Franklin Square/Elmont Herald 03-25-2021

________ Franklin square/elmont _______

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Fire victim asks for help

A soon-to-be centenarian

Catholic school to close

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Vol. 23 No. 13

MARCH 25 - 31, 2021

Seeking an end to restaurant restrictions GOP tries to repeal mandates

follow mask and social-distancing protocols,” Ra, who introduced the resolution in the State When Gov. Andrew Cuomo Assembly along with GOP Leadannounced that all restaurants er Will Barclay, of upstate Pulasand businesses would shut down ki, said in a statement. “But it’s statewide last year, Covid-19 long past time to override the cases were on the rise, but by most onerous re-strictions.” summer, the case Many local rescount was decreastaurateurs have ing, and restaucomplained to Ra rants and businessabout the restrices could open, with tions, he told the restrictions. Now, Herald, with Nick as more New YorkAltilio, manager of ers are inoculated Trotter’s Bar and against the respiraGrill in Franklin tory virus, RepubliSquare, saying they cans in the State are “the dumbest Le gislature say thing ever,” and Ra they believe it’s explaining, “I don’t time to rescind two think that anyone’s ed RA key mandates. less safe if they’re They introduced State assemblyman having a beer ratha joint resolution er than a beer and on March 16 calling buffalo wings.” for the repeal of two of Cuomo’s In fact, the assemblyman said, executive orders — one that a presentation that the governor requires restaurants and bars to gave in December showed that shut down early — currently 11 Covid-19 transmission has been p.m., though earlier it was 10 traced back to bars and restaup.m. — and another that requires rants in just 1.43 percent of customers to buy food with alco- cases, and, State Republicans hol — both of which Assembly- argue, the governor has providman Ed Ra, of Franklin Square, ed no evidence that an 11 p.m. called arbitrary. curfew reduces Covid-19 trans“Patrons should continue to Continued on page 9

By MelissA KoeNig mkoenig@liherald.com

i

Courtesy Christine Fulgieri

soMMy Agu, RigHt, interviewed Chibuzor Nweke when they were in ninth grade at Elmont Memorial High School.

Students tell their stories

School officials hope to build oral history of Elmont

By MelissA KoeNig mkoenig@liherald.com

For the past four years, ninth-g raders at Elmont Memorial High School have been encouraged to share their stories of hope, loss and aspiration in their English classes as part of a two-week lesson plan on the art of interviewing and the importance of firsthand accounts. The result, school librarian Christine Fulgieri said, is a beautiful portrait of the Elmont stu-

dent body, which she now wants to expand to include the larger Elmont community.

“Together we can build the experience of shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening and to weave into the fabric of our culture that everyone’s story matters,” Fulgieri wrote in a letter to community members earlier this month.

She explained to the Herald that her goal was to create an oral history of Elmont.

To do so, the school opened an account on the StoryCorps website. StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization that seeks to “preserve and share humanity’s stories” by cataloguing interviews of everyday Americans. It partners with National Public Radio to tell these stories on air every Friday, and all of the interviews it collects are preserved in the Library of Congress.

Groups across the country can add to the StoryCorps colContinued on page 3

don’t think that anyone’s less safe if they’re having a beer rather than a beer and Buffalo wings.

Neighbors iN the News

Courtesy Sewanhaka Central High School District

Elmont mEmorial HigH School’s Virtual Enterprise students have successfully advanced to the national level of the Business Plan Competition.

Elmont Virtual Enterprise students advance to nationals Elmont Memorial High School’s Virtual Enterprise students Farah Alhayek, Ryen Campbell, Epiphany Hill, Crystal Hutchinson, Santona Joseph and Tochi Ozulumba are advancing to the national level of the Business Plan Competition.

This year’s team of six young women joined forces to create Hearth, a business that creates trendy and affordable clothing out of 100 percent recycled materials.

The team participated in the 2020- 21 Local/Regional Business Plan Competition on Jan. 21, at which team members Alhayek, Campbell and Joseph each presented aspects of the business plan to a

variety of judges from business professionals to Virtual Enterprise employees.

Elmont Memorial was then chosen to be one of 40 schools out of the 90 that presented to advance to the second round.

On Feb. 24, the students presented their business plan again to a new set of judges. Their presentation was so impressive that they were selected as one of 12 schools to represent Long Island on the national level. They will be participating in the virtual 2020 - 21 National Business Plan Competition in April.

Courtesy Michael Priolo

F.S. Boy Scouts cross over Boy Scout Troop 93, sponsored by Franklin Square VFW Post 2718, held its Cross Over Ceremony on March 7, welcoming 10 Cub Scouts into the troop, including Max Henrichs, Aiden Jacob, Daniel McNulty, Sebastian Jones, Jake Dugan, Michael Talbot, Tristan Dand, John Fuzesi, Eoin McManamy-Ost, Jack Gapper and Peter Barberisi (not pictured). They were with Troop Leader Dorine Hetzel-Dand.

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Telling the history of Elmont, one story at a time

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021

continued from front lection by creating their own page on its StoryCorps website and uploading their interviews. Each uploader also has the ability to decide whether to make their interviews public or private.

“It’s a very accessible way to build these local histories,” said Elmont High Principal Kevin Dougherty, noting that the project gives students an opportunity to learn more about those around them, because “no one story defines a place or time.”

In fact, Dougherty said, the school held its own version of a TED Talk nearly three weeks ago about the dangers of listening to only one side of a story, which, Dougherty said, would help the school’s cultural proficiency by making sure all students, of all backgrounds, are seen and heard.

“It’s important for people to tell their own story,” Fulgieri said, because they “can really define themselves.”

The students who have taken part in the program since she brought the lesson plan to Elmont four years ago have spoken about the people, places and incidents that have made them who they are today.

Christopher Alexander, for example, spoke in his interview about how he felt when he lost his older sister to suicide when he was just 7. His sister had been depressed, he said, but “didn’t show anything,” and when his family “took our eyes off of her for maybe a few weeks,” she had died. After that, he said, he had trouble connecting with others, but knew he had to be strong for his niece and had actually become a more outgoing person.

Natalie Hynes spoke about the loss of

3

Courtesy Christine Fulgieri

myrwaldy lucien and Andrew Candio spoke about their aspirations when they took part in the StoryCorps lesson plan. her grandmother, whose hands she was holding just a few hours before her death.

“I cried myself to sleep,” she recounted in her StoryCorps interview, “and when I woke up, she wasn’t there.”

Other students have talked about their extracurriculars and their aspirations.

One, Myrwaldy Lucien, said she wanted to be an astrophysicist and hoped to be “rich, living comfortably” outside of New York.

“Each of our students and their families have important stories to tell; stories

that are worthy of being collected, shared and preserved,” Fulgieri wrote to the community, before asking Elmont residents to send in their own interviews. She has provided a list of 35 questions people can ask in the interviews, which, she said, should focus on one event, one question or one “big idea.”

“We would love to collect the stories of what matters to you,” Fulgieri wrote.

She is now working with some of her former students as they prepare to interview their family members, and Dough-

erty said, he hoped that when “Covid subsides a little bit, we can send some students out” into the community to get more stories for the Elmont StoryCorps page.

“Hopefully when there are some interviews in the collection, it will be less daunting to new contributors,” Fulgieri said, adding that she and Dougherty “want it to grow as big as it can.”

For more information about the project, email Fulgieri at cfulgieri@sewanhakaschools.org.

Town vows streetlight repairs in Elmont following months of darkness By melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com

After three months of living in near-total darkness at night, Elmont residents on Bauer Court will finally have their streetlights repaired by the end of the week, town officials vowed to the Herald.

They said the three streetlights on Bauer Court went out in December due to a broken underground electrical cable, which was surrounded by power lines from other utilities in Joe Thomas’s backyard, making repairs more difficult. Crews would have to open and close the street to fix the cable, according to Town of Hempstead spokesman Greg Blower, and a “combination of extreme winter weather and pandemic-related staffing shortages” have resulted in delays.

As a result, Dr. Elsy Mecklembourg said it has been “completely black around here,” and as a widow, she has been afraid. She said the dead-end street — which her neighbor, Anderson Sturge, called “lovers lane” — is a popular hang-out spot for local teenagers, and since the lights went out in December, “It’s like this is an advantage for them to do whatever.”

The area is filled with broken bottles and cups, she explained, and more and more people have been coming to the court in their cars over the past few months. “We don’t want to deal with any stranger hiding anywhere,” Mecklembourg said, with Sturge adding that his car had been broken into twice prior to the lights going out.

“We don’t want to deal with any strangers hiding anywhere,” Mecklembourg said. “It’s pretty dangerous.”

They would not be able to see any crime that is com-

Melissa Koenig/Herald

the streetlights on Bauer Court in Elmont had been out since December. mitted in the area, where young children play on the streets, she explained, which is why Thomas said he has installed a light over his door that turns on between 6:30 and 7 p.m. every night and turns off at dawn.

“We are trying to upkeep the neighborhood,” Sturge said, noting that he had tried to contact Town Councilman Thomas Muscarella about the issue, but for months, nothing had been done.

The town, however, had contracted an outside electri-

cal firm to expedite the repairs, according to Blower, and finally, on March 12, town officials had restored the lights across from Mecklembourg’s and Thomas’ houses. The remaining repairs were scheduled to be completed by the end of the week, with town officials expected to be back on the scene on Monday, when the Herald went to press.

“Now we can see where we’re going,” Mecklembourg said, adding that she hopes “they stay on before we get another blackout.”

F.S. native searching for new home, help after fire

By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com

Franklin Square native Michael Messina has been trying to get his life back on track since he walked out of prison on March 13, 2019. He regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings at St. Catherine of Sienna Roman Catholic Church, and has been sober since Dec. 13, 2010. He is now working at the Salvation Army, and spends his free time telling others his story.

But on March 16, Messina’s life was once again upended when the apartment he had been living in burned down in a 10-alarm fire. He lost everything, he said, including all of the money he had saved.

“Maybe this is all part of it,” he said of God’s plans, explaining that he used to rob people to get drugs, and now he has worked hard to earn his own money all to have it taken away from him so suddenly.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and Messina said, only his landlord, who lived in the basement of the Floral Park building, was home at the time. No injuries were reported.

Messina and his fiancee are now living in her mother’s basement, but are looking for more permanent and affordable apartments in the Franklin Square, Elmont and Floral Park areas.

“I’m angry and I’m frustrated, but I’m not going to drink or do drugs over it,” Messina, 58, said. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Courtesy Michael Messina

The aparTMenT Michael Messina was living in in Floral Park burned down in a 10-alarm fire on March 16.

He created an online fundraiser on March 18 asking for help, which, he said, he never does, but he is desperate. On the website, he explains, he has spent most of his time since he was released from prison helping homeless people and those who are battling addiction, “and now I am homeless myself.”

Still, Messina wrote, he has “100 percent faith my needs will be met.”

To donate to the GoFundMe, visit https://bit.ly/3eWOWlu.

Cops searching for suspect in Elmont assault Nassau County police are searching for a man who allegedly poured an unknown liquid on a woman on March 17.

According to Nassau County police, a 21-year-old female victim was walking down the driveway of her Arlington Avenue home, when she was approached from behind by an unknown male who was carrying a white cup containing a dark colored substance that he threw at the victim’s face. The woman suffered from serious physical injuries and was transported by a Nassau County police ________

ambulance to a local area hospital for treatment.

The suspect, meanwhile, fled eastbound on Arlington Avenue. He is described as being approximately six-feettwo-inches tall with a skinny build who was wearing a black colored sweatshirt with a hood and gloves.

Detectives ask anyone with information about this incident to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 244 TIPS or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.

franklin square/elmont _______

HERALD

Christina Daly/Herald

pauline BadaMo, righT, and her daughter Kealani Hopkins unscrewed the back of the robot brain to insert batteries at the Franklin Square Public Library last year.

F.S. woman to teach STEM camp at Hofstra University

By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com

Pauline Badamo had been planning on teaching more engineering and robotics classes last year after the success of her program at the Franklin Square Public Library on March 2, 2020, but when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that businesses and schools would close statewide later that month, Badamo said she had to “take a break from in-person classes.”

Now, one year later, she is ready to begin again, with a spring and summer STEM camps. for children 8 and older “I thought it was a good time,” Badamo, of Franklin Square, said, as businesses are opening up and more and more New Yorkers are getting the Covid vaccine each week.

As part of the spring camp, 14 students will learn about famous artists and architects while building a flying bird and different types of catapults and bridges each

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MAIN PHONE: (516) 569-4000 ■ WEB SITE: www.liherald.com/franklinsquare or www.liherald.com/elmont ■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: fseditor@liherald.com ■ EDITORIAl DEPARTMENT: Ext. 282 E-mail: fseditor@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Press ”7” E-mail: circ@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ ClASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Ext. 286 E-mail: ereynolds@liherald.com Fax: (516) 622-7460 ■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: sales@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643 The Franklin Square/Elmont Herald USPS 017066, is published every Thursday by Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Periodicals postage paid at Garden City, NY 11530 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Franklin Square/Elmont Herald, 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Newsstand Price: $1 Subscription rates: $50 for 1 year within Nassau County. Out of Nassau County: $60 for 1 year. Copyright © 2021 Richner Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

day. The classes will be held from 12 to 4 p.m. between March 29 and April 2 at the Oak Center at Hofstra University, 101 Oak Street in Uniondale.

Students and staff will be required to wear a facemask and complete a health self-assessment before each class, and social distancing will be maintained.

The curriculum and dates for the summer STEM Camp, however, have not yet been decided.

“STEM is very important” for children, she said, adding that “project-based and play based programs,” like the ones she is offering, are a good way to get children interested in science, technology, engineering and math. That is why, Badamo said, she founded Inspire Educate Grow earlier this year and plans to hold more classes over the next few months.

To register for the STEM camps, visit www.InspireEducateGrow.com, and for more information, email InspireEducateGrow.365@gmail.com.

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FREE LIVE WEBINAR HERALD — March 25, 2021

Staying Local for College PANELISTS

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March 25, 2021 — HERALD

On a recent Thursday, Nassau County Police Academy recruits watched films of actual police field work. With their instructors, the recruits analyzed the tactics employed step by step.

Photos by Scott Brinton/Herald

Inside the Nassau County Police Academy A close-up look at the intense training needed to become a NCPD officer

By ScOtt BrintOn sbrinton@liherald.com

Part one in a series of photo stories on the Nassau County Police Academy in North Massapequa. Recruits’ names were not given to protect their privacy.

It’s 9 a.m. on a recent Thursday, and a contingent of Nassau County Police Department recruits is seated in the Police Academy’s auditorium, intently watching as drunk college students hurl beer bottles at a line of police officers.

“Hey, they’ve thrown a beer bottle,” someone yells. “They’re chucking beer bottles. That is so freaky.”

The soon-to-be police officers are reviewing film of a near-riotous college party, as police officers move in to break up the crowd. Much as football players analyze game films with their coaches, these recruits, all dressed in crisp, gray Continued on neXt page

aBOve: recruitS tOOk their Defense Tactics exam, demonstrating the proper methods to arrest suspects.

Left phOtOS: recruitS heard a lecture

by Marc Tosi, an academy instructor, on police ethics.

Photos by Scott Brinton/Herald

NCPD puts recruits through their paces continued from PreViouS Page button-down shirts, black ties and black slacks, are dissecting films of actual police approaches to worst-case scenarios that they may encounter at some point in their careers. Instructors go over the police tactics step by step, minute by minute.

The recruits are learning about the necessity for self-control in the face of danger.

Meanwhile, down the hall in the gym, officers are flipping and spinning each other with all manner of wrestling takedowns, their bodies thumping audibly against the gray-and-blue mats, a massive, circular NCPD insignia staring down at them from one wall. On this day, recruits are taking their Defense Tactics exam after three months of intense training, when they studied what to do — and what not to do — when arresting a suspect.

Instructors evaluate their every move, noting when a hand hold, for example, might be off by a few inches.

And throughout the academy, recruits are spread out in classrooms, learning about the ethics of police work. Everyone is social distancing, and mask wearing is required, even during the Defense Tactics exam.

The cadets study both in the classroom and through a series of simulations at various venues, which imitate policing on the streets, including car chases, said Master Trainer Chris Boccio, who grew up in Lynbrook.

NCPD requires a significantly more rigorous training program than New York state mandates — Nassau puts cadets through 1,050 to 1,200 hours of training over seven months, compared to the minimum 639 hours that the state requires for basic police training.

At left, Officer Peter Lang, an instructor, front, reviewed weaponry found in a Bureau of Special Operations arsenal with recruits.

7

HERALD — March 25, 2021

During the Defense Tactics exam, recruits how to demonstrate precisely how to arrest a suspect without incident or injury.

Herald Inside LI hosts virus and vaccine webinar

By Nicole AlciNdor nalcindor@liherald.com

On March 19, just over a year after the coronavirus reached Nassau County, some 400,000 people here had received at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines.

More than 600,000 Nassau residents remain to be vaccinated, however, and many still struggle to secure vaccination appointments.

With no clear end in sight to the pandemic and many unanswered questions surrounding the virus and vaccines, Herald Inside LI held a free live webinar last Thursday titled, “The Virus and The Vaccine: One Year Later.”

The panel discussion, which was sponsored by Cona Elder Law and Mount Sinai South Nassau, featured three guest speakers who discussed the past year and the near future of the virus and the vaccines on Long Island. Panelists also reviewed information about infection rates, the coronavirus variants, scheduling testing and vaccine appointments, and plans to keep local communities safe.

“We will continue to grapple with people who are hesitant about getting the Covid-19 vaccine,” County Executive Laura Curran said, adding that she plans to receive her vaccine next week publicly, because she wants to show people that she trusts the efficacy of the Covid-19

Eisenstein also said there are many vaccinations. “We are working on doing outreach to let people know where the misconceptions about the vaccines and vaccine is available and how they can get scheduling vaccination appointments. an appointment, because we want to He said he has seen many patients who have been picky about which make sure everyone has a Covid-19 vaccine they want shot at getting a shot.” to receive, with many trying County Health Commisto request for a specific vacsioner Dr. Larry Eisenstein cine, while others have said he is optimistic about scheduled appointments at the progress that the county more than one vaccination is making in vaccinating site in the hope of receiving people. Even those who are their preferred vaccine. vaccinated, he said, should “We might not have the continue social distancing exact type of vaccine that and wearing masks to propeople want when they want tect those who have not yet it. Take what you can get. All been. three of them are great at “There is a sense of liberpreventing death. So take ation after someone is vacciwhat you can get,” Eisennated because people who stein said. “Make sure your take any of the vaccines second dose appointment is have a slim to none chance at the same place you got of ever getting the virus, and your first vaccination dose. the chance of dying of Covid dr. AAroN This is because people at is virtually zero,” Eisenstein another place won’t have said. “People who are vacci- GlAtt access to information about nated shouldn’t have the Mount Sinai what your first dose was, and same restrictions as people South Nassau they might not have the who are not, but they should same type of vaccine that still be careful, and precautious and wearing a mask should always you need for your second dose at their be treated like how people treat carrying location.”

Hospitalizations have dropped in their cell phones. People will feel on edge without their phones, and they should recent weeks, as has the number of peofeel the same way about wearing a mask, ple in intensive care units, but it is unclear if those decreases are related to even after being vaccinated.”

Y

ou shouldn’t think you are Superman once you get vaccinated, but if you get the vaccine, you are at diminished risk of getting the virus.

the vaccines, Eisenstein said. It is too early to tell.

Other panelists agreed the vaccines are effective. “These are all phenomenal vaccines. There has not been one reported death after taking the vaccine, so people should jump to take the vaccine because they prevent death, not cause death,” said Dr. Aaron Glatt, chairman of the Mount Sinai South Nassau Department of Medicine. “You shouldn’t think you are Superman once you get vaccinated, but If you get the vaccine, you are at diminished risk of getting the virus.

Jennifer Cona, a partner of Cona Elder Law, encouraged anyone who meets the vaccination criteria to be vaccinated; however, she said many seniors have been unable to secure appointments because of technology barriers. So, she said, Cona recently started a phone hotline that helps guide seniors through the appointment process.

“So far we have helped 135 seniors make appointments to get a vaccine, and we hope to continue helping many others,” she said. “The past year has taught us that we are all vulnerable to a healthcare crisis. Be sure to take action to preserve and protect your loved ones.”

For more information or to sponsor a webinar, contact Amy Amato at aamato@richnerlive.com or call (516) 569-4000, ext. 224.

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Throughout the pandemic, healthcare workers, first responders, grocery and pharmacy personnel, and so many others, have been dedicated to supporting and assisting our community. They are true heroes who deserve our respect, praise and recognition.

As many remain on the front lines in 2021, we invite you to nominate a Hometown Hero to be featured in Herald newspaper editions throughout the year.

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Restaurateurs look to the future, one year later Melissa Koenig/Herald

Janet and GeorGe Beyer and Ray Arledge enjoyed lunch at Alpine Restaurant while wishing waitress Elizabeth Papadoniou, second from right, a happy birthday when the restaurant reopened for outdoor dining last spring. Since then, though, owner Theodore Delis said, business has been light.

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mission rates.

As a result, they claim, a State Supreme Court judge ruled in January that nearly 100 restaurants in Erie County were being unfairly restricted, and, according to the New York State Restaurant Association, nearly one in six restaurants statewide were forced to close during this pandemic.

“Food and beverage establishments have complied with every rule and regulation over the past year at great cost to them personally,” Scott Wexler, executive director of Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association, said in a statement.

“They’ve demonstrated they can and will do what is required to protect the public health — they did this when the curfew was 10 p.m., they’re doing it with an 11 p.m. curfew, and they’ll do it without a curfew.”

Still, Cuomo announced one day after the Republicans introduced the resolution that “the 11 p.m. curfew for food and beverage establishments and the 12 a.m. curfew for catered events will remain in effect for the time being.” He added that he and other state officials are reviewing the protocols, and will make an announcement about them in April.

The state government has eased its dining restrictions, with the governor announcing earlier this month that restaurants can increase their dining capacity to 75 percent.

“We think the dining capacity is a great start for all small restaurants,” said Vito Cortesiano, owner of Salvatore’s of Elmont, noting some local restaurants have been faring better than others during this pandemic.

At Trotters, for example, Altilio said business has been “going great” since he implemented various safety precautions, such as touch-less doors and a hand-sanitizing station. He said he is excited to offer more tables under the 75 percent regulation because “we’re a big restaurant” and “we’ve been getting a lot of support.”

Down the street at Alpine Restaurant, however, owner Theodore Delis said, business at the 24-year-old restaurant has been slow over the past eight months. He has offered outdoor dining and long, socially distant tables, and requires his staff to wear masks and gloves and sanitize every surface after use.

People are now starting to come out more, Delis said, as the weather gets nicer and more people are getting vaccinated.

He said he is pleased that the dining capacity has once again increased, but noted, “I’d be more happy if it were 100 percent.”

Michele Galo, owner of Little Enrico’s in Franklin Square, meanwhile, said she did not think the dining capacity would help her pizza place, where she has removed some indoor tables to limit how many people can eat inside, because, she said, she fears people are still afraid to dine in.

Instead, she said, she hopes the Town of Hempstead continues to offer free out-

door dining permits. “We shouldn’t have to pay until this pandemic is over,” she said, with Cortesiano adding that anything to help restaurants — including getting rid of the curfew and the requirement that alcohol must be served with food — “is what we all need, as we are all in this together.”

“Our goal,” he said, “is to continue to make all of our customers feel safe, feel like family and just enjoy a night out as we all want to feel ‘normal’ again.”

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021

continued from front

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March 25, 2021 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

10

events and activities

community update Ongoing

active and engaging musical journey down Memory Lane with songs from the 1920s through the 1970s in a virtual performance on March 30 at 12:30 p.m. Registration is required, and a link will be emailed to all participants prior to the program. Registration ends one hour before the program begins.

Show some library love Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can earn two hours of community service by filling out a short survey about why they love the Elmont Memorial Library and showing a Young Adult librarian their confirmation at any time through March 31.

Thursday, April 1

Girls who code

Make a spring rainbow

Girls in grades six through 12 can learn basic coding skills every Saturday from 12 to 1:30 p.m. until April 17. Please visit the Elmont Memorial Library website to sign up. Registration is required.

Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can observe the science behind capillary action and how plants pull water from the soil as they create a beautiful rainbow in an online program that will be posted to the Elmont Memorial Library’s Teen Services page on April 1.

Registration is required.

Sew a potholder Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can learn all about the women of the Freedom Quilting Bee who used their sewing skills to support the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and make thier own potholder using the women’s techniques and design. Registration is required to reserve a kit between March 16 and March 31.

Swing into spring Turtle Dance Music’s “Swing into Spring” program, which will be available on the Franklin Square library’s website from March 22 through April 12, engages children in preschool through second-grade with comedy, swing music, jazz music, songs, poems, music technology, and stories.

Thursday, March 25 Learn Chinese calligraphy Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can pick up a Chinese calligraphy set from the Elmont Memorial Library on March 25 to learn the craft. Registration is required.

Make a dreamcatcher Adults can make their own dreamcatcher at the Franklin Square Public Library on March 25 at 7 p.m. The library staff will supply the hoop and instructions, and participants should bring thier own yarn, twine or string and beads.

Registration is required.

l l l l l

Friday, April 2 Martin Fisch/Flickr

Learn about the science of rainbows Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can observe the science behind capillary action and how plants pull water from the soil as they create a beautiful rainbow in an online program that will be posted to the Elmont Memorial Library’s Teen Services page on April 1. Registration is required.

Elmont library board meeting The Elmont Library board of trustees will hold its next public meeting on March 25 at 7:30 p.m. The link to join the meeting will be posted on the library’s website prior to the meeting.

Saturday, March 27 ‘Parks and Recreation’ trivia Do you think you know everything there is to know about NBC’s hit comedy “Parks and Recreation?” If so, test your knowledge in a trivia contest against other Elmont residents on March 27.

To register, email Theresa from the Elmont Memorial Library at theresaowens8@gmail.com by March 26 with the subject line “ELMONT/PARKS + REC.” Participants will then have until 11:50 p.m. on March 27 to submit their

answers. Everyone who plays will be eligible to win a $25 Amazon gift card, regardless of score.

Monday, March 29

onlywoman to earn a Nobel prize twice, in an online program from the Elmont Memorial Library on March 29 at 7 p.m. Registration is required, and a link will be emailed to all particpants prior to the program. Registration ends one hour before program begins.

Women’s poetry celebration Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can celebrate Women’s History Month by listening to the powerful and inspirational work of women poets from all around the world on March 29, when a video will be posted to the Elmont Memorial Library’s website. Registration is required.

Marie Curie lecture Edward Sierra will offer an engaging and informative presentation on the life and work of Marie Curie, an early pioneer of radioactivity who is the

Tuesday, March 30 Make avocado ice cream Adults can register with their email to receive the recipe for avocado ice cream, which will be posted on the Elmont Memorial Library’s Adult Services page on March 30. Registration to receive the recipe ends the day before program.

An afternoon of music Les Degen will take guests on an inter-

An Elmont community group is looking for input on the biggest issues in the area.

The rink at the new UBS Arena is starting to take shape.

Dr. Bill Heidenreich has been reinstated as the Valley Stream CHSD superintendent.

Passover begins at sunset on March 27.

Transportation applications for students attending private school are due April 1.

Make Chinese dumplings Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can follow along with a recipe and video tutorial to learn how to make delicious dumplings in an online program from the Elmont Memorial Library on April 2. Registration is required.

HAvinG An EvEnt? Items on the Community Update pages 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 mkoenig@liherald.com

Remembering God’s miracles this Passover everything from their livestock to their days (the latter commemorating the splitting of the Red Sea) are full-fledged crops.

At the stroke of midnight of the 15 of holidays in which candles are lit at Nissan in the year 2448 from creation, or night, and the Jewish people enjoy a 1313 BCE, God visited the last of the ten sumptuous holiday meals. We don’t go to work, drive, write or plagues on the Egyptians, switch on or off electric killing all their firstborn. devices. The middle four W h i l e d o i n g s o, G o d days, however, are semispared the children of f e s t ive “ i n t e r m e d i at e Israel, “passing over” days,” when most forms their homes — hence the of work are permitted. name of the holiday. PhaThroughout the holiraoh’s resistance was broday, Jews do not eat — or ken, and he vir tually even retain in our posseschased his former slaves sion—any chometz (leavout of the land. The Israened grain) from midday elites left in such a hurry, of the day before Passin fact, that the bread over until the conclusion they baked did not have of the holiday. time to rise. Six hundred Rabbi Chaim Blachman Ridding our homes thousand adult males, of chometz is an intensive plus many more women and children, left Egypt on that day and process. It involves a full-out springcleaning search-and-destroy mission began the trek to Mount Sinai.

Today, Passover is divided into two during the weeks before Passover, and parts. The first two days and last two culminates with a ceremonial search for chometz on the night before Passo v e r, a n d t h e n a b u r n i n g o f the chometz ceremony on the morning before the holiday. Chometz that cannot be disposed of can be sold to a nonJew (and bought back after the holiday).

Instead of chometz, we eat matzo — flat unleavened bread. It is a mitzvah to skilled editors and reporters, many of partake of matzo on the two Seder whom have graduated with journalism nights, and during the rest of the holior communications degrees from Long day it is optional.

Island universities, to learn about the

Herald Community Newspapers seek 2021 summer interns Herald Community Newspapers is seeking 2021 summer interns for our 18 community-based publications that stretch across Nassau County’s South Shore, from Valley Stream to Seaford, and Long Beach to Garden City, as well as across parts of the North Shore, including Sea Cliff, Glen Head, Glen Cove and Oyster Bay. Internships will likely be virtual, conducted by Zoom and phone in most cases.

Herald Community Newspapers is the largest publisher of community media on Long Island and one of the largest in New York state. Over the years, we have taken home hundreds of New York Press Association and Press Club of Long Island honors for journalistic excellence.

RCI, the Heralds’ parent company, also publishes LIHerald.com, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Riverdale Press in the Bronx and the Jewish Star.

Interns work side by side with our

ins and outs of a professional newsroom.

Summer internships are typically eight to nine weeks, and usually begin mid-May. Interns should be enrolled in a qualified university-level program of study, working toward a bachelor’s or master’s degree in journalism, communications or English. Experience writing for a high school or college newspaper is a plus, but not required.

The internship is work, but we also have our fun. Two years ago we took our interns surfing in Long Beach, and we end every summer with an intern luncheon.

Send a cover letter, résumé and clips to: Scott Brinton, Executive Editor Herald Community Newspapers sbrinton@liherald.com For more, call (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.

■ Eating bitter herbs — to commemorate the bitter slavery endured by the Israelites.

■ Drinking four cups of wine or grape juice — a royal drink to celebrate our newfound freedom.

■ The recitation of the Haggadah, a liturgy that describes in detail the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah is the fulfillment of the biblical obligation to recount to our children the story of the Exodus on the night of Passover. It begins with a child asking the traditional “Four Questions.”

As such, Passover is a time to celebrate the greatest series of miracles ever experienced in history, and a time to reach above nature to the miraculous.

But how are miracles achieved? Let’s take our cue from the matzo. Flat and unflavored, it embodies humility.

Through ridding ourselves of our inflated egos, we are able to tap into the miraculous well of divine energy we all have within our souls.

Rabbi Chaim Blachman is the spiritual leader of the Elmont Jewish Center.

In a world full of chaos we yearn for security and stability. Even in this most difficult of times, let us all find joy in the sweetness that imbues our life during Passover and Easter. Hold onto the friendships, the love, the resilience, the kindness that surrounds us.

Happy Easter Happy Passover Zissen Pesach Buona Pasqua

We wish you all happy holiday season.

From the staff of

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The highlight of Passover is the Seder, observed on each of the first two nights of the holiday. The Seder is a fifteen-step family-oriented tradition and ritual-packed feast.

The focal points of the Seder are: ■ Eating matzah.

Stuart Richner Publisher

Rhonda Glickman V.P. Sales

Scott Brinton Executive Editor

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Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. It is observed by avoiding leaven, and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzo and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus.

In Hebrew it is known as Pesach, w h i c h m e a n s “ t o p a s s o v e r, ” because God passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.

As told in the Bible, after many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, God saw the people’s distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me.” But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed God’s command, and God sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021

By RaBBi Chaim BlaChman

11

g n i r Sp

News brief

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Members of the Franklin Square Historical Society had a new idea this year to help local businesses that h ave b e e n s eve r e l y impacted by the Covid pandemic — refrigerator magnets.

The society is encouraging its members to shop locally with six-by-nine inch refrigerator magnets listing all of the advertisers that support the society’s monthly newsletter. The magnets were sent out to members earlier this month.

A n yo n e e l s e wh o lives in the town and wants a refrigerator magnet can either send the Historical Society a check for $10 to P.O. Box 45, Franklin Square, New York, 11010, or join the society for $25. Supplies are limited.

WWW.SUPERIORNEWSETCONCRETE.COM

Fun.

Friendship.

Courtesy Bill Youngfert

Magnets listing local businesses are available for $10 from the Franklin Square Historical Society.

Her Big Future.

Girl Scouts has you covered!

See what Girl Scouts do at our upcoming virtual information nights!

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Register at gsnc.org/programs for an information session in your area. Once registered, you will have the opportunity to sign your daughter up for a “New Daisy Discovery” virtual program via Zoom!

BALDWIN Thursday, 4/08/2021, 7:00pm

ELMONT Monday, 4/12/2021, 7:00pm

FLORAL PARK BAY (Oyster Bay and Wednesday, 4/07/2021, 7:00pm surrounding areas) Wednesday, 4/14/2021, 6:30pm FREEPORT Tuesday, 4/06/2021, 7:00pm BELLMORE Monday, 4/12/2021, 7:00pm GARDEN CITY Tuesday, 4/06/2021, 7:00pm CARLE PLACE/WESTBURY Thursday, 4/22/2021, 6:30pm GREAT NECK Thursday, 4/22/2021, 7:30pm CENTRAL PARK (Bethpage, Plainview, and Old Bethpage) Wednesday, 4/14/2021, 7:30pm HARDSCRABBLE (Farmingdale and N. Massapequa) EAST MEADOW Thursday, 4/15/2021, 7:00pm Monday, 4/12/2021, 7:00pm ELLM (East Rockaway, Lakeview, Lynbrook, and Malverne) Tuesday, 4/13/2021 7:00pm

and Long Beach) Monday, 4/26/2021, 7:00pm JERICHO/SYOSSET Thursday, 4/08/2021, 7:00pm MANHASSET Tuesday, 4/13/2021, 7:00pm MASSAPEQUA Thursday, 4/15/2021, 7:00pm MERRICK Tuesday, 4/27/2021, 7:00pm NORTH BELLMORE Monday, 4/12/2021, 7:00pm

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SHORE (North Shore/Glen Cove and surrounding areas) Tuesday, 4/20/2021, 7:00pm

THE PLAINS OCEANSIDE Wednesday, 4/07/2021, 7:00pm (Island Trees and Levittown) Tuesday, 4/06/2021, 7:00pm HERRICKS PARK (New Hyde Park, Monday, 4/26/2021, 7:00pm Garden City Park, and parts VALLEY STREAM Tuesday, 4/13/2021, 7:00pm ISLAND BEACH (Island Park of Floral Park)

If you do not see your area listed, contact customercare@gsnc.org for more information.

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March 25, 2021 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

12

Soon-to-be centenarian ‘can’t complain’ As she got older, Emma would teach sewing and crocheting classes at the Franklin Square Senior Center.

She later moved to a senior living facility in Calverton, Emma Pughielli always says she “can’t complain” where, John said, she has become a local celebrity as the about anything in her almost 100-year-long life, even community’s oldest resident. though her grandson, John Frascella, said, “I’m sure she In fact, for her 99th birthday last year, the community saw a lot of things that are disappointing.” held a birthday parade for her, featuring a line of about Emma was born in the Bronx to Amelia and Julius 50 cars with at least two people per car each honking and Palucci on May 23, 1921, and was the oldest of four chil- waving as they passed by Emma’s house. dren whom she helped take care of during She now lives alone and would frethe Great Depression. quently go shopping with some of her In the 1940s, she met Ralph Pughielli, friends in the neighborhood before the whom she married on Sept. 16, 1950. pandemic began one year ago. In 2015, she Together, they raised their two children, also won first-place at the Riverhead Pauline and Jeanne in Franklin Square, Senior Center’s Halloween costume conwhere Emma was involved in local bowltest, dressed as Uncle Sam. ing leagues and St. Catherine of Sienna Emma keeps her mind sharp with Roman Catholic Church. crossword puzzles and word searches, “She used to do a lot in the town,” Pauwhich, her granddaughter, Melissa Chipline Frascella said, adding that her mothman, said the family would save for her er is one of those people who would do whenever they traveled from their home anything to help those she loves. “She’s in Oceanside to visit Emma in Suffolk like one of those moms who would give County. There, Chipman said, she would you the shirt off her back.” make her grandmother rewatch “Singin’ eMMa Pughielli will During the holidays, Pauline and her turn 100 on May 23. in the Rain” and Shirley Temple movies mother would bake together and make “at least 700 times,” rewinding and replayhomemade macaroni and cheese, which, ing their favorite scenes.

Pauline said, she feels “bad that I didn’t do” for her chilShe now likes to spend her time sewing and crochetdren. ing clothes for her third great-granddaughter, who was Emma went to work at Franklin Square-based Card born on March 18, and loves cooking and baking her Collectors Company when her daughters were young, to favorite foods, which, Chipman said, she remembers off help take care of the family financially. There, she helped the top of her head. prioritize and sort trading cards, including some Mickey “She’s 100 percent there mentally,” Chipman said of Mantle rookie cards that she refused to take when the her grandmother. “You would never know that she’s 100.” company eventually shut down, even though they would And despite the loss of her siblings; her daughter, be worth $1 million.

Jeanne; and her husband, Ralph; Pauline said, Emma

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021

By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com

Photos Courtesy John Frascella

Pughielli and her daughter, Pauline Frascella, celebrated her 99th birthday last year with a car parade. “bounces on.”

She says her secret to a long life is to “keep a positive attitude,” “always push forward and never give up,” and “keep your mind active and always working.”

She is also always supportive of her family, who would like to celebrate her 100th birthday with a safe, intimate family gathering.

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15

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021 Herald file photo

st. thomas the Apostle School students will be welcomed into any Catholic elementary school in the diocese. Above, students took part in a walking activity to raise awareness about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2017.

A ‘sad’ time for St. Thomas

With enrollment declining, the West Hempstead Catholic school is set to close

By Nakeem GraNt ngrant@liherald.com

After 61 years in West Hempstead, St. Thomas the Apostle School will close at the end of the school year.

Since 2015, nursery school through eighth-grade student enrollment had declined 35 percent, to just 209 students, according to the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which made the announcement on March 16. The Rev. Francis Maniscalco, the elementary school’s pastor, said that the coronavirus pandemic added to the cost of safely opening and operating the building. Over the past five years, the school needed more than $1 million in subsidies from the parish and the diocese to sustain its operations. In the 2019-20 school year, those subsidies totaled $272,000.

“Our school leadership and staff have worked tirelessly against enormous odds to see our school through to a secure future,” Maniscalco wrote in a letter to parents. “Given these circumstances, I see no alternative to accepting the reality that the parish cannot continue to operate our school without exhausting in the near future the very resources which make it possible for us to have a school.”

He added that the pandemic also delayed the school’s plans to implement an innovative program to boost enrollment last September.

“If ever a school had a community worth serving, it is St. Thomas the Apostle for the past year,” Maniscalco wrote.

“This closing is solely due to tough enrollment and financial realities and not to any lack in your willingness to make our school strong.”

Jesica Hernandez, a St. Thomas par-

Christina Daly/Herald

st. thomas Is one of several area schools that have closed in the past year. ent, told the Herald that she was saddened by the news. “It was devastating,” she said. “It’s been a part of my fam ily for many years. It’s very sad for all of us, but we love our principal, Dr. [Valerie] Serpe, because she tried her best to keep the school open. She touched my life in a way that will make me feel grateful for everything that she’s done.”

St. Thomas board President Lori Lang said that the announcement came as a surprise to her, as it did to many parents.

A parent of five, two of whom attend St. Thomas, Lang said she didn’t think the school’s leaders fought hard enough to keep it open.

“I just feel as though this decision is a little bit short-sighted, especially for the future of Catholic education on Long Island,” Lang said. “Everybody is kind of

I

f ever a school had a community worth serving, it is St. Thomas the Apostle for the past year.

the rev. FraNcIs maNIscalco Pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle School

shocked, because our enrollment is over 200. We’re 209. That’s not a small school.”

She and other parents launched a petition last week asking the diocese how much money would be needed to keep the school open. More than 3,000 people had signed it as the Herald went to press on

Monday.

St. Thomas is one of several area Catholic schools that have closed in the past year. St. Raymond’s Parochial School, in East Rockaway, was among them, closing last June. “We are deeply saddened by the closings of these two elementary schools,” Sean Dolan, communications director of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, stated in a news release. “The Diocese … thanks the dedicated and committed principals and teachers, both lay and religious, who have taught in these schools.”

St. Thomas students will be welcomed into any Catholic elementary school in the diocese. School leaders and the state Department of Education will assist parents and students in selecting and transferring to any of those schools.

HERALD

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Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail you ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.

Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify and ad.

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HOME OF THE WEEK

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A

charming raised FEMA compliant 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom Colonial. This home is totally renovated with all new construction. There is a large open living room along with a dining room that flows into a brand new eat in kitchen with stainless steel appliances and quartz counter tops. This house features all new hardwood floors, new electric, heating system and central air, new roof, siding and windows along with gas cooking and heating system.

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17

HERALD — March 25, 2021

Employment HERALD Market Place

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A. You could save a lot of money with a screensaver picture of the ocean but since you want the deck, you have many onte eeper issues to consider, water being one of them. I commend your contractor for advising that you need a plan, since I get calls consistently from people who forged ahead without solving all of the issues before building.

You have the design issues with water and movement prevention, considering wind, rain, sun and fire. You have zoning and building code issues to resolve, and you have the cost issue, which is tied to everything else. Imagine building the entire deck and then being told to remove it. Imagine finding out that the attachment has caused a leak that’s hard to get to without dismantling materials. A good design of anything, whether it’s a car, a paperweight or a deck, requires understanding the goals, the obstacles, the science and the engineering to get you nearest to the best solution.

In your case, you want to keep the gutters running underneath, so that becomes a given in defining the scope of work. You want views, coverage for the patio, no damage to the roof — that’s where you start. I look at where attachments are essential, how to avoid water intrusion at the attachments, the strength of materials and the placement to accomplish the most with the least amount of damage, either during construction or in the performance of the materials.

For example, wood looks great for the first season, and then begins to age by twisting, warping and splitting along the grain. Obstacle one is now identified, so you select synthetic decking that’s more stable and requires less maintenance. The deck needs support, so you want to understand all the factors of wind twisting, uplift and collapse resistance. Attachment and water flow are also important, so you need to know the various methods of preventing water from getting into even the smallest places, like around bolts, under shingles and across door or window openings.

A ledger is the board attached to the house for the deck structure to connect to, and even that requires consideration . . . in my next column.

M

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Q. We’re planning a deck for our second floor so we have a better view of the water from our house.

Part of the deck will be over our roof, and part will extend into our backyard and give shade to our patio.

A contractor we called said we need plans first, and said he would make the deck attach to the back of the house with something he called a “ledger.” We looked it up, and were wondering if there was another way, since we’ll have to remove the gutters we just paid a lot of money to install. We wanted the deck to be above the gutter so we Ask The could use the gutter for our Architect roof to drain into; otherwise the water will just pour onto our patio from underneath. What do you suggest?

L

© 2021 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.

HERALD — March 25, 2021

HERALD

Planning a second-floor deck

19

HERALD

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

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to todAy’s puzzle

21

opINIoNS

T

he 2020 presidential election produced the highest voter turnout in American history. Both candidates received record numbers of votes.

This was America at its best, but not for the Republican Party. So it’s no wonder that legislatures in dozens of states have proposed more than 200 laws, aimed mostly at Black voters, that would dramatically cut voter turnout.

If many of the proposals were ever to become law, America would be turning back the clock to the dark Jim Crow JERRY era when states deliberately preKREMER vented Blacks from going to the polls. There is no secret behind the Republican effort to stop them from casting ballots. Thanks to massive turnouts in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Joe Biden was elected president.

Biden often says, “Here’s the deal.”

And here’s the deal: The Republican Party has morphed into a white man’s

M

party. It is slowly but surely being outvoted by minorities in the inner cities and the suburbs. If you can’t win fair and square, why not change the rules to stop large voter turnout? What’s the excuse for these draconian laws? According to the Republicans, the 2020 election was riddled with voter fraud.

Over the past four months, 60 state and federal judges, many of them appointed by former President Donald Trump, have ruled that there was no fraud in any of the election counts. As late as this month, an Arizona judge fined the state Republican Party for bringing a “frivolous” lawsuit, claiming that there were “voter irregularities.” Had Biden won the election by a narrow margin, the voter-fraud argument might have had an impact, but he defeated Trump by seven million votes.

Here’s a sampling of the kinds of bills that have been introduced by state legislators. In Alabama, the legislature is being asked to ban the distribution of water bottles to voters who are standing on line at the polls. In addition, it has

T

been proposed that voters pay a fee to vote, just like the historic poll taxes that were thrown out by the courts decades ago. In Alabama, legislators want to ban Sunday voting to prevent churches from encouraging “souls to the polls.”

A number of states want to ban absentee ballots, just like the ones that Trump himself cast as late as the first week of March in Palm Beach County. Arizona legislators want to ban all forms of mail-in voting, and want voters to have absentee ballots notarized. Those proposals are aimed at Latino voters, who helped elect former astronaut Mark Kelly to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat.

Most of us want to believe that many forms of subtle racism have been eradicated, and that we’re on the road to becoming a more inclusive nation. Sadly, almost all of the bills being considered in so many states are aimed at depressing black turnout. The same meanness that dominates at the state level is part of the rhetoric in Washington D.C. Sen. Ron Johnson, a lightweight from Wisconsin, recently stated that he wasn’t afraid of

he GOP assault on minority voting rights continues across the country.

the rioters who broke into the halls of Congress, but he would have been concerned if they were Black Lives Matter protesters.

Sen. Lindsey Graham complained bitterly after the passage of the Covid-19 relief bill, that the aid to black farmers was like “reparations.”

Other minorities aren’t doing much better during the process of filling cabinet positions for the Biden administration. U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, of New Mexico, was confirmed as secretary of the interior with only four Republican votes in the Senate. She is the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history, but failed to get the approval of Republicans senators who have large numbers of Native Americans in their states.

Similar voting patterns have been recorded for other minority nominees.

One has to wonder why the party of Lincoln seems to be gradually becoming the party of George Wallace.

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

JKremer@liherald.com.

Springing into the future, very, very slowly

arch 2021: embracing the change.

Covid-19 isn’t something that has just afflicted us; it changed us in ways that are irreversible.

It set us on paths from which there is no return. And the change isn’t all bad. I think about going back to “normal,” and I realize that “normal” is elusive. We stepped into the river as the coronavirus surged, and we are stepping out now, in a different place.

What is normal, anyway? Was spring 2019 norRANDI mal? We were deep KREISS into the presidency of a man who damn near brought our democracy crashing down around us.

That four-year political rampage and the emergence of a deadly pandemic are inextricably tied together as historical events; there is little doubt that a more robust, organized federal response could have saved people. But it was the time of Trump and the time of Covid-19, and they met in a spiral of mayhem and grief. Were his lies about the virus and his failure to respect scientific guidance normal in any

way? Was it normal to ridicule the wearing of masks when that one simple, inexpensive precaution could have saved lives?

Who would possibly want to reweave what some saw as the “normal” racist threads running through our culture before Black Lives Matter emerged, before Amanda Gorman spoke at the inauguration, before the issue of institutionalized racism came out of the shadows?

We’ve been far from normal for quite some time. In this moment we have to figure out how to go forward, taking the lessons learned from our communal experience with politics chaos and a pandemic.

For example, the isolation and social distancing of this year, the real aberrations, can’t be over too soon for me. That will never feel normal.

But there are new, good things happening now: We are getting vaccinated, and the vaccines work remarkably well.

Money from the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill is starting to turn the wheels of the economy, getting people back to jobs and business owners back to feeding and servicing and creating product for our country.

M

Americans have learned that they are able to work from home better than they ever imagined. What we don’t know yet is how many businesses will go forward with the home-based model. We don’t know if the traditional workplace has reached its expiration date.

(I doubt it.) A hybrid model may allow us to employ the best of both worlds, at home and at remote work locations. That could improve on the old normal.

Perhaps the biggest good thing is that schools are starting to accommodate more in-classroom learning.

From here in the cheap seats, it seems that closing schools was a mistake from the beginning; we should have vaccinated teachers first and at least tried to prioritize our kids’ education.

Going to school is normal.

I love that communities are coming together in ways they didn’t before the pandemic, to help keep food on the table and find vaccine appointments for one another and drive friends to vaccine centers.

This has also been a great year for adopting dogs, or appreciating the pooches already in residence. For many, many weeks our Lillybee was the only living creature we saw or touched.

any questions persist in the new hybrid reality we find ourselves in.

The proliferation of artsy pastimes is notable, and that, too, may hang around as a creative outlet for people who love indulging old passions and interests and undeveloped talents.

On the plus side as well, many of us weren’t daily exercisers, and now we are.

There was only one awful-weather day this year when I didn’t get outside for at least a short walk.

The pandemic has put more people in the kitchen, pouring energy and creativity into the food they prepare. My hunch is that will diminish in direct proportion to the opening of restaurants, but again, who can say?

We learned to sublimate our need for excitement through imaginative meal planning and changing up our walks and connecting with people from our past.

We have so many new skills. I can cut hair. I can fix the TV. I can replace the A/C filter. We truly are different people from the ones who stepped into the river last March.

So, back to normal? Not necessarily.

We have to figure out for ourselves, and as a society, what’s worth keeping from the pre-pandemic era and what we want to embrace from the time of Covid-19, going forward.

Copyright 2021 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021

The party of Lincoln becomes the party of George Wallace

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Herald editorials

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March 25, 2021 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

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mid all the clamor over Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment and misreporting of nursing home deaths during the coronavirus crisis last spring, you would have thought nothing else was happening in Albany at the moment. You would be wrong.

Last week, the State Senate passed a critical piece of legislation to encourage public participation in the rule-making in six key state departments — Education, Environmental Conservation, Health, Financial Services, Labor and Family Assistance. The measure, if passed by the Assembly and signed by Cuomo, would create a three-year pilot program that would require public hearings on an issue any time 125 or more residents petitioned the state government for them.

Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, a Democrat from Queens, sponsored the bill.

The measure is vitally needed. Requiring hearings when the people ask for them would shift power into their hands. Until now, the state has controlled when — and if — are held.

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State needs public-hearings overhaul

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Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire and Utah — require hearings when a critical mass of people request them. New York should do the same.

“The Covid-19 pandemic taught us the crucial importance of transparency in government,” Gianaris said. “We should live up to our progressive ideals and make our government truly accessible to the people it serves.”

We couldn’t have said it better, Senator.

If such a law had been in place last year, people who were angered and worried by the apparent undercount of nursing home deaths as the pandemic spread could have forced Health Department hearings that might have brought alleged under-reporting to light sooner.

The scandal has tainted Cuomo’s otherwise sound performance in the early days of the pandemic, when many touted him as a national hero for his daily briefings, based largely on data. If he were smart, he would support Gianaris’s legislation to show that he does, in fact, support government transparency.

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat from Queens, is sponsoring a companion bill in the Assembly. “Creating

a program through which members of the public can demand a hearing reminds rule-makers that they are ultimately accountable to the people,” Mamdani said.

Agreed.

The legislation would also require public hearings to be held on evenings and weekends, so more people could attend. It would mandate that hearings be broadcast, and that teleconferencing be available. Finally, it would require that time be set aside during the hearings for public questioning of department personnel.

The Senate passed the measure during Sunshine Week, March 14 to 20, a celebration of the 1967 Freedom of Information Act, the landmark federal legislation requiring government officials to make their records available to the public. The American Society of News Editors created Sunshine Week in 2005 to remind people of the grave need for government transparency — even today, more than 50 years after FOIA was enacted.

The message that the Senate was seeking to project was clear: New York state needs to do more to open its government to public participation. Of that there is little doubt.

Journalists should be vaccinated, too

t might seem self-serving that a newspaper would call on New York state to include journalists on the list of those eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

To a degree, that might be true. More so, however, our concern is for the public good.

Since the start of the pandemic, journalists have been on the front lines, reporting on myriad local and national stories that have shaped the past year, exposing themselves to potential harm at hospitals, marches and political rallies.

They have risked their lives to inform an

anxious public, providing vital information to dispel fear and increase understanding.

Since last March, journalists have been allowed to continue their work because the government deemed them essential workers. Yet they have been excluded from the lists of those eligible for a vaccine. Why? This isn’t solely about the journalists who have done their job admirably. It’s also about the public. One journalist might interact with dozens, if not hundreds, of people while covering a mass

letters ‘If you can’t do, blame’ To the Editor: Re the March 12-18 editorial, “Cuomo’s days in office appear numbered”: I take exception to the point of view of elected officials and journalists who are pointing fingers at Gov. Andrew Cuomo before his investigation is complete. I have worked in high-powered offices for decades and consider myself as a feminist. Anyone who has worked in this kind of passion-driven, intense, stressful environment knows conversations and gestures can be misunderstood or taken out of context. Yet the media and certain politicians are jumping to conclusions. I do not believe Cuomo should resign.

More important, a year ago, during the coronavirus pandem-

gathering of one kind or another, and if infected with the coronavirus, he or she could potentially expose many others to harm. From a public health standpoint, leaving journalists off the list thus makes no sense.

The Press Club of Long Island, a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, is currently conducting a letter-writing campaign calling on Governor Cuomo to include journalists on the eligibility list. To join in that effort, go to bit. ly/30Xt1T4.

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opinions

s difficult as the coronavirus pandemic has been on all of us, our children were the least equipped to handle the sudden disruption of their daily lives and routines. Ripped from in-school learning, sports and extracurricular activities and social interactions critical to their intellectual, physical and emotional development, they were thrust into a world of inactivity, isolation and remote learning.

We should not continue to ignore the consequences.

We have heard steve much about “following the scirhoads ence” and the data throughout the pandemic. We have all accepted limits on personal freedoms imposed on us through countless, often contradictory, executive orders issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, simply because in the face of the unknown, that appeared to be the safest course of action.

In order to “stop the spread,” we sacrificed our liberty in pursuit of the general good of all.

One year later, however, we are still ceding local control of education to a governor and a state Board of Education that continue to enforce policies that the science and the data simply do not support.

Schools have safely resumed sports activities with very few, if any, Covid-19 cases and even fewer incidents of transmission. Yet while students are permitted to participate in wrestling matches, two trumpet players must remain 12 feet apart. In districts that permit in-person learning, there have been virtually no incidents of inschool transmission of the virus, yet students must quarantine if someone in their class contracts it, despite wearing masks and being surrounded on three sides by Plexiglas in classrooms. Many parents can’t watch their kids play for school teams — even outdoors.

The data tell us that because of the outstanding work of our school districts, administrators, teachers, staff members and students, in conjunction with local departments of health, the in-school Covid transmission rate remains far below that of the surrounding communi-

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e’re still ceding local control of education, a year after Covid-19 hit.

Letters ic, at a time when there was complete chaos and so much unknown, Cuomo stepped up ahead of all the others and created and implemented innovative plans.

His guidance was ongoing, and he was an inspiring voice for New Yorkers as well as all Americans. He asked New Yorkers to discipline themselves, an effort to stop the spread of the virus. When they did not, he said it was not OK and made decisions that were hard for the public and businesses.

Cuomo has continued to play this role, and New Yorkers still need him to get us through the pandemic and far beyond. Yes, he may have made some mistakes, but the countless lives he has saved and accomplishments he made during the past year far outweigh his few possible errors.

In hindsight, it’s easy to sit back and find fault. I would like to ask the politicians who are not respectful enough to wait for Cuomo’s investigation results before passing judgment a simple question: During the pandemic, what did you do? I don’t recall hearing most of your voices. If you did less than Cuomo, in my book, you’re just another case of, “If you can’t do, blame.”

CATHY ROSENBERG Sea Cliff

In minority communities, vaccine isn’t so simple To the Editor: I write to express my concern about

ties. It is simply safer to have your kids in school — and it’s better for them. Area school districts have proven that they can act, and have done so efficiently, even when faced with the challenge of outdated and conflicting policies imposed by Albany.

We have local boards of education because we believe as a state and a society that the best decisions for our students are made at the local level. The governor may have heard of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, the Seaford School District or any of our other area districts, but what does he know about local conditions in Wantagh’s Mandalay Elementary School, or Freeport High School? Probably very little, if anything.

But local school boards and local administrators know. And, most important, parents — who are on the front lines of the struggles their children have faced during the pandemic — have a mechanism at a local level to take part in that decision-making process.

It is time for the state and governor to stand down and allow local school boards and local officials, in conjunction with

Covid-19 vaccine access in communities of color on Long Island. As the coronavirus crisis lingers, the combination of two ageold realities — access and attitudes — persists in limiting vaccinations among people of color.

Most have heard about the infamous Tuskegee experiment, and the longstanding effects it has had on the Black community’s lack of trust in government and medical science. This distrust is deeply rooted and not easily overcome. Even as the most enlightened, well informed and educated among us conclude that it is in our best interest to get vaccinated against Covid-19, doubt and caution remain.

In conversations, meetings, podcasts and dinner discussions, however, the rationale for vaccination is being widely shared and considered. Unfortunately, getting past the roadblock of distrust leads us directly to the lack-of-accessibility barricade.

When I made the decision to get the vaccine, my employer, the Family and Children’s Association, in Hempstead, helped me navigate access.

Nevertheless, there are many others in the Black and Brown communities less fortunate than I, who, even after overcoming initial doubt, encounter additional hurdles to vaccination, such as lack of transportation, an inability to navigate the online or phone scheduling “lottery,” and limited availability.

Although there are educational initiatives in place designed to alter community sentiment toward Covid-19 vaccines, the

local health departments and parents, to make decisions for themselves about how their schools should be run, what events and activities — such as graduation — should take place and how to best take care of our children. The science and the data no longer justify Albany’s one-sizefits-all approach, or the damage it is doing to the developmental, emotional and physical health of our students.

To that end, I recently joined the other members of the Nassau Legislature’s Republican majority to write a letter to Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie calling on New York state to allow school districts the full discretion to decide when to safely restore extracurricular activities and other school events, including graduation ceremonies. The remarkably good job Nassau County districts have done keeping students, teachers and staff safe in school has earned them the right to decide which events may be held and how those events will be conducted. I’m hopeful that our state leaders will heed this call and return that discretion to our districts.

Steve Rhoads is a Republican Nassau County legislator representing the 19th District.

Framework by Christina Daly

A sand piper, undisturbed — Lido Beach

most effective change will come from civic leaders and trusted community voices addressing concerns and providing vital information through town hall meetings and leading by example.

Additionally, I believe that the restructuring of the vaccine distribution framework to include ongoing inoculation locations in communities of color, first-comefirst-serve vaccination centers and expand-

ed hours of service would greatly increase the number of vaccinations received by people of color in a relatively short time span.

Time is of the essence, and the health of our community is at stake.

THURSTON O’NEAL Director, Hempstead Prevention Coalition

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — March 25, 2021

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