East Meadow Herald 06-29-2023

The American Flag is inside display It Proudly! Let’s show everyone that we’re proud to be Americans.

52 years of Strat-O-Matic baseball

in E.M.

By MAlloRY WIlsoN mwilson@liherald.com

What started out as a way to have fun with friends has ultimately turned into the country’s oldest known Strat-O-Matic baseball league. The East Meadow Strat-O-Matic league was founded in 1972, and this season marks 52 consecutive years of play.

The league was founded by Jim Drucker, who grew up on Clearmeadow Drive. It originally comprised fewer than 10 players, all friends from East Meadow, most of whom also lived on Clearmeadow.

They didn’t play for money — just bragging rights — and that’s still the case.

Strat-O-Matic is a company that develops sports simulation games based on real players’ statistics, much like fantasy sports leagues today. It creates simulations for

Continued on page 6

South Shore synagogues meet to combat antisemitism

By MAlloRY WIlsoN mwilson@liherald.com

Eleven people were murdered on Oct. 27, 2018, in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, just for being Jewish. It was the event that changed synagogue life forever, according to Ian Brecher, executive vice president of the Oceanside Jewish Center.

With Jewish communities on the South Shore and beyond seeing an uptick in antisemitism, seven local synagogues came together to host a seminar on how to properly handle and address any antisemitic acts and comments that people may be experiencing, and to hopefully

stop any events like the mass murder at the Tree of Life synagogue from happening again.

East Meadow Beth-El Jewish Center, Oceanside Jewish Center, Merrick Jewish Centre, South Baldwin Jewish Center, Congregation Beth Tikvah in Wantagh, Congregation B’Nai Sholom-Beth David in Rockville Centre, and Congregation Beth Ohr in Bellmore have always worked together on issues that each congregation was facing — and antisemitism is no different, Howard Tiegel, president of the Merrick Jewish Centre, said.

“Jews are a group of people that have always dared to be different,” Scott Richman, the

regional director for the New York/New Jersey Anti-Defamation League, said. “A series of conspiracy theories or tropes began to develop around us, and those conspiracy theories are what we still live with today.

“When you talk about why there is antisemitism,” Richman added, “antisemitism is essentially just those conspiracy theories.”

Anybody can report incidents of antisemitism to the Anti-Defamation League, and someone from the office will respond and record the event. Richman said that 2022 was the worst year of recorded incidents, and each year appears to be getting worse.

New York has the most recorded antisemitic acts, and 72 of 111 assaults across the nation in 2022 took place in New York.

Attendees were invited to listen and ask questions at three breakout sessions — rabbinic responses to antisemitism, preparing for antisemitism on the college campus, and antisemitism in public schools.

Sofie Glassman, an incoming junior at East Meadow High School, shared her school experiences with antisemitism.

“Antisemitism is something that I have faced since the start of elementary school, when a girl on the playground told me that she didn’t want to play with me because I was Jewish,”

Continued on page 22

Mallory Wilson/Herald

THE EAsT MEAdoW Strat-O-Matic Baseball league was established in 1972. This season marks 52 consecutive years of play for the league, involving some players who still live on Long Island and others who have moved out of state.

Finkelman family gives scholarships to seniors

By MALLORY WILSON mwilson@liherald.com

Jody Ratner knows all about the amount of time and dedication that people put in to be an active member of their fire departments, and that’s why each year she helps present the Finkelman Family Fund scholarship to deserving high school seniors who have taken part in the East Meadow Fire Department’s juniors program.

The fund was named after East Meadow firefighter Nelson Finkelman and this wife Gloria, who was always by his side. The two are the parents of Ratner and her siblings, Lori Finkelman, Michael Finkelman and Amy Counts.

It was created in 2018 after the death of their father in 2013, and their mother in 2016. Finkelman father served as chief in 1967 and become a Life Member of the department. He was also an instructor at the Fire Service Academy in Old Bethpage and worked at the fire marshal’s office in Nassau County. He also was a founding director of the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center at Nassau University Medical Center.

The fund grew to have even more meaning when Michael, who had followed in their father’s footsteps to become a firefighter, died in 2019. Much like his father, he was devoted to the EMFD.

Over the years, numerous students have received the scholarship. This year, it was Jenna Cody from W.T. Clarke High

School, and East Meadow High School students, Alexandra Turcios, Daniel Lindow, and Asena Yucel.

Turcios, who has been in the juniors program for three years after joining with her best friend, said that she was really surprised to get the scholarship.

“I liked how close everyone was in the juniors,” Turcios said. “They were all so determined to join the department after their time in juniors.

For Cody, joining the juniors was a family affair. She started out as a junior at the age of 12 in East Norwich before moving to East Meadow. Her father, mother, sister and brother are all members.

“It’s very rewarding and I’m honored to get this award,” Cody said. “It’s a big thing from the community that people see you be dedicated like in the juniors.”

Cody is heading to Adelphi University to study nursing, Turcios will be attend-

ing Nassau Community on a pre-law track, and Lindow will be at the United States Naval Academy to study electrical engineering.

Mallory Wilson/Herald JOdY RAtNeR, ceNteR, presented the Finkelman Family Fund award to Alexandra Turcios, left, and Jenna Cody.

ASeNA YuceL, Left, and Daniel Lindow, middle, received their award from Ratner on June 13.

Courtesy Jody Ratner

Learn about crystals with help from Rose Scully

Eight-year-old Salisbury resident publishes book with her aunt Amalia Stamatelatos

By LARA MURRAY-STERZEL Intern

While most 8-year-olds were celebrating the end of the school year, Salisbury resident Rose Scully was celebrating the release of a book she’s been helping her aunt with for the past year.

“Rose Knows…All about Crystals” was written by Roses’s aunt Amalia Stamatelatos. It tells the story of a young girl named Rose who collects crystals which bring her both comfort and happiness. She has a friend named Annie also likes crystals, but Annie gets bullied from their classmates because they think it’s weird to like crystals. Rose feels bad for Annie, and through the book she tries to show how beautiful crystals are.

Stamatelatos, 52, is a Certified Crystal Healer and has been since 2017. The Tennessee resident never thought she would be an author, but felt inspired by her nieces own collection of crystals and decided to turn her love and passion for Rose and the benefits of crystals into a children’s book.

Rose has been interested in crystals for a few years now thanks to her aunt. She uses different crystals to maker her feel less stressed, like her study stone, that helps her study and do her homework.

“(Crystals) make me feel like I’m at a fun amusement park,” Rose said. “They make me feel more safe around people.”

Stamatelatos reached out to Rose to see if she would be interested in working with her on the book, and Rose agreed. A lot of Rose’s personality was the model for the character Rose in the book.

“Not only do I teach her, she really teaches me,” Stamatelatos said of her niece. “That was like going out of the box for me. I never thought that I would write a children’s book and I’m so grateful for this little creature, she’s such a blessing to me and I adore her.”

Stamatelatos said that once she decided to model the character after her niece, the development of the character came easily to her. Not only was the personality the same between real Rose and character Rose, but the outfits were made to be like what Rose wears.

All of the illustrations were created with Stamatelatos and Rose’s visions in mind. When the designs were sent back to Stamatelatos and she saw that the original character was wearing sweats, she sent it back because she felt it didn’t match her nice enough.

“I just wanted to write a book and get it dedicated to Rose so it’s something she’ll always have,” Stamatelatos said. “But it just turned into something where I want to continue writing.”

Stamatelatos, said that writing the book made the pair closer than before. “So I just wanted to put it on concrete, something she’ll always have.”

With the help and support from their family, in a matter of ten months the book was written. She started writing last summer, and the book was published on June 13.

Once the book was available in print, Rose shared the news of the book with her class.

“In school after we read the book, the day after, I brought crystals in to show them to my class,” said Rose. “(My class) thought they were really cool and I had some in a box, and my teacher passed it around so everyone could look at them.”

Stamatelatos and Rose both agree that the book brings a certain uniqueness to the world of storytelling. Stamatelatos describes it as niche, especially for those who are into crystals. After getting feedback from mothers about the book, she said that she finds the book as another avenue in a child’s creative development.

“I just want the book to make children feel like how it makes Rose feel,” Stamatelatos said. “It makes them feel good, and I love people feeling good.”

She said that she hopes that the book will teach parents to be more aware of their child’s interests.

With encouragement from Authorhouse, the publishing company that Stamatelatos used, she and Rose are in talks of making “Rose Knows…All about Crystals” a book series. The two want to write a book focusing on chakras and animals in the future, describing it as a fun project they’re working on now.

“Rose Knows…All about Crystals” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Google Books.

“I want the book to make children feel good and knowledgeable,” Stamatelatos said. “Like if they feel anxious they can pick up the crystal and feel comfortable.”

Photos courtesy Maria Scully

EighT-YEA- oLd RoSE Scully is the inspiration behind the character Rose in the book, ‘Rose Knows…All about Crystals,’ a book she helped create with her aunt, Amalia Stamatelatos.

RoSE And STAMATELAToS have a very close relationship. Stamatelatos is a Certified Crystal Healer, and Rose has her own collection of crystals.

Train to become a community journalist

STAFF REPORT

Ever read a story and thought, “I can do that!” Or missed coverage in your local paper simply because the newsroom didn’t have enough resources?

Tim Baker/Herald Habitat for Humanity of Long Island chief executive Jimmy Jack along with Habitat’s community development and special projects director Mymissa Stone accept a $2,000 donation from Herald Community Newspapers and RichnerLive. They were joined, center, by Herald Community Newspapers sales vice president Rhonda Glickman, and RichnerLive executive director Amy Amato.

Giving to create more habitats

Habitat for Humanity of Long Island will have a little extra money moving forward, thanks to the celebrated movers and shakers in real estate.

The local non-profit received a $2,000 donation from Herald Community Newspapers and RichnerLive, money raised during the Herald Real Estate Achievers + Leaders Awards Gala, otherwise known as the Herald REAL Awards Gala.

Habitat for Humanity is an affordable home and property developer that raises funds and creates partnerships allowing hard-working families the ability to become homeowners on Long Island. The

local foundation’s chief executive, Jimmy Jack, as well as the community development and special projects director Mymissa Stone, accepted the check on the organization’s behalf.

“The foundation really promotes the idea that we’re building a legacy and enabling that family to be homeowners,” Stone said.

The gala took place in March, honoring a number of real estate professionals across the industry — and Long Island.

To learn more about how you can support Habitat for Humanity of Long Island, visit HabitatLINY.org.

Now could be your chance to do something about it. And the New York Press Association — the statewide organization representing news outlets like the very newspaper you’re reading — is offering training to neighbors just like you interested in covering news for the local newspaper.

The free four-part online program focuses on ethics, accuracy in reporting, interviewing techniques, and how to write clearly. Everyone who completes all four sessions and pass a written test will receive certification as a community journalist from the association.

“We’re not aiming to replace traditional journalists with this program,” said Judy Patrick, the association’s vice president for editorial development, in a news release. “We’re working to expand local news coverage and build on our industry’s longstanding tradition of community correspondents.”

The one-hour sessions include an introduction to journalism that will explain the First Amendment and the

business of newspapers. The differences between news and opinion and news and advertising. And discussing news literacy and ethics.

The second session focuses on basic news writing, the “inverted pyramid” method of writing, and how to write a lede. There also will be discussion on checking facts, how to avoid libel, and the difference between “off-the-record” and “on background,” as well as how to follow recommended writing styles, story accuracy, and writing clearly.

On the job in the third session, participants can explore how to comport themselves on the job, how to find news and interview story subjects and sources, the variety of stories — from hard news to features — how to find and develop sources, and why deadlines matter.

The basics of local government across the state will be covered in the last session, along with how to write about governmental financial budgets, education and politics, learning about basic investigative tools, open government tools in New York, and social media.

Offered four times a year, the first online session is set to run between July 10 and July 13 beginning at 4 p.m. Free registration is open through July 7 by emailing judy@nynewspapers.com.

“An empty bag cannot stand upright.”

“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.”

“Anoint a villain and he’ll stab you: stab him and he’ll anoint you.”

“An old young man will be a young old man.”

“Don’t think to hunt two hares with one dog.”

“Eat few suppers and you’ll need few medicines.”

“Great almsgiving, lessens no man’s living.”

“Happy’s the wooing that’s not long a doing.”

“He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas.”

“If your riches are yours, why don’t you take them with you to the other world.”

“Lost time is never found again.”

“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”

“They who have nothing to trouble them, will be troubled at nothing.”

“The sleeping fox catches no poultry.”

“The tongue is ever turning to the aching tooth.”

“When you’re good to others, you are best to yourself.”

“Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion.”

Playing the game helped friends stay together

sports including baseball, football, basketball and hockey. New cards are released each season showing the statistics of players from the previous season.

Each athlete’s card has various ratings and result tables for dice rolls. The game players make strategic decisions for their teams, such as batting order, when to hit or bunt, when to substitute players and more, while monitoring the results of their in-game decisions by cross-referencing dice rolls with a system of charts and tables. The rolls of the dice determine the outcome of each at-bat.

The game is conducted as if in real time.

How the East Meadow league got its start

“In 1965, one of the guys in the neighborhood got a gift of Strat-O-Matic, and it caught on, and that’s all we did all summer,” Drucker, 70, recalled. “We had a great time, and we had a league that we played outdoors, and it was a great time killer on rainy days.”

Drucker said that during Thanksgiving break in 1971, the group members were home from their respective colleges or jobs, and they argued about who the best baseball player was that year. Someone mentioned that they dig out their old Strat-O-Matic gear and get the newest version of the cards.

“We had a draft where we picked one player at a time, and we wanted to see who could put together the best team,” Drucker recounted. “I was the organizer, and I was always putting together schedules and stuff, and we had a ball. So when everyone asked if we wanted to do it again next year, I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”

The friends started playing before any of them had careers, so they decided to name their teams after their fathers’ occupations, according to Drucker. Drucker’s father, Norm, was a referee in the NBA, so Jim’s team became the Drucker Whistles. Another original player, Michael Finkelman, who became a firefighter, like his father, named his team the Finkelman Firemen.

Jeffrey Weintraub, 74, who started playing in the league in 1975, after he bought a house next door to the Druckers, named his squad the Weintraub Pearls because his father was in the jewelry business. Weintraub has been the team’s commissioner since 1979.

More than half a century of play

Through the years, Drucker said, teams have come and gone, new players have joined, and some teams have taken years-long breaks, but league play goes on.

“It’s interesting — we’ve gone through our entire lives, being preteens to teenagers to college students to getting married, having kids, to getting divorced here and there,” Drucker said. “It’s a lot of fun, and for many years we hid that we played this kid game, but then one of us said that it

was just like poker night for all of us, and that was it — we came out of the Strat-OMatic closet.”

Not everyone lives so close anymore. Drucker lives in Philadelphia, and another player lives in New Jersey. Others still live on Long Island, and those who can make it to the games still play in person. And whenever Drucker can make it to the area, he does, too.

“We didn’t even notice how many years we’d been playing until we came up on the 40th anniversary,” Drucker said. “And it wasn’t until the internet came up that we really figured out that we had something going.”

The league, which usually consists of seven teams, has two big celebrations when all the players make the trip to be together, and it’s been held at Borrelli’s Restaurant in East Meadow for 40 years. They have a winter meeting in February, and then a celebration after the World Series in the fall.

The other time they all try to meet is for their draft, usually in May.

“We start off fresh every year — you pick your draft number from scratch from a hat,” Weintraub said. “Our goal is to make sure that the guys stay interested, because we’re doing something for fun as a hobby and it does take time. You want to feel competitive and like you have a chance.”

Camaraderie among friends

The games get competitive, Weintraub said, but it’s also a fun time filled with lots of emotions.

“This is like being a 12-year-old and hitting a home run,” Weintraub said. “There is a child behind every one of these men, and I know that for a fact, because you can see it in their eyes.”

Steve Epstein, of East Meadow, is considered a new player, even though he’s now 10 years deep into the league. He

joined with his team — the Epstein Barristers, because he’s a lawyer — after he found out about the league from another member. But he’s actually played Strat-OMatic since he was a kid.

“First of all, you get to strategize and play a game as if you were the manager of a major league baseball team,” Epstein, 54, said when asked why he loves the game. “I think one of the great things about baseball is that it’s a real American pastime. Not only is the game a pastime, but it’s a cultural pastime, like how my father and I used to go baseball games together.

“But I think one of the things that’s special about baseball, more than other sports, is the significance of statistics,” he added.

Epstein joined the league because he loved baseball and Strat-O-Matic, but he’s stuck around for the friendships. He has a teammate, Mark Levine, who plays for him when he can’t.

“I love playing the game, I love strategizing, winning, and I love the interaction with my friends that I’ve developed through playing the game,” Epstein said. “There are guys in this league, especially Jimmy (Drucker) and Jeff (Weintraub), who can tell you about games that happened in 1972, and they can tell it to you with specific recollection. It’s very interesting how much passion and love for the game there is for the people that follow it.”

This year’s draft was on May 23. Most of team members gathered at the Muttontown Country Club to share food, laughter and baseball stats.

Drucker said he didn’t intend to stop playing until the league’s 75th anniversary season in 2047.

“It’s just friendship personified,” he said of the league. “Strat-O-Matic is the glue that helps us hold it together.”

Strat-O-Matic got its start in 1961, when founder Hal Richman began selling an early version of the baseball game out of his basement. The first Strat-O-Matic baseball season was 1962.

The company is headquartered in Glen Head, not far from where Richman grew up, in Great Neck. Each opening day in February is a huge event for the store in Glen Head, and people travel from as far away as other states just to wait on line to get the season’s new cards.

In the 1980s, when longtime East Meadow Strat-O-Matic league member Jeffrey Weintraub was working in the job placement office of LaGuardia Community College, a woman working for him told him that she had met Richman’s wife.

“I looked at her and I said, ‘Get friendly with her, invite them over for dinner, and invite me,’” Weintraub recalled. “I’ve never done that before — I’m not an aggressive person — but she actually did it, and invited me over.”

Weintraub said that it was ‘just delightful’ to meet and talk with Richman.

Mallory Wilson/Herald photos StEvE EpStEin, lEft, and Mark Levine, of the team the Epstein Barristers, won the series, and bragging rights, last year.

JEffrEy WEintraub iS the longtime commissioner of the league. He started playing in 1975 under the team name the Weintraub Pearls.

t he history of Strat-O-Matic

Supporting troops with food-filled baskets

By MALLoRY WILSoN mwilson@liherald.com

Stew Leonard’s, in East Meadow, was on a mission to help military families of those on active duty have a better Easter this year. Operation Easter Basket was an effort that the grocery store came up with to help military families have special meal for the holiday. Local volunteers — Boy Scout Troop 362, members of Girl Scout Troop 1315, American Legion Post 1082 and Veterans of Foreign War Post 2736 —

Author Laurie Lico Albanese returns to hometown

Prynne? And if so, who was she?

In Hawthorne’s book, Prynne is the woman who must wear the letter “A” for the rest of her life as a symbol of having committed adultery. In Albanese’s reimagining, Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish seamstress, comes to meet Hawthorne during the 1800s. The book dives into what it meant to be American in the 19th century, and how women were targeted for being different. “This is Hester Prynne finally tells her own story,” Albanese said. “This novel asks the question, was there a real Hester

And what would she tell us if she could?” This is Albanese’s third historical novel, and her first one set in America after her other two took place in Europe. Her first book, published in 2000, was contemporary; she switched to historical fiction because she liked reading those types of books, and that’s what was getting the best reception. Her first historical novel, “The Miracles of Prato,” coauthored with her friend Laura Morowitz and published in 2009, was well-received, Albanese said. So she took that genre and ran with it.

It’s been more than a market decision for Albanese. She said that doing research for her historical fiction books transports her back to being a student and spending hours at the library reading encyclopedia after encyclopedia to get the information that she needed for an assignment. “I always think about when I

school, in high school, we always had to write reports — and that my reports, then, as it would be now, consisted of physically going to the library and literally sitting on the floor with all my different books,” she said. “I love doing that, and I kind of feel like that’s what I’m doing when I Continued on page 2

Gillibrand ready to combat fentanyl ODs

Fend off Fentanyl Act has bipartisan support

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

There were 270 reported deaths from overdoses in Nassau County in 2021. Of those, nearly three-quarters of them involved fentanyl, an opioid analgesic said to be 100 times stronger than morphine.

And that must come to an end, according to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. And for her, it all starts in the halls of Capitol Hill through a bill that’s already earned the support of not only the Nassau County Police Department Center, but lawmakers and leaders on both sides of the political aisle.

Gillibrand’s Fend Off Fentanyl Act was introduced in Nassau County last week by Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, County Executive Bruce Blakeman, District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Long Island advocate Carole Trottere, and Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence executive director Steve Chassman.

“No community has been left untouched by the deadly impacts of silent killers like fentanyl, including Long Island,” Gillibrand said. “Just last year, the DEA seized enough deadly doses of fentanyl in New York for more than three times the state’s population.”

The bill targets both cartels as well as people involved in producing and trafficking drugs into the United States, the senator said. The legislation will “better empower” the government to sanction drug traffickers and combat money laundering schemes that make this trade profitable.

“We have lost far too many lives to fentanyl overdoses,” Gillibrand said. “And I am committed to work-

ing with my colleagues in congress to keep our communities safe from deadly synthetic opioids.”

Gillibrand’s bill is intended to provide more resources to law enforcement and police officers on Long Island. This will then help them “trace these transnational criminals,” find the supply chain of these drugs, and then shut down these drugs deals on a local level. Gillibrand said fentanyl is “making the strengths of these drugs so much stronger than ever imagined,” which is why she is working on finding their source.

Trottere has fought against fentanyl since her son was fatally poisoned in 2018 when he was just 30 years old. He was a licensed welder and had a great job before dying, she said. And when his life ended, Trottere’s “nightmare began.”

“Unfortunately, my story is far from unique,” she said. “Disturbingly, fentanyl and opioids have quickly become the leading cause of death among adults 18 to 45. Last year on Long Island, there were over 500 deaths from fentanyl and opioids. That means over a thousand parents became members of the club that

nobody wants to join.”

These young people who died too early could have contributed a lot to the world, Trottere said, but we’ll never know what that would have been. She is certain about one thing, however: the feeling of grief. The pain that follows the death of a child is “unimaginable.”

“To the young people out there, I understand that death is not on your mind,” Trottere said. “It’s probably graduating, which is what it should be. But when you take any street drug or accept a pill from a friend at a party, or buy drugs from someone you don’t know, it could be the last thing you do.”

Fentanyl is getting mixed with everything, Ryder said. “Cocaine, crack, heroin, and even some marijuana in some situations.”

Some may not even know it, Ryder said. Adderall — used to help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — is abused by students in schools to help them focus. But it could very well be laced with fentanyl, intended to get them addicted, and then prompting them to buy more.

This is the “business model” that Ryder has been seeing kill people across Long Island.

“It is sickening how fentanyl traffickers continue to profit by peddling deadly poison to our communities and our children,” Nassau County legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said, in a statement. “Sen. Gillibrand’s Fend Off Fentanyl Act will strengthen ongoing efforts to keep this deadly, highly addictive drug out of our nation, and empower law enforcement to seize the ill-begotten gains being made at the expense of sick and suffering addicts.”

Ben Fiebert/Herald

U.S. SEN. KIRSTEN Gillibrand announces the Fend Off Fentanyl Act, which aims to tackle the fentanyl crisis in New York.

More than 70 percent of overdose deaths in Nassau County in 2021 involved fentanyl.

No community has been left untouched by the deadly impacts of silent killers like fentanyl, including Long Island.

KIRSTEN GIllIBRaNd U.S Senator

No matter the industry, businesses around the world are undergoing dramatic changes to the way they operate. From technology and skill development to cultural barriers to self care and mental health, every organization must adapt and evolve or risk being left behind.

As we navigate a time of pivotal change, the Herald’s 2023 WE Summit presented by Bank of America brings together thought leaders, innovators and barrier-breaking women for conversations around this year’s theme: The Future is Now. For more information about WE Summit or sponsorship opportunities, contact Amy Amato:

Hats off to W.T. Clarke Middle School graduates

W. Tresper Clarke Middle School

8th Grade

Ayla Abate

Safah Abdullah

Thomas Abel

Gianna Acosta

Katherine Andrea Aguilar

Zaina Ahmad

Amreen Ahmed

Jacqueline Ahmed

Sheikh Ahnaf

Raquell Joy Alcalde

Jonathan Alvarado

Allison Angell

Bryan Araujo

Nicole Arevalo

Nazli Michelle Arriaza

Hasnain Asghar

Peter Aureigemma

Mahek Awais

Tristan Badillo

Brenda Bae

Santiago Barreto

Anahi Barron Barrera

Chrisana Batista

Breanna Beltzer

Nahomy Nicoll Benitez

Marvens D Beus

Gian Bhurji

Namibia Blandino

Liana Boby

Chase Bocchi

Nicholas Buffolino

Tyler Buffolino

Brianne Buonomo

Jayson Bustos

GianCarlo Calderon

Mary Angelie Cardona

Julia Cardozo

Michael Cardozo

Zoe Andrea Carino

Olivia Jean Carmody

Ely Carreno

Brissa Carrillo Alonso

Lucas Castillo

Rhian Angelique Cayton

Ahana Sarah Chacko

Elena Chan

Liesl Chan

Katly Sofia Chavez

Darron Chen

Devin Chen

Joanna Chen

Eva Chios

Minah Cho

Ayaan Choudhury

Corven Cillo

Joseph Collazo

Nathanael Alberto Cordero

Nicolas Coupet

Joell Cruz

James Cunha

Tarynn D’Amico

Cooper daSilva

Genesis Davila

Rafaela deAbreu

Isabella Grace Defendini

Justin DeLucia

Platonas Demosthenous

Sienna Diana

Emily E Diaz

Alexandra Didyk

Connie Dong

Jade Espinosa

Abraam Ewida

Uchenna Josemaria Eze

Arda Ezer

Daniel Fajardo

Lucas Fernandez Perez

Daniel Brian Ferrari

Sandra Alisse Flores Garcia

Adrianna Forte

Ariana Sophia Franco

Mariana Frias Rodriguez

Juan Jose Galindo Perez

Shari Nicole Galvez Vazquez

Prince Gangar

Jack Giannakopoulos

Rina Gjonbalaj

Caleb Agudelo-Gomez

Maria (Salome) Gonzalez

Fajardo

Leon Goxhufi

Sarah Grant

William Grassini

Delilah Rose Gravagna

Riley Hope Greff

Daniel Guevara

Fahd Haider

Alexander Hall

Benjamin Heaney

Joanna Henry

Justin Michael Henry

Michelle Hong

Catalina Hopkins

Hana Ismaili

Ella Jacobs

Sana Jallad

Baktawer Javaid

Sayejah Yvlande

Alanna Jones

Bruce Jorglewich

Marelise Jorglewich

Vincent Juliano

Nusaybah Kabir

Lina Karama

Anay Kaul

Japjeet Kaur

Samreet Kaur

Simranjeet Kaur

Claire Kenny

Ibrahim Kibriya

Brendan Kulakoski

Peyton Lamorte

Gavin Langner

Jonathan Lasker

Simon Lau

Nathan Laurette

Carina Lei

Dulce Lemus Monzon

Jaykobie Leyton

Jason Lin

Lucas Lin

Tim Lin

Jordin Jenna Lopez

Kelsey Lopez

Jordan Lors Rodriguez

Patrick Lu

Mia Jordyn Lucas

Angelica Luna

Savana Magalhaes Castro

Matthew Mandracchia

Arielle Marte

Max Martin

Jessica Sofia Martinez

Jolsna Mariam Mathew

Olivia Meichsner

Daniela Mejia

Emelin Mejia Reyes

Keila Shantell Mendez

Jayden Mercedes

Savannah Merget

Alison Meza

Connor Mikes

Emma Morales

Analinda Moran

Michael Morffi

Arielle Morris

Matthew Morris

Krish Nainani

Alessio Jose Nappo

Joshua Nocera

Amy Nunez Hernandez

Seamus Robert O’Brien

Habiba Obaidi

Yuan Obedencio

Kayla Frances Ochtera

Drayson Oo

Maria Leticia Ortega

Tinamarie Otero

Cassandra Ousman

David Pacheco

Joseph Paleka

Andrew Pelmeri

Constantine Papoutsakis

Despina Papoutsakis

Jordi Penado

Luis Perez

Jacob Ariel Perlman

Abigail Philipose

Allison Philipose

Madeline Piper

Dany J Piure

Arianna Pulis

Matthew Quinones

Adrian Ramirez

Edgar Ramos

Kaylee Ramoutar

Brian Rendon

Pablo Reyes

Raphael Reyes

Viviana Reyes

Kieran Reynolds

Matthew Riccio McAniff

Emma Rivas

Nataly Rivas

Katerina Jennie Rivera

Victor A Rosario

Layla Rowe

Joshua Rubinfeld

Vitoria Ruperto

Nikhil Angelo Sabhnani

Michael Sabu

Elizabeth Sanchez

Emilie Sarrantonio

Yair Segura

Lina Sevencan

Prabhvir Singh

Emma Smilovic

Camryn Smith

Dylan Robert Sollitto

Matthew Talluto

Gabriel Traveras

Zachary Tell

Poyraz Temel

Juliana Tempone

Leah Terriberry

Jake Thakkar

Leila Thakkar

Emely Torres

Salvatore J Traina

Bruno Tylutki

Raul O Valencia

Jonathan Valeo

Matthew Vanegas

Ishan Vavilala

Anthony Vecchiano

Angel Joseth Velasquez Reyes

Nicholas Vieira

Keytlin Villalta Caceres

Giancarolo Vitale

Luke Walker

Michelle Wall

Daniel Wang

Joseph Thomas Wehrman

Brandon Wlesh

Finn Willis

Hannah Wu

Jonathan Xie

Jinu Yang

Adiba Zman

Oscar (Yu-Xuan) Zhang

Yuanan Zhang

Daniel Zurita

Photos courtesy East Meadow School District

W.T. Clarke Middle School students had a successful year. In May, approximately 70 students performed in the school’s musical, ‘Oliver! Junior.’

Clarke Middle SChool has some terrific kids, and in March they were recognized at a board of education meeting.

Only Hempstead village escapes rent raise

By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com

Don’t expect rents to rise next this coming year — that is, if you’re living in a rent-stabilized apartment in Hempstead village. Everywhere else? Be ready to pay more.

That was the decision of the Nassau County Rent Guidelines Board last week, hearing the concerns voiced by Hempstead village renters at an open forum earlier this month, The rest of Nassau County could see rents climb by 1 percent for one-year leases, and 2 percent for two-year leases beginning Oct. 1.

The passing vote came after a series of contrary motions were denied by the board, including one by landlord representative Barry Stein, who proposed an increase of up to 6.5 percent before being drowned out by a series of boos from tenants and advocates in attendance.

Stein’s justification for such an increase? Rent income increased nearly 3 percent while expense increases more than doubled that. Then there’s the rising property taxes in Nassau County, rising house insurance costs, and mortgage rates doubling. They were numbers Stein called “unsustainable.”

Stein also asserts the state’s reported profit figures by landlords are overblown, incorrectly looking at entire buildings — includes units not subject to regulation.

Alternatively, board member Rob

AfteR it wAs all said and done, members of the Nassau County Rent Guidelines Board decided regulated rents would rise for the second year in a row, despite some tenants and political groups calling not only for a freeze, but a rollback to pre-pandemic levels.

Rychlowski explained tenants like him are overburdened.

“We heard a lot of things from the landlords about the rising cost of living, but what about how that disproportionately affects the tenants?” he asked. “Mr. Stein is arguing that we shouldn’t be using their overall profit margin because it combines non-regulated housing along with regulated housing.”

Despite these claims, landlord profits are at record highs, according to the

state’s New York State Division of housing and community renewal division.

Another member, Martin Melkonian, also pointed out data suggesting rent-stabilized buildings consistently rise in value. That suggests to him this is a profit enterprise — not simply for the cash flow, but for asset growth. And that many ordinary property owners have enormously benefited from rising values.

“Over the past 20 years, the net operating income continues to rise,” Melkonian

said. That net operating income peaked at 38 percent in 2022, “which is the highest it’s been, despite the fact that the expenses have gone up, and admittedly, rents have not followed along. Nevertheless, net operating income continues to rise. What explains that?”

At least from Melkonian’s point of view, despite regulation, landlords do pretty well in terms of cash flow, and extremely well in terms of the rapidly rising property value of their buildings over time.

Following the vote, Jeremy Joseph, — an organizer with the Working Families Party and the Nassau County Democratic Socialists of America — said he is disappointed with the overall vote, but will accept the small victory for Hempstead village residents while acknowledging the long road ahead.

“All tenants in Nassau County deserve a rent reduction,” Joseph said. “Anything less than that is not enough.”

Prior to the vote, the board heard tenants from Hempstead directly, and that members who are not usually on our side were compelled to vote for no raise.

“Just imagine if they gave that same attention to all the municipalities in the county,” Joseph said. “But they don’t. They only have a few hearings.

“If we had a hearing in Freeport and Rockville Centre, they would have heard all the same stuff they heard in Hempstead.”

Brandon Cruz/Herald

A salute to champions from 2022-23

By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

It was a banner season for many high school athletic programs in the Herald’s coverage area. Listed are the Top 20 team and individual accomplishments, in chronological order.

1. North Shore cross-country

The North Shore boys’ cross-country team has finally caught up with the girls. On Oct. 29 at Bethpage State Park, both Vikings’ running squads captured the Class III Nassau County championships. For the girls it was old hat. The Neal Levy-coached girls have won 16 of the last 17 county titles – an achievement only surpassed by its stunning unbeaten league-meet record of 195-0. The Vikings girls haven’t lost a meet since 2006. The boys’ recent brilliance is new, having won two of the last three county titles.

2. South Side girls’ cross-country

South Side’s strength in numbers proved too much for the competition at the Nassau girls’ cross-country championships Oct. 29 at Bethpage State Park. The result was a third straight county title for the Cyclones. Senior Cameron Coletti, junior Claire Bohan and sophomore Lana Jewett finished 3-4-5, respectively, in the 13-school Class II 5K race and all five South Side scorers earned All-County honors as part of a dominant performance.

3. Seaford girls soccer

Already a county champion in her first season of varsity girls’ soccer, Ryleigh Nocera was not ready for Seaford’s postseason run to end when it took the field Nov. 5 against Babylon in the Long Island Class B title game. The freshman striker made sure that Seaford’s historic playoff journey would continue when just 54 seconds into overtime she was able to control a long throw-in from Kayla Hoehn and fire a shot into the upper left corner for a dramatic 1-0 victory. Nine days earlier, Nocera set up Kaylie Conklin’s OT winner against Wheatley that delivered the Vikings’ first-ever county crown. Goalkeeper Joanna Bello was perfect in both games behind a defense led by Arianna Garcia, Amanda Williamson, Mia Leggio and Amanda Ettinger.

4. MacArthur girls soccer

The legend of MacArthur goalkeeper Lexie Thompson was further elevated in the Long Island Class A finals against Shoreham-Wading River Nov. 5. Thompson, who surrendered just one goal all season to that point, recorded her 15th shutout with 11 saves in a 1-0 victory over the Suffolk County Class A champions to propel MacArthur to its first L.I. title since 2011. Junior Sara Kealey gave the Generals the only offense they would need thanks to Thompson’s heroics when she scored 11:32 into the first half from about 20 yards out.

5. Calhoun boys’ volleyball

A year after Roslyn spoiled Calhoun’s hopes of back-to-back Nassau Division II boys’ volleyball championships, the Colts returned the favor. Topseeded Calhoun used a balanced attack and took advantage of a second-set lineup gaffe by the Bulldogs to reclaim the county title Nov. 8, 25-22, 25-19, 25-20. Senior Tommy Bello had 20 kills and five blocks, senior libero Brian Sanchez had 23 digs, and senior setter Ryan Pucella had 26 assists to propel the Colts, who also got big efforts from Sean DiPaola and Matt Kalfas.

The Seaford girls’ volleyball team achieved its goal of a repeat county title and established a dynasty in the process. The Vikings once again hoisted the championship plaque after a four-set win against third-seeded North Shore in the Nassau Class B finals Nov. 9. Kailly Nocera, Danielle McHugh and Natalie Masters starred in Seaford’s third county title in four seasons. The Vikings made more history two days later earning the program’s first Long Island championship since 2019 behind Carey-Jean Block’s monster effort in five dramatic sets against Bayport-Blue Point.

7. North Shore football

A special play on special teams and a late dose of its workhorse running back was all North Shore needed to repeat as Nassau Conference IV football champions. Senior Pat Godfrey recovered senior Michael Granelli’s punt block for a touchdown late in the first quarter and the Vikings never trailed in the 20-6 victory over West Hempstead in the county title game Nov. 18. Senior Nicholas La Rosa added touchdown runs in each of the last two quarters, including a game-sealing 10-yard score with 4:05 remaining, as North Shore won its 19th consecutive game.

8. Calhoun girls’ volleyball

Calhoun left little doubt as to which high school Class A girls’ volleyball team was the best in New York State. After dominating pool play, the Colts completed an incredible run to their first-ever state title by dethroning twotime defending Class A-champion Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 25-11, 25-19, 25-19 in the Nov. 20 final at Glens Falls. Backed by the inspiring play of senior co-captains Julia Lawrence, Ella Maldonado and Victoria Zovich and key contributions from other players in the rotation, the Colts

made good on their preseason mantra of “Road to States,” which coach Christina Strezenec said was put on the team’s white board in response to the previous season’s Nassau County final loss to Wantagh.

9. Calhoun girls’ track

With only 13 members, the Calhoun girls’ track and field team knew it had hardly any margin for missteps Feb. 7 at the Nassau Class B championships; every Colt would have to harvest points – some in multiple events –for the club to avenge a stinging spring loss and claim a second straight county indoor title. In a flurry of personal bests, which included two school records, Calhoun – led by senior Sara Manson and aided by calculation as cold as the air outside the Student Center – fended off rival Valley Stream North to win back-to-back winter championships.

10. Hewlett boys’ swimming

Hewlett dominated relays and produced top three finishers in eight other events on the way to capturing its first Nassau County boys’ swimming championship since the 1991-92 season on Feb. 11. Leading the effort for the well-rounded Bulldogs was junior Jonah Kirschbaum, who captured the 50-yard freestyle title, anchored two winning relays (200 medley and 400 freestyle), and finished runner-up in the 100 freestyle. Sophomores David Kushnirsky (100 breaststroke champion), Ethan Nus and Ethan Silver were also among the key figures.

11. Seaford wrestling

Seaford wrestling made history in more ways than one during the individual county championships Feb. 11. The Vikings tied a program record in qualifying six wrestlers for the New York State Championships during the Nassau’s Division 2 tournament and for the first time since 2004 finished as the top team on the county finals stage.

6. Seaford girls’ volleyball

Liss Phillips/Herald

LEd BY A strong senior group, Calhoun captured the NYS Class A girls’ volleyball championship Nov. 8.

No shortage of county, L.I. champs

Seaford produced one county champ, Karl Leudesdorff at 215 pounds, along with five runner-up finishes, which included Ashley Diaz becoming the first female wrestler on Long Island to advance to a county finals match.

12. Wantagh wrestling

Wantagh’s Thomas Bonasera, Anthony Clem and Jesse Vanorden all reached the All-County wrestling podium the previous winter by placing in the top six of their respective weight classes. On Feb. 12 they were back on the big stage at Hofstra and made the most of it. They secured three of the Warriors’ four Nassau Division 1 championships, leading them to a repeat team title along with repeat county champ Joseph Clem. The Warriors racked up 253 points to finish well atop the team standings. Long Beach was runner-up with 208.5.

13. Malverne boys’ basketball

Farvens Ulysse and the Malverne Mules took it to Carle Place early and often en route to another county championship. Ulysse had 10 of his 21 points during Malverne’s explosive run to start the game and Chad Wesley added 13 as the Mules captured their second Nassau County B boys’ basketball title in three seasons with a dominant 60-36 win over the Frogs March 1. Kevin Estime added 12 points for Malverne, which blew out to a 15-0 lead.

14. Baldwin boys’ basketball

For the second Saturday in a row, Jaylen Brown from downtown provided the difference for Baldwin. Brown’s three-pointer from the corner with 56.5 seconds remaining broke the last of six deadlocks and put the Bruins ahead for good in a hard-fought 45-39 victory over Port Washington in the Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball championship game March 11 before an electric crowd of more than 3,500 at Hofstra. It was the third straight county title for Baldwin (21-3), which a week earlier topped Hempstead in the semis on Brown’s three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining.

15. Baldwin girls’ basketball

It was quite fitting Payton Dulin put the finishing touch on Baldwin’s second straight Long Island Class AA girls’ basketball title with a pair of late free throws. After all, it was the sophomore guard’s sensational 17-point performance in the first half March 11 that allowed the Lady Bruins to lead from wire-to-wire in their 39-32 victory over Walt Whitman. Dulin poured in a game-high 19 points and senior Katelyn Simpson added 13 for Baldwin, which shot 7-for-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to seal its 22nd win in 24 games.

16. South Side boys’ basketball

South Side seniors Josh Garelle and Rob Pericolosi will be college basketball teammates at SUNY Geneseo, but on March 11 the duo made sure their high school career would get extended in historic fashion. Garelle and Pericolosi each scored 14 points to propel South Side to its first Long Island title since the 1977-78 season with a 45-31 win over Kings Park in the Class A championship game. The two book-ended their scoring outputs with Pericolosi registering 12 of his points in the first quarter alone while Garelle closed strong with 10 in the second half. The Cyclones, who knocked off Manhasset for the county title, finished 25-2.

17. Valley Stream North track

The county championships were again twice as nice for the Valley Stream North track and field teams. The boys’ and girls’ teams swept the Nassau AA spring title for the second straight year at their home track May 23

thanks to a combined five first-place finishes in the field events and six runner-up showings in the running finals. The girls took their fourth straight county crown, with Brooke Fessler (high jump), Nattaly Lindo (shot put) and Moanna Thelusca (discus) winning events and Melissa Innocent placing second in three events. The boys’ captured their 14th championship in 17 years led by winners Joshua Lopez (shot put) and Ethan Smalls (discus.)

18. Seaford baseball

Billy Kind created history for Seaford baseball when he struck out the final batter in a 1-0 Nassau Class B finals Game 2 win against Wheatley May 26. The senior pitcher tossed a one-hitter with seven strikeouts to clinch Seaford’s sweep of the best-of-three championship series and garner the program’s its first-ever county title. In Game 1, senior Sean Costello threw a complete-game shutout, striking out eight in a 6-0 victory. Costello scored the lone run in Game 2 on Nick Apollo’s single. The Vikings finished 22-2.

19. MacArthur softball

MacArthur entered the Nassau Class A softball championship series undefeated and riding a 23-game winning streak including a pair against Clarke, but the Rams took the opener and put a notch in the Generals’ loss column for the first time since 2022. However, MacArthur rebounded in a big way behind senior pitcher Taylor Brunn, and after it stayed alive with her Memorial Day shutout secured the county title the following afternoon with a 12-5 win. MacArthur, in capturing its first Nassau crown since 2017, scored four runs in the bottom of the first, exploded for five runs in the fourth and added three more in the sixth. Sofia Anderson and Hailey Feiler had three RBIs apiece.

20. Seaford softball

In the bottom of the ninth inning of a scoreless Long Island Class B softball championship game June 1, Seaford was threatening after a walk to Gabby Bellamore

some nifty bunts by Jamie Young and Katie Young that gave Center Moriches trouble. The bases were loaded for Kaitlyn Young. Some may have cracked under the pressure, but she was all smiles at the plate. On a 2-1 count Young drilled a fastball to left field and a would-be sacrifice fly dropped in for a single, walking off the game 1-0 for the Vikings and giving them the L.I. title. It marked the program’s first since 2005. Pitcher Skyler Secondino allowed only three hits and struck out 15.

and

Photos by Neil Miller/Herald South Side WoN its first Long Island boys’ basketball title in 45 years when it cruised past Kings Park in the Class A matchup March 11.

Billy KiNd helped lead Seaford to its first-ever Nassau County baseball crown May 26.

Wellness Week promotes physical and mental health

Students throughout the East Meadow School District participated in numerous activities to celebrate Wellness Week from May 22 through 26. Activities throughout the district included wellness walks, active relays, writing and sharing positive affirmations, and yoga, among other activities. Wellness Week gives students the opportunity to engage in wellness activi-

ties through movement, conversation, classroom activities, games and stories. Students learned about the importance of overall wellness as a key to success, both in and outside the classroom.

The district’s celebration of Wellness Week also coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month, a national movement to raise awareness about mental health.

Photos courtesy East Meadow School District Bowling green elementary School enjoyed some healthy outdoor exercise during their annual Wellness Walk.

w.t. Clarke HigH School kicked off Wellness Week with a visit from Macey the Golden Retriever.

The Nassau County Police Activity League

The Nassau County Police Activity League is an organization formed over 80 years ago to benefit children, not only from our community but all surrounding communities. Our goal is the development of good citizenship through positive interaction between youth and police officers.

The Bellmore PAL provides organized sports such as Soccer, Lacrosse, and Track. We ask that you consider volunteering your time to our children and help make our communities better, safer and more enjoyable places to live, work and play.

To learn more about our programs or to find out how you can volunteer please visit our website or call for more information.

STEPPING OUT

Lighting up the island: A patriotic salute sets the tone for a colorful Fourth of July

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

he sky will be aglow for the annual spectacle that marks our Independence Day, always a rousing celebration. While the main event is Tuesday, of course, the county-wide festivities begin Saturday, with plenty of local fireworks to enjoy.

TD Bank Celebrate America at Eisenhower Park

it may not always seem so). Other popular festivities involve the historical aspect of our nation’s birthday. Consider a visit to Old Bethpage Village Restoration, Saturday and Sunday, for the historic site’s annual re-creation of a Fourth of July celebration as commemorated during the Civil War.

By Karen Bloom

Eisenhower Park is a popular spot to view the pyrotechnic spectacle, as part of its annual holiday double bill that also includes a concert. The park around Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre will be filled with visitors celebrating the lead-up to the holiday, Saturday, July 1, to enjoy some tunes and watch as the skies light up at the county’s Independence Day extravaganza.

The prelude, which starts at 7 p.m., includes a drone and laser light show, followed by a performance by the county’s winner of its recently concluded Battle of the Bands competition. That sets the stage for the colorful fireworks that follow, presented by the famed Grucci family, at dusk, simulcast by WALK 97.5 FM.

Motor City Revue

Journey back in time to 1960s Detroit and the birth of the Motown sound, when Motor City Revue visits the Landmark stage. This 13-piece tribute band will have you dancing and singing along to the songs immortalized by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes and countless others. From Hitsville to Soulsville, they’ll perform it all, with a passion and delivery of the true Motown sound that is undeniable. Their ability to match the vocal harmonies and instrumental mix that distinguished the original recordings is not to be missed. Everyone will be humming along to these iconic tunes in this authentic re-creation of the great era that revolutionized the music industry. Their music is about peace, love and soul that defined a generation and retains its power today.

Friday, June 30, 8 p.m. $47, $42, $38. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Celebrate America

• Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• July 1, 7-10 p.m.

• Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow

The setting marks the departure of local Union soldiers — new recruits — and the nation’s 85th anniversary. The weekend events, which run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., include contra dancing, patriotic speeches, musket firing and children’s games, along with a ceremony and parade, against the backdrop of historic music performed by the Old Bethpage Village Brass Band.

Nassau Pops

Symphony Orchestra

Of course, there is no formal seating, so bring blankets or chairs. Space is limited, and overflow will be directed to other viewing and parking areas. The rain date is July 2. Families may also want to check out i.Fly Trapeze, the acrobatic/ circus arts venue nearby in the park.

• NassauCountyNY.gov

Jones Beach Fireworks

• July 4, 9:30 p.m.

• Emily Lowe Hall Gallery, South Campus, Hempstead. For information and to RSVP, call (516) 463-5672, or visit Hofstra.edu/museum

• Jones Beach State Park, Wantagh

“When We All Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines the collective power of the arts in society.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Curated by Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and collection — the exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence.

• July 1-2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Or visit the summer home of President Theodore Roosevelt in Oyster Bay for Sagamore Hill’s annual presidential-style Independence Day festivities. Commemorate the holiday in the Roosevelt tradition, at the former presidential residence, on Tuesday, from noon to 4 p.m.

The 26th president would gather with his extended family and friends at Sagamore Hill for a day of celebration. Cousins and friends enjoyed the day here participating in flag-waving outdoor activities.

Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups on the comedy scene. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing standup at 31 after realizing he was not very good at selling packaging. He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as especially adept at working the crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and relatable take on family life and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving with him from clubs to theater, to arenas, including four soldout shows at Madison Square Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, Gilda’s LaughFest, The Great American Comedy Festival, and more. McGann still calls Chicago home.

Fireworks at Jones Beach

• 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage

The beach light show, a longstanding tradition, is eagerly awaited by the throngs of folks who make that yearly holiday trek to Jones Beach on July 4. The vivid display, beginning at 9:30 p.m., is a spectacular 25-minute display using state-of-the-art pyrotechnic technology. The dazzling colors and sights always thrill, accompanied by rousing musical array of patriotic songs simulcast by WALK 97.5 FM and KJOY 98.3 FM.

• OldBethpageVillage Restoration.org

Sagamore Hill

“It highlights the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that promise equality and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” Giordano says. “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be ignored. The artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art and activism on issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, voting rights, racial bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making of art with public service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their communities and the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to stand with them.”

• July 4, noon-4:30 p.m.

• 20 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay

• NPS.gov or (516) 922-4788

This exhibit, which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s 13th presidential conference on the Barack Obama presidency coming up in April.

Of course, expect crowds. As always, thousands of hardy souls brave Jones Beach’s jam-packed thoroughfares to get a spot to see the light show. More than 250,000 people generally visit, so an early arrival is a must. “Center stage” is the Central Mall, but fireworks are visible throughout the length of the beach.

Highlights include tours of the Roosevelt home, a concert with the Calliope Brass Band, a holiday-themed Junior Ranger Program, assorted lawn games and crafts for kids, historical exhibits at the Old Orchard Museum, and even an appearance by the president himself as portrayed by re-enactor Joe Wiegand. He will mingle with visitors and read from the Declaration of Independence.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

A summer tradition returns to Eisenhower Park. Settle in with Music director Louis Panacciulli and his orchestra for an evening of crowd-pleasing tunes outdoors. Hear the orchestra interpret the best in popular and light classical music, including several toe-tapping Big Band selections. The program, Salute to Stage and Screen, includes ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ Sinatra selections, a tribute to John Williams, ‘Annie Get Your Gun,’ the best of Billy Joel, Louie Armstrong, and more. Longtime vocalists Jack and Ann Cassin are also back again, as guest soloists, joining the orchestra songs from some of Broadway’s greatest productions. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and settle for a relaxing evening of music under the stars.

Left photo: Eisenhower Park hosts the popular patriotic light show on Saturday, attracting large crowds that eagerly gather ever year.

History comes alive

The holiday celebration involves more than fireworks (although

“We were interested in the idea that the artist has a civic responsibility,” says museum director Karen Albert. “The initial idea for this exhibition was inspired by an Obama Administration White House briefing that took place on May 12, 2009, where more than 60 artists and creative organizers met with administration officials to discuss the collective power of the arts to build community, create change, and chart a pathway for national recovery in the areas of social justice, civic participation and activism.”

Right photo: The sky will glitter over Jones Beach, another favorite destination for fireworks

Friday, July 7, 8 p.m. Eisenhower Park’s Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, East Meadow. For information, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

viewing.

Pat McGann

Can art change the world? It’s a question that’s been at the focus of our collective culture for centuries. Now as society navigates the complexities of modern life, art as a path for social change is at the forefront of artistic expression.

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s exhibition, “Eye And Mind: The Shin Collection,” highlights the extraordinary collection masterworks assembled by 31-year-old connoisseur Hong Gyu Shin, an internationally recognized figure in the global art world. He shares his treasures, including works by Whistler, Lautrec, Boucher, Daumier, Delacroix, Klimt, Schiele, Balthus, Warhol, de Kooning, Gorky and many other important names from art history provocatively juxtaposed with the painting and sculpture of our own time from both Asia and the West. On view through July Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

The Plant Man

The Plant Man, Paul Levine, returns to East Meadow Public Library to discuss ornamental grasses, Monday, July 10, 2 p.m. Beautiful, sturdy and a graceful addition to any garden. Heraffles off plant at the end of the program. Registration required at EastMeadow.info or call (516) 794-2570. 1886 Front St.

Summer stage

Plaza Theatricals brings the iconic musical “Rent,” to Eisenhower Park, Thursday, July 6, 7 p.m. The acclaimed reimagining of “La Vie Boheme,” loosely based on Puccini’s opera and set on East Village streets, fire escapes, tenements, and cafes. This groundbreaking roller coaster ride depicting the joys and sorrows of an eclectic, diverse group of young artists and activists is always captivating. Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow. For information, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.

July 1

Storybook Stroll

Bring the kids to Old Westbury Gardens for a storybook adventure, Saturday, July 1, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Stroll the gardens and listen to Janell Cannon’s “Stellaluna.” Later create a unique take home craft. For ages 3-5. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information visit OldWestburyGardens.org or contact (516) 333-0048.

Having an event?

Farmers market

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau will be back with their farmers market starting July 8, through October.

Located in Eisenhower Park at Field 8, the CCE-Nassau Farmers Market serves a wide variety of individuals from throughout the county. Their fresh food comes from numerous different vendors.

Bingo at Beth-El

Get your game on at a weekly bingo game at East Meadow Beth-El Jewish Center, in East Meadow, starting at 6 p.m. Prizes, progressive games, bell jar prizes and refreshments will be provided.1400 Prospect Ave. Proof of vaccination is required. For information, contact (516) 483-4205

Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.

Class reunion

Catch up with classmates from East Meadow High School Class of 1988. The reunion will take place at RC Dugans, Saturday, July 15, 3 to 8 p.m. 2314 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meado. $100 for access to buffet and open bar; $50 for access to buffet and soft drink bar. Contact Roni Kaufman at (516) 652-4419 for information and to reserve.

Kiwanis Golf Outing

Participate in the annual Steven J. Eisman Memorial Golf Outing, presented by East Meadow Kiwanis and Borelli’s, Monday, Aug. 7, at Eisenhower Park Red Course, starting at 1 p.m. Includes 18 holes, gold carts, shot gun start, lunch, hole in one contest on all par 3s, dinner and drinks. Attendees are welcome to then go to Borelli’s, at 6 p.m., for more food, drinks and prizes to win. $275 per person. If you cannot attend the golf outing, you can still stop by for dinner for $75. For more information, contact Mike Litzer at (516) 536-1110 or Tom Gallagher at (516) 526-2229.

Learn salsa and bachata

Salsa Latina Dance Studio offers beginner classes, Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.; 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free trial class for new students. There is no partner, and no experience needed.Parking is in the back of the studio. For information, contact Edwin at (516) 902-7368 or email edwinguerrero352@gmail.com.

Weekly Mah Jongg

The JULIETS are back playing Mahjong and cards at Congregation Beth Tikvah, located at 3710 Woodbine Avenue in Wantagh, every Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Masks are optional; with contribution of $5 per person. For more information, email mahjonggCBT@yahoo.com or call 516-785-2445.

Learn to dance Hip-Hop

Head to Salsa Latina Dance Studio, every Thursday, to learn how to Latin Hip-Hop dance with Matt at 6:30 p.m. There is a free trial class for all new students. No partner, and no experience needed to enjoy this experience. Parking is in the back of the studio. 388 Merrick Ave., in East Meadow. For more information, contact Edwin at (516) 902-7368 or email edwinguerrero352@gmail.com.

Discussing hate, coming up with solutions

Glassman recounted. “I knew that it was wrong, but I never really understood why, and when I brought it up to my Hebrew school teacher a few months later, she told me that that was something called antisemitism, which is something that I didn’t even know existed until then.”

Glassman, who is a congregant of East Meadow Beth-El, shared with the room that as she proudly displays her Jewish star necklace, it is usually met with a comment or two from classmates in the hallway. She’s witnessed swastikas in her school’s bathrooms, and heard classmates make jokes about gas chambers.

“The issue is most Jewish students are very, very, very scared to be open about their Judaism,” Glassman said. “A lot of that is very scary because every fiber of my being is being Jewish and that is something that comes first.”

In the rabbinic responses breakout session, Rabbi Ira Ebbin from Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick expressed that Jewish unity needs to be strengthened.

“I’m going to criticize all of us because as mentioned today, antisemitism incidents have been on the rise for 10 years,” Ebbin said. “It’s been rising in incidents, every year and every day, and the problem has been, and I criticize myself, that we didn’t say anything.

“Where were we when there were Jews being beaten up in Williamsburg,

where were we when every day in Crown Heights, there were Jews being punched, and their beards being pulled,” he continued. “We didn’t say anything until Jews who look like us and happen to be that there was a synagogue like us — that’s when we spoke out.”

Rabbi Joshua Dorsch from the Merrick Jewish Centre told the crowd that strengthening Jewish unity will help, but that Jewish communities need to make

Want to report an antisemitic act?

The Anti-Defamation League has 25 regional offices operating in local communities and through programs and advocacy in Europe and Israel, according to its website. Each office focuses on reporting and responding to antisemitic and hate incidents, speaking out against all forms of bias and bigotry, engaging elected officials, educating, and partnering with and training local law enforcement.

To make a report visit, NYNJ.adl.org.

in the audience on what they’ve experienced and how they’ve handled it.

allies with other communities. On college campuses, there are resources for Jewish students, Dave Siegel, executive director at Hofstra University Hillel, said. The breakout session featured Jewish students from various campuses answering questions from parents

“I think the biggest takeaway is strong Jewish identity,” Siegel said. “The idea that if we build a strong Jewish identity, we have the ability to understand what’s going on and be able to combat hate speech, because we have the information.”

Rabbis iRa Ebbin, far left above, Moshe Weisblum, Joshua Dorsch and Sam Waidenbaum, from Congregations Ohav Sholom in Merrick, Beth Tikvah in Wantagh, the Merrick Jewish Centre, and the South Baldwin Jewish Center, shared their views on how to combat antisemitism.

sofiE Glassman, lEft, an incoming junior at East Meadow High School, shared her experiences with antisemitism during one of the breakout sessions.

Mallory Wilson/Herald photos

DavE siEGEl, ExEcutivE director of Hofstra University Hillel, talked to attendees about antisemitism on the college campus.

Crime watCh

Larceny

■ Seasons at East Meadow, located on 1475 Front Street, reported that unknown suspect(s) stole six rose bushes from them on June 5.

■ A man reported that his off road beach permit was stolen from his car while it was parked on Little Neck Avenue in North Bellmore on June 6.

■ A North Bellmore woman reported that her catalytic converter was removed and stolen from her vehicle while it was parked on Bedford Avenue on June 15.

■ On North Jerusalem Road in East Meadow, a man reported that his catalytic converter was stolen on June 15.

■ In North Massapequa, a woman reported that her front license plate was stolen while her car was parked on North Beech Street on June 15.

■ Rite Aid, located on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, reported that an unknown man stole various items from the store on June 16.

■ A man reported that various items were stolen from his vehicle while it was parked at Home Depot on Hicksville

Road in Levittown on June 18.

■ King Kullen, located on Sunrise Highway in Bellmore, reported that unknown suspect(s) stole five plants from the store on June 19.

Arrests

■ Carlos H. Lopez, 48, of Hempstead, was arrested for alleged DWI at the intersection of Merrick Avenue and Cliff Road in North Merrick on June 15.

■ Julie Giordano, 49, of Wantagh, was arrested on June 16 for allegedly shoplifting from Target, located on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown.

■ Jose G. Martinez Rivas, 32, of Hempstead, was arrested on June 17 for alleged DWI on Meadowbrook Parkway exit M1 in East Meadow on June 17.

■ Juan Aguirre Quintana, 56, of East Meadow, was arrested for alleged DWI at the intersection of Salisbury Park Drive and Stratford Drive in Westbury on June 17.

■ Jai-Keem Fleming, 20, of New Cassel, was arrested on June 20 for allegedly shoplifting from Stop & Shop, located on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow.

People named in Crime Watch items as having been arrested and charged with violations or crimes are only suspected of committing those acts of which they are accused. They are all presumed to be innocent of those charges until and unless found guilty in a court of law.

William Rockensies is the new Nassau IDA chairman

William Rockensies was appointed to chair the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency, which is a public benefit corporation that aims to support and promote economic and employment development across the county.

As chairman, Rockensies will continue to support the expansion of existing businesses and incentivize new businesses to find a home in Nassau, while generating jobs that aids in the long-term growth of the county’s tax base.

“Mr. Rockensies has all the tools to facilitate the continued prosperity of the NCIDA and we look forward to seeing the organization thrive under his guidance,” County Executive, Bruce Blakeman said in a news release.

Rockensies is a senior vice president at H2M Architects + Engineers, where his primary responsibility is director of the Melville-based firm’s construction services division.

“The role of the Nassau IDA and its impact on our economy have never been more important,” he said in the release. “Rising costs of both project financing and construction as well as the fact that today’s companies have limitless options of where they call home means we have an obligation to our residents to ensure that companies know Nassau County is open for business.”

ed serving as commissioner of engineering in the Town of Hempstead, as a civil engineer within the Village of Freeport’s Public Works Department and being ac Commissioner of the Cathedral Garden Water District.

For more information on the county’s IDA, go to NassauIda.org.

Courtesy Nassau IDA H2M ArcHitects + Engineers Senior Vice President William Rockensies is the new chairman of the Nassau County IDA.

June 29, 2023 — EAST MEADOW HERALD 24

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF NEW YORK

SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NASSAU UMB BANK

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR LVS TITLE TRUST XIII, Plaintiff, v. ANNA CABA, FRANCISCA CABA, JUANA CABA, ET AL. Defendants.

NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE PLEASE

TAKE NOTICE THAT In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Nassau County on October 13, 2022, I, Janine T. Lynam, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on July 13, 2023 at The North Side Steps of The Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, County of Nassau, State of New York, 11501 at 2:30 PM the premises described as follows: 2216

1st Street East Meadow, NY 11554 SBL No.: 50213-4,5,6 ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York. The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 002950/2014 in the amount of $579,919.39 plus interest and costs. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff 500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604 Tel.: 855-227-5072 139969

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPPLEMENTAL

SUMMONS-SUPREME

COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NASSAU - REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING

LLC, Plaintiff, -againstRODERICK J. GEOGHEGAN

JR., AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF RODERICK J. GEOGHEGAN, SR.; ANY AND ALL KNOWN OR UNKNOWN HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES AND ALL OTHER PARTIES

CLAIMING AN INTREST BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST THE ESTATE OF NICHOLAS

TUMMINELLO; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; MEADOWBROOK

YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; CHRISTINE M. TUMMINELLO; NICHOLAS CHARLES TUMMINELLO; “JOHN DOE #1 through JOHN DOE #10” said names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, intended to be possible tenants or occupants of the premises, or corporations, persons, or other entities having or claiming a lien upon the mortgaged premises, Defendants - Index No. 600501/2022 Plaintiff Designates Nassau County as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the subject action is situated in Nassau County. To the above named DefendantsYOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorney(s) within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. That this Supplemental Summons is being filed pursuant to an order of the court dated May 1, 2023.

NOTICEYOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

524-5050 No Service by fax) Service purposes only: Trade Centre South 100 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 700, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 P: (888) 491-1120

F: (954) 343-6982

139981

LEGAL NOTICE REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST

COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE OF THE HOME EQUITY MORTGAGE LOAN ASSETBACKED TRUST SERIES INABS 2005-C, HOME EQUITY MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES INABS 2005-C, Plaintiff - against - THOMAS A. BOHM, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on April 17, 2018.

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 “Rain or Shine” on the 13th day of July, 2023 at 2:30 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at East Meadow, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Premises known as 351 E Meadow Avenue, East Meadow, (Town of Hempstead) NY 11554.

ENDOSCOPY CENTER; GASTRO OPERATING COMPANY, LLC; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ACTING ON BEHALF OF DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY - INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; NEW

- If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable David P. Sullivan, J.S.C. Dated: May 1, 2023 Filed: May 3, 2023. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 912 Winthrop Drive, East Meadow, NY 11554. Dated: March 19, 2023

(Section: 50, Block: 420, Lot: 11) Approximate amount of lien $700,839.68 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No.

012937/09. Janine Lynam, Esq., Referee. Davidson Fink LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 400 Meridian Centre Blvd, Ste 200 Rochester, NY 14618 Tel. 585/760-8218 For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www. Auction.com or call (800)

280-2832 Dated: May 18, 2023 During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.

140072

JR, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC, 7 Wells Street, Suite 205B, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 21, 2016, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on July 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM. Premises known as 424 Wellington Road, East Meadow, NY 11554. Sec 51 Block 274 Lot 24. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buidings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at East Meadow, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $500,125.24 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 001916/2011. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.” Robert F. Harper, Esq., Referee NY202200064 140163

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PLEASE TAKE

NOTICE that pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution, the provisions of the Town Law and Municipal Home Rule of the State of New York, both as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the 11th day of July, 2023, at 10:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day to consider the enactment of a local law to amend Section 202-1 of the code of the Town of Hempstead to INCLUDE “PARKING OR STANDING PROHIBITIONS” at the following location:

Courtesy Kevin Madigan

East Meadow FD attacks overnight shed fire on June 23

Within three minutes all fire department chiefs were in their cars and on the road soon to be followed by all seven EMFD companies. As chiefs arrived on the scene, they found a shed ablaze in the back of the yard close to a fence and second shed.

With engine companies 1 and 2 and

ladder company 1 arriving on the scene, attack hose lines were stretched and firefightes went to work quickly to knock down the flames and prevent the fire from extending to nearby homes. They were soon backed up by crews from engine companies 3 and 4, ladder company 2, and rescue company 5.

There were no injuries and Chief of Department Philip Fertitta was the incident commander.

–John J. O’Brien Sr.

Filed: May 31, 2023

Greenspoon Marder LLP, Attorney for Plaintiff, By:

Meir Weiss, Esq., 590 Madison Avenue, Suite 1800, New York, NY 10022

P: (212) 524-5000 F: (212)

SEAFORD TERRAPIN PLACE (TH 171/23) South Side - NO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the east curbline of Riverside Avenue, east for a distance of 45 feet. ALSO, to REPEAL from Section 202-1 “PARKING OR STANDING PROHIBITIONS” from the following location: LEVITTOWN BLUE SPRUCE ROAD - South Side - NO PARKING OR STANDING - starting from the east curbline of Wolcott Road, east for a distance of 75 feet. (Adopted 10/19/54) ALL PERSONS INTERESTED

shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid. Dated:

June 20, 2023 Hempstead, New York BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR.

Supervisor KATE MURRAY Town Clerk 140439

of a local law to amend Section 202-50 of the code of the Town of Hempstead to INCLUDE “HEAD-IN PARKING ONLY” at the following location: EAST

BEA COURT

EAST MEADOW FIRE DEPARTMENT

Pagers and cell phones of East Meadow firefighters and medical technicians blared roughly ten minutes before 1 a.m. on June 23 to respond to a report of a house fire on Dillon Avenue.

Needed For Garden City Law

Firm. Responsibilities

Help Wanted Administrative Assistant For Five Towns Law Firm Mgmt/ Computer Skills Mandatory Salary Commensurate With Experience. In Office Position Email Resume To Siberlaw@aol.com

BOOKKEEPER/ OFFICE MANAGER: Small Merrick CPA Firm Seeks PT Bookkeeper/ Office Manager 4 Mornings/ Week. Individual Must Have Knowledge Of Payroll Taxes, Sales Taxes, General Ledger + Bank Reconciliations. Knowledge Of Tax Software Helpful. Prior CPA Firm Experience Preferred. Call 516-379-1663, Email Resume jacobsandco@optonline.net

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE Full Time/Part Time Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Clerk in our busy Circulation Department. Basic customer service and administrative responsibilities include: heavy computer work, answering phones, making phone calls, entering orders, faxing, filing, etc.

Help Wanted OUTSIDE SALES

Richner Communications, One of the Fastest Growing Media, Event and Communications Companies on Long Island is Seeking a Sales/Marketing Candidate to Sell our Print Media Products and our Digital, Events, Sponsorships.

for

Health Benefits, 401k and Paid Time Off. Will Consider Part Time. Please Send Cover

PRESS-ROOM/WAREHOUSE HELP

The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com

LINE COOK: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday 10am-6pm. Sandwiches/ Salads. Beach Restaurant. Great Summer Job. 516-835-2819

MACHINE PROGRAMMER/ MACHINE OPERATOR Will Train

*Math Skills Helpful.

*Work In A Machine Shop. Northfield Precision Instruments Phone 516-431-1112 Ask For Charles. E-mail Resume sales@northfield.com

Manager On Duty At Blaze, Old Bethpage Village Outdoors From September Through November 5-8 Hour Shifts. Serve As The Primary Point Of Contact For All Issues That May Occur During The Event, Seeing Each Through To Resolution. Serve As The Primary Point Of Contact For Emergency Personnel Hourly Rate $25-$30 To Apply: https://hudsonvalley.org/ employment/

MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT

Inside Sales

for a FULL-TIME Pressroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for a motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key. Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com SEWING MACHINE OPERATOR/ CANVAS FABRICATOR For Foreman Position. Experience a Must. Awning Company. Call/Text Tommy 516-250-8094; tgawnings@aol.com Send Resume Business/Opportunities NICHE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY THEFANWHISPERER.COM REPLACING NOISY BATHROOM FANS PLUG & PLAY EASY. I TRAIN. 1-888-888-2134 REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIED Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail your ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads. Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify an ad. To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5 Employment HERALD JOIN OUR TEAM! Be a part of a growing multi media company based in Garden City Now Hiring: •Sales/Multi Media Consultants* •Reporter/Editor •Pressman/Press Helper Mail Your Resumes to Careers@liherald.com or call 516-569-4000 ext 239 *must have a car 12 04615 E-mail Your Resumes to Careers@liherald.com 1217542 Office: 718-534-7400 ext. 147 Cell: 631-316-0448 esuarez@fsnursing.com 1220129 Homes HERALD To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 Results t hat Move You 1216503 1219230 Robin Reiss Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Cell: 516.510.6484 Office: 516.623.4500 Robin.Reiss@elliman.com This Robin won’t rest until you are in your new NEST! How’s the market?? Please contact me for your free market report and personalized service! “Leading Edge Award Winner” Lic. Real Estate Salesperson 516-312-8956 kcowden@realtyconnect.com 650 Wantagh Avenue Levittown, NY 516-346-5040 1216027 LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL? CALL/TALK/LET'S MAKE A PLAN. 22 YEARS EXPERIENCE IT IS STILL A SELLERS MARKET! While The Market Is Still HOT!! Call Me For A FREE Market Evaluation #therightagentmeanseverything 1219930 Erica Nevins Licensed RE Salesperson 516-477-2378 erica.nevins@remax.net 3305 Jerusalem Avenue, Wantagh, NY RELIANCE

OFFICE HELP PT/FT: Computer Literate. Answer Phones, Packing, Process Orders. Baldwin Dental Supply Company. 516-783-7800

HomesHERALD

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

Long Beach

New Construction

This home is a 2023 new construction. It is FEMA compliant, with elevator, on a wide block. This home has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths with 9 foot ceilings. The Ground floor has a one car garage, finished interior with sheetrock and ceramic tile floors along with a coat closet. The Second floor features three bedrooms, utilities, linen closet and laundry room. The Third floor consists of a state-of-the-art kitchen, formal dining area, open great room with cathedral ceilings, gas fireplace, and a powder room.

97 Minnesota Ave Long Beach

Vetting a contractor, Part 2

Q. We need some advice on how to pick a contractor. Our neighbors down the street are going through a tough time with delays, seemingly shoddy work that didn’t pass inspection and extra costs for things they didn’t want or expect. Do you have any suggestions on how to interview a contractor, and what to ask about or look for in their proposal? We want to avoid what our neighbor is going through.

A. Continuing from last week, make a checklist of questions. Ask how long the contractor has been in business, and check the information with New York state.

Businesses are registered in the state Department of State database, at dos. ny.gov. If the company isn’t there, ask if they have a different name — but ask. Giving a large sum of money to a business without confirming who they are is risky.

Ask The Architect

with Vaulted Ceiling, Fpl, Fam Rm. 2 Car Att Gar. Endless Possibilities! SD#14 $1,349,000

1025 Seawane Dr, BA, NEW TO MARKET! Beautiful 4 BR, 4.5 Bth Contemporary Home on ½ Acre Resortlike Prop. LR, DR, EIK & Family Room All Overlooking IG Gunite Pool & Magnificent Landscaping. Soaring Ceilings, Loads of Natural Light. Fabulous House For Entertaining. Circular Driveway, 2 Car Att Gar. SD #14 $1,899,000

246 Adams Rd, BA, NEW TO MARKET! Elegant & Stately 4200 Sq Ft CH Col on Beautiful Quiet St. 5 BR, 4.55 Bth. Sweeping Staircase. All Spacious Rooms with Top Quality Finishes. Amazing Fam Rm with Cathedral Ceiling Overlooking 1 Acre Resortlike Prop Featuring IG Gunite Pool, Patio & Tennis Ct. XL Fin Bsmt. Upper Level has Primary Ste w/ Dressing Rm & Bth Plus 3 BRs & 2 Bths. 2 Car Att Gar. Low Taxes!

SD#20 $2,500,000

HEWLETT

1638 Ridgeway Dr, BA, FIRST TIME ON MARKET! Well Maintained 6 BR, 3.5 Bth 3500

Sq Ft Exp CH Colonial on Beautiful St. LR/Fpl, Spac Fam Rm/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sun Rm

Overlooking 1/3 Acre Resortlike Prop, IG Lap Pool, Hot Tub, Bar & Gazebo. FBsmt. 2

Car Gar. SD#20 $1,149,000

1193 E. Broadway # M23, BA, Move Right Into This Stunning Gut Renovated 2 BR,

2 Bth Coop in Garden Town. Gourmet Kit W/Thermdore St Steel Appl Opens Into

DR & LR. Primary BR w/Bth Plus Spac 2nd BR. W/D in Unit. New Self Controlled

CAC. Oak Flrs, LED Lights. Near LIRR. Parking Avail. SD#14. You Don’t Want to

Miss This REDUCED! $359,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom (Originally 3 BR), 2

Bath Condo in Prestigious Jonathan Hall with Doorman

Open Houses

HEWLETT BAY PARK 7/2, 11-12:30

190 Meadowview Ave Ever Dream of Living in A Castle? This 8000 Sq Ft Mansion is Full of Character. Amazing Architectural Details, Soaring Ceilings, Stained Glass Windows. 5 BR, 6.55 Bths. Sprawling 1.3 Acre Prop with IG Gunite Pool. SD#14.Near All. Must See This Unique Home!..REDUCED $2,999,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas elliman 516-238-429 ba

HEWLETT HARBOR BA, 1025 Seawane Dr,NEW TO MARKET! Beautiful 4 BR, 4.5 Bth Contemporary Home on Ω Acre Resortlike Prop. LR,DR, EIK & Family Room All Overlooking IG Gunite Pool & Magnificent Landscaping.Soaring Ceilings, Loads of Natural Light. Fabulous House For Entertaining. Circular Driveway, 2 Car Att Gar. SD #14...$1,899,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT HARBOR BA, 1051 Channel Dr, FIRST TIME ON MARKET! 3/4 BR, 2.5 Bth Split on Beautiful Ω Acre Parklike Property. Updtd Gran/Wood EIK, Spac LR/DR with Vaulted Ceiling & Fpl, & Fam Rm. 2 Car Att Gar.Endless Possibilities!

SD#14...$1,349,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-429

HEWLETT HARBOR BA 246 Adams Rd, NEW TO MARKET! Elegant & Stately 4200 Sq Ft CH Col on Beautiful Quiet St. 5 BR, 4.55 Bth. Sweeping Staircase. All Spacious Rooms with Top Quality Finishes. Amazing Fam Rm with Cathedral Ceiling Overlooking 1 Acre Resortlike Prop Featuring IG Gunite Pool, Patio & Tennis Ct. XL Fin Bsmt. Upper Level has Primary Ste w/ Dressing Rm & Bth Plus 3 BRs & 2 Bths. 2 Car Att Gar.Low Taxes!

SD#20..$2,500,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

Real Estate

MOTIVATED SELLER: 44 Mohawk Way, Elizabethtown, NY Adirondack Mountain Home overlooking village.Stunning attention to details, blazing internet, close to I-87 and Ferry to Vermont. Christine Benedict, 518-593-0533 or Christine.adkrealtor@gmail.com

Anthony M. Ponte Broker Owner

Stonegate Real Estate

2A Poole Street Oceanside, NY 11572

Cell: (516) 852-2071

Office: (516) 740-2777

Open Houses

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Next, contact the Department of Consumer Affairs, which issues the contractor’s license. This serves more than one purpose, by confirming the contractor has a clean record, and is licensed for the work you want done. You’ll need the license number to give to your municipality to apply for a permit for the work. This information is available by looking up your county consumer affairs office.

When the time comes, the same should be done for your plumber and your electrician, both of whom are supposed to be licensed and on file with the local jurisdiction where the work will be done. From time to time, people use an electrician’s or plumber’s license number but aren’t that plumber or electrician. This just complicates and delays things, since no local government will issue a permit without confirming that the license number given to the owner matches the name of the license holder. When the wrong information is given, suspicions arise. Whatever the arrangement is, the correct information must be given.

The same goes for insurance. When you interview a contractor, familiarize yourself with the insurances that are required by your local building department, and be sure to verify that the contractor you are interviewing can provide the documents.

Next, ask if the contractor will be arranging the required building inspections, in stages throughout the job, from your jurisdiction. Ask how you can also verify that the inspector was there. Many municipalities have gone to online portals where you can track which inspection has been done and whether a project passed. Discuss timelines, who will be managing the work onsite and whether there will be site meetings to keep up communications about the progress.

When you get to the point of discussing costs, confirm the method of payment. As I previously recommended, milestone payments for things you can see, such as when the concrete foundation is done, when the windows and doors are installed, etc., are the best way to keep track of the payment process. There’s a lot to be done, but this is one of the most expensive things you will ever do. Good luck!

© 2022 Monte Leeper

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

Monte Leeper

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Mr. Trump meets Lady Justice

The political news these days is dominated by two names, Biden and Trump. Because of his many criminal entanglements, Donald Trump wins the prize for the most coverage. But there are other names that are unfamiliar to many readers, and their stories may help clarify your thinking about the issue of mishandling classified documents.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Birchum recently made the news when he was sentenced to three years in prison for storing classified documents at various locations. A 30-year veteran of the Air Force, Birchum entered into a plea agreement, under which he admitted to having kept documents labeled “top secret,” “secret” or “confidential.”

Birchum admitted that he had knowingly removed over 300 documents from his office and stowed them in his overseas officer’s headquarters, at his home and in a storage pod in his driveway. More than 30 of those files were marked “top secret,” the highest level of classification.

A thumb drive contained 135 files marked as “classified,” and a hard drive

had 10 files that contained information marked as “secret.” Birchum had a spotless record during his decades of military service, which made the sentencing that much harder for the average citizen to comprehend.

Another new name in the news was Nghia Pho, a former software developer at the National Security Agency. Pho took troves of highly classified information out of a secure location and kept them at home. As reported two weeks ago by the HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery, Pho, a Vietnamese immigrant who was working on his English, said he was falling behind his peers in promotions and wanted to catch up on work at home.

Pho received a five-and-a-half-year sentence in federal prison for trying to keep pace with his fellow workers. What was most significant was the reaction of the NSA director, Navy Adm. Michael Rodgers. Rodgers, an appointee of President Obama, was kept on in his job by President Trump until his retirement.

In a harsh three-page letter to U.S. District Court Judge George Russell III, Rodgers wrote, “While criminal conduct involving matters of national security may come in different forms and some of the harms may not be immediately appar-

ent, the retention of classified information is no less damaging to the national security of our country and our ability to protect and defend the Nation against our adversaries.”

Rodgers concluded his letter, Bendery wrote, by calling Pho’s actions “a breach of trust” and indirectly telling the judge to prove he stands with the intelligence community with his sentencing. “Affirmation by this court of the cost to the women and men who have dedicated their lives to public service and who have maintained trusted stewardship of national defense information will send them a message of confidence and respect.”

The stories of Birchum and Pho are just two of many that are popping up in the news these days. Birchum apparently decided he should be the custodian of sensitive documents, and Pho did something genuinely stupid. This brings us to the case of Trump, who stands accused of obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act.

The Trump accusations are so bewildering. Why didn’t he just turn over all of the classified documents that were requested when he was served with a subpoena? Why did he allegedly stonewall

the prosecutors and lie about having any such papers in his possession? Why did he tell his counsel to deny having any additional sensitive papers at his Mar-aLago home?

Trump’s defenders have rushed to protect him by accusing the FBI and the Justice Department of “weaponizing” their powers against a political opponent. But Trump is no different from Birchum or Pho when it comes to the issue of holding onto documents that could aid our enemies.

Does being a former president exempt you from the same day in court that Birchum and Pho got? Add the name of recently arrested Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira to the roster of those who have been charged with the possession of secret documents.

Of course, Trump is entitled to a presumption of innocence. He will have his chance to tell his story, if he testifies in front of a jury. What is mystifying is why he finds himself in this position at all. And if found guilty, why should he be treated differently than Birchum and Pho?

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

Where’s Granny? Living in the backyard bin.

You may think this doesn’t have relevance for you, but you’re wrong, my friend. You may be 40 years old, running 7-minute miles and sprinting up the corporate ladder, but believe me, you need to focus on your old age — now. In fact, the only way you won’t have to plan for your dotage is if you die before you become decrepit, not an entirely awful option.

most relevant issue in your life, if it isn’t already.

RANDI KREISS

The new rage around the country is a concept for housing, or more accurately, storing our elderly. Several companies are selling what they call MedCottages or Granny Pods, prefabricated guest houses — glorified hospital rooms — that can be plunked down right in a willing child’s backyard.

The standard is 12 feet by 24 feet, and runs $39,000 and up. Sounds pricey, but it’s cheap when you consider the cost of assisted living or skilled nursing care. I know you don’t want to think about this stuff, but I insist, because the chances are 100 percent that this will become the

These pods hook up to local sewage and power lines. They have “virtual” caregivers that remind you over a speaker to “take your meds” or it’s “time for lunch.” The toilets can read body temperature. Floorboards are lighted. The living room has its own defibrillator, and a monitoring system communicates the elder’s activities to a security service. Of course, you can’t sneak a puff, or a sip or anything else fun because Big Brother is watching. Next step, I suppose they could dig a giant hold in the backyard, put a board over it, install the Granny Pod on the wooden foundation and when the elders pass on, just drop that baby into the ground. Dust to dust.

According to the American Association of Retired People, there is little planning in place to deal with the explosion of super-old people coming down the pike — some 70 million by 2030.

I’m sitting at ground zero in this generational squeeze. My parents live on their own, with helpers, in Florida. My sister and I go back and forth as often as

we can, which isn’t close to often enough. Of all the things I anticipated worrying about in my 60s, elder care never crossed my mind. Now it’s a daily, consuming and pressing concern.

So, a Granny Pod for Mom and Dad? They actually might go for it, but it doesn’t touch the real concerns. My mother is lonely because my dad sleeps all day. Her friends are gone. What she wants is for us to be there, basically, all the time. Not unreasonable for her, but problematic for us.

Let’s consider the idea of my folks living in my backyard. I could pop in and say hello several times a day. That would be nice. But they would still need helpers every day. Someone would still have to monitor all the meds and devices and the cleaning and meals and TV repair and appliance maintenance and visits to doctors and outings to the rest of the world and finding the missing hearing aids, canes and glasses.

And when the sprinklers went off, it would be a bitch.

A pod in a backyard could work in some situations, perhaps for all the millennial kids who are reportedly moving

Randi is on a brief leave. This column was originally published June 2-8, 2016.

home to Mom and Dad. But for the frail elderly with no connections to the community, it would be tantamount to climate-controlled storage.

Jumping ahead to my own future elder years, a pod is out of the question for my hubby and me. First, my son’s backyard is a canal in Florida, and my daughter’s is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada. Second, if you put my husband and me in a 12-by-24 space to live out our days, those days would be numbered.

No one in government is dealing with the tsunami of elderly coming our way. That leaves each of us to deal the best we can, which is woefully insufficient. We need communal, political and financial assistance to make life livable for our very old — and for the people caring for them. But a backyard pod?

When my daughter was little, she said she wanted to live in our backyard when she grew up. The wish may get turned around if I decide someday to permanently drop in on her.

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

Several companies are selling what they call MedCottages or Granny Pods.

The charges against him are bewildering. Why didn’t he just turn over the documents?

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The Declaration of Independence was first published on July 6, 1776, in a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Evening Post. We are proud to commemorate that high point in American journalism by reprinting that historic document.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at

places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness of his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Government:

For suspending our own legislature, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor.

The Declaration was signed first by John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, and then by 55 others representing the 13 original states.

Man up? Sure, let me ask for help

I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life. That’s not an easy thing to admit, especially publicly. But mental health awareness isn’t what it used to be, thankfully. The stigma has been largely diminished. So, in honor of guys pushing off asking for help or pretending we’ll do it tomorrow, I’m offering a belated note for Men’s Health Month and Men’s Mental Health Month, both in June. Yes, June’s just about over, but as my mom and wife often say, if you want to hear about the plan, ask a man. If you want it done, ask a woman.

I grew up with a core group of friends, and as we aged, we got better at talking to one another about things that were bothering us. We made plenty of jokes, and helped each other through tragedy and defeat.

At a friend’s wedding earlier this month, I was reminded, by being with my old friends, that even though we’re a bit grayer and see one another less and less, our friendships remain strong. We retold inside jokes, bragged about our kids, and laughed all night.

These are men and women I’ve known for 40 years or more. We grew up together, and shared the same experiences as kids in the same hometown. We celebrated one another’s successes and commiserated about one another’s failures as we navigated adolescence and then early adulthood.

But even with my closest friends, I have never completely surrendered my male ego and asked for help, or explained a mental health problem. Sure, I’d say that I was struggling or hurting, and they would help me. Those cathartic admissions were helpful, but not regenerative.

My oldest son, now a 26-year-old police officer, told me that he recently sought mental health help through his job. He said he had felt apprehensive on a few recent patrol calls.

That’s never happened. He’s always been a tough dude — we took him to the emergency room twice in one day for different injuries when he was 9. He likened his recent unease to a case of the yips — a baseball player’s sudden and inexplicable inability to make routine throws accurately.

I was relieved to hear he had the fortitude to seek professional help. Several friends on the job told him they regular-

Letters

Why are we charged twice for using a credit card?

To the Editor:

I cannot be the only one upset by this new trend of being charged for using a credit card. It started with two different prices for gas. That has now moved to restaurants (including fast food), the service industry (haircuts), car dealerships, doctor’s offices and even religious institutions.

And the charges aren’t consistent: 3 percent here, 3.5 percent there. And who knows if these percentages are accurate? Maybe the actual charges are less, and they’re just padding their profits?

We pay to have a credit card, and we pay to use a credit card.

My wife and I go out for a nice dinner once a week with friends. This would include having a glass of wine with dinner. Well, I will refrain from ordering alcohol from restaurants. Alcohol has a very large profit margin. Would a restaurants rather sell four glasses of wine for $40 or charge the 3.5 percent credit card

surcharge?

If enough people start doing this, will restaurants stop passing the credit card processing fees on to patrons? Maybe, maybe not, but it will send a message that we’re tired of being nickeled and dimed for just about everything. Truth be told, all they have to do is raise prices by 25 cents and no one would know the difference.

What’s next? Food costs have skyrocketed since the pandemic. Going to the supermarket is quite expensive. Do people feel safe carrying a lot of cash around? I can foresee the day when supermarkets will be adding the credit card fee.

I have written to our senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer. You know what their response was? Crickets. Nothing.

Shouldn’t there be some legislation against this practice? It is a double charge to pay to have a credit card and to pay to use a credit card. But our elected officials choose to ignore this, and let their constituents bear the brunt of it. As usual.

JEFF COHEN Wantagh

ly go to a therapist to talk about job stresses and issues. As a dad, that made me happy that he is mature and strong enough to ask for mental help before an issue corroded into something larger.

For 11 years as a high school English teacher, I took advantage of our social workers by frequently bringing students with issues into their office for help. I was amazed at how comfortable adolescents had become with expressing their feelings and reaching out for help, without making a big deal of it.

These things weren’t talked about when I was in school, and certainly not among friends. Anger was the closest thing to an emotion that a boy could express in front of a group of fellow 10-year-olds.

It’s remarkable that mental health awareness and acceptance has come so far in a few decades. But men remain trapped by clichés of manliness and the stigma of admitting any mental health issue, however brief. We’re supposed to soldier through it, man up, tough it out. There is strength in learning to deal with adversity through perseverance, and there is also astuteness in knowing when something could be wrong and seeking professional help. Cognitively

dissonant, we put our heads down and plow through a hardship, but that childish reaction often fails and exacerbates a problem.

Men are generally less likely than women to ask for help for depression or stressful life events. Men downplay symptoms and pretend they’re OK.

According to Mental Health America, more than 6 million American men suffer from depression. Male suicides have increased since 2000.

There are ample places to get more information online. Here are two: MentalHealthAmerica.net and MensHealthNetwork.org.

The biggest step is asking for help.

My dad often said that he made a point of saying “I love you” to my brothers and me, because he didn’t remember his own father ever saying it to him. I smile when I hear my kids say that to each other. Seems pretty normal nowadays, but it wasn’t when my dad was a kid.

I love my kids, and I’m proud my oldest son is seeking mental health help. His actions put the lie to the false narrative that tough guys don’t need help. More men need to follow his example.

Mark Nolan, the editor of the Lynbrook/ East Rockaway and Malverne/West Hempstead Heralds, taught high school English for 11 years. Comments? mnolan@liherald.com.

Framework by Evan Mattioli

mental health awareness has come a long way in a few decades.