability.

Sands’ draft environmental review is the most robust ever proposed. They will assess environmental and social impacts including air quality, soil, noise, water, light, parking, and traffic– but also community character, jobs, and public health. The plan includes:

who we are:

The

Transportation, Traffic and Parking

A full traffic impact study will evaluate over 114 locations, from seasonal patterns to weekday rush hours and weekend traffic, including during construction and operation. Parking, access, bicycles, and pedestrian traffic are all being studied, as well as how the project integrates into existing transit cycles and routes.

The study will also include a parking evaluation to ensure the proposed plans accommodate adequate on-site parking to mitigate the impact on the surrounding area.

Air, Soil and Water

Throughout the process of drafting their Environmental Impact Statement, Sands will study the existing vegetation and habitat, including the Hempstead Plains, and conduct a full analysis of water and soil, including groundwater, water supply, discharge, storm water management, and soil excavation; study air emissions from stationary and mobile sources, as well as evaluate greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, energy conservation and sustainability measures including waste reduction.

Community Character

The study will also assess how the proposed project would fit into overall the character of the existing community. This work will include a community character

Continued

Photo provided by Sands

Photo: Long Islanders weigh in: Sands New York supporters urge the Sands project forward with the project’s comprehensive environmental impact study.

Continued from page 1

assessment, including cultural resources and zoning for the site and surrounding areas in consultation with the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead and the villages of Garden City, Hempstead, Mineola, Westbury and Freeport.

The impact studies will also include noise and vibration assessments, including noise impacts during construction and operation of the facility, to ensure the integrated resort remains a longstanding good neighbor.

Public Health and Problem Gambling

Sands, in partnership with the Sands community Work Groups, will study problem gambling, as well as available programs and services. This ongoing study will include period assessments to identify and study services that mitigate gambling addictions and other public health concerns.

Socio-Economic Impacts

EIS studies will include a full analysis of the project’s impact on jobs and economic growth (direct and indirect), which includes looking at community demographics, Sands’ commitments to the community, as well as construction, employment, and training programs.

Community Facilities and Services, and Cumulative Impacts

The study will include the site’s existing use of facilities and capacities, including emergency services, and the assessment of impacts of increased demand on services from the resort. The scope will also include proposed on-site security, as well as how the project might interact with other developments in the area, like the anticipated NYU-Langone Hospital.

Town of Hempstead Public Hearings

While the Sands’ draft scope for the Environmental Impact Statement is being reviewed, the Town of Hempstead (the lead

agency) has hosted public meetings to transparently inform community members about Sands’ proposed assessment commitments, as well as solicit community feedback on the scope of the assessment. Hundreds of Long Islanders have turned out to these meetings to show their support for the project, and for the DEIS to move forward.

Uniondale resident Olena Nicks said, through submitted written testimony, “Although it is imperative to have a full view of the proposed Sands project, I support the process in which Sands New York is taking to illustrate their plans. Sands New York has been working to show their commitment to the Uniondale community and surrounding areas. Through flexible working groups Sands has made it accessible for residents and stakeholders to have transparent insight into the environmental impact of the project. I believe the steps taken and information distributed are positive initial steps that address the questions and concerns

of Residents.”

East Meadow resident Gary Humbert submitted, "It’s an economic win for everyone. It creates thousands of jobs and brings dollars to our local businesses. It’s a win-win situation."

The information collected from the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will help inform Sands on how and where it should provide targeted resources for mitigation, ensuring a final project that is a net gain for the region, providing substantial quality of life benefits.

The details of Sands’ robust study for the proposed $4 billion resort is available on the Town of Hempstead’s website at HempsteadNY.gov.

Photo provided by Sands

Photo: Sands and the Town of Hempstead have hosted several public meetings to transparently inform community members about Sands’ proposed plan and hear feedback or concerns from community members.

Photo provided by Sands

EAC Network, a not-for-profit social service agency that empowers, assists, and cares for over 65,000 people in need through 100 programs across Long Island and New York City, recognized Sands New York at its annual Building Bridges Gala last week. Sands SVP and Former NYS Governor David Paterson was on-site to accept the award.

Photo provided by Sands

Sands New York gave a $10,000 contribution to Island Harvest Food Bank in honor of the upcoming holidays. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Photo provided by Sands

Sands New York partnered with the United States Marine Corps Reserve to collect Toys-for-Tots throughout the Season of Sparkle celebration. The Sands team also delivered a $10,000 donation to the Toys-for-Tots organization for its mission to help deliver gifts to economically disadvantaged children over the holiday season.

Photo provided by Sands The partnership between Sands Cares Youth Empowerment Initiative and the Long Island Nets extended to a second Holiday Hoops Experience at Nassau Coliseum over the first weekend of January. A new batch of 75 students from communities across Long Island turned out to learn basketball fundamentals and sports safety with Long Island Nets Basketball Academy clinicians, and were surprised by a visit from Long Island Nets players Kaiser Gates, Kennedy Chandler, Kameron Hankerson and Kyler Edwards.

LI TODAY

Las Vegas Sands named to Dow Jones

Sustainability Indices for World and North America

Included on DJSI World for 4th consecutive year, DJSI North America for 8th time; Sands China Ltd. named to DJSI World for 2nd year

Las Vegas Sands was once again recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), with placement on the DJSI World Index for the fourth consecutive year and the DJSI North America Index for the eighth time. Sands China Ltd., the company’s Asian subsidiary, was also named to the DJSI World and DJSI Asia Pacific indices for the second consecutive year.

The DJSI World Index comprises global sustainability leaders as identified by S&P Global through the Corporate Sustainability Assessment). It represents the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global BMI based on longterm economic, environmental and social criteria. Sands and Sands China are the only two companies in the Casino and Gaming category listed on DJSI World this year.

“Our recognition on this premier global sustainability benchmark, following our recent inclusion as one of Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies, underscores the impact of our corporate responsibility initiatives and ESG leadership,” Patrick Dumont, President and Chief Operating Officer, said. “We aim to be the employer and partner of choice in our regions, a model corporate citizen working

to ensure strength and resiliency of our communities, and the industry leader in environmental sustainability.”

Sands’ DJSI inclusions reflect the company’s adaptability in aligning efforts and reporting to the major methodology changes and public disclosure expectations made for the Corporate Sustainability Assessment this year. The approach is reflective of Sands’ focus on transparency as defined by the major Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) authorities and a dedication to continuously expanding its impact.

The DJSI, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), were launched in 1999 as the pioneering series of global sustainability benchmarks available in the market. The index family is comprised of global, regional and country benchmarks.

The S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment is an annual evaluation of companies’ sustainability practices and covers over 10,000 companies from around the world. The CSA focuses on sustainability criteria that are both industry-specific and financially material and has been doing so since 1999.

Ahead in Sustainability

With the goal of achieving measured, ongoing progress, Sands also has established 2021-2025 ambitions in the areas of workforce development, Team Member volunteerism and carbon emissions reduction, mapping to its People, Communities and Planet corporate responsibility pillars.

Planet

• 2025 GOAL:

Achieve a 17.5% reduction in carbon emissions

Finally, Sands works to ensure the long-term environmental health of its regions through the Planet pillar, led by the Sands ECO360 global sustainability program.

As of 2022, Sands had achieved a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from its 2018 baseline; however, the cumulative decrease reflected continued pandemic-related impact on property visitation. As business returns to more normal levels in 2023, Sands is continuing to aggressively pursue its low-carbon transition initiatives in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy and transportation.

People

• 2025 GOAL: Invest $200 million in workforce development

As of 2022, Sands had invested $56 million in workforce development initiatives, bringing its cumulative investment to $113 million since 2021, well past the halfway point.

Sands is focused on building the workforce of the future by supporting the professional growth of its Team Members, advancing the skills of hospitality industry professionals as well as the local labor pool in its regions, and helping local businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, succeed.

Communities

• 2025 GOAL:

Contribute 150,000 Team Member volunteer hours

The global Sands Cares community engagement program leads initiatives under the Communities pillar and drives the company’s priorities on hardship relief, education, nonprofit and local business advancement, disaster relief and preparedness, and cultural and natural heritage preservation.

Sands surpassed their goal by the end of 2022 because of extensive support for pandemicrelated initiatives, along with core Sands Cares volunteer efforts. The new 2025 target will be announced in the company’s next ESG report in spring 2024.

STEPPING OUT

Become a bookish

Discover Eric Carle’s tiny world of insects in new sensory adventure

By Danielle Schwab

In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.

That’s how the journey started for Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar, the beloved character from his acclaimed picture book of the same name. Now, Long Island Children’s Museum takes the magnifying glass to Carle’s curious bugs in its newest exhibit, “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit.”

Created by the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, it’s a follow-up of sorts to last year’s popular Mo Willems exhibit, which also encouraged kids to step into the creative imagination of a beloved author-illustrator.

Visitors find themselves inside the pages of Carle’s colorful books. His “Very” series — all illustrated in his hand-painted tissue paper collage technique — introduces five special insects who take journeys of discovery. Each story is a testament to Carle’s love of nature along with his recurring themes of friendship, creativity, and the power of imagination.

The colorful picture books — more than 70 in all — have been captivating young children since Carle’s first publishing effort, the counting book “1,2,3 to the Zoo,” in 1968.

From there, his “Very” books took off the following year, beginning with the one that started it all, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” of course. Families were immediately captivated by Carle’s little bugs with big emotions.

There’s a deep-felt connection to the insects, according to Ashley Niver, the museum’s education director.

“Children have a fascination with things that are even smaller than they are because they’re usually the ones looking up at the world,” she said. “I find that they have a lot of care and concern for these small living things. They enjoy the roleplay of being a friend of one or becoming one, like wearing the wings of a butterfly and flying around.”

And, naturally, the insatiable caterpillar holds a special place in everyone’s hearts.

“We’ve had parents mention that they read ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ as a child and now they are reading it to their child,” Niver says. “The messaging is something that resonates.”

The exhibit may be indoors, but the focus is fully on the outside world, exploring the diversity of the insect kingdom through Carle’s imagination.

“A lot of people relate to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’

• Now through May 12, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• $17 museum admission, $16 seniors 65 and older; additional fees for theater programming

• View the events calendar at LICM.org for additional information, or call (516) 224-5800

• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City.

but there are a lot of other lovely stories,” Niver says. “I don’t think that everyone is as well-versed in some of his other books, so I’m happy that this features some more of them.”

Tumble in the grass, weave a web, find a friend, and even become a butterfly during your visit.

Upon arrival, visitors can follow the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s path on a journey through largerthan-life pages of the book, eating foods on the way to becoming a butterfly. Once the end is reached, you’re now ready to spread your wings.

The Very Busy Spider component includes a giant, web-like structure to step through. This activity tests dexterity, strength and flexibility as kids move across the challenging surface.

At the Very Busy Spider’s Weaving Wall everyone can try to spin their own web on the large wall, experimenting with a variety of stringy materials.

Master new skills at the Very Clumsy Click Beetle Playscape. Here, visitors rummage across a pile of pebbles, crawl through tall blades of grass, step across stepping stones, and walk across the stem of a poppy flower in this playful landscape. Step up to the challenge and persevere like The Very Clumsy Click Beetle.

Also try to catch some light at the Very Lonely Firefly “Find Your Light” interactive station. Move hands and body to lure a firefly toward you. Even work with others to attract multiple fireflies and try to form a group of the beautifully lit insects.

At another component, kids can touch The Very Quiet Cricket and his friends on a relief mural to trigger a sound and create a one-of-a-kind musical composition. The various insect sounds harmonize together to make a “symphony” comprised of rhythms and sounds found in nature.

The exhibit’s studio portion offers up facts about Carle’s life and artistic process.

“Yellow was his favorite color,” Niver says. “Yellow was always the most challenging for him, which I thought was a cool fact. He only mastered four shades of yellow.”

After all that busyness being a bug, families may want to relax by taking a moment to read some books. The nook area is a cozy spot where everyone can nuzzle up in a reading cocoon and read the “Very” stories together.

Through his stories, Carle reminds us: “Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life — music, paintings, theatre, dance and sunsets.”

Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both singer and actor. Experience her inimitable talent in a spellbinding evening of song that showcases her extraordinary vocal range. Winner of six Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy, McDonald possesses a ‘lustrous lyric soprano’ (The New York Times) and an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling. This stage and screen icon lends her luminous voice and committed stage presence to an intimate concert of Broadway favorites, standards, seldomheard gems, and so much more, accompanied by pianist Jeremy Jordan. With Tony wins in all four eligible acting categories, countless other theatre honors — and a National Medal of Arts conferred by President Barack Obama in 2015, among her other accolades — McDonald is among the most lavishly awarded performers of our time.

Friday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $60. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Flogging Molly

Celtic-punk rockers Flogging Molly have hit the road with their ‘Road to Rebellion’ tour, sure to rouse audiences with their anthemic odes to the Emerald Isle. Formed in L.A. in 1997 by Irish expat Dave King, the band got its start (and its name) from local bar Molly Malone’s, where they performed, grew their following, and laid down the blueprint for eventual success. Their infectious Celtic-tinged reels are perfect for dancing along to, for those who love their Irish heritage, and those who just want a good time. Expect an eclectic mix of old favorites, sing-a-longs, rare acoustic numbers and new material — all strung together by King’s cheeky tales and jokes and first-rate musicianship. With numerous latenight television appearances, a soldout Salty Dog Cruise through the Caribbean, and a yearly St. Patrick’s Day Festival in L.A., the band’s juggernaut continues.

Sunday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. $79.50, $49.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Photos courtesy Long Island Children’s Museum

From caterpillar to butterfly, spider and cricket beetle, Eric Carle’s insects hold a special place in everyone’s childhood. Each element in the gallery relates to specific books in the ‘Very’ series.

THE Your Neighborhood

Tusk

March 1

Tusk goes their own way, visiting the Landmark stage with their dynamic tribute to Fleetwood Mac,, Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. Since forming in 2008, Tusk has prided themselves on being the ultimate tribute to ‘70s supergroup. No fancy tricks, no gimmicks, just five musicians recreating the music of Fleetwood Mac to perfection with note for note renditions With Tusk it’s all about respect and authenticity. A group of seasoned musicians that go back some 25 years, their attention to detail, talent and reverence of their subjects has been critically acclaimed, resulting in their accolades as the premiere purveyors of ‘Mac. Time, trust, and close friendship have cultivated an intimate familiarity with each other’s musical nuances, shaping each performance with such precision that even the slightest variation, virtually imperceptible to all but the five musicians sharing the stage, is met with a wink and a nod, and usually an inside joke. Tusk is more than a band; they are a family. So if you’re jonesing for your fix of Fleetwood, you’re in the right place! Made up of Kathy Phillips (as Stevie Nicks on vocals), Scott McDonald (as Lindsey Buckingham, guitar and vocals), Kim Williams (as Christine McVie, keys and vocals), Randy Artiglere (as John McVie, bass) and Tom Nelson (as Mick Fleetwood on drums) the five-piece band will transport you back to the group’s glory days with a set list including hits such as the “The Chain,” “Dreams,” ‘Go Your Own Way,” and more, alongside rare gems fans will love hearing again. $63, $53, $45. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Family theater

It’s a beautiful sunny summer day in the meadow. Leo Lionni’s beloved children’s books come to life once again, in “Frederick,” on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, Feb. 23, 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 6:15 p.m. (sensory-friendly performance); Saturday, Feb. 23 ,11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Mouse friends Nellie, Sunny, Baby, Ernest, and Frederick are playing their musical instruments and having fun singing, until a leaf falls from the sky — autumn is here! Winter will be coming soon. All the mice get to work gathering supplies for winter, except, where is Frederick? He is gathering supplies, too, in his own unique way.

With toe-tapping Americana music inspired by bluegrass, gospel, and folk, this is an engaging tale about the power of the arts, community, and that no mouse gets left behind. $10 with museum admission ($8 members), $14 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, “Our Gilded Age,” examines the appearances and the realities of an era that mirrors our own in many ways.

Like the nation’s economy, American art and literature flourished during the Gilded Age. The art of John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Louis Comfort Tiffany and others adorned palatial residences designed by Stanford White and Ogden Codman Jr., architect of the museum’s own quintessential Gilded Age mansion.

Drawing heavily upon the local literary history of Long Island, including William Cullen Bryant, Mark Twain (who named the Gilded Age), Walt Whitman, Edith Wharton and others, the exhibition will include paintings, fashion, decorative arts including period silver and china, photographs, manuscripts, first editions and other historic memorabilia.

The “Upstairs, Downstairs” approach to the life of a country house brings to life not only the storied conspicuous consumption for which the Gilded Age was infamous, but also the real lives of these many individuals who maintained the palatial estates where that lifestyle was enjoyed.

On view through March 10 Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

A.D. highlights program achievements

Continued from page 1

provides us the opportunity to mix and match and move people around and always have a building staffed with health service employees.”

All of East Meadow’s nurses are certified in CPR, basic life support, NARCAN administration, which is an emergency treatment used for opioid overdoses, concussion management, airway obstruction and Stop the Bleed training.

At the elementary school level, the health curriculum focuses on a “health triangle” that includes mental, physical and social health. The curriculum touches on understanding feelings, learning coping methods and empathy, bullying, peer pressure and self-esteem.

In middle school, students take a halfcredit health course every year, high school students are required to take onehalf credit, or half a year of health, in order to graduate.

“Some of the targeted learning skills and unit topics (are) decision making,

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU

HSBC Bank USA, National Association as Trustee for ACE Securities Corp. Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-HE1, Asset Backed Pass-Through Certificates, Plaintiff AGAINST Lemuel Stephens; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered April 30, 2018 I, the undersigned

Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 4, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 189 Newport Road, Uniondale, NY 11553-1121. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Uniondale, in the unincorporated aera of the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 34 Block 364 Lot 255.

Approximate amount of judgment $598,737.15 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 001454/2014. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the Tenth Judicial District.

Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Michele A. Baptiste, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC

self-management, stress management, planning and goal setting, substance abuse, growth and sexuality,” Supple

said. “Mental health is obviously a huge hot topic at this point for adolescents post-Covid. So that’s a big theme running through our health curriculum.”

build on that foundation, and introduce team sports and larger group play. Students also have access to fitness equipment, which is integrated into class time.

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792

Dated: December 14, 2023 144633

LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU UMB BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR LVS TITLE TRUST 2018-1, V. INA I. ABELIS ESPOSITO, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated September 25, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein UMB BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR LVS TITLE TRUST 2018-1 is the Plaintiff and INA I. ABELIS ESPOSITO, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on March 12, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 283 MERRICK AVENUE, EAST MEADOW, NY 11554: Section 50, Block 462, Lot 4: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATED, LYING AND BEING AT EAST MEADOW, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 612311/2020. Brian J. Davis, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 144728

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY

COMPANY.

NAME:

Macela Santos A. International LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York, (SSNY) on 01/06/2021.

NY Office location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to 1630 Powers Ave, East Meadow - NY 11554.

Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity 144784

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR TRUMAN 2016 SC6 TITLE TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. JANET ROBERTS, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on January 11, 2023, 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 28, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 1167 Warwick Street, Uniondale, NY 11553. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements

Supple said most high school students take their mandated health course in ninth or tenth grade, but added that there are electives that students can enroll in if interested, including athletic training and CPR certification, and introduction to exercise physiology. These electives are typically taken by students who wish to pursue something such as athletic training as a career post-high school.

In physical education courses, New York state standards have undergone an overhaul, Supple said. Standards previously included personal health and fitness, a safe and healthy environment and resource management.

“They were very vague,” Supple said of the old standards. “The new standards is six standards, and the big push now is creating lifelong learners and physically literate students.”

TSupple began his role as athletic director at the start of the 2023-24 school year, and said it’s been great getting out and seeing the curriculum in action.

“I think one of the main highlights for me is seeing all of the fitness equipment that we have in Woodland Middle School and Clarke Middle School,” he said.

he big push now is creating lifelong learners and physically literate students.

Jason supple Director of physical education, health and athletics, East Meadow Union Free School District

In the presentation, which can be viewed on the Board of Education’s YouTube channel, YouTube.com/@EMUFSDBoardofEducation, Supple explained how these new standards are broken down into benchmarks.

“The standards are the framework for the development of knowledge, skills, and social and emotional learning that enables students to transition to being healthy, physically literate adults, which is what we want moving forward,” he said. “We want students, when they graduate, to be able to access community resources and understand that there are resources in the community that enable them to continue to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Elementary physical education programs in East Meadow are activity based and focus on skill advancement, while laying a foundation for teamwork and sportsmanship. Middle school classes are

In high school, students take a period of physical education every other day. While there’s a focus on team sports and foundational skills, Supple said, there’s also other units and physical education electives that dive into more specific categories of fitness.

Supple highlighted the amazing achievements of East Meadow’s athletic teams at East Meadow High School and W.T. Clarke High School. The district boasts a slew of high achieving athletes — both on the field and in the classroom. Supple credited successes to the district’s coaching staff, thanking them for their commitment and dedication.

“It’s about being part of something bigger than yourself,” Supple said of the district’s athletes.

An amazing program in his department, Supple said, is “Athletes helping Athletes.” Student leaders on teams throughout the district are trained through courses at Adelphi University in areas of sportsmanship, civility and bullying, and drugs and alcohol. They then teach what they learn to younger students.

“It’s building future leaders and it’s getting those sixth-grade students excited to be part of our Athletes helping Athletes program,” he said, “and building the type of student athletes, and athlete leaders, that we want in our buildings.”

For more on the presentation and the athletics department visit EMUSFD.us.

Courtesy East Meadow Union Free School District

the east meadow union free School district’s health, physical education and athletics department was reviewed at the feb. 7 board of education meeting. above, athletes who were previously honored by the board.

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TA kitchen leads to an attic

Q. Our house is large and very old, with a third story that was partially finished before purchase. We finished the rest of the attic and put in a few bedrooms and a bath. Recently we hired an architect to enlarge our kitchen into our backyard and make a nice entrance to a porch and patio with a fireplace. The architect made the plans, after several meetings, changes, etc., and then put them into our building department to pull a permit. We next got a notice that our attic is in violation, and we had to either take out all the finishes and bathroom or file plans to get a state permit.

None of this has anything to do with the kitchen or patio, which we hoped to have by summer. We suspect our architect made this much more complicated for us, but now we can’t undo what he did. Naturally, he gets more money to do more plans and permits, which we also think is rather sneaky and uncalled for. Can we report the architect for doing this to us, and can we pull back the permit so we can make all this go away and just do our kitchen?

A. So you believe everyone is out to get you, including your architect, and you have the right to “pull back” your permit, ignoring the conditions of your house. It doesn’t work that way.

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Ask The Architect

Monte Leeper

Unfortunately, even though most local governments know that most homes have violations, the governments choose not to prosecute every homeowner, since it would be bad for the business of getting re-elected, so code violations go on without a word until you make the first move, which you did, by coming to the attention of the building officials whose job is public safety.

Every day of the week, people ask if we can’t just look the other way. We absolutely can look the other way, but eventually who will believe us for lying or not doing our job? The issues of your home easily come up by simply bringing up satellite images, on-line accessible documents, including tax department records, showing what is in the home and whether the third floor was finished. Your building official doesn’t need the architect or you to figure out the truth about the illegalities in your home. When your architect shows the actual conditions, which he is required to do, including walls removed, walls finished in rooms that the building department has no previous record of, or other changes, he’s only doing his job. Imagine the scrutiny an architect would receive if a building official walked in to check the conditions and discovered that you and the architect had lied.

I have stated in this column, many times, the statistic that only five people out of 100 will survive a fire on the third floor. Ninety-five people will die of smoke inhalation or burns. So do the right thing and follow through, whichever way you choose. I’m pulling for you.

© 2024 Monte Leeper

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HThe governor’s budget cuts threaten local roads

ow many potholes do you swerve to avoid during your daily commute to work, school, the grocery store or a family or friend’s house? How many times have you yelled in anger in your car for someone to “Fix the roads!”? At a time when our communities are grappling with numerous challenges, the proposed state Executive Budget’s significant decrease in the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, also known as CHIPS, demands immediate attention, or the shouting at potholes will get worse.

ED RA

The proposed reduction of $60 million in CHIPS funding isn’t just a number on paper; it translates into real consequences for our local roads and bridges. These are the very arteries that connect our neighborhoods, facilitate commerce and guarantee the smooth flow of daily life. The condition of our roads makes the difference in whether we get to a doctor’s appointments on time, and, even more critically, the time it takes emergency

services to respond to a call. A reduction in funding jeopardizes the safety, functionality and longevity of our transportation infrastructure throughout Nassau County.

Local governments, tasked with maintaining nearly 87 percent of the state’s roads and half of its bridges, are already struggling with budgetary constraints imposed by the state property tax cap, rising pension and health care costs and unfunded mandates. The proposed reduction in CHIPS exacerbates these challenges, making it harder for localities to address the critical needs of our communities. The escalation of natural disasters, exemplified by the extensive flooding Long Island has faced in the past year, underscores the heightened urgency for an adequately funded CHIPS.

Pthe cost of materials and labor continues to rise, stagnant funding levels become insufficient to meet the evolving demands of maintenance and improvement projects.

Equitability, fairness and parity are indispensable when funding our state’s infrastructure. The current proposal fails to acknowledge the growing disparity between the needs on the ground and the resources allocated from the top.

otholes? We’ve got ’em. New York’s highway system ranks 49th in the nation.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed $60 million cut overlooks the impact of inflation on local highway departments. Across the country, the Federal Highway Administration Highway Construction Cost Index notes a 58.6 percent increase in highway construction costs over the past two and a half years. As

ITo bridge this gap, I am actively advocating for greater state investment in local roads. Our state’s infrastructure is in dire need of attention, as evidenced by New York’s highway system ranking 49th in the nation, according to Reason’s 27th annual Highway Report. This statistic might not surprise you, but it reflects the reality faced by commuters given the consequences of a deteriorating transportation network.

Local roads are the lifeblood of our communities — they connect us from our homes to our businesses, our schools, our libraries and all the places that make our neighborhoods feel like home. While the proposed budget con-

tinues valuable programs like Extreme Winter Recovery, PAVE-NY, and Pave our Potholes, the reduction in CHIPS by $60 million, and in the State Touring Routes Program, by $40 million, threaten the stability of our local infrastructure.

The state-backed mantra “Local Roads are Essential” rings true only when backed by tangible actions that demonstrate a commitment to valuing and prioritizing our local roads. Increasing the CHIPS base level by $200 million and maintaining allocations for BRIDGE-NY, EWR, PAVE-NY, STR and POP will strengthen the foundation laid over several state budgets. While preserving certain programs, the proposed state budget for this year falls short of recognizing the urgency and scale of the infrastructure crisis facing our localities.

During your next commute, don’t let your concern for the condition of your local roads be contained in your car — let your voice be heard. Join me and dozens of our local towns and villages in calling for the governor to support an increase in funding for our local roads in this year’s budget.

Ed Ra represents the 19th Assembly District, and is the ranking Republican on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

It’s Library Lovers Month — borrow a book

read “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” my first banned book, when I was 12. My friend lent me the book, and I found the good parts by the dogeared pages. The experience did not compromise my moral compass or corrupt me in any way I can discern. I am not recommending the book for today’s 12-year-olds, because it’s a pretty boring read, but I am advocating that a broad spectrum of books be available to students who choose to read them.

RANDI KREISS

This month, Library Lovers Month, I want to push back hard against the selfappointed literature vigilantes across our country, who are removing books from school library shelves and banning them from classrooms under the guise of protecting children from inappropriate subject matter.

It’s called censorship, and the problem, of course, is who gets to decide what is appropriate or not. In the past, librarians have had full discretion in selecting books. They are trained for the job and trusted in their choices. In

the best libraries, the books reflect all the ways that children and teenagers can be in the world, including gay or trans or identified with any race or religion or socio-economic group.

work for vulnerable kids.

I don’t know if a book has ever saved someone’s life, but I know for sure that battles over books are endangering lives by keeping young people from information and stories that might validate their choices in important ways.

book-ban list, by definition, express feelings, experiences and political views that the prevailing culture prefers to pretend do not exist.”

SFor some young people, the school library is the only place they can read about kids just like themselves. They can learn that others share their confusion or anxiety or fear of being different.

tudents need open access to all kinds of books by all kinds of writers.

I don’t believe that a teenager can “catch” being gay or trans from reading about it, the underlying prejudice being that there is something wrong with that identity. We can’t scrub young adult literature for references to slavery or minority struggles or even violence, because the best writing reflects real life.

A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times told the story of a librarian in Idaho who organized a “Rainbow Squad,” welcoming children of different backgrounds to read and talk about books. A local church group protested, and the community is battling over whether the Rainbow Squad should be banned, along with the books they’re reading.

I wonder how this group threatens anyone, even as it creates a support net-

In The Washington Post last week, columnist Kate Cohen wrote about the school board in her hometown, Rockingham, Virginia, deciding to ban 57 books in the school library. One-third of the books feature gay or trans characters. Cohen wrote, “Freedom to read is the closest thing we have to freedom to think.”

This month, there can be no more pressing public business than to guarantee age-appropriate, open access to all kinds of books by all kinds of writers, for students across the land.

What can we do? Each of us can become familiar with our school and community libraries, stay informed about the books available to teens and oppose efforts by any groups of book police to decide what teenagers should read. In some communities in Florida, a single parent’s complaint about a book in a school library can get it banned.

As Cohen wrote, “The books on any

I think how lonely and desperate teenagers trying to figure out their lives without access to books must feel. Wellwritten books on racism or sexuality or addiction are a far better source for our kids than TikTok.

We read books for many reasons beyond wanting to be entertained — to solve the mysteries in our lives, to be dazzled or outraged by the way others live. Sometimes we can find our beliefs and lives affirmed in the pages of a new book.

The reason authoritarian entities, be they runaway school boards or governments, ban books is to limit access to ideas that might challenge their power.

We resist by reading and sharing.

The New York Public Library is offering free access to banned books for teenagers anywhere in the country through SimplyE, its e-reader app. The latest banned book pick is “All American Boys,” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. It is available to all readers ages 13 and older.

There are worlds out there to be explored. I have had this joy in my life, and I want the same for every reader.

Copyright 2024 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

Thank you for the snow day

in the past couple of weeks, we’ve been getting a lot of something we haven’t seen much of over the past couple of years: snow.

So much, in fact, that schools in our communities had no choice but to close. And because of that, we have just one thing to say to our school districts in Nassau County: Thank you for the snow day.

Yes, education works best when it’s rigorous and on a schedule. If the young minds loading buses each day were robots, then we’d probably be hesitant to interrupt the routine. Thankfully, our children are living, breathing people. And all of us can use a break from time to time — especially one we didn’t expect.

Anyone who grew up in a climate susceptible to winter almost assuredly experienced at least one snow day in their life, if not several. They go all the way back to the 19th century, when schools became gathering points children would flock to — and where safety would become paramount.

In places like Long Island, where crews are adept at clearing roads, even the best can be overwhelmed by significant storms and heavy snowfalls. And while it might feel like a free day off for many of our young learners, nearly all school districts have built snow days into the schedule — meaning any unexpected days off will be made up later in the spring.

We here on Long Island understand

Letters

the value of snow days, but not everyone shares those values. In fact, there is a growing contingent of education leaders right in our backyard who have been working hard to wipe snow days from existence.

It’s not that New York City has it out for an occasional unscheduled school closing. It’s just that the city’s education department has capitalized on the expansion of technology necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, which made remote learning for all not just possible, but practical.

For the 1.1 million students who attend more than 1,800 schools in the city, instead of sitting inside a classroom to learn on days when it snows, they are sitting in their living rooms and bedrooms instead. All while other people their age, living just a few miles away, grab their snowsuits and sleds and enjoy the winter beauty Mother Nature has delivered.

Learning is important, but snow days are valuable. Quite valuable, in fact. Beyond safety, they provide a muchneeded mental health break — not just for students, but also for the adults responsible for their learning.

The pressure of academic demands and extracurricular activities can be intense. That can lead not just to stress, but even to burnout.

Snow days give all of us a chance to recharge and relax with some unscheduled playtime outdoors. And that’s important, too. We hear too much about

In fighting fires, amateurs are pros

To the Editor:

We are professional firefighters!

I take exception to the comment made by writer Brandon Cruz in his article “Long Island needs more volunteer firefighters” (Feb. 8-14) that our volunteer firefighters are not “professionals.” Cruz reports that if new volunteers don’t join local fire departments, communities will need to hire “professional” firefighters.

Our volunteers are professional firefighters, just not paid for what we do for our communities. We, as volunteers, don’t just put on turnout gear and rush into a burning building without the needed, required and constant training provided by the Nassau County Fire Service at its training facility in Bethpage, and here in Lynbrook, our own department’s training and drills at our training facility in Wilcox Alley.

Back some 44 years ago, the Lynbrook Fire Department was facing a firefighter shortage, and formed the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department for youngsters 12 to 17, to interest them in firefighting, with the goal of becoming firefighters when they turned 18.

During their time as juniors, the youngsters learn basic firefighting methods without actually fighting

how video games, computers and television keep so many of our kids indoors. But freshly fallen snow is irresistible, and will almost assuredly get them outside to have some fun. It’s good for their physical health in a way that sitting in front of a computer, watching a teacher on Zoom, just can’t provide.

And a snow day is a chance to build community. Families come together to shovel sidewalks, or maybe help neighbors in need. Children get together, working to build snow forts, or even a snowman, complete with a carrot nose and a top hat.

And who doesn’t love an impromptu snowball fight?

All of that comes with many parents still working remotely, which helps mitigate child-care issues and costs that might otherwise accompany snow days.

Just remember that these days are not breaks for everyone. Let’s not forget the municipal workers who wake up early to plow the snow, as well as the brave souls at utility companies, hospitals, and fire and police departments who, as first responders, are always prepared for the worst.

Each one of our children will spend more than 1,200 days in class through high school. Let them have a break. And let’s show New York City yet another reason why more and more people choose to live and work here on Long Island.

Because on Long Island, snow days are cool.

Albany’s ‘Office’-like comedy of errors

t“his bar is what you spend on things that no one ever, ever needs.”

That line is from an episode of the Tv comedy show “The office,” but it can easily be applied to some of the real-life decisions Gov. Kathy Hochul and the new York City politicians who control Albany are considering as part of this year’s state budget negotiations.

steVe rHoaDs

If you’ve never seen the episode, it centers on Michael Scott, the boss in “The office” and one of the show’s main characters, who’s dealing with personal financial problems. one of the company’s accountants, oscar Martinez, creates a chart to help Scott analyze his finances and spending. one bar shows necessities, like rent. Another

bar shows luxuries, like vacations and going out to dinner, and the third shows things that “no one ever, ever needs” — like multiple magic sets.

politics: He’s a member of the same political party as the governor and the Senate and Assembly leaders.

come here.

rPredictably, the final column is the highest, and Scott tries to justify misguided expenditures as things he has needed, instead of recognizing the role they played in creating his dire situation.

Albany is in an eerily similar predicament, which, unfortunately for all of us, isn’t Tv fiction. The state faces an astronomical $36 billion budget gap by fiscal year 2026-27, according to a report issued by Comptroller Tom Dinapoli last July, who noted that “State leaders must take action to align recurring revenues with recurring spending, with an eye toward preserving the economic competitiveness of our State and equality of opportunity for all new Yorkers.” And Dinapoli’s not playing

Letters

fires. When they turn 18, they join one of our fire companies, begin formal basic training at the county Fire Service Academy and are considered probationary firefighters for one year while they complete additional training.

Yes, we always need more volunteers, but our junior program is helping to fill our ranks.

Many area fire departments have also formed junior programs, based on ours, to help fill their own ranks. Admittedly, the juniors aren’t always enough, and some years are better than others. Lynbrook’s chief of department and three assistant chiefs came through our junior program. This isn’t the first time that all four chiefs have been former juniors. Many of our current volunteers came through our junior program.

There are now 30 youngsters in the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department. Two former juniors joined fire companies last month alone when they turned 18. It is estimated that over 40 percent of our juniors go on to become Lynbrook firefighters.

STeve GroGAn Lynbrook

Grogan is a 56-year member of the Lynbrook Fire Department and an ex-captain and honorary chief. He co-founded the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department, and is the department’s public information officer.

We need more governance, less politics

To the editor:

re County Legislator Delia Deriggi-

Yet rather than seeing the prudent fiscal discipline necessary to address this crisis, we see misguided priorities.

ather than fiscal discipline, we see the governor’s misguided priorities.

As an example, Hochul proposes spending over $2.4 billion on illegal migrants who are flocking to new York — new York City in particular — because of its sanctuary state designation and the generous benefits it entitles them to, including free health care. That’s on top of the nearly $2 billion spent last year. When looking to save taxpayer dollars and reduce state expenses, eliminating spending on noncitizens should be the first place to start. That one change would reduce the deficit by nearly 10 percent and, just as important, help solve the growing migrant crisis by removing a major incentive for them to

Instead, Hochul plans to fund these expenditures in part by cutting state aid to Long Island schools by $75 million. every dollar of state aid that is lost has to be raised locally in the form of school property taxes, so not only are you funding benefits for noncitizens, but you’ll pay higher property taxes to make up for the lost state aid.

More than just bad public policy, that is inherently unfair to Long Island families, and an irresponsible misuse of their hard-earned tax dollars.

I will continue to fight against it, and invite you to join me by visiting my website, rhoads.nysenate.gov, and signing the petition to stop the Long Island school aid cuts.

Watching “The office” makes me laugh, but watching the comedy of errors brought on by one-party rule in the state Capitol brings me no joy. The alarm bells continue to ring. Albany needs to listen.

Steve Rhoads represents the 5th Senate District.

Framework by Tim Baker

Whitton’s column “Stop playing petty political games with county resources” last week: The difference of opinion between the legislative minority leader and the majority leader illustrates the difference between governance and politics. nassau would benefit from more of the former and less of the latter.

The millions of dollars in American rescue Plan Act funds at issue, having not been spent as intended, present a “windfall.” Shall we have Bruce Blakeman billboards or firehouse funds? Are we improvident grasshoppers or prudent and ant-like? Shall we squander millions on a 125th-birthday party or prudently invest in libraries, cybersecurity and clean water?

BrIAn KeLLY Rockville Centre

Why impeach Mayorkas, Rep. D’Esposito?

To the editor:

U.S. rep. Anthony D’esposito voted in lockstep with r ep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas despite having no evidence, as required by the Constitution, of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

There is no question that the immigration situation is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. However, the solution is not to scapegoat Mayorkas, but rather to pass the bipartisan legislation to beef up border security and provide more assets to process asylum claims more rapidly.

I am sure that the vast majority of Mr.

D’esposito’s constituents are in favor of the bipartisan legislation hammered out in the Senate that was endorsed by the Border Patrol agents’ union. However, it’s clear that Mr. D’ esposito takes his marching orders from Ms. Greene. She, and the rest of the MAGA republicans, do not want to provide a solution to the border problem until after the november election, as former President Donald

Trump has explicitly admitted that it would hurt his chances of being elected again.

Mr. D’esposito owes his allegiance to our country, his constituents and the Constitution he swore to uphold, and not to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump.

roBerT ToLLe Cedarhurst