Franklin Square/Elmont Herald 03-16-2023

Place, would receive a muchneeded upgrade.

The Town of Hempstead Housing Authority proposal calls for the expansion of the low-cost housing development from two to four stories, while retaining the 104 units to accommodate town residents who are

An interim superintendent for Sewanhaka

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

tant superintendent of Manhasset Public Schools and acting superintendent of the Locust

ward to getting shovels in the ground and delivering an impressive, modernized building for its senior residents.”

Under the plan, the complex’s studio apartments would be converted into one-bedroom units, with each apartment being enlarged by 100 to nearly 700 square feet. To avoid flooding

from the small creek nearby, the entire building would be raised, town officials said.

In addition, elevators would be installed to improve accessibility, and parking on the property would be doubled from roughly 50 to 88 spots. The site’s senior

project. The Housing Authority requested permission to exceed two stories, as well as a variance for off-street parking.

The Board of Appeals granted the variances with several conditions, including that the builder install a living fence no less than 15 feet along the perimeter of the property bordering any neigh -

Square and open the door to more four-story buildings.

“To watch them tear down the buildings I watched them build — I think it’s terrible what they’re doing,” said Dick Petersen, a longtime resident of Emma Place in Franklin Square,

Page

An interim superintendent for Sewanhaka

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

After 40 years of public school service on Long Island, Sewanhaka Central High School Superintendent James Grossane announced his plans to retire on June 30.

A dino-mite show

The Jurassic World Tour, velociraptors and all, is coming to life at Elmont’s UBS Arena beginning

As a result, the Sewanhaka school board hired Thomas Dolan as interim superintendent, effective July 1, to fill the role during the search for a new superintendent. Dolan, a Lindenhurst resident and a retired superintendent of Great Neck Public Schools, also served as former interim president of Nassau Community College, assis-

tant superintendent of Manhasset Public Schools and acting superintendent of the Locust Valley Central School District. Grossane began his education career in 1982 as a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped in the East Meadow Public Schools. He was hired as Sewanhaka’s superintendent in 2019 and his initial contract was for three years, ending in the summer of 2022.

His contract was extended for an additional three years, but after many conversations with his family, Grossane said it was time to “pass the torch” to the next generation of educational

Continued on page 4

Overhaul of affordable senior apartments given go-ahead

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

The Dogwood Terrace modernization project has received a green light from the Town of Hempstead.

Earlier this month, town officials decided that the 104-unit Dogwood Terrace senior housing complex, at 1178 Martha Place, would receive a muchneeded upgrade.

The Town of Hempstead Housing Authority proposal calls for the expansion of the low-cost housing development from two to four stories, while retaining the 104 units to accommodate town residents who are

55 and older.

The existing two-story complex sits on a dead end on Martha Place, behind the Stop & Shop on Franklin Avenue.

“The town board and I are excited to move forward with the new facility at Dogwood Terrace,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said. “I look forward to getting shovels in the ground and delivering an impressive, modernized building for its senior residents.”

Under the plan, the complex’s studio apartments would be converted into one-bedroom units, with each apartment being enlarged by 100 to nearly 700 square feet. To avoid flooding

from the small creek nearby, the entire building would be raised, town officials said.

In addition, elevators would be installed to improve accessibility, and parking on the property would be doubled from roughly 50 to 88 spots. The site’s senior

recreation center — which touts activities such as shuffleboard, physical fitness classes and holiday-themed parties — would also undergo renovations, town officials said.

Last month, members of the Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals held a public hearing to discuss a height variance for the project. The Housing Authority requested permission to exceed two stories, as well as a variance for off-street parking.

The Board of Appeals granted the variances with several conditions, including that the builder install a living fence no less than 15 feet along the perimeter of the property bordering any neigh -

boring residential land and implement LED lights throughout the site, without having them shine into neighbors’ yards.

While some of the seniors living in the complex welcome the improvements, other neighboring homeowners are concerned this project may lead to an influx of development in Franklin Square and open the door to more four-story buildings.

“To watch them tear down the buildings I watched them build — I think it’s terrible what they’re doing,” said Dick Petersen, a longtime resident of Emma Place in Franklin Square,

Joe Abate/Herald

People are extremely disappointed, and they will not forget this.

lIsA DellIPIzzI

Franklin Square real estate agent

Pharma company caps insulin price at $35 Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages commends price reductions

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages has been a longtime advocate of insulin price caps and making the common medication less of a financial burden for millions of Americans.

Earlier this month, she shared an announcement from Eli Lilly and Company stating their plan to reduce the price of their prescribed insulins and expand its Insulin Value Program, which caps out-of-pocket costs at $35 or less per month.

Healthcare advocates such as Solages have praised the company for making their insulin more affordable during a time where many across the country are struggling to even pay for the life-saving drug.

“This is a significant step in the right direction, and one that will make a real difference in the lives of people with diabetes,” said. Solages. “The high cost of insulin has been a barrier for too many people, and this price cap will help ensure that everyone has access to the medication they need to stay healthy.”

Eli Lilly and Company plans to reduce the list price of insulins through the following strategies:

■ Effective May 1, they plan to cut the list price of its non-branded insulin, Insulin Lispro Injection, to $25 a vial. This means it will be the lowest list-priced mealtime insulin available.

■ Lilly’s most commonly prescribed insulin, Humalog — an insulin lispro injection — and Humulin — an insulin human injection — will be cut 70 percent by the company’s fourth quarter this year.

■ By April 1, RezvoglarTM, a basal insulin which

is more slow-acting, will be sold for $92 per five pack of KwikPens, a 78 percent discount to the Lantus injection.

Solages said she hopes this decision from Eli Lilly and Company will inspire other pharmaceutical companies

InsulIn prIces have skyrocketed in the last two decades, by roughly 600 percent. Eli Lilly and Company plan to introduce price cuts to their insulin products beginning this spring. According to Catholic Health Services, the diabetes percentage in Elmont is 11.5 percent, which exceeds the state benchmark by 0.01 percent.

make prescription medications more accessible to all individuals who live in New York.

— Ana Borruto

‘Jurassic World’ dinos visiting UBS Arena

Life-sized dinosaurs are taking the UBS Arena stage for the “Jurassic World Live Tour,” which makes its way to Elmont on Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m.

The “Jurassic World Live Tour” is bringing an exciting, unpredictable family experience to New York for generations of “Jurassic World” franchise fans.

The production features over 24 lifelike dinosaurs with scale, speed and ferocity, all operated by animatronics and performers. This includes the iconic Blue the velociraptor and a Tyrannosaurus rex over 40 feet in length.

Combined with the film’s noteworthy musical score, projection and practical scenery, UBS Arena will transform into the jungles of Isla Nublar. The show is filled with thrilling stunts and an original storyline audience members of all ages will enjoy.

Showings of the “Jurassic World Live Tour” at UBS Arena are scheduled for Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 18 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 19 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Prices start at $15 and are available through www.TicketMaster.com or the venue’s box office.

audience members are taken into the Jurassic world where dinosaurs ruled the land. a velocirapTor geTs ready to make its attack

Young visiTors goT a photo-op with a triceratops at the “Jurassic World Live Tour” pre-show.

— Ana Borruto

Joe Abate/Herald photos

The “Jurassic World Live Tour” offered a pre-show experience at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Feb. 24 where invitees could see their dinosaur favorites up close.

Town of Hempstead approves 4-story plan

who lives close to the apartment complex. “We’re not going to change their mind, we’ll just have to live with it.”

The current Dogwood Terrace apartments were built in the early 1970s. Petersen said he hosted the first meeting at his home with members of the Housing Authority and other residents to discuss the original project. They agreed on a two-story complex that would fit in with the rest of the neighborhood.

Roughly 40 years later, Petersen said the Housing Authority is not living up to this promise with the new proposal.

Frank Culmone, a Franklin Square resident, and several others in the neighborhood received letters notifying them of the Board of Appeals’ decision. Culmone said he wishes the project received more community input.

“This happened very quickly — we want our seniors to live in great conditions, of course,” Culmone said. “I think (the town) needed to have a community meeting, come up with ideas, instead they just run ahead and do this.”

As a real estate broker for more than 32 years and a longtime Franklin Square resident, Lisa DelliPizzi said there are many homeowners in the area who have expressed their frustration with the town’s decision.

“This is not the place for a four-story (building),” DelliPizzi said. “People are extremely disappointed and they will not forget this.”

■

■

Tim Baker/Herald

The DogwooD Terrace senior apartment complex, operated by the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority, has not been renovated since it was built in the 1970s. Town officials recently approved a complete overhaul of the apartments.

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

The DogwooD Terrace apartment complex

down and rebuilt into

A century since the historic Kalb’s Hotel fire

The blaze marked a transformative period for rural Franklin Square

By DR. PAUL VAN WIE Special to the Herald

One hundred years ago, one of the most important events in the history of Franklin Square took place — Kalb’s Hotel was destroyed in a devastating fire on Jan. 30, 1923.

Kalb’s Hotel, which had been built in the 1860s, was the major stop over between Hempstead and Jamaica. Farmers on their way to market in the city regularly took a break at Kalb’s — and the hotel’s bar was named “The Farmer’s Old Spot.” Kalb’s was a classic German-American inn that also boasted a dining room, several rooms for overnight guests, a dance hall, a bowling alley, a beer garden and stables.

The hotel, a social center for the entire area, was established by Anton Staatz, and by the 1880s, it was sold to August Kalb. After Kalb’s death in 1918, his wife, Catherine, sold it to Jacob Hoffman in 1920. John and Katie Fisher then managed the hotel, and it became known as Fisher’s Franklin Inn.

On Jan. 29, 1923, the winter evening began as usual in the old hotel — a group played at the two bowling alleys, others socialized and walked about. Outside, the weather was bitterly cold, about 10 degrees above zero and windy, with some snow on the ground. Before midnight, the

hotel began to close down, and the Fisher family went to sleep in private quarters. Around 2 a.m. on Jan. 30, shouts that the hotel was ablaze rang out in the chill air. Across from the hotel, in St. Catherine’s rectory, Father Conrad Lutz heard the calls for help. He quickly arose and began to ring the church bell violently. This was a danger signal, which woke up the village. It was not hard to see where the fire was — the blaze spread quickly throughout the hotel’s old and dry wooden structure.

Strong winds whipped the flames to great heights, as local people came to the hotel quickly and formed a bucket brigade. One Monroe Street resident said, “I’m going (to the hotel) with buckets if I have to.”

The locals’ efforts to save the hotel were strong, but ultimately futile. With the strong winds whipping, the whole village could have been engulfed in flames. But a change in the wind’s direction prevented this.

Across Hempstead Turnpike, near the

hotel, people poured water on the Hoffman Garage roof, which saved the building, but the intense heat partially destroyed the gas pumps. Properties to the north of the hotel also suffered some damage.

By daybreak, the hotel had burned to the ground, with little remaining.

As the townspeople sifted through the ashes, they uncovered some coins melted into clumps. They had come from the fiveplayer pianos, which had crashed spectacularly through the upper floors. Even live trees next to the hotel had become charred stumps.

The cause of the fire was never identified and was the subject of some speculation.

The fire, however, was a symbolic end of rural Franklin Square, and 1923 marked the beginning of rapid suburban growth.

The destruction of the hotel brought other changes to Franklin Square as well. A few months after the fire, a new fire company, the Franklin Square Hose and Chemical Company, was established. The organization of the Hose and Chemical Company led to the establishment of the Franklin Square Fire District in 1924 and the beginning of the Franklin SquareMunson Fire Department, as it is known today.

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Courtesy Bill Youngfert/Herald file

TWo EARLy 20Th century-era coins recovered from the Kalb Hotel fire by then-resident Max Thomala remain intact today at the Franklin Square Museum.

New LIRR rollout gets mixed reviews

The good, the bad, and the bumps in-between

By JUAN LASSO & KEPHERD DANIEL of the Herald

For weeks, the ideal stage had been set for the full launch of Grand Central Madison, finally connecting the Long Island Rail Road to the bedrock of Midtown Manhattan.

Or so it seemed.

Limited shuttle service between Jamaica station and Grand Central Madison gave commuters roughly four weeks to try out the new travel routes in advance of the big day, warming them to the idea of the $11 billion East Side terminal.

But as the new service rolled out, some reinforced their concerns. While a number of service lines have been expanded, others have been completely rescheduled. And there were those who worried about inadequate direct service to Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal after timed connections would be eliminated at the Queens station, as well as through direct transfers across platforms at stops like Jamaica under the new schedules.

Then, full-service started Feb. 27, and contrary to the MTA’s calculated expectations, the ensuing first days of its historic Midtown terminal turned into the most dizzying and distressful for commuters in recent memory.

Riders — coping with the rush-hour meltdowns at Jamaica station and onboard Penn Station-bound trains — poured their anger and disbelief onto social media. Images and posts showed commuters cramming into train aisles. Others making frantic sprints to catch their connecting lines. And many finding themselves tightly jammed inside an antsy crowd of riders on waiting platforms.

By the end of the first week, MTA officials rushed to provide relief in the form of extra train cars added to roughly 30 of its busiest trains, most of them rush hour excursions on the Penn Station service routes, as well as ramping up the frequency of shuttle service between Brooklyn and Queens.

While the adjustments have managed to ease overcrowding and quell a frantic commuter flow, the fumbled full launch of Grand Central Madison has left some commuters scratching their heads — and shaking their fists — at what went wrong.

The reason, according to Long Island Rail Road interim president Catherine Rinaldi, can be chalked up to a miscalculation on how many commuters would actually shift from Penn Station to Grand Central.

The LIRR’s original service plan was designed to accommodate a “60-40” split of ridership, with most still traveling to Penn Station. So far, however, the split has been more “70-30,” although new ridership figures are still pending.

For all the initial bumps, however, Barry Kleinworm — a diamond inventory manager in Midtown Manhattan — said full service to the East Side was a “home run” decision.

“Grand Central station is only five minutes from my office, so I’m loving it,” the Woodmere commuter said. “Before, I had to walk 20 minutes from Penn Station. So this is a benefit for me for sure.”

It’s something that should have happened 30 years ago, said Jack Halpern, who rides the Far Rockaway branch.

“I’m a lawyer, and my office is in the Grand Central area,” he said. “But of course, I don’t go all the time what with hybrid work. It would have been really helpful to have this service pre-Covid when I was going five days a week.”

Despite the benefits, however, Halpern did note that finding his way in and out of Grand Central has proven difficult.

“When exiting the station, going up the escalators is ridiculous, so I use the elevators. But they’re not all in the same area,” he said. “Entering the station, there is no clear signage on the street level to point you to what looks like a temporary construction elevator that takes you

down into the station, so they have to make the signage a little clearer.”

Melvin Medina says commuting on the Babylon branch is “not so bad,” but feels the benefits tilt toward Grand Central commuters at the expense of everyone else.

“There used to be an express train straight to Penn Station,” the commuter from Bay Shore said. “Now, by around 8 a.m., I have to transfer to Wantagh to get to Penn, and the train stops at every stop.

“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to plan ahead. But I don’t really agree with all the changes made.”

Then there are commuters like Debby Washington who say navigating the new train schedule changes has been nothing but daily stress.

“I hate it. It’s just so much confusion going on,” the Wantagh commuter said. “It’s just not organized right now. The schedule is crazy, and the trains come out of nowhere with no announcements.

“I’m paying a lot of money in taxes, and my service is not that great. In fact, it’s getting worse.”

But a lot of that might simply be a resistance to change, based on long-term familiarity to what’s already been in place — even if what’s there now wasn’t all that great.

“I think people are used to what they had before, and so if you’ve been commuting to Penn Station for decades, it definitely throws a wrench in your regular routine,” said Amy Zervas of Merrick. “I travel to both stations, but I prefer Grand Central because there are fewer people on those trains. Either way, I’ve had no issues.”

While opinions appear sharply divided, Rinaldi reassured commuters that changes are being made as needed.

“We are going to be continuously making adjustments based upon ridership and loading data. We look at it every single day,” she said. “The Long Island Rail Road team is all over the rollout in terms of looking for trends, what ridership is looking like, what trains are popular, and adjusting accordingly.”

What lawmakers have to say

Assemblyman Brian Curran

“Clearly the opening of Grand Central Madison is a benefit, but my office has received numerous complaints regarding schedule changes, specifically additional travel time for our commuters on the West Hempstead line where riders at Malverne and Westwood now experience an approximate hour gap in travel times from the old schedule.

Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and myself were informed that the Long Island Rail Road would reevaluate scheduling times for the West Hempstead line if data was provided regarding commuters’ preferred changes. We decided to hand out voluntary surveys to commuters about the issue.”

Assemblyman Charles Levine

“We have all known for years that the Oyster Bay line is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s biggest loss leader. With the advent of East Side Access, the MTA has had to reroute and reprogram any number of trains from the Oyster Bay line. The biggest challenge is that the OB line runs on diesel-powered trains that need to stop at Mineola where there is a transfer for riders to get on electric trains to go into the city.

We do not have express trains running directly into Penn Station as we had in the past before the new train schedules. The result is there is less availability for Oyster Bay commuters to travel than there was before, and riders are not pleased — nor should they be pleased. I’m confident, however, that the MTA leadership is aware of this issue and will be addressing it.”

Courtesy Marc A. Hermann/Metropolitan Transportation Authority

MEtROPOLItAN tRANSPORtAtION AUtHORIty chief executive Janno Lieber and Long Island Rail Road interim president Catherine Rinaldi are re-routing four Grand Central Madison trains back to Penn Station after higher-thanexpected ridership on the West Side.

Lawyer from Franklin Square named partner of Russo Law

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

Franklin Square resident Diana Lattanzio has officially been promoted from associate to partner at Long Island law firm, Russo Law Group, P.C.

Lattanzio offers two decades worth of experience to Russo Law Group and specializes in elder law, Medicaid planning, estate planning, special needs planning and real estate.

She received her bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. After undergraduate school, she went on to earn her juris degree from Hofstra University School of Law.

Lattanzio licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey, and is admitted to the United States Supreme Court. She is also bilingual and is available to assist Italian speaking clients.

“It is a great pleasure to name Diana a partner at the Russo Law Group,” said Vincent Russo, managing partner. “She has made a significant impact on the lives of our clients, while contributing to the overall growth of our law firm.”

The Russo Law Group, P.C. is made up of a team of attorneys who practice elder law, estate planning and special needs or disability law.

Tax exemption threshold lowered for Nassau volunteer firefighters and EMTs

Volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers in Nassau County will be able to qualify for a tax break a bit sooner than before.

The Nassau County Legislature unanimously passed a local law to lower the number of years that volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers need to serve before qualifying for a partial tax exemption on their county portion of their property taxes.

Prior to the law going into effect, volunteer firefighters and EMTS had to serve for five years before qualifying. The new law drops that threshold to two years of service to qualify for a property tax exemption of up to 10 percent. To qualify, a volunteer must live in the community where they volunteer.

tion to be applied to their portion of property taxes.

“It is a great honor to be named partner at the firm,” said Lattanzio. “I look forward to continuing to provide peace of mind to our clients.”

— Ana Borruto

In addition, volunteers who accrue 20 or more years of service will be granted the reduction for the remainder of the time that they reside in Nassau County, regardless of whether they are active or inactive from volunteering.

Local municipalities will need to opt in to this new law to allow the same exemp-

BREAKING DOWN BOUNDARIES WITH CANCER BREAKTHROUGHS

“These selfless volunteers answer the call of duty at all hours of the day and night, put their own safety at risk for the community and spend an incredible amount of time in training and preparing to do the job they do so well,” Legislator Richard Nicolello said in a release. “The partial real property tax exemption should also help with recruitment to keep our fire departments strong.”

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Courtesy Russo Law Group, P.C. DiANA LATTANziO Of Franklin Square was promoted to partner of Russo Law Group, P.C. in Garden City.

— Mark Nolan

Courtesy Freeport PR

VOLUNTeeR fiRefighTeRs mAy qualify for a property tax break after serving for two years rather than five.

Leaders: Housing plan undermines neighborhoods

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

Many on Long Island already are having a tough time finding affordable places to live. The elderly are priced out of affordable homes, and younger generations are fleeing to more affordable locales — many times out of state.

Lawmakers have tried a number of ways to keep rents low, but the latest plan offered by Gov. Kathy Hochul to build 800,000 new homes across the state over the next decade isn’t meeting with a lot of support. Especially on Long Island.

“We don’t want Hochul control, we want local control,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin told a crowd of local elected leaders at the Port Washington Long Island Rail Road station earlier this month.

Clavin believes the governor’s proposal is a power grab and doesn’t take into consideration the differences between upstate and downstate communities. He worries Hochul’s plans will force Long Island to become the sixth borough of New York City.

While the proposal speaks to creating high-density housing, officials say it doesn’t address upgrading the existing infrastructure to accommodate the population increase — like roads and utilities. There also seems to be little attention from Albany about how such fast growth could impact schools, which might not be able to keep up.

Rents have risen 30 percent since 2015 in New York City, while home prices have grown 50 percent. The situation is even more dire outside the city where rents are up as much as 60 percent, with some existing home sales rising as high as 80 percent over the last eight years.

According to the Population Reference Bureau, more than half of the state’s renters are paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent, the second-highest rate

in the nation.

Hochul wants to battle that through what she’s calling the New York Housing Compact. It’s intended to eliminate many of the barriers stopping development of affordable housing — especially around Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail stations — including plans for the state to step in if local government refuse to act.

But that’s what really have many local leaders like

Clavin fired up. The town supervisor says Hochul’s proposal eliminates the public hearing process, and will allow an “unaccountable, bureaucratic board located hundreds of miles away in Albany to make decisions over what belongs in your neighborhood.”

The governor, however, believes the state’s housing crisis requires bold actions and an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“Every community in New York must do their part to encourage housing growth to move our state forward and keep our economy strong.” Hochul said, according to a release. “The New York Housing Compact is a comprehensive plan to spur the changes needed to create more housing, meet rising demand, and make our state a more equitable, stable and affordable place to live.”

The compact, however, suggests local leaders aren’t doing enough to address the housing crisis. And that’s wrong, said Jennifer DeSena, town supervisor for North Hempstead.

“We have a hearing process,” DeSena said. “There are always projects that are being considered Nassau County is the densest suburban community in the country. We have a lot of housing, and wanting to add an arbitrary number like 3 percent every three years, it’s just not realistic.”

Pamela Panzenbeck said she’s worried about a devastating scenario for the city she leads, Glen Cove, where giving the governor the power to rezone property within a half-mile from a train station to 50 units of housing per acre will hurt more than it will help.

The mayor also believes Long Island towns and cities should be able to decide for themselves what the appropriate land use is.

“Changes such as she suggests would destroy our way of life,” Panzenbeck said, “the historic nature and beauty of Glen Cove, and our Long Island communities.”

Roksana Amid/Herald HeMpSteAD tOwN SupeRvISOR

Don Clavin says he’s not alone in his opposition to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to push affordable housing. Officials believe forcing development — even near transit hubs — doesn’t consider additional concerns neighbors face such as infrastructure and crime.

Elmont high school grad stars in ‘Ragtime’

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

Jermaine Carroll considers himself to be a more introverted and reserved person — that is until he hits the theater stage.

The Elmont Memorial High School graduate said he normally doesn’t like to “take too much space,” but when the spotlight hits, he said he feels free to act larger than life.

“That’s when I take the liberty of taking up as much space as I can,” Carroll said. “And interestingly enough, I don’t get worried too much about how people are looking at me and how I’m being perceived because even though it’s me, it’s not me.”

Carroll is currently starring as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in “Ragtime” the musical at the Cultural Arts Playhouse at 170 Michael Drive in Syosset. Based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, the story follows the American experience of three groups during the early 20th century : African Americans in Harlem, an upperclass white family living in surburban New Rochelle and Eastern European immigrants.

Over the course of the show, the worlds of a wealthy white family, a Jewish immigrant and his daughter and an African American ragtime musician collide. Carroll’s character Coalhouse is a popular ragtime pianist who attempts to win back

his true love, Sarah, and forge a prosperous new life for their newborn son. He is a man of principle and persistence, which ends up being his fatal flaw. The audience follows his journey for justice while he navigates the obstacles of discrimination and racism.

“He is prideful, but prideful in a different way than I am and I kind of had to find how to play that naturally,” Carroll said. “He makes choices that I personally would not make, but at the end of the day, I have to find a way to make his decisions

make sense — it’s so eye-opening and inspiring.”

This is not Carroll’s first rodeo when it comes to musical theater. He said he first got bit by the performing bug in church, where he participated in Christmas plays and other shows.

Before he attended Elmont Memorial High School, he recalled going to see a performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls” and immediately felt inspired. When he got to the high school, he had a role in practically every theater produc-

tion, he said.

He went on to attend Temple University and graduated in 2019 with a theater degree.

Today, Carroll’s day job is as a marketing assistant for Richner Communications, but performing still plays a major role in his life. After graduating from college, he joined a couple of local theater groups before hearing about the Cultural Arts Playhouse in Syosset.

He auditioned for the company’s musical production of “Parade” and has been involved in several other Playhouse shows ever since.

The young actor and singer credits a few mentors who have supported him along the way, including his former music teacher Eileen Kramer, Ed Kennedy and Deborah ‘Mama’ Cleveland, who was in the original “Dreamgirls” on Broadway.

Cleveland’s son went to Elmont Memorial High School and she would often help the students with their productions, Carroll said.

“If it wasn’t for those three specifically, I don’t think that I would be doing this and I don’t think that I would have even grown to the level that I’m at now,” Carroll said.

“Ragtime” the musical is playing at Syosset’s Cultural Arts Playhouse until Sunday, April 2. To see the full schedule or to purchase a ticket, visit https://www. culturalartsplayhouse.com/.

with Michael and Suzanne Ettinger Attorneys-at-Law

Death with Dignity: Hospice Care

Death with Dignity: Hospice Care

The recent announcement by 98 year old Jimmy Carter, our long-lived president, that he was opting for hospice care at home instead of additional medical intervention, is in keeping with the trend towards dying with dignity. Hospice care arises when an illness is either no longer responding to medical treatment, no medical treatment is available, or the patient has decided they want to transition from treatments intended to prolong quantity of life to treatments intended to improve quality of life.

The recent announcement by 98 year old Jimmy Carter, our long-lived president, that he was opting for hospice care at home instead of additional medical intervention, is in keeping with the trend towards dying with dignity. Hospice care arises when an illness is either no longer responding to medical treatment, no medical treatment is available, or the patient has decided they want to transition from treatments intended to prolong quantity of life to treatments intended to improve quality of life.

One of the great misconceptions about hospice care is that it is the cessation of medical care. Dr. Sunita Puri, author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour” defines hospice care as “intensive comfort-focused care, provided with the goal of minimizing the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering that patients and their families experience when somebody has possibly six months or less to live.” While hospice can usually take place at home it can also be in a facility and is paid for by Medicare Hospice Benefit.

One of the great misconceptions about hospice care is that it is the cessation of medical care. Dr. Sunita Puri, author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour” defines hospice care as “intensive comfort-focused care, provided with the goal of minimizing the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering that patients and their families experience when somebody has possibly six months or less to live.” While hospice can usually take place at home it can also be in a facility and is paid for by Medicare Hospice Benefit.

The hospice “team” consists of (1) a nurse

The hospice “team” consists of (1) a nurse

to assess and manage pain and provide handson-care, (2) a social worker, to offer emotional support and help with planning, (3) a physician to interface with the patient’s primary physician and consult on pain and symptom management and make house calls, (4) a hospice aide to help with personal care needs, such as bathing, (5) clergy to offer spiritual support, (6) volunteers to help in a variety of ways, and (7) a bereavement specialist to provide grief and loss counseling.

to assess and manage pain and provide handson-care, (2) a social worker, to offer emotional support and help with planning, (3) a physician to interface with the patient’s primary physician and consult on pain and symptom management and make house calls, (4) a hospice aide to help with personal care needs, such as bathing, (5) clergy to offer spiritual support, (6) volunteers to help in a variety of ways, and (7) a bereavement specialist to provide grief and loss counseling.

Regrettably, hospice care in the US averages only about three weeks, due to the fact that people are reluctant to talk about topics like suffering, quality of life and whether treatments are adding to or detracting from someone’s quality of life. Delaying those conversations leads to very late referrals to hospice.

Regrettably, hospice care in the US averages only about three weeks, due to the fact that people are reluctant to talk about topics like suffering, quality of life and whether treatments are adding to or detracting from someone’s quality of life. Delaying those conversations leads to very late referrals to hospice.

As Dr. Puri points out, “Hospice is not about giving up...hospice is about acknowledging where your body is at, at a given stage of illness, and honoring that and honoring the person that you are, which is distinct from the illness you are suffering...hospice attempts to maximize dignity and minimize suffering.”

As Dr. Puri points out, “Hospice is not about giving up...hospice is about acknowledging where your body is at, at a given stage of illness, and honoring that and honoring the person that you are, which is distinct from the illness you are suffering...hospice attempts to maximize dignity and minimize suffering.”

Courtesy Danielle Jenkin Photography

JeRmAiNe CARROll plAys Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the Cultural Arts Playhouse production of “Ragtime” the musical.

Kerri Scanlon is a leader in Long Island

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Kerri Scanlon knew from a young age that she was destined to be a nurse.

Her mother, Mildred O’Connor, had a successful career in the field. And she convinced her daughter to follow in her footsteps.

“Seeing her love of the career, and then seeing her in action in the facility she worked at,” Scanlon remembered, “she just had this incredible love for what she did.”

Scanlon was fortunate to receive a scholarship that allowed her to study at Columbia University. It was there she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then a master’s in advanced practice nursing.

Now the executive director of Glen Cove Hospital, Scanlon celebrates her 30th year as a nurse.

For the last 25, she’s been an integral member of Northwell Health, New York’s largest health care provider that oversees the operations of Glen Cove Hospital. Having worked closely with Northwell’s leaders for years, when Scanlon was offered the opportunity to lead the hospital in 2019, she couldn’t turn it down.

“Glen Cove, at the time, was really a hospital in transition and needed direction,” she said. “I love Glen Cove. I love the community. I love the people. I was welcomed with great arms.”

Just months into her new role, Scanlon — and health care professionals like her around the world — would face a much different problem: the coronavirus pandemic. As early as February 2020, Scanlon told her Glen Cove team to get ready. And expect the worst.

Epidemics were nothing new for Scanlon. Her career included HIV/AIDS as well as the avian flu in the 2000s. But the first wave of Covid-19 was something she’d never seen before. Glen Cove did all it could to offer the best possible care to its patients, collaborating and completing

research with larger hospitals, and opening up an acute rehabilitation facility to treat patients who’d spent months in intensive care.

“It kind of defined us as the little engine that could,” Scanlon said.

The pandemic helped Scanlon identify areas of growth for the hospital, and she says it’s now better fit than ever to advance into the future.

“Is Glen Cove thriving?” she asked. “Is Glen Cove going to be here 10 years from now? Heck yes. We just celebrated our centennial, and the health system is more than ever investing in Glen Cove. We’re budgeted this year to make money, not lose money. And that’s a huge change.”

The 247-bed community hospital offers a lot, including a state-of-the-art brain injury unit, but Scanlon wants people to know the full scope of care Glen Cove provides. It has renowned doctors in the fields of gynecology, endocri-

nology and breast care — areas of the body where typically women encounter conditions.

A geriatric-only facility is opening in Oyster Bay, she added, to offer age-friendly services to older adults.

Employee happiness is key to running a successful hospital.

“We want to continue to focus on our patients, and focus on our customers, and the only way to do that is to focus on our staff,” Scanlon said. “Because if they’re not happy, our patients aren’t going to be happy.”

A mother of two, Scanlon resides in Nissequogue. Her 26-year-old daughter also works in health care, so Scanlon is used to giving advice to young women wishing to advance in the field.

“My greatest advice always is to focus on doing the best that you can do today,” she said. “Everybody is so focused on what’s the next thing — it’s this generation. They’re constantly under so much stress. The opportunities are greater for women, but I think the level of stress is even greater.”

Women have made excellent strides in health care, Scanlon said, but there’s always work to be done.

“There’s not enough women at the table for (health care) decisions across the country,” she said. “I think its constantly focusing on that, and diversity and inclusion — ensuring that it’s all women we’re including at that table.

“Historically, as women, we didn’t pay it forward to other women. I think that’s changed dramatically — I’m so happy to see this. My biggest thing is mentoring other women.”

Courtesy Northwell Health

GLEN COVE HOspitAL executive director Kerri Scanlon, center, addresses a crowd of health care professionals, working in a unit converted to treat coronavirus patients.

SANDRA

Senior Living Renaissance, LLC

VALENTINA JANEK

Founder

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JESIKA KALIKA

Marketing Communications & Business Development Consultant

LISA MIRABILE

President & Founder

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EDUCATION

MARIA P. CONZATTI

Acting President

Nassau Community College

BARBARA J. HOLAHAN

Vice President Financial Affairs,

CFO & Treasurer

New York Institute of Technology

MARYANNE HYLAND

Dean of the Robert B. Willumstad

School of Business

Adelphi University

MAURIE McINNIS

President

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JENNIFER HAYEN

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DR. GAIL CORREALE

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THERESA DILLMAN, DNP (C), MSN, MHA, RN, NE-BC

Associate Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer Glen Cove Hospital, Northwell Health System

DR. ODETTE R. HALL

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SPECIAL AWARDS

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

ELLEN PELLEGRINO

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Age of New Beginnings

LEGACY AWARD

MEREDITH WALDNER STERN

President Waldner’s Business Environments

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Miss Long Island Teen 2023

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TRAILBLAZER AWARD

DANI RYLAN KEARNEY

Founder National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL)

STEPPING OUT

Patti Lupone

Lay of the land

Eyes on nature

By Karen Bloom

Since the invention of the camera, photographers have been enthralled by interpreting the natural world. We (viewers), in turn, are captivated by what their cameras reveal.

A true Broadway legend returns her Long Island roots, visiting Tilles Center with her acclaimed one-woman show. ‘Don’t Monkey with Broadway’ is a celebration of her life-long love affair with Broadway, as she indelibly interprets classic theatre tunes by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jule Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. She explores her love affair with Broadway and offers up her opinion and concerns for what the Great White Way is becoming today, in this intimate concert, which includes behind-thescenes anecdotes.

Sunday, March 19, 7 p.m. $110, $75, $55. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.

STEPPING OUT

As we spring forward, we’re all eager to enjoy the landscape as it emerges from its winter “hibernation.”

It’s the subject of Heckscher Museum of Art’s current exhibition, “Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature,” on display through April 16.

Creative advocacy

Viewfinders explores artists’s varied responses to the relationship between nature and humans. These lens-based works reveal the divergent ways in which nature continues to fuel documentation of the human experience and imagination — from images symbolizing the untamed power of nature, to those where the landscape has been abused for human consumption. The exhibit — featuring 64 works from 34 artists — traces the lure of photography through the centuries, culminating in contemporary times where every person with a smartphone has the power to “frame” nature.

Guest Curator Susan Van Scoy, associate professor of art history at St. Joseph’s University, combed through the museum’s permanent collection to explore the myriad ways artists respond to the landscape and how their responses have shaped our perception of nature.

By Karen Bloom

WHERE WHEN

Pat McGann

people shape the future of the environment and change our behaviors.”

Visitors will notice a “local flavor” to the exhibit, such as N. Jay Jaffee’s photo of Lloyd Harbor’s Caumsett Park Preserve.

As Van Scoy explains: “The Olmsted family landscape architectural firm created some of the most famous and unnatural ‘natural’ sites in the world, including New York City’s Central Park and Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve. Yet some visitors view these parks as nature in its untouched state. Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve has been a favorite subject of artists such as Jaffee and Neil Scholl, whose photographs capture the landscape architects’s signature picturesque landscapes in the park.

Willie Nile

• Now through April 16

• Open Thursday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

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

“Visitors just love the Caumsett shot,” she says. “Many people don’t realize its history.”

• $5 suggested admission non-members; members and children younger than 13 free

• Heckscher Museum of Art,

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

2 Prime Ave., Huntington (631) 380-3230 or Heckscher.org

Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines power of the arts in society.

Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence. the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s conference on the Barack Obama presidency coming up in April. interested in the idea that the artist has a civic responsibility,” says

“Landscape and photography have always been closely intertwined. In fact, the world’s first automatic photograph was a landscape and photography was first referred to as ‘sun pictures’ or ‘drawings from nature,’” Van Scoy says. “Artists have long used landscape as a vehicle to explore other issues such as poetry, spirituality, philosophy and environmentalism. The images in are no exception. They are teeming with hidden meaning.“

Legendary American photographers such as Edward Steichen, Larry Fink and Berenice Abbott are represented, as are newly acquired photographs by Kenji Nakahashi and Jeremy Dennis. Van Scoy also selected a substantial number of works by notable Long Island image makers.

Beyond traditional forms of landscape photography, Van Scoy was excited to introduce what she describes as the “contemporary takes,” which explore environmental issues such as climate change and reclaiming the land.

“Everyone enjoys seeing landscape, now it’s being used as a background for protest,” she says. “Artists have an important role to help

Picturesque scenes are just one aspect of what’s on view. From the whimsical — such as Barbara Roux’s mise-en-scènes in wooded areas with frames or mirrors placed against a leafy ground, to natural images that show the power of nature in Kenji Nakahashi’s abstract take on Hurricane Gloria — nature in all its forms is documented.

“I want people to be able to look at these works and relate to them,” she says. “I love when you can relate an image to your everyday life and also learn something new at the same time.”

The takeaway from Van Scoy: “We are reminded that humans are always small in relationship to the power of nature.”

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.

Top left: N. Jay Jaffee’s Long Island Sound from Caumsett (1990) — a gift of Paula W. Hackeling — is an example of landscape photography that follows a formula used in early 17th century paintings.

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.

Top right: Barbara Roux’s Night Rises Up (1998) merges the subjective individual with the natural world.

Bottom: Kenji Nakahashi’s Decoration for Hurricane Gloria (1985) reflects nature’s untamed power.

The singer-songwriter comes to the Landmark on Main Street stage for an exciting evening of roots rock, with special guest James Maddock. Nestled somewhere between power-pop and American folk, you will find Willie Nile strumming his guitar. A true believer in rock ‘n’ roll, over the years Nile has made admirers out of such names as Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend who personally requested him to tour with The Who, among others who sing his praises. The New York Times called him ‘one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years,’ among the many accolades he has received. The timeless qualities of melodic craft, lyrical insight and emotional engagement that have endeared Nile to listeners around the world throughout a three-anda-half-decade recording career continue to be prominent in his live performances.

Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m. $30, $25.

Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

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

Courtesy Heckscher Museum of Art

THE SCENE

March 30

The Manhattan Transfer

The 10-time Grammy winning vocal group celebrates their 50th anniversary, performing at The Space, Thursday, March 30, 8 p.m. The group looks back on a career that has spanned genres from pop to jazz to rock and roll and more, in this a special evening that highlights their long and dazzling career with their signature pitch-perfect vocals and impeccable style. Tickets are $65-$175; available at Ticketmaster.com or TheSpaceAtWestbury.com. The Space, 250 Post Ave. Westbury.

Challenge your tax assessment forum

Breastfeeding Support Group

Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support and resources, facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year) to the informal group setting. All new moms are welcome, regardless of delivering hospital. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 to secure you and your baby’s spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.

Civic Association Meeting

The next Franklin Square Civic Association general meeting is set for Wednesday, March 22, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Franklin Square Public Library, 19 Lincoln Road.

The Brubeck Brothers

Jazz giant Dave Brubeck’s sons celebrate their dad’s life and career, with “The Brubeck Brothers Quartet Celebrates Dave Brubeck’s Centennial,” on the Tilles Center stage, Thursday, April 13, 7:30 p.m. Chris and Dan Brubeck bring their multimedia show to the LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. To honor Brubeck’s legacy, the Brubecks, who performed and recorded with their father since the 1970s, curate this memorable concert with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. Through their stories, with music performed by the quartet, the show invites audiences to travel along the timeline of Brubeck’s extraordinary life and career. Tickets are $52; available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

April 13

With the deadline for filing approaching, Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll and Town Supervisor Don Clavin host a “Challenge your Tax Assessment” forum, Thursday, March 24, at 7 p.m. Attendees will learn how to file a grievance, at Echo Park, 399 Nassau Boulevard in West Hempstead.

My Furry Valentine

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, all pet adoptions at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter are free through Friday, March 31. For more information, contact the shelter at (516) 785-5220 or visit 3320 Beltagh Ave. in Wantagh.

March 26

Best of Broadway

Adelphi performing arts students perform their semiannual Broadway revuew, on Adelphi University Performing Arts Center stage, Sunday, March 26, 4 p.m. Under the direction of KT Thomas and Steven Altinel, this contemporary-themed show will highlight hits from pop/ rock shows, including”Rent,” “We Will Rock You,” “School of Rock,” to songs from contemporary classics like “Wicked,” “Mamma Mia,” “The Prom” and “Next to Normal.” Students perform large group numbers as well as individual solos. Tickets start at $30, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 877-4000 or Adelphi. edu/pac.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Get your green on and celebrate Irish pride at the annual Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Saturday, March 25, at noon. Marchers step off at the municipal parking lot on North Sunrise Highway and parade down Maple Avenue. This year’s Grand Marshal is Tommy McNicholas. To see the full parade route, visit RVCStPatrick.com/ home.html.

Women’s History Month Lecture

Join with Constance Hallinan Lagan, at Elmont Memorial Library, for her lecture, “Women’s Hidden Treasure, Friday, March 17, 12:30 p.m. The in-person program focuses on how to achieve peace within when surrounded by global turmoil and how to maintain that peace. No registration required. 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont.

Having an event?

On stage

Mo Willems’ popular character

The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday March 17, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Sunday, March 19, noon Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. $9 with museum admission ($7 members), $12 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or LICM.org.

Free Tax Preparation

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, with Bethpage Federal Credit Union, offers tax services, Friday, March 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 33 North Central Ave., Valley Stream. (516) 599-2972 or visit tinyurl.com/freetaxprep23.

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.

‘Forever Plaid’

Plaza Theatrical is ready to spring forward with “Forever Plaid,” an affectionate musical homage to the close harmony guy groups that reached the height of their popularity during the ‘50s, Saturday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 19, 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 23, 2 p.m. The show features such hits as “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Heart and Soul,” “Catch a Falling Star,” and “Love is A Many Splendored Thing.” It’s performed at Plaza’s stage at the Elmont Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $49, $45 seniors. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.

Family theater

Everyone’s favorite cat comes to mischievous life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Sunday, March 19, noon. See what goes on during that rainy day when two siblings are home alone with their pet fish while their parents are out of town, and the tall cat wearing a hat appears. Tickets are $15. Visit the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore. For information/tickets, go to PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.

Chef Patrick was influenced as a young man by his Grandmother 's kitchen, and that's where he saw that cooking can feed peoples souls.

Patrick attended and excelled at the culinary schools he attended. His first stop was at Sullivan College. His journey started at the Garden City Hotel, in the La Cote d' dining room with master Chef Patrick Pino, who shaped his philosophy of cooking. Patrick then headed to New York City to expand his culinary repertoire at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. That's where he met Three Star Michelin Chef Gunther Serger Chef Serger instilled in him the elegance of simplicity, artistry of balance and the appreciation of the ingredients. Patrick moved south to Atlanta and worked with renowned chef and author Marcella Hazan who instilled the purity and quality of the products that they used. A short stint with Chef Emeril Lagasse exposed Patrick to southern flares and flavors as well.

Patrick felt he had found his culinary voice and headed home to Long Island. That's when he found local farms and fishermen that worked with sustainable practices. Over the years Patrick has instilled balance in the blends of ingredients in his cuisine, still striving for the fulfillment of his culinary soul. Craft Kitchen & Taphouse are so excited to have Chef Patrick heading to the Lynbrook team. His weekly specials are a "must try" and he will be changing the seasonal menu this May, making it a great Spring or Summer destination whether you dine inside or out at Craft.

Strokes, aneurysms, and headaches — oh my!

By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com

Headaches are the worst. They come at the worst time, but can be treatable with a pop of Tylenol or Advil. But have you ever asked yourself if it could be something more?

If it is, knowing when to seek medical attention is what those who tuned in to the recent Herald Inside LI webinar were looking for as Dr. Kimon Bekelis shared his expertise on the critical differences between a brain aneurysm and a stroke — and how to treat or prevent either one.

A brain aneurysm is a weak spot in the blood vessel in the brain that can burst. An estimated 30,000 people in the United States suffer a brain aneurysm rupture each year, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.

“Because it’s a fairly rare disease,” Bekelis said, “I think it hasn’t been as mainstream.”

Symptoms of a brain aneurysm can be confused with a headache. If it’s allowed to rupture, it could mean everything from brain damage, to coma, or even death.

Bekelis is a certified neurosurgeon with training in invasive endovascular neurosurgery. He is also the chairman of neuro-interventional services for Catholic Health Services of Long Island, and co-director of the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Good Samaritan Hospital.

He’s also the director of the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center of Long Island, located in Babylon. With all that experience, if Bekelis comes across someone with a stiff neck, blurred or double vision and confusion, he knows he needs to take action right away. The feeling of an aneurysm is like someone hitting you with a hammer.

“It is a very severe event when they rupture,” Bekelis

said. “But people do survive.”

Preventing an aneurysm varies from not smoking or using tobacco products, having a healthy diet, and checking your blood pressure and exercising regularly.

But if worrying about aneurysms aren’t enough, Bekelis also warns about strokes. They are caused when blood supply is blocked in part of the brain, or when a blood vessel bursts.

More than 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Detecting and identifying a stroke fast is the most

important factor in guaranteeing that somebody is not going to have a deficit,” Bekelis said

The American Heart Association created an acronym it believes will help determine if someone is having a stroke. “FAST” is short for face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call 911.

The “deficit” of a stroke can vary from impaired speech, limited physical abilities, weakness or limb paralysis. But just like aneurysms, there are ways to prevent strokes, Bekelis said.

Monitor blood pressure and cholesterol. Cut cigarettes. Monitor weight. And, of course, exercise. And there could also be a “magic” pill that might help, too.

“When it comes to aspirin, it used to be a general recommendation that if you’re over the age of 55, they would put you on a baby aspirin,” Bekelis said. “Nowadays, it’s been modified a little because aspirin has been founded to slightly increase the risk of bleeding if you don’t have any risk factors.”

Thinner blood might be good for strokes, but could be bad for other conditions. So, adding a baby aspirin regimen is something Bekelis says should be monitored by a doctor.

It’s challenging to know what the brain is trying to tell us in a headache. But when you know something doesn’t seem right, Bekelis says it will be hard to miss.

“When it comes to a stroke, the symptoms — you can’t miss them,” the neurologist said. “When it comes to a headache, things are a little bit more murky, and headache is a symptom of aneurysm rupture possibility.

“An aneurysm headache is like the worst headache of your life. If it’s one of those, seek immediate medical attention.”

Courtesy Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center of Long Island DR. KiMON BEKELiS from the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center of Long Island in Babylon, recently discussed the differences between a stroke and brain aneurysm.

PRESENTS

FIGHTING AGAINST FRAUD: Learn the 411 on Recognizing a Scam

Help protect yourself from fraud and scams! This FREE webinar series will cover identity theft, elder fraud abuse and how to recognize the warning signs. Representatives from AARP Long Island and United States Postal Inspectors will also provide information about scams targeting people age 50-plus and their families, tactics fraudsters use, and resources available to help prevent fraud.

Advance registration is required.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023

12-1PM

IDENTITY THEFT:

Each year thousands of Americans fall victim to Identity (ID) Theft. Consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 Billion to scams in 2022. This webinar will focus on:

• Understanding Personal Identifiable Information (PII)

• Scams that target your PII

• Tips to safeguard your identity

REGISTER at www.LIHERALD.com/identity

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023

12-1PM

ELDER FRAUD ABUSE:

Con artists don’t really care about your age or your needs. Their only goal is to separate you from your hard-earned money. Learn how to recognize scams. We’ll cover:

• Grandparent or Relative in Need scams

• Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams

• Investment Scams

REGISTER at www.LIHERALD.com/elder

FREE AARP LONG ISLAND IN-PERSON SHREDDING EVENTS

Shred your personal and financial documents at a location near you. Register and reserve your spot for a FREE drive-through contactless shredding event. (Limit 3 bags per car)

SATURDAY APRIL 22, 2023

10AM-1PM • IN-PERSON

LOCATION:

Nassau Community College

One Education Drive • Garden City, NY (Entrance to parking lot at Miller Place)

REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredGardenCity

SATURDAY MAY 6, 2023

• IN-PERSON

LOCATION: Michael J Tully Park 1801 Evergreen Avenue • New Hyde Park, NY

REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredNewHydePark

SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023

LOCATION: Farmingdale Library 116 Merritts Road • Farmingdale, NY

REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredFarmingdale

Michael Hinman Executive Editor Herald Community Newspapers SPEAKERS

Michael V. Del Giudice Postal Inspector Team Leader New York Division

Bernard Macias Associate State DirectorLong Island AARP New York

Donna Harris Public Information Representative United States Postal Inspection Service Headquarters

NCC follows through on insurance increase

By ANDRE SILVA asilva@liherald.com

It had to be done, and they did it. Nassau Community College’s board of trustees made a plan to increase health care premiums for its faculty and staff official — something the employees union that has spent months negotiating a new contract says could effectively reduce salaries by as much as $5,000.

The new insurance premiums begin March 23, and simply reflect a cost increase by their carrier, NCC officials said. They were allowed to pass on the increase despite a lack of a new contract based on a past agreement that allowed the board to make such increases under an expired contract.

The insurance increases, according to union president Faren Siminoff, could effectively act like a pay cut.

“These are the actions of people with no soul,” Siminoff said. “The college was asked by Nassau County if they needed more funding, and the college told them they do not need supplemental income. Instead the college decided to bleed its faculty dry.”

The educators union and trustees board has been negotiating full-time faculty contracts since last July, hoping to work out a deal before their contracts expired a month later. The union has rallied multiple times since then, but there is still no new contract on the table between NCC and its full-time faculty.

NCC attorney John Gross said the imposed health care provisions were not “pulled out of thin air.” In fact, the union knew about the existing contract provision, which was negotiated decades ago.

“The college board is a public agency, and they have a fiduciary responsibility to effectuate what’s in the contract,” Gross said. “If the (college board) said no to this (imposing health care premiums), they would be giving up thousands and thousands of dollars.”

This time around, the union is entertaining a proposal for new employees to pay about 20 percent of health care premiums, and existing staff members are willing to give roughly 2 percent of their salary toward the cost of premiums during their last negotiation sessions.

But the college has known health care premiums were rising since last December, Siminoff said, and that those costs would be passed along to employees. So why did the school wait until after the new year to notify faculty members of the change, during the open enrollment period?

“Usually in November or December, if you have an insurance policy through your job, you’re permitted to change your policy,” Siminoff said. “So, while most of us

NASSAu CommuNIty

CoLLEgE’S board of trustees announced their intention to impose health care premiums on staff members, effectively reducing salaries by $5,000 on average, according to the union representing fulltime faculties, who say it’s a negotiation tactic.

are the college’s plan, there are many faculty members who could be covered under a partner’s plan. In order for them to switch coverage plans, they have to do it during open enrollment.”

Although NCC denies the increase being nothing more than ensuring they’re good stewards of their accounts, Siminoff is convinced the health insurance increase is being used to help with the school’s negotiating position, or at the very least retaliate against and punish the union members.

“It’s really a huge pay cut,” the union president said. “Many faculty members told me, ‘If I had known they would charge us healthcare premiums in December during open enrollment, I would have changed my policy.’”

Tim Baker/Herald file

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT: NASSAU COUNTY. MTGLQ INVESTORS, L.P., Pltf. vs. MICHELE SPANO, FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA, Defts. Index #003111/13.

Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered January 5, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the north side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 29, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., prem. k/a 396 Bly Court, Franklin Square, NY a/k/a Section 35, Block 485, Lot 23. Said property lying and being at Franklin Square, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of NY known and designated as and by the Lot No. 23 in Block 485 on a certain map entitled “Map of Glen Oaks Homes, Inc., Section 1, located at Franklin Square, Nassau County, New York, surveyed August 1945, William E. DeBruin, Civil Engineer, Hempstead, N.Y.” and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on March 21, 1946 as Map No. 4307. Approx. amt. of judgment is $ 595,190.20 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Foreclosure auction will be held “rain or shine.” If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the auction.

ANTHONY RATTOBALLI, Referee. HILL WALLACK LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 261 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, Ste. 940-941, New York, NY. File No. 20292-1431- #100100 137472

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, DITECH FINANCIAL LLC

F/K/A GREEN TREE

SERVICING LLC, Plaintiff, vs. WILIAN A. PORTILLO and ROBER W. PALMA, ET AL., Defendants.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 30, 2017, and an Order Appointing Substitute Referee entered August 19, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Nassau County Supreme Court, North Side steps, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, New York 11501 on March 27, 2023 at 2:00 P.M., premises known as 30 HARRIET AVENUE, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11550. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Hempstead, Town of Hempstead, County of

Nassau and State of New York, Section: 34, Block: 254, Lot: 360 & 361. Approximate amount of judgment is $562,316.60 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 021801/2008.

If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee’s attorney, or the Referee.

BRIAN J. DAVIS, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff 137476

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU US BANK NA, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff, AGAINST

ERROL JAMES AKA

ERROL A. JAMES AKA

ERROL A.T. JAMES, et al.

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on June 13, 2022.

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 23, 2023 at 2:00 PM premises known as 136 Heathcote Road AKA 136 Heathcote, Elmont, NY 11003.

Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for Nassau County and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 32, Block 399 and Lot 83, 84, 85. Approximate amount of judgment $940,245.40 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #005280/2015.

Philip Debellis, Esq., Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLPAttorneys for Plaintiff - 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747

137449

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU

Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST Henry Barreto; Vincent Cecere a/k/a Vincent A. Cecere; Danielle Cecere; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

duly entered October 26, 2022 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 28, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 275 Ribbon Street, Franklin Square, NY 11010. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in Franklin Square, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section: 35 Block: 564 Lot: 28.

Approximate amount of judgment $620,919.88 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 616876/2019. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the Tenth Judicial District. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Mark Ricciardi, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP

f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff

175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624

(877) 430-4792

Dated: February 6, 2023 137458

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

COUNTY OF NASSAU

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR REGISTERED HOLDERS OF CWABS, INC., ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-13, Plaintiff,

v. VINCENT MCPHERSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF LAVERN

MCPHERSON A/K/A

LAVERN VERONICA

MCPHERSON A/K/A

LAVERN DACOSTA A/K/A

LAVERN DACOSTAMCPHERSON, ET AL, Defendant. 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 December 16, 2022, I, Mark S. Ricciardi, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on April 4, 2023 at The

North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, County of Nassau, State of New York, at 2:00 PM the premises described as follows:

168 Freeman Avenue Elmont, NY 11003

SBL No: 37-371-285

ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate 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. 613803/2018 in the amount of $497,953.24 plus interest and costs.

Foreclosure Auctions will be held Rain or Shine. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the foreclosure auction.

Richard S. Mullen Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Plaintiff’s Attorney 500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604 Tel.: 855-227-5072

137653

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF MFRA TRUST 2015-1, Plaintiff, vs. DINORAH CABEZAS TORRES A/K/A DINORAH CABEZAS A/K/A DINORAH TORRES, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 19, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 4, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1601-16 Johnson Avenue, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 32, Block 470 and Lot 24. Approximate amount of judgment is $579,657.62 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 613751/2018. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north

thomas dolan

was named

Sewanhaka’s new interim superintendent, effective July 1. He has worked in several administrative roles, including acting superintendent of the Locust Valley School District and interim president of Nassau Community College.

Dolan will take over for the retiring James Grossane

leaders.

The school board said to find the right replacement for Grossane, it plans to undergo an in-depth interview process with search firms to meet the needs of the central high school district. With 14 other superintendents reportedly retiring in the area, district officials said it is even more crucial for the district to get started with the process.

“It’s very important to pick the right firm, it’s very important to get the right candidates and it’s right to get input from the community and not rush this,” Grossane said. “This is a complex place to manage and you need someone who knows what to do.”

best interest for our students in our communities.”

Grossane added that he believes Dolan’s extensive experience in education will keep the district moving forward while the search is on for a permanent replacement.

coming home.

thomas dolan

New interim superintendent, Sewanhaka

Central High School District

The interim selection, Dolan, boasts more than 40 years of experience in the education field. He was a social studies teacher for 15 years at Canastota High School in upstate Canastota. His career path as an administrator began when he accepted the position of dean at Hewlett High School in 1981. He went on to become principal at two different schools — Cold Spring Harbor JuniorSenior High School and spent seven years at H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square.

“He was actually principal at H. Frank Carey when I was the principal of Washington Street School, so we’re going back at least 26 years,” Grossane said. “I know you will see that he will always have the

During his latest position as interim superintendent for the North Shore School District, Dolan assisted in expanding dualcredit opportunities for students and established a community advisory for the budget process. He also helped with the appointment of his successor and aided the board of education with recruiting a firm to assist with the new superintendent’s arrival. Dolan went through a similar process as the acting superintendent of the Locust Valley Central School District, where he was actively involved in the transition of the new superintendent.

At a recent school board meeting, Dolan expressed his excitement for the opportunity at Sewanhaka. He reflected on one of his first administrative experiences working at the H. Frank Carey High School and said he looks forward to collaborating with familiar faces and new ones in the community.

“There is a sense of coming home,” Dolan said. “And while I know there is a sense of coming home, I also know that you can’t step in the same river twice, and things have changed — this is a new community in many ways.”

Courtesy Sewanhaka Central High School District

Continued from front page

there is a sense of

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING, AR/AP

Do you have accounting, bookkeeping, or AR/AP experience? Are you tired of being retired, or need a few days a week to keep your mind occupied? If so, please send us a quick email and we will call you to discuss more details. We are a Customs Broker looking for someone who can support our everyday accounting needs and who doesn’t necessarily need or want to work every day. We look forward to talking with you!!! Email: Jobs@agraservices.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FT: RVC. Administrative Work, Answering Phones, Computer Skills – Microsoft, Excel, Outlook, Financial background helpful. No Health Beneifts. 516-763-9700 frances.difede@lpl.com

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MOTOR VEHICLE CLERK FT

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Inside Sales

Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Representative that thrives in a quick sales cycle environment. We offer salary, commission, bonuses, health benefits, 401K and paid time off. Will consider part time. Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to ereynolds@liherald.com Call 516-569-4000 X286

OFFICE WORK P/T LAWN SPRINK;ER COMPANY. Monday-Friday 10am-2pm. Small 1 Person Office, Customer Relations, Scheduling Appointments, Light Computer. Lynbrook. 516-561-1981. mkd2@optonline.net

EDITOR/REPORTER

a

or postal regulations a

Candidates must be

able to multitask, dependable, reliable, organized, energetic, detail oriented and able to work well under deadlines. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com

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. Salary, Commission, Eligible for Health Benefits, 401k and Paid Time Off. Will Consider Part Time. Please Send Cover Letter and Resume with Salary Requirements to rglickman@liherald.com or Call 516-569-4000 X250

PRESS-ROOM/WAREHOUSE HELP

Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings 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

PROPERTY and OPERATIONS MANAGER WANTED Freeport. Experienced Professional in Property Management, Operations and Maintenance. 4pm-7pm. Saturdays. 646-481-3076 EMAIL eagertoserve@verizon.net https://eagertoserve.site/

RECEPTIONIST/ P/T: SEASONAL, Warm, Friendly, Excellent People Skills, Office Work/ Customer Service, Beach Club. 516-239-2150

SHORT ORDER COOK DELI EXPERIENCE PT 25-40 HOURS A WEEK FLEXIBLE & MORNING HOURS AVAILABLE AT THE GOLF CLUB AT MIDDLE BAY 516-766-1880

TEACHERS B-2 Certified- Preferably Or With B.A. In Early Childhood In A Study Plan. Salaries Will Be Determined By Education Level. Send Resume

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available! Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers. Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience. Hours Vary, Night Availability is a Must.

Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

DRIVING INSTRUCTORS WANTED

Will Certify And Train HS Diploma NYS License Clean 3 Years

Call 516-731-3000

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

Woodmere Park

Stunning Hi-Ranch

Enjoy the finer things with this luxurious 6 bedroom, 4 full bathroom home. Create culinary masterpieces or just relax in style. This home features an eat-in kitchen complete with top-of-the-line appliances and a magnificent backyard oasis where you can soak up the sun or enjoy relaxing in the in-ground pool! Plus, there is a separate master suite upper level and a lower level equipped with its very own sauna. Call today 516.791.1313 to schedule a viewing!

Bad advice from another ‘expert’

Q. We just received a permit for our construction. The contractor asked why we also got a permit for a finished basement, which was there when we bought the house. He told us it’s just a Building Department “money grab,” and could have been avoided. We’re wondering why we had to spend money, and, since the basement was already finished, why we ended up with a second permit we didn’t need. The contractor said people call it “finished storage” all the time, and we’re wasting money to put in an expensive escape well, which we could have avoided, right?

V.I.Properties, INC 1208 Broadway Hewlett, NY 11557 516-791-1313 vipropertiesny.com

REDUCTION! MOTIVATED SELLER! $1,399,000 ALSO FOR RENT $6,500 per month

1267 Peninsula Blvd, BA, NEW TO MARKET! 5 BR, 2 Bth Exp Cape in SD#14 (Hewlett-Woodmere) Living Room, DR & Updtd Gran/Wood EIK & Bths. Det 1.5 Gar & Driveway for 4/5 Cars. HW Floors. Gas Heat. Near LIRR, Shops, Trans & Schools. A Steal! $599,000 257 Willard Dr, BA, Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout.

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1534 Broadway #103, BA, Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move into This Gut Rvated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout. Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm. Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in Closet. Terrace Faces into Courtyard. Garage Parking Incl REDUCED & MOTIVATED!!..$699,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom

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CE da RHURST

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Open Houses

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Open Houses

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House For Sale

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Apartments For Rent

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Out Of Town/Real Estate

NINEVEH NY: 25 Acres With Cabin And Bluestone Quarry. Hunting, Farming,

A. It all sounds good, even though it’s not true, but if it sounds too good … You got bad advice from yet another ”expert” who knows just enough to sound confident. Telling you how much should be done should only be from their perspective as a contractor. Advising you to skirt the law (and get the architect to go along with it) is fine for them, since they have no responsibility if something bad happens.

A finished basement without an escape well is considered a potentially dangerous and illegal use. Just like smoke detectors, an escape well is retroactive, required even after a permit has been issued if the use of the basement is “habitable,” such as a recreation room, exercise room, music room, hobby room or any other type of space you can occupy other than a utility room, laundry room or closet. These are rooms where people don’t generally spend a lot of time, unless of course they really like to do laundry, listen to their boiler hum or hide in small dark spaces, but that should be discussed with a different kind of professional.

Think about it. You spend hundreds of dollars a month on home insurance you’ll never see again, in most cases. Add to that the fact that in a disaster, which we collectively experienced during two hurricanes, insurance companies, which charged increasing fees for building values, turned around and then devalued the same buildings when it came time to pay out. Insurance companies don’t just write you a big fat check — maybe a “lowball”-value check, but not the full amount — and will spend money to investigate whether your home, and the way you used it, were legal.

Illegal use is just one of many ways to challenge the payout you thought you’d receive. I wonder if that came up in your conversation about avoiding the escape well. That escape well isn’t just a child’s only way out when the interior stairway is blocked by fire; it’s also the only way into the death trap for a rescuer. Taking the advice you quoted in your question is like going into a hospital and getting your diagnosis at the information desk. If you would take that advice, then this wasn’t the kind of hospital you needed to go to. Be wise and at least ask the professional. 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.

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A depressing tale of two fibbers

No one has given me a riddle to consider for a long time. But I can think of one. What’s the difference between U.S. Rep. George Santos and Fox News? The answer is that there is none. Neither can handle the truth.

Santos is two and a half months into his term in Congress, and even though some of his colleagues have condemned him, there seems to be no possibility that he will be removed from public office in the near future, so the lies will continue until the prosecutors call. With Republicans controlling the house by a very slim margin, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is badly in need of every vote. Even if Santos were a real-life Jack the Ripper, no effort would be made to oust him.

Fox’s case is much more serious. It’s one thing for a candidate to lie his way into office. It’s another thing for a network to knowingly distort the news to

millions of Americans and have no one who can discipline it.

The whole world knows what happened on Nov. 6, 2020, and on Jan. 6, 2021. There was a national election, and when the final tallies were in, Joe Biden won the presidency by roughly 7 million votes. The election deniers, led by Fox, ranted and roared, but Congress certified the election. It was done, over. But faced with a potential catastrophic loss of viewers, and profits, the network knowingly and willfully lied about the results, continuing to spread the nonsense that the election had been “fraudulently” conducted.

As if the election denialism wasn’t enough, Fox’s Tucker Carlson, armed with 40,000 hours of security video, now claims that the Jan. 6 insurrection was really a peaceful protest. There are people like former President Donald Trump who want you to believe that, but the footage that Carlson will never show tells the horrible story of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The next phase of Fox’s big lie was its promotion of the falsehood that Dominion voting machines were manip-

ulated to change votes from Trump to Biden. Fox gave airtime to numerous people who claimed that the voting machines were controlled by the government of Venezuela and other countries, which compounded the notion that the election had been stolen.

Dominion now has a major defamation suit against Fox. The litigation has resulted in the release of hundreds of pages of sworn testimony of Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch, wherein Murdoch states that he knew Fox was falsely claiming that the election had been stolen. Also among the evidence are emails and texts exchanged between Carlson and other Fox voices, admitting they had few doubts about the election results.

It’s one thing for a member of Congress, one of 435, to lie all the way from the campaign to the Capitol. It is a much bigger thing for a federally licensed television network to knowingly spread falsehoods about an election and a subsequent riot to millions of gullible people who are willing to believe those distortions.

It will be extremely difficult, under defamation law, for Dominion to prevail and for Fox to be punished for its deliberate conduct in its zest for profit and viewers. So, when you compare one man’s falsehoods with a television network’s commentators knowingly distorting the truth about issues of worldwide concern, there’s a big difference. Santos will eventually meet his fate, but what will happen to Fox?

Eventually, Murdoch will be forced to write a check for millions of dollars to compensate Dominion for its claimed damages. That will be considered little more than the cost of doing business, and in time the story will fade away.

But, sadly, there is no mechanism to adequately punish a network for its willful neglect of the truth. In the end, the only group that will have any say over Fox’s future is its viewers. If they fail to punish the network, it is a message to all the George Santoses of the world that blatant lying is permissible conduct.

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

The sun shivers and shudders northward

“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”

–Pablo Neruda

Don’t believe me. Don’t believe the National Weather Service. But come hell or high water (and both are coming!), you better believe the Farmers’ Almanac.

Those dudes, with their secret algorithms and witching sticks, are forecasting a challenging spring, followed by a beastly hot summer.

vived, and only sunny days will lie ahead. At least, that’s what the poets say.

Have you seen any of the early signs of spring?

According to the Almanac, worms begin to emerge from the ground this month. Indeed, the March moon is called the full worm moon.

Birds are migrating northward, along the path of the sun. Apparently, the increasing sunlight inspires birdsong.

by Covid isolations. Too many older residents in our communities have been shut in all winter, hindered by the cold and the fear of falling on the ice. People have been afraid to drive. For several weeks, amid successive storms, cabin fever went viral.

RANDI KREISS

Spring will officially arrive next Monday at 5:24 p.m. EDT, when the sun crosses the equator, sailing north. However, the Farmers’ Almanac says cold temperatures, freezing rain and even snow may dot the northern landscape well into April. You were expecting daffodils and lilacs? You know very well that nothing rolls the way it used to, including the weather. Eventually the lilacs will bloom and our hearts, slowed and steadied by hours and days in sedentary hibernation, will dance to a livelier beat. We will have sur-

Of course, trees, shrubs and flowers are reactive to temperature and sunlight. According to the F.A., since ancient times, people have used flora as indicators of when the time is right to plant. For example, when the crocus blooms, it’s the cue to plant radishes, parsnips and spinach.

The agonizing turn from hard winter to early spring feels hopeful. You don’t have to live on a farm to study the Farmers’ Almanac and appreciate the old-time folk tales and wisdom. Did you know, for example, that you could balance an egg on its end during the vernal equinox? It’s true. You can balance it on other days as well, but it makes a good story.

Many of us have been suffering serious winter fatigue or worse, exacerbated

MI offer an it-can-alwaysbe-worse story. We have kids and grandkids out West in a small High Sierra mountain town you may be reading about. The teenage grandkids have had two days of school in the last two-plus weeks. High walls of snow line the few roads that have been plowed. The interstate that connects them to the rest of the world has been closed on and off for weeks. In the last 10 days, 12 feet of snow fell. That isn’t a typo. And last weekend they were expecting another three feet.

The kids have been entertaining themselves by jumping off the roofs into the snow. They dug a path out of the house for the dog, who would rather stay inside by the fire, thank you. My grandson’s high school closed for a time because the roof was caving in. People who live there to ski can’t ski. No hiking. No biking. No skateboarding. Epic cabin fever abounds.

Even here on Long Island, you can admire the pristine mornings for just so long. Cravings for carbs have driven our meal choices. Our skin is pasty, our muscles like Jell-O. I have faith that any day now, the mercury will start rising and the sun will dry out the soggy flowerbeds where spring flowers are trying to set roots. The season may not have turned yet, but we have reason to hope, and I will predict a balmy end to April.

The Almanac agrees. They say it will be a slow and stormy warmup, but it will come. What will also come is another blast of wicked weather this summer.

According to the F.A., “Another threat of severe weather, this one more widespread, is forecast around the time of the June solstice, as a surge of very warm, humid, and unstable air triggers showers, violent thunderstorms and possibly even a twister or two” in the central and eastern parts of the country.

Let’s ground ourselves in this moment. The rule is: When the sun takes its place over the equator, it is spring in the northern hemisphere. Winter is all memory; summer is just over the horizon. It is inevitable, and it is elemental. As Neruda says, “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”

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

y teenage grandkids have had two days of school in the last twoplus weeks.

It’s one thing to lie your way into office.

But a network that knowingly distorts news?

JERRY KREMER

HERALD

Trouble waking up? You know who to blame.

Where did our collective societal grudge against mornings come from?

Our fictional universe presents mornings as bright sunlight pouring through our curtains. Birds happily chirping outside our windows. The smell of freshly brewed coffee — and, if we’re lucky, a hearty breakfast of pancakes and eggs.

Reality, however, includes tightly pulled curtains. Birdsong drowned out by the 12 alarms we’ve set on our iPhones. And by the time we get that coffee, we’re already in the car and stuck in the drivethrough.

Yet we as a society don’t truly show how much we dislike mornings until it comes to daylight saving time — when we push our clocks ahead an hour at the start of spring, with the hope of enjoying more sunlight and fewer stars.

In fact, the whole idea of daylight saving is to push more sunlight into the evenings, and less into our mornings. So, if we were hoping for more sunlight to fill our bedrooms as we wake up, we better consider sleeping in.

If your day starts at 6 a.m., then you’re experiencing what it was like at 5 a.m. just a week ago, when standard time was still in effect. And really, it is still 5 a.m. — just not in the reality where the Uniform Time Act of 1966 exists.

Twice a year, we revisit the same argument: Why is moving our clocks backward and forward still a thing? We debate the origins, the supposed environmental benefits, and how all of that applies — or

letters

It’ll take more than novelists and playwrights, Randi

To the Editor:

Re Randi Kreiss’s column last week, “Writers will tell the story of our times”: We don’t have the luxury of time, since we’re off the rails already.

What good will it be if novelists and playwrights find the truth and bring it to us, if fewer and fewer people are reading?

Our media has to step up and present the truth in an unvarnished manner, and let the people be swayed by the facts. Media bias, by holding back on reporting certain stories, is the poison of our time. The media should be questioning everything and holding everyone accountable, regardless of party.

We have been plagued by censorship and the demonization of people who have alternative views. The shouting and screaming at meetings does no one any good. We must step back and put our country and its people first,

doesn’t apply — to today. In general, we come to the same conclusion: We don’t like moving our clocks back and forth twice a year.

Why do we still do it? Blame Congress. And not just for the 1966 bill signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but for not ending this nonsense once and for all in the decades since then.

We actually came very close to making daylight saving time permanent across the United States with a Senate bill introduced by Marco Rubio. Modeled after a similar bill that had passed in Rubio’s home state of Florida, the Sunshine Protection Act earned support on both sides of the political aisle — from Democrats like Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, to Republicans like then President Donald Trump himself.

The bill was actually passed by the Senate last year through unanimous consent, although some senators later complained that they didn’t know the bill was part of a consent package, and that if they had, they would have voted against it.

Yet all the Sunshine Protection Act needed was a thumbs-up from the House, and President Biden’s signature. It got neither, and thus, last weekend, we got to experience once again a shift in time for no other reason than to make evening daylight longer.

Is this all much ado about nothing? No, says neurologist Beth Ann Marlow, who teaches at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. She has studied clock-changing across the country for the past five years,

and found that “the transition to daylight saving time each spring affects health immediately after the clock change, and also for the nearly eight months that Americans remain on daylight saving time.”

Marlow shared these findings with TheConversation.com last year, saying that the question shouldn’t be whether to end clock changes, but whether we should stick with standard time or daylight saving. Her choice? Standard time, which is closer to geological time, when the sun is highest at noon.

While daylight saving might allow for more sports to be played in sunlight after school, it also means that many who wake up before 8 a.m. to catch a bus are doing so in the dark.

Having the sun set earlier — at least according to our clocks — could help with sleep, too. Extended light in the evening delays the brain’s release of melatonin, the hormone that promotes drowsiness. It’s even worse for teenagers in the throes of puberty, Marlow adds, when melatonin already gets a late release, meaning our young minds are getting even less sleep.

Too often, we continue to embrace practices because they’ve always existed — Black Friday, scrambling an egg, making our beds in the morning only to mess them up again at night. But there are some practices that should indeed become a remnant of the past. And changing our clocks twice a year to accommodate daylight saving time can’t be eliminated fast enough.

My mixed memories of leading the parade

st. Patrick’s “Day” is actually several weeks of events commemorating Irish culture and traditions and Irish-America’s contributions to the American mosaic. The highlight event, of course, is the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, on the actual St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. But there are parades throughout the metropolitan area in the weeks leading up to and following the big day.

I can recall marching in numerous parades in communities including Bethpage, Glen Cove, Islip, Mineola, Rockaway, Rockville Centre and Wantagh. These were festive, upbeat events. What drew attention and controversy, however, was when, as Nassau County comptroller, I was elected by parade delegates to be grand marshal of the New

York City parade in 1985. The centuriesold struggle between the Irish and the British, euphemistically called the Troubles, was then in the 17th year of its latest manifestation in Northern Ireland, which included shootings, bombings, mass imprisonments and hunger strikes to the death.

I had visited Northern Ireland numerous times, including a fact-finding trip to Belfast with Senator Al D’Amato in December 1980, just after his election. Then I served as a member of a tribunal in Belfast investigating abuses by the British army and observing trials of accused Irish Republican Army members in non-jury courts. From these visits, where I met with people on all sides, and from my own study and analysis, I concluded that the main cause of the violence in Northern Ireland was British oppression and denial of human rights to the Catholic community. I concluded that the only solution would be all-party talks, which would include

Letters

and not be scared to say that. Too many self-serving agendas must be the next balloon that has to be shot down.

TONY GIAMeTTA Oceanside

Don’t try to pin T.R. down to ‘labels’

To the editor:

Re the editorial in the Feb. 23-March 1 issue, “Teddy Roosevelt: a president who defied labels”: Roosevelt didn’t defy labels; it’s we who seek the simplifying tags. As the editorial mentions, T.R.’s “American” was an amalgam — not to be qualified by hyphen or purpose.

He also said “This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” Roosevelt’s pioneering conservationism was toward that end. That principle could be a useful guide through the coming year — more useful than simplistic labels like “liberal” or “conservative.”

BRIAN KellY Rockville Centre

Long Islanders, support Bigger Better Bottle Bill

To the editor:

New York state is considering the Bigger Better Bottle Bill.

The bill is a proposal currently working its way through the State Senate.

led by Sen. Rachel May, it is intended to reduce litter and increase recycling by raising the deposit on returned cans and bottles from 5 to 10 cents.

The deposit has been 5 cents for 40 years.

The bill would also expand the types of bottles that are eligible for return to include almost all beverages, including wine and liquor bottles.

Many environmental groups are advocating for the bill. I urge our readership to contact their state legislators and urge them to support this important piece of legislation.

JOSePH M. VARON Member, Food and Water Watch, Long Island chapter, and Beyond Plastics West Hempstead

Sinn Fein, the party representing the IRA and a majority of the Catholic population in Northern Ireland.

Not surprisingly, the British government of Margaret Thatcher denounced my election as grand marshal of the 1985 parade. So, too, did the Irish government, which announced that it would boycott the parade and not allow any Irish official to march or participate in it in any way. Both governments pressured Cardinal John O’Connor to break with tradition and refuse to greet me on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the day of the parade. This led to a one-on-one meeting between the cardinal and me just days before the parade, following which O’Connor agreed to review the parade and recognize me as the duly elected grand marshal.

This incensed British officials, who increased the pressure on O’Connor, which only moved him to support me more strongly and make our public

handshake (labeled by British media as the “handshake of shame”) the centerpiece of parade coverage. A consequence of all this controversy was death threats, which made it necessary for me to wear a bulky bulletproof vest and be escorted by Nassau County Police Department detectives and NYPD undercover officers along the 40-block parade route and then the rest of the day on the reviewing stand.

Fast-forward 13 years. By then a congressman, I had worked closely with President Bill Clinton and British and Irish officials to advance the Irish peace process, culminating in the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998, which brought peace to Ireland for the first time in almost 800 years. Sinn Fein had been a party to the talks, and was a key signatory to the agreement. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, the prime ministers of Great Britain and Ireland, the leaders of the countries that years earlier had condemned me as grand marshal, thanked me for my efforts!

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Framework by Tim Baker

In the newsroom, a papier mâché proofreader (and a mouse-sized Herald) — Garden City

on St. Patrick’s Day in 1985, I needed a police escort and a bulletproof vest.

One of the best. Once again. Right here in Oceanside.

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