Franklin Square/Elmont Herald 07-27-2023

Safety improvements from a $550,000 traffic study to be approved by the Nassau County Legislature in August will focus on Dutch Broadway. Above, a digital speed indicator is just one of the improvements the road may see.

Improving Dutch Broadway, again County tapping $550,000 for safety upgrades

By REI WolFSoHN Intern

Nassau County’s public works, finance and rules committees look to make a $550,000 investment in a traffic study to make Dutch Broadway in Elmont safer for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.

A $150,000 bond and the rest of the capital expense must still be approved by the full Legislature on Aug. 7, but the investment has support.

“Improving the safety of Dutch Broadway for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists is an essential priority for my constituents, and I am very gratified that we are able to deliver improvements that will protect residents and

Turning pain into published research paper

By REI WolFSoHN Intern

Anjali Paul, a 2023 graduate of Sewanhaka High School, turned her back pain into an important research project on stress levels in Asian adolescents.

Paul’s AP Capstone research paper, titled “The effect of the thinking and feeling preferences in MyersBriggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on perceived stress levels in Asian adolescents,” has been published in the prestigious International Public Health Journal.

Paul because, after a sophomore year of taking AP classes, she had experienced severe back pain. Several doctors failed to diagnose her problem, and she finally saw a chiropractor, who determined that it was caused by stress.

Paul then found a MyersBriggs survey online, and created her own stress survey, sending them out to 11thgrade Asian students across Nassau County and receiving 48 usable responses.

elevate our quality of life,” Carrié Solages, the legislator for the 3rd District, said.

Activist and organizer Mimi Pierre-Johnson said she felt that this traffic study should go a bit differently than previous ones.

“When they’re doing traffic studies, they need to talk to people like myself and those of us who are on the ground,” Pierre-Johnson said. “We are the ones using traffic lights and the street. We understand what’s happening in our community. It’s always after the fact that we found out about the traffic study. That’s the thing that I would like to see changed about traffic studies. Let’s talk to the community, have a town hall. Our tax dollars would be better spent, because when things happen we

Initially, Paul found research indicating that Asians perceive more stress than other races, with correlations between the Myers-Briggs thinking/feeling scale — which quantifies how people perceive the world and make decisions — and stress levels in adults. Her research paper, which she completed in her junior year, addressed the question of whether the scale corresponds to stress in Asian adolescents.

The research hit home with

Her teacher, George Tsolekas, described Paul as “intelligent, determined and tenacious.”

“She was determined, she was independent, she made sure she’d reach out to cover her bases,” Tsolekas said.

Paul found no conclusive evidence of a correlation between the Myers-Briggs thinking/feeling scale and stress, but her project left open many variables that could be explored in future research.

“I had to go above and beyond to explain my topic thoroughly,” CoNtiNueD oN pAge 8

Herald file photo

I’d like to say I stayed calm throughout the process.

ANJAlI PAUl Sewanhaka High School graduate

Turn on the news and expect to be scared. Another senseless school shooting. Global warming hits home. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Threats from China. A new Covid variant. What’s going on here?

We want to feel safe. We want our friends and families to be safe. Yet, whenever we hear or read the news, panic-inducing stories bombard our brains. Fear can be addictive, destroying our ability to focus on other matters. It promotes panic. It cultivates hopelessness. It’s immobilizing. So how shall we cope when we hear about terrifying events in the world?

First and foremost, you must find the adult voice in your head that’s calming, reassuring, and hopeful. It’s there somewhere! Then tell the scared child within you to listen to that voice. Really listen. Breathe in those reassuring thoughts and calming feelings.

Isn’t that denial though? Bad things are happening. Frightening events

How to train your brain

occur. Yes, but that doesn’t mean we must immerse ourselves in information overload that escalates our fear. We can choose what to pay attention to at any moment of the day. Indeed, we must remind our brain that despite all the terrifying headlines and breaking news, we still live in an age where we’re healthier, safer, more affluent and living far longer than previous generations ever dreamed of.

If fear reigns, all the excitement, enjoyment, and juiciness are squeezed out of life. Then what remains? The everyday, mundane stuff and the terrible tragedies and catastrophes that become headline news. That is no way to live. So, whatever’s happening in the world, do not allow fear to take up per-

manent residence in your brain. An occasional visit is okay and may be appropriate. But that’s it! Hence,

■ Do not exhaust your brain with media overload, worrying about every trouble, problem, and calamity happening in the world. Consciously and calmly determine how much media exposure is good for you. When you’ve had enough, turn your TV and digital devices off.

■ Turn on upbeat music that’s appealing to you. Then let your body and brain move to the music.

■ Since fear is contagious, spend minimal time with fearful, pessimistic doomsayers, more time with positive, optimistic go-getters.

■ Let go of obsessing about dangers you can do nothing about. Instead, focus on what you can do -individually or with group effort- to help alleviate a fearful situation.

■ Tell your brain you won’t allow yourself to live in a helpless, vulnerable position. You deserve better!

Do all that and your brain and body will forever be grateful to you for helping it focus on the good things in life.

©2023

Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist and success coach in private practice who specializes in helping people overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. You can reach her at LSapadin@DrSapadin. com. Visit her website at www.PsychWisdom.com.

Linda Sapadin

New board members aiming to invest in Elmont schools

Trustees Capers and Garlick look to serve their constituency and be transparent

By REI WOLFSOHN Intern

The parents of children in the Elmont Union Free School District have a lot of critiques about the previous, and current, Board of Education.

Perhaps a change in leadership will help mitigate the criticism, with the re-election of well-known community activist Tiffany Capers, selected to be the board’s vice president, and Nancy Garlick, chosen to be the president. July 1 marked the beginning of Capers’ second three-year term as a trustee. Both she and Garlick have a long history of community engagement.

The previous president and vice president, Michael Jaime and Tameka BattleBurkett, respectively, remain on the board.

“My highest priority is finding a permanent superintendent for the Elmont Union Free School District,” Capers said. “I will also be focused on rebuilding partnerships and relationships with the community and staff. We lost a lot of that collaboration in the past years.”

Capers is a full-time information technology professional with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She is treasurer of the Elmont Police Activity League unit, a group dedicated to providing sports and activities for local children.

Capers grew up in Richmond Hill in Queens, and raised her daughter Morgan in the Elmont school system. She moved to Elmont in 1999 and became involved in community affairs when her daughter entered school, including the Parent Teacher Association, Girls Scouts of Nassau County and local civic associations.

Previously, she served on the executive board for the New York Chapter of the Consortium of Information and Telecommunications Executives, an organization that represents 35,000 African American Verizon employees. She also served on the executive board of the Women’s Association of Verizon Employees.

Garlick is looking forward to pursuing the board’s continued goals for the school district.

“To make sure that the children of Elmont get the best education possible and remain safe while doing so,” Garlick said. “And have great opportunities for extracurricular activities as well.”

Garlick is also the New York City director of the school nursing program. She is president of Elmont Toastmasters, where she served as district director 2017-2018. She started the elementary school level Toastmasters public speaking program two years ago, and still runs it

News brief

today.

Garlick grew up in South Ozone Park, Queens, and her children grew up in Elmont. When her children started going to school, she saw a need and started helping their peers.

“I was inspired by the children that I saw in Elmont that go to school in the Elmont school district,” Garlick said. “I talked to them, helped them with homework when parents were working. I’ve always helped the children in my community. Now I’m doing it in a more official capacity.”

Capers said what she is hoping to change about the board can be summed up in one word: “transparency.”

Rick Gale receives Veterans’ Lifetime award

Elmont resident Rick Gales received Hempstead’s first-ever Veterans’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the beginning of July. He was celebrated at the Hempstead Salute to Veterans event at Town Park Point Lookout for his lifetime of service.

Gales educates veterans on benefits programs that are available to them as the Veterans Service Officer for Hempstead. Additionally, he has given 40 years of service to the Elmont American Legion.

—Nicole Wagner

After a lifetime of dedicated service, veteran Rick Gales was awarded.

I will also be focused on rebuilding partnerships and relationships with the community and staff.

TIFFaNy CapERS Board vice president

Tiffany Capers nanCy GarliCk

Courtesy Tiffany Capers

Nancy Garlick is the new president, and Tiffany Capers the new vice president, of the Elmont school board. At left, Elmont Memorial High School.

Town of Hempstead

Above, Town Clerk Kate Murray, Councilmember Tom Muscarella, Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll award veteran Rick Gales.

Multivitamins and Older Adults

About one-third of Americans 60 and older take multivitamins. Perhaps the remaining twothirds should as well. According to a major new study, the second of its kind to reach the same conclusion, taking multivitamins over age sixty delays the onset of memory loss by about 3 years.

The study used a commonly available multivitamin, Centrum Silver, which contains vitamins D, A, B12, thiamine, riboflavin, manganese and other substances, although it was noted that any high-quality multivitamin would do just as well.

A Washington Post article (5/24/23) about these findings quotes JoAnn Manson of Harvard Medical School “Older adults are very concerned about preserving cognition and memory, so this is a very important finding. They are looking for safe and effective prevention strategies. The fact that two separate studies came to similar conclusions is remarkable.”

Other experts cited were Andrew Budson, Professor of Neurology at Boston University “This study is groundbreaking. Low levels of

Wheels go ‘round’ with bus driver Will Smith

By NICOLE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com

Throughout the school year, bus drivers are entrusted with the care and transportation of your children as they embark on their academic journeys.

When parents send their children off to school this year, 2023 school bus driver of the year Will Smith may just be who you meet at the door.

“When I’m out there and I’m greeting the children, I think about my children; how I wanted my children to be treated when they were being picked up,” Smith said. “So, I try to give that to someone else’s children as well — they’re in my custody so they’re in my care until I get them to their destination.”

When presented with the award by the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, Smith was grateful to be recognized for his accomplishments and service to the community. He has worked in the Sewanhaka school district for the past 10 years to provide safe transportation from homes to school.

Susan Dello Ioio, master instructor for the state education department and mentor to Smith since they met in 2006, described the father of five as a well-rounded individual who takes his job seriously.

“He’s our number one senior trainer for our company,” Dello Ioio said. “He’s just done so much for us, and it’s all part of his personality. He’s a caring individual.”

vitamins B1 -- also known as thiamine -- B12 and D are associated with cognitive decline. That a simple multivitamin can slow cognitive decline while they are aging normally is quite exciting, as it is something almost everyone can do.”

The reasons that multivitamin “therapy” is so effective is explained by Paul E. Schultz, Professor Neurology at McGovern Medical School, Houston -- the brain requires a lot of vitamins and minerals to function properly. While the goal is to maintain nutrition through a healthy and balanced diet, as we age our bodies may be unable to absorb sufficient levels of the essential elements. In addition, some medications interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Schulz states “Think of a complicated engine that requires lots of specialty parts and needs them all. We regularly see people who are deficient in nutrients come in with cognitive impairment.”

If you are on medications, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before you try a supplement, as some vitamins may interfere with those medications.

Smith became a 19A certified examiner in 2015 and a school bus driver instructor in 2018. Since then, Smith has trained thousands of new applicants to become school bus drivers and attendants, according to Dell Ioio. He has also retrained drivers and attendants if they were involved in an incident or accident.

From school bus rodeos to prestige in school bus safety, Smith has received awards for more than just his compassion for his passengers. At his first

school bus rodeo in 2010, he received awards for rookie of the year and for van operations. He has received awards in other rodeos since as well.

First attracted to the profession in 2006 for its Monday through Friday schedule, Smith didn’t think he would stay with it that long, but finds himself still loving it 17 years later.

For anyone looking to enter the profession, Smith had some words of advice.

“My advice is you’ve got to have a passion to do this,” Smith said. “It’s not about the pay, it’s about the children. If you don’t have a passion for children, this is not the job for you.”

Exemplary of the characteristics that parents seek in a school bus driver, the wheels on the bus will go ‘round with a smile from driver Will Smith this year.

HOW TO REACH US

Our offices are located at 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 and are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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

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■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: rglickman@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643

Courtesy Will Smith Sewanhaka school district bus driver Will Smith waits to receive the 2023 School Bus Driver of the Year Award from the New York Association for Pupil Transportation on July 11. After 17 years as a school bus driver, Smith is recognized for his service and dedication to the role.

Speeding remains a problem on highly trafficked roadway

Continued from page

have a say in it.”

Safety improvements will include new traffic signals, improved crosswalks, more visible signage, additional digital speed indicators and improved sidewalks on Dutch Broadway. There will also be better lighting on the roads leading to Dutch Broadway.

According to Solages, sidewalk fences to keep pedestrians safe may also be included in the project. He added that it took seven years to get the new traffic signal at Dutchgate Senior Living Facility installed last year. He said the wheels of the legislature may move slowly but they eventually get there. He also said that since the improvements to the Dutch Broadway area in 2020, there has been a reduction in traffic accidents.

Pierre-Johnson has been involved in the fight for better traffic conditions on Dutch Broadway since 2008, when she wrote a letter to then-Legislator John Ciotti.

“We’ve done all that we can do,” said Pierre-Johnson. “I think now that the next step is to get drivers (to act differently) whether it be enforcement, or for the county and the town to start traffic safety measures to make sure the drivers know this area is a school area.”

Elmont school district board trustee Tameka Battle feels that more can be done to improve safety on Dutch Broadway.

“While this is a huge step in the right

years,

direction to address the safety on our streets that are traveled by our scholars and community, more work needs to be done,” Battle said.

Battle hopes the traffic study will enable the county to create positive change in driver behavior. She said Elmont will work with the 5th precinct to improve traffic safety on Dutch Broadway.

Previously, Solages approved several new traffic lights and new digital speed indicators at various intersections along Dutch Broadway. He currently seeks

Mood lighting

approval for a traffic study about Linden Boulevard and is working on another for North Central Avenue.

Solages also feels the $225 million invested by Nassau County is an important step to improving quality of life in Elmont and beyond. His constituents frequent places like Grand Avenue in Baldwin where there has been a sinkhole plaguing the community. He said the county also needs more housing.

“But we cannot achieve more housing if we don’t have an infrastructure to sup-

port that,” Solages said.

The main concern on Dutch Broadway is that motorists speed, causing accidents with pedestrians and cyclists.

“People have continued to speed, and that’s a concern,” Solages said. “Some people have asked me to support speed cameras, which I do not.”

The main issue, according to PierreJohnson, is that Dutch Broadway has several schools on it making it unsafe for children to walk along it.

Herald file photo over the past several

there have been a number of improvements to dutch Broadway. above, construction on an additional crosswalk intended for pedestrian safety.

HERALD sports

NYS adds classification to seven sports

By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

the New York State Public High School Athletic Association is going from a five-classification format to six classifications in seven different sports – boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, baseball and softball – beginning this upcoming school year.

For Nassau and Suffolk County, it means more county champions, more Long Island championship games and more teams competing in state tournaments in those sports. The NYSPHSAA, which last summer voted to approve the new classifications, wanted to create approximate equal numbers across the state in each enrollment classification.

“Every section in the state is different, but for us in what used to be Class A we had more than 30 schools competing for one championship,” Section VIII athletics executive director Pat Pizzarelli said. “Now within that same group there’s an extra opportunity to win a championship.”

For example, Nassau boys and girls basketball had 58 schools compete in the 2022-23 campaign; 15 in Class AA, 34 in Class A and nine in Class B. This coming season, there will be 12 in Class AAA, 24 in Class AA, 17 in Class A, and four in Class B.

Among the second-tiered teams for boys and girls basketball (Class AA) will be Calhoun, Carey, East Meadow (down from the largest grouping), Elmont, Hewlett, Kennedy, Long Beach, MacArthur, Sewanhaka, South Side and Valley Stream Central. Class AA is for schools with an incoming enrollment (grades nine through 11) between 692 and 1,104 for boys, and between 699 and 1,112 for girls. The new Class A numbers are 391691 for boys, and 397-698 for girls.

“With the exception of Floral Park, the new AA schools on the boys side have had the Class A champ for the last 25 years,” said South Side’s Jerry D’Angelo, head coach of the reigning Nassau and Long Island Class A boys’ basketball champions. “So the new setup will give us two county champions among the 41 teams in AA and A.”

Suffolk had 59 boys and girls basketball programs this past winter with 25 competing in Class AA, 22 in Class A and four in Class B. For 2023-24, there would be 18 in Class AAA, 18 in Class AA and 13 in Class A.

Across the board, much of the largest group landscape in Nassau County remains unchanged with many of the fixtures like Baldwin, Farmingdale, Freeport, Massapequa, Plainview, Syosset and Uniondale will vie for a title. However, East Meadow and Valley Stream Central are two schools with dif-

as part

ference classifications based on sport. The Jets remained in AAA in soccer, baseball and softball but dropped to the second largest classification for hoops. The Eagles have an identical setup under the new breakdown but competed in Class A for basketball in recent seasons.

The classification numbers between basketball and soccer are slightly different. For soccer, Class AAA starts at 1,082 students and up on the girls side and 1,090 on the boys side. Softball and baseball breakdowns are closer to soccer than they are basketball, but are all within a range of less than 30.

One minor negative is Nassau and Suffolk will take on an extra expense of securing more postseason venues for some semifinals and finals, and the cost of sending more teams to state competitions.

“It’ll cost a little more money come tournament time with extra playoff games,” Pizzarelli said.

Nassau County softball coordinator Rachel Barry, who coaches Clarke, said the plan at this time is to stick with ability-based conferences during the regular season. “The playoffs will look pretty similar with some smaller brackets,” Barry said. “The extra classification balances our section a little bit better by spreading out the single A schools.

“Suffolk hosts next year’s Long Island championships, so it’s up to them to figure out locations,” she added. “As far as the state championships, softball isn’t going to be impacted as much since we no longer play the semis and finals on the same day. Adding another classification only adds three games to the mix.”

Media Origin Inc./Herald

South Side, the defending Nassau and Long Island Class A boys’ basketball champions, is moving to Class AA this upcoming season

of the new statewide classification setup.

Ron Manfredi/Herald

Baseball is one of seven sports statewide moving from five classifications to six beginning this September.

Research on Asian teenagers’ stress goes global

Continued from page 1

Paul said.

The purpose of the AP Capstone research class is for students to write a paper on a topic that hasn’t been addressed by other research. Topics are usually finalized in late September or October, but Paul didn’t find hers until November 2021.

“I’d like to say I stayed calm throughout the process,” Paul, who plans to attend LIU C.W. Post in the fall, said. “Since I had a late start compared to the rest of my peers, I had to work extra hard.”

When she found her topic, she had to explain to Tsolekas what the Myers-Briggs scales entailed. Even though she started late, he said, he didn’t doubt that she could accomplish her goal.

“I was like, ‘I believe in your confidence,’ and she always knew what she was talking about,” Tsolekas said. “She was very clear on the road and the path that she needed to take.”

Paul said that getting her research published in a peer-review journal means the world to her. She joked that she spent more time working on her paper than she did sleeping during the school year.

“Being able to get it published — it just makes me feel like all the hard work that I put in is finally showing,” she said.

She initially submitted a 46-page paper to the College Board, but she condensed it to 16 pages for the journal. She first thought of publishing her research in the journal when she started sending out the surveys, but once her work was finished, Tsolekas finally persuaded her to pub-

lish it.

“I didn’t think of any of the consequences,” Paul said. “I just went with it.”

They spent last summer submitting the paper to various journals, receiving some very positive rejections that Tsolekas said would suggest other places might be more appropriate for publication — but they never gave up.

“That’s really the most impressive thing,” Tsolekas said. “She was excited about what she was doing.”

The editor in chief of the journal, Joav Merrick, said that Paul’s paper went through the same process as every other paper in the journal. Each paper is sent for peer review, and if accepted, the editor writes to the author about publishing it. He said this process takes a long time.

Paul said she believes she’s the first high school student from Sewanhaka to have research published in a peer review journal. “My mom gave me a huge hug,” Paul said. “My dad gave me a huge smile. They were like, ‘Anjali, this is it.’”

Researching this paper made her briefly think she wanted to be a researcher and study science in college, but her grandfather, who works in a bank, suggested that she should pursue a career in accounting.

“She could literally do anything she wants to do,” Tsolekas said.

Paul, who plans to study accounting at LIU in the fall, said, “If you have a goal, you should strive for it. Don’t think of all the negatives in the situation. Think that you can do it, and it’s possible.”

Courtesy Sewanhaka Central High School District anjali paul’s ap Capstone research paper was published in the international public Health Journal.

Dunn embraces second World Cup experience

By MICHAEL LEWIS sports@liherald.com

Participating in her second Women’s World Cup, Crystal Dunn is living by a simple philosophy: Embrace the moment.

“The question that many of us who have played in the World Cup get is: ‘Oh, it must be easy now’. I’m like, ‘No, it’s not easy now,’ because each World Cup is different,” she said.

This World Cup is different for the Rockville Centre native because Dunn is a mother for the first time. She has brought her 15-month-old son Marcel to New Zealand for the tournament.

“I took a massive amount of time off last year,” she said. “So everything, every moment that led to this moment is so different. It’s a different journey that I didn’t expect to be on. My message to players in their first World Cup is really just embrace it. It’s going to be wild. It’s going to be crazy. There’s going to be moments where you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what did I sign up for?’ But that’s the beauty in it.”

The left back was a member of the 2019 U.S. team that won its second consecutive world championship in France in 2019. The Americans are vying to become the first team — men or women — to capture three successive World Cups.

“We remember that as the last team standing up, you realize that it was also worth it,” she said. “My message to everybody is play with a little bit of noise. It’s not something that you take for granted at all. People are on their fourth World Cup. People are in their first. You just have to embrace it and take that moment

and just smile and laugh with everybody along the way.”

Dunn and her U.S. Women’s National Team teammates got off to a solid start in this year’s tournament, recording a 3-0 win over Vietnam in their opener in Auckland, New Zealand last Saturday. The former South Side High School standout played 84 minutes before she was replaced by Kelly O’Hara. The Americans’ next Group E game is against the Netherlands this Wednesday at 9 p.m. (Fox, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock). They close out group play against Portugal on Aug. 1 at 3 a.m. (same channels.)

Only nine members of the current 23-player U.S. roster competed in France, so the 31-year-old Dunn is one of the team’s most experienced players.

“I find myself in a new role, being more of a veteran player, a leader on this team,” she said, lamenting that team captain and center back Becky Sauerbrunn couldn’t play due to a leg injury. “Becky is a massive loss for us. She is somebody whose impact is felt not only on the field but off the field.

“We’re ruthless,” Dunn continued. “As a backline that’s how we’ve always trained. Becky has been someone who set the tone and the standard for that. Without her being here, we have to be even more collective and relentless in our defending.”

Rockville Centre native Crystal Dunn played 84 minutes in a 3-0 victory for U.S. over Vietnam in last Saturday’s World Cup opener.

Programs for Lifelong Learners at Molloy University!

Learning doesn’t have to end at a certain age—it can be a lifelong pursuit. Molloy University empowers learners of all ages by offering high-quality, flexible and adaptable programs to serve and meet the needs of Long Islanders through two outstanding programs: The Molloy Institute for Lifelong Learning (MILL) which was established in 1992 and the new Sister Mary Celeste Lecture Series. In both programs you learn for the fun of learning in a relaxed environment without assignments, exams or grades.

The MILL program is a membership-based program. Most members are retirees, however, not everyone is retired, nor is this a requisite for membership. All ages are welcome, men and women, singles or couples, as long as there is a willingness to participate in learning and to maintain a rigorous mind. The programs meet in-person one day week during the day: Tuesdays or Fridays in Rockville Centre and Wednesdays in Amityville. Membership is valid from September 1 to August 31 each year and lectures usually start mid-September and runs until mid-June.

The Sister Mary Celeste Lecture Series offers individual courses in a variety of areas, offered in-person during the day for one or more sessions in Rockville Centre. Topics may include, current events, music, art, literature, history, finance, heath, philosophy, technology and more. Whether you’re interested in dabbling in a new hobby or just trying to keep up with technology, there’s a class out there for you. Find

Courtesy Marco Rosa

Fire company marks 100 years of civic duty

The Franklin Square Hose and Chemical Company marked its centennial with an anniversary dinner at the Plattedeutsch Park Restaurant in Franklin Square on July 23.

Formed out of the Munson Fire Company, the Franklin Square Hose and Chemical Company was formed July, 100 years ago. The company’s firehouse was built at the intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and Madison. It is now the WahLuck Chinese Kitchen. The Hose and Chemical had a chemical car with a hose bed on it (No. 1) and a pumper (No. 2).

In contemporary times, the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department works out of the firehouse built in 1959 with these companies and units: Engine Co 1: 711, Engine Co. 2: 712, Hook & Ladder Co 1: 713, EMS Co 1: 7151 & 7152 (unit #715 was retired in the 1980s); Engine Co 3: 716, Fire Police Co 1: 7171 & 7172 (unit #717 was retired in 2011); Heavy Rescue Co 1: 719, Medic car: 7155, Transport units: 718 & 7181(also called 71B) and district maintenance: 714.

— Jeffrey Bessen

Tim Baker/Herald photos

Past and current members, along with family, celebrating the Franklin Square Hose and Chemical Company’s 100 years.

Eleven fire company members show off the citations received from the Nassau County Legislature.

Captain Robert Fineo addressed the guests at the anniversary dinner.

The firematic competition team at the Elmont tournament 91 years ago.

STEPPING OUT

Always in-tune with

Penn & Teller

By Iris Wiener

n its first incarnation since the pandemic, the 24th Annual Long Island Jolson Festival is ready to delight loyal fans once again. The festival’s latest edition, on Saturday, Aug. 12, will bring together devotees for a full day of nostalgia and music, celebrating the talent of Al Jolson — the performer bestowed with the moniker “world’s greatest entertainer.”

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

Jan Hernstat — the International Al Jolson Society’s president, who has helmed the festival since its beginning — is excited to remember the icon, who was a pioneer in many genres in the ‘20s, including music, film (“The Jazz Singer”), and theatre “Hold on to Your Hats”). When Hernstat began the festival many years ago, it was simply because he wanted a platform to show his appreciation for Jolson. It quickly turned into something else.

“It has been fun over the years to bring Jolson to people who don’t normally get to see him,” Hernstat says. “When I started doing this, people came to me and said something which I didn’t really understand: ‘Thank you for doing this service to bring this kind of entertainment that we don’t get to see anymore.’ It was just something that I wanted to do, and as a byproduct, I was making people happy. That’s a good feeling.”

It will be next to impossible not to smile at this year’s festival, which will include a performance from mainstay Tony Babino, who has been treating festivalgoers to the vocal stylings of Jolson for years. He is joined by “Mr. Tin Pan Alley,” Richard Halpern, who is participating in the event — at Lambrou’s in Island Park — all the way from California.

Hernstat explains that Halpern brings a unique set of skills to his Jolson interpretation.

By Karen Bloom

“A lot of people know Jolson from ‘The Jolson Story’ forward,” he says. “He did 20 songs in that film. The majority of people alive today only know those songs and the style in which he did it, which is what Tony emulates. But Richard does Jolson from the ‘20s and ‘30s, the ‘78 (RPM) Jolson,’ as I like to call it. People will get a little contrast, because with Richard, you’re going to get more of the early Jolson and with Tony more of the later Jolson. It’s going to be great.”

• Tickets are $43.95, which includes entertainment and meals; tickets for show only are $29.95

• Information and tickets available at Jolson.org or call Jan Hernstat at (516) 678-3524.

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

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

The famed duo steps away from their Las Vegas residency to bring their act on tour, appearing on the Tilles Center stage. Penn & Teller’s brand of awe-inspiring illusions mixed with buddy-comedy shtick has kept the duo at the very top of the magic profession for the past 45 years. Their trademark is the updating of worn out or archaic routines, such as bullet catching, or their recent adaptation of the classic bag escape trick (their version involved a trash bag and lots of helium). From humble beginnings busking on the streets of Philadelphia to acclaimed sold–out runs on Broadway to the longest running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo continues to defy labels — and at times physics and good taste — by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy. Constantly evolving and refining their unique take on illusion, the pair’s slight of hand always amazes, whether it’s a fresh take on an old ‘trick’ or something altogether new.

Friday and Saturday, July 28, 8 p.m. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets are $94, $84, $58, $48; available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Kevin James

• Lambrou’s Catering Hall, 4073 Austin Blvd., Island Park

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, racial 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 them.”

Also new this year is an appearance by comedian Jeff Greenberg, a longtime society member known for his humorous act, frequently performing near his New Jersey home. The comedy doesn’t end there. Bob Greenberg (no relation) will be tickling the funny bone as characters from oldies acts, such as Oliver Hardy, Ralph Kramden and Lou Costello. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to meet Brian Gari, grandson of the late performer Eddie Cantor, Jolson’s showbiz contemporary, and can check out a slew of memorabilia from Jolson’s era.

Hernstat is intent on keeping Jolson’s legacy front and center in the public eye.

He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs

Great American Comedy Festival, 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.

media and everyone knows you all over the world. When Jolson first started

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 Karen Albert. “The initial idea for this exhibition was inspired by Administration White House briefing that took place on May 12, 2009, 60 artists and creative organizers met with administration officials to collective power of the arts to build community, create change, and chart national recovery in the areas of social justice, civic participation and unlike other recent exhibits that showcased the museum’s collection, Giordano reached out to contemporary artists who loaned selected works. Some 36 pieces are on view — representing Emma Amos, Molly Crabapple and the Equal Justice Initiative, Miguel Luciano, Michele Pred,

“He was the first true superstar. In fact, the word ‘superstar’ was not even coined yet,” he says. “He was an international star at a time when there was no real media to promote what he did. Now all you have to do is go on social media and everyone knows you all over the world. When Jolson first started out, there weren’t talking movies, there’s wasn’t radio and TV. For somebody to be as big as he was worldwide, it really talks about your talent. It is a wonderful experience to celebrate his talent, his singing, and his voice.”

When Hernstat reflects on years past, he fondly remembers welcoming entertainers to his gathering, such as Sheldon Harnick (“Fiddler on the Roof” lyricist and songwriter), radio and television superstar Margaret Whiting, and comedian Soupy Sales.

“I don’t want this festival to die,” Hernstat says. “There’s still people out there that love Jolson. I always tell people, ‘We’re not looking to convert you to become a Jolson fan, we just want to find the ones out there who are and let them know that they have this outlet for their enjoyment.’”

Hank Willis Thomas, and Sophia

Yarn/Wire

Now in its 18th year, Adelphi University’s ‘new music’ series welcomes Yarn/Wire. The intrepid New York-based piano-percussion quartet has forged a singular path with

The ‘King of Queens,’ ‘Mall Cop,’ ‘Kevin Can Wait,’ and Larry (of ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry’) — Kevin James wears many hats. Catch his comedic brilliance when he returns to his Long Island roots with his Irregardless Tour. Young Kevin was a promising college football fullback until the acting bug bit him. After spending his junior summer with the local community theatre, he realized getting laughs was a bigger rush than stopping running backs from scoring a first down. James took to the comedy circuit where he soon made a name for himself, receiving the deal that every struggling comedian dreams of: The chance to develop and star in his own sitcom. The result was ‘King of Queens,’ and the rest is history. Now, he’s back on the stage with his everyman comedy and warm deadpan delivery. He’ll regale everyone with his quietly hilarious observations on life, fatherhood, and the simple absurdities of the world.

Saturday, July 29, 7:30 p.m. $99.50, $79.50, $69.50, $49.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Courtesy L.I. Jolson Festival

Top photo: Al Jolson as he appeared in his film ‘The Singing Kid’ in 1936. Middle photo: Jolson enthusiast Joe Wiener with festival mainstay Tony Babino.

Bottom photo: Vocalist Richard Halpern performs the standards of the era in his first festival appearance.

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

The longtime festival is a lively tribute to the ‘World’s Greatest Entertainer’

Oliver out

Aug. 4

Doo-Wop Oldies Spectacular

Revisit the golden oldies with Peter Lemongello Jr. in “An Evening To Remember,” with The Fabulous Acchords, The Tribunes and Teresa McClean, Friday, Aug. 4, 7:30 p.m. With their polished vocal skills and dynamic stage presence, these artists deliver a night of unforgettable entertainment in an energetic show that is pure nostalgia, filled with unforgettable tunes. Headliner Peter Lemongello Jr., is acclaimed as the most explosive and exciting doo-wop performer to appear on the scene in 40 years. The son of singer Peter Lemongello, Peter Jr. has appeared on “American Idol” and performed with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Chubby Checker and Lloyd Price, among others. He’s joined by acapella group The Tribunes, renowned for their authentic New York-bred street-corner harmonies, and The Fabulous Acchords, known for their impeccable harmonies, who captivate audiences with their blend of classic and contemporary songs, spanning genres and eras. The concert, produced by Gene DiNapoli, also features a special appearance by Teresa McClean, who takes everyone on an enthusiastic musical journey with her signature vocals and lush orchestration. $49, $39, $29; available at LandmarkOnMainStreet.org. or (917) 567-5842. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington.

On exhibit

View the landmark exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait,” at Nassau County Museum of Art. Devoted to the way that Modigliani powerfully re-defined the art of portraiture, the show includes his masterworks along with paintings and drawings by his Parisian contemporaries (Picasso, van Dongen, Laurencin). Modigliani’s enduring influence on artists even in our own time is shown in a selection of Contemporary paintings by such important figures as David Hockney, Eric Fischl, Elizabeth Peyton and others. The exhibition is being curated by Dr. Kenneth Wayne, founder of The Modigliani Project, which authenticates paintings and drawings (two of the works in the show have been recently approved by the committee). Through Nov. 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

July 28

Summer tunes

Get in the Motown groove with Dr. K’s Motown Revue, at Eisenhower Park, Friday, July 28, 8 p.m. The band’s dynamic renditions of those great tunes are performed with passion and conviction in true Motown style. With special guest Chicken Head. Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow. For information, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.

Hot Diggity Dog

It’s barbecue season and Long Island Children’s Museum is feeling in the spirit, Kids can celebrate National Hot Dog Month by making a customized hot dog craft to bring home, at the drop-in program, Sunday, July 30, 1-3 p.m. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Aug.

‘Grease’ trivia

Play “Grease”-themed trivia, hosted by Elmont Memorial Library, Thursday Aug. 3, Participants have until 9 p.m. to respond to questions. Prize is $25 Amazon gift card. Email Theresa at thereseaowens8@ gmail.com with the subject Elmont/Grease for questions Visit ElmontLibrary.org for information.

Aug. 17

Write on: College essay workshop

Not sure how to get started on your college essay? The Hofstra University Admission Office is offering a virtual workshop to help high school students learn the skills to tell their story in a way that helps them stand out. The final session, Thursday, Aug. 17, 4-5 p.m., is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Hear from Hofstra Admission counselors about how to brainstorm topics, and compose a thoughtful essay that shows your personality, talents and interests. For more information about Hofstra Admission’s other virtual summer workshops, go to Admission.Hofstra.edu/ portal/virtual_admission_ webinars. To schedule a summer in-person visit go to: Hofstra.edu/visit.

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.

Museum exhibition

See a new special exhibit on loan to the Franklin Square Museum, “Immigration from Italy and Germany.” Visit the museum and view this fascinating exhibit, on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2 to 4 p.m. 861 Naple Ave., Franklin Square.

Having an event?

Storybook Stroll

Bring the kids to Old Westbury Gardens for a storybook adventure, Saturday, Aug. 5, 10:3011:30 a.m. Stroll the gardens and open your ears to Kirsten Hall’s modern tale “The Honeybe.” Later create a unique take home craft. For ages 3-5. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information visit OldWestburyGardens. org or contact (516) 3330048.

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.

Westbury House Tour

For many years visitors to Westbury House For many years visitors to Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens asked what was beyond the first floor corridor. Now go beyond the door and discover “secrets of the service wing,” during a 60-minute guided tour, Friday, July 28, noon; Sunday, July 30, 3 p.m.; Monday, July 31, noon; Sunday, Aug. 6, 1:30 p.m. Be introduced to the intensive labor required to create the lifestyle experienced by the Phipps family and their guests; tour the many rooms that were “behind the scenes” to create the formal dining experiences of early 20th century. Go along the corridors to the butler’s pantry and silver cleaning room then descend the 17 steps to the kitchen, scullery, and wine storage rooms located on the ground floor. Reservations required. 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens.org.

Art talk

Sept. 7

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture,” now back on-site at Nassau County Museum of Art, Thursday, Sept. 7, 1 p.m. Enjoy an in-depth presentation on the current exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program and to join the 2 p.m. public tour of the exhibit. Also Oct. 19. 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Hunger 5K

Community Corporation hosts a 5K Run & Walk, Sunday, July 30, in Eisenhower Park. For more information, call (516) 612-4400 or go to GivingBackToCommunity.org.

In concert

Legends of Country, featuring Gary Hyatt, perform music from the most renowned artists of the genre, Friday, July 28, at 12:30, p.m., at Elmont Public Library theater. Hear Steel guitar as well country fiddle. 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont. Free admission. First-come, firstseated. Visit ElmontLibrary. org. for information.

Exploring Britain’s Long Island occupation

By LARA MURRAY-STERZEL

Intern

American history is a long and complicated tale to tell. But there are still those venturing into the past to uncover stories never told during the making of our country.

“Chronicles of the British Occupation of Long Island” is a new book by David M. Griffin, taking readers back in time to the Revolutionary War when people lived in fear of the British’s brutal power, while slowly gaining a patriotic desire for freedom.

Griffin is an independent researcher and author who’s always been driven to the history of the Revolutionary War, especially in New York region. When he completed his first book, “Lost British Forts of Long Island” in 2017, Griffin reached out to The History Press, a publishing company known for its collection of history books in communities on Long Island and elsewhere.

He was put in touch with acquisitions editor, Banks Smithers, and the two have worked together ever since. When Griffin came to Smithers about the idea of focusing on the British occupation of this part of the world, the two began shaping his current idea into the story it is today.

The novel follows a narrative story between 1776 and 1783, giving a human aspect to what it was like to experience life on Long Island during British rule. Griffin wanted to explore the British movement and American spy activity through various sources from the time.

To do this, he read historical books and even stud-

ied a period diary, which is referenced in the book about what was discussed, heard and spoken when the British loomed over Long Island.

“It’s very hard to write about the time because everything was very secretive,” Griffin said. “So, stories and the order of things that were happening on the island were hidden. You have to rely on a lot of different accounts from different writers.”

He provided images in his novel — some of which included maps the British used as a part of their network — as well as photographs of historical houses where British soldiers were sheltered as part of quartering laws. Griffin thought by showing these, it would create a certain historical depth for the reader.

After a year of writing, the book was published in July and is expected to arrive soon at Long Island bookstores. The History Press hopes to schedule book events once the stores have received the novel.

Griffin sees his book as rather dark because of the topics it covers, focused on how the power over land divided people. Even when Colonists endured the unpredictable effects that led up to — and included — the Revolutionary War, Griffin was shocked at how long the British stayed on Long Island and what they did.

Which made his research all that more compelling.

“I learned a lot more about the conditions of dayto-day life under martial law in the book,” Smithers said. “David paints a harrowing picture of occupied Long Island — something entirely unfamiliar to today’s Long Islanders — and thus exceedingly interesting.”

Courtesy David M. Griffin

David M. Griffin’s book — ‘Chronicles of the British Occupation of Long Island’ — is expected to hit bookstores soon, especially on Long Island.

DAviD M. GRiffin

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice of formation of SMASH HOUSE LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 3/30/23. Office located in Nassau SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process 142 Opal Street Elmont NY 1003. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

140313

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE OF CHALET SERIES III TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. RICARDO BEST, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on May 12, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 717 Lenore Lane, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 32, Block 710 and Lot 17. Approximate amount of judgment is $523,660.65 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 003769/2016. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Ellen Durst, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Firm File No.: 202908-1 140669

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated May 08, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST is the Plaintiff and VINA ARCHER A/K/A VINA HUGGINS AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE TO THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH ARCHER,, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on August 8, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 55 DIAMOND STREET, ELMONT, NY 11003: Section 32, Block 671, Lot 13: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN ELMONT, IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 007805/2016. Stephen Frommer, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

140650

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF LSF9

MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, V. CHANTALE TERLONGE, ET. AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on August 8, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 2255 PARKHURST ROAD, ELMONT, NY 11003: Section 32, Block

714, Lot 24: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 006363/2012.

Mark Ricciardi, Esq.Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

140648

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that a license, number (Pending) for beer, cider, liquor and wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, cider, liquor and wine at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 74 Elmont Road, Elmont, Nassau County, NY 11003, for on premises consumption.

Francine Barbee, Barbee’s Restaurant & Lounge Inc.

140795

LEGAL NOTICE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Fire Commissioners will meet on Monday, August 7, 2023, at 7:00 pm at Fire District Headquarters, 833 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square, NY for a 2024 Budget Preparation Workshop.

BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS

FRANKLIN SQUARE & MUNSON FIRE DISTRICT

Attest: Kerry Santina Fire District Secretary July 19, 2023

140924

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

3:30PM, premises known as 602 Porter Street, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 32 Block 547 Lots 6-10. Approximate amount of judgment $658,413.68 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 615470/2018. 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.”

Peter Kramer, Esq., Referee

(516) 510-4020

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: July 18, 2023

140913

LEGAL NOTICE

NASSAU - INDEX NO.: 615850/2022SUMMONS. Plaintiff designates NASSAU COUNTY as the place of trial based upon the location of the premises herein described having tax map Section 32, Block 606, Lot 162A & 162B, ELMONT, NY, County of NASSAU - CMG MORTGAGE, INC., PLAINTIFF, -againstAQUIRA NEAL-CLARKE

Army guard soldier Jamanram receives his sergeant stripes

Franklin Square native Brandon Jamanram was recently promoted in the New York Army National Guard. As of July 12, he now holds the rank of sergeant in the Company A, Recruiting & Retention Battalion in recognition of his capability of additional responsibility and leadership.

“Army National Guard promotions are based on a soldier’s overall performance, demonstrated leadership abilities, professionalism and future development potential,” Guard officials said in a news release.

Courtesy New York Army National Guard

The New York Army National Guard promoted Brandon Jamanram, from Franklin Square, to sergeant. Above, Cpl. Darren Kuney and Spc. Alexander Mistretta operated the Dronebuster during counter-unmanned aerial systems training near Pabrade, Lithuania, last month.

Army National Guard Citizen Soldiers are eligible for monthly pay, educational benefits, global travel, technical and leadership training, health and dental insurance and contributions toward retirement programs similar to a 401(k).

There are nearly 20,000 members in New York’s Military Forces, which

includes the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Naval Militia and the New York Guard.

For more information about the New York Army National Guard, visit www. dmna.ny.gov or www.1800goguard.com.

— Rei Wolfsohn

Public Notices Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST, V.

VINA ARCHER A/K/A

VINA HUGGINS AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE TO THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH ARCHER,, ET. AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated May 24, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein U.S.

BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST is the Plaintiff and CHANTALE TERLONGE, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as Trustee for WaMu

Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-PR4 Trust, Plaintiff

AGAINST

Amena Khawja a/k/a

Amena Khawaja; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

duly entered June 29, 2023 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 August 28, 2023 at

A/K/A AQUIRA CLARKE, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SHANTAY NEAL, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, Any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirsat law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of SHANTAY NEAL, deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees, all of whom

and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff, “JOHN DOE #2” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, DEFENDANTS. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff’s Attorney within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the

attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered against you and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: Syosset, New York, July 13, 2023. Roach & Lin, P.C., attorney for Plaintiff, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, NY 11791. Tel: 516-938-3100. To the above named defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. David P. Sullivan, a Justice of the Supreme Court, State of New York, dated April 19, 2023 and filed with the NASSAU County Clerk together with the supporting papers thereon. This is an

action to foreclose a mortgage held by Plaintiff on the premises known as Section 32, Block 606, Lot 162A & 162B, ELMONT, NY, County of NASSAU as described in the complaint on file and commonly known as 1588 WOODSTOCK STREET, ELMONT, NY 11003. 77192 140765

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 Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on August 25, 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 in 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 140866

Help Wanted RECEPTIONIST P/T

Busy Cedarhurst Office

Sundays & Some Week Days

Answering Phones, Filing, And Scheduling Appointments Must Be Computer Literate Call 516-374-1010

THE FRIEDBERG JCC Before/After School Program is seeking passionate and hardworking high school/ college counselors. Before Care hours: 7am-9am. After School hours: 2:45PM-6PM. If interested, send your resume to Program Director Toni Corchado: TCorchado@friedbergjcc.org or call 516-634-4179

Child/Eldercare/Help Wanted

NANNY NEEDED EXPERIENCED

Live-In Or Live-Out

Monday - Friday

English/Spanish Speaking Call 516-672-4040

Eldercare Offered

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

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How tall can houses be?

Q. A few homes in my neighborhood are much taller. What are the rules for how tall a house can be — like how many floors, and what is legal? I mostly see only two stories, but the new ones are at least three. Is this a new thing that you can build taller? Was it just traditional to only build two stories until now?

A. The thinking on allowed height has changed recently. Hurricane Sandy’s flooding moved New York to promote house lifting in flood zones. Influence also came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which, in essence, is really a publicly funded insurance company, covering people in areas where regular home insurance companies avoid the risk of insuring.

The incentive to lift or build higher is to avoid huge flood insurance cost increases — building above flood levels, with the lowest level only allowed to be for a garage and storage, not living space. By making the first livable floor higher, above the flood level, insurance rates are kept lower. People have shown me their rates went from $500 to $2,500 dollars a year, increasing annually since Sandy in 2012.

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Some homes are much higher than codes and incentives intended, due to misinterpretation of reasons to build higher and misrepresentation in the review process. For example, a home’s first floor is no longer a first floor if it’s higher than 6 feet above the ground. Over 6 feet high, the floor level automatically becomes a second floor, meaning the next floor above is a third floor, which requires zoning board approval, interior sprinklers, escape terraces and wind strengthening. I have seen home plans misrepresented as being two stories by not correctly showing the floor level heights or describing a second floor as a first floor, the next floor as a second floor that is really a third floor — even where a fourth floor is shown as a mezzanine or roof level balcony.

There is a small country town in Tuscany, in central Italy, San Gimignano, that is famous for its skyline of towers that people built onto their homes during medieval times. As the story goes, one prominent homeowner built a tall tower to watch for potential attackers. His neighbor jealously built a tower a little higher, and, not to be outdone, several adjacent homeowners began building towers higher and higher.

History repeats itself. Thirty feet from the new design flood elevation, which may be 2 to 4 feet higher off the ground, could make the maximum roof height 34 to 35 feet in your town. The safety code intends to protect people from perishing in fires, so indoor sprinklers are part of the requirement Decisions to build higher have to take community safety and appearance into account, so height restrictions have been intended to make escape and rescue easier. Statistically, only 5 percent of occupants on a third floor survive a fire. That’s the reason for height restrictions, so taller homes require more safety features.

© 2023 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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Is it time for Yankees and Mets fans to ask for a refund?

Regardless of the heat wave, I love summer, compared with the brutal wind blasts of December. I know that the summer climate doesn’t satisfy everyone, but the chance to breathe the warm air and be greeted with the bright sunshine is very comforting to me. Summer makes me happy, but I must confess to being very irritated by one subject. I refer to the Yankees and the Mets.

Once upon a time, during my very naïve years, I was told that money buys anything. I didn’t really believe that, because with the passage of time, I saw many instances in which money bought nothing. I know wealthy couples who are the most miserable people. I’ve watched companies flush with money fall apart due to mismanagement.

But I wonder how two great sports franchises, flush with cash, can perform so badly.

Being a lifelong Yankees fan, I will start with my gripes about them.

Media reports indicate that the current payroll of the team is around $280 million, which places them close to the top of the list of the big spenders.

With that kind of money and a fan base that pours millions of dollars into the club treasury, how can management justify the fact that their team is in last place in the American League East?

There’s no doubt that Aaron Judge’s toe injury has been a major setback. But there are many other players who take the field each day and do nothing to win or make the loyal fan base happy. If you follow them as I do, they look like a bunch of people who just show up to collect a paycheck and go home.

They are listless, bored and totally disconnected with the job of keeping baseball America’s so-called pastime.

If these players were street sweepers, I could understand their listlessness. Pushing a broom can be a very dull job. But when players are paid millions of dollars, the fans are entitled to watch a team that is energized and trying to succeed. Have you ever watched the Little League World

Series? It pays to tune in and watch kids yell and scream when a teammate gets a base hit. They hug a fellow player when he strikes out to encourage him to do better the next time he’s at the plate.

There are many big league examples of hunger for victory. The Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays are good examples. Their players come out to play with smiles on their faces and are determined to win. The lack of passion that the Yankees display is similar to what I observe about this year’s Mets team.

The Mets’ owner, Steve Cohen is a very wealthy man. He can buy just about anything he wants just by dialing his cellphone. He has invested billions in a team that has been called one of the best that money could buy. When he broke the bank to hire Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Mets fans were jumping for joy.

The rest of the lineup is All-Star quality, but the team could end up in fourth or worse in the NL East at season’s end.

When some team owners speak to

the sportswriters, they sound like the kid who claims the dog ate his homework. They moan about injuries and claim that it will be just a matter of time before their players catch fire. They’re afraid to complain about their players for fear of upsetting them. They seem to forget about the dollars they’re shelling out to those employees.

Many of us longtime Yankees fans wish George Steinbrenner was still alive. When he was, and Yankees players failed to perform, he publicly excoriated them.

And Steinbrenner was never reluctant to trade away a player who didn’t meet his standards.

It’s possible that the Yankees, and the Mets, too, will shake up their teams by the Aug. 1 trade deadline. And maybe they’ll send out a few blunt messages that we long-suffering New York fans are entitled to get our money’s worth when we buy those very expensive tickets.

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.

Food for thought: Whose tuna is it anyway?

We all have our breaking points, and I discovered my husband’s last Thursday evening after we arrived at a nearby restaurant for dinner. We had been there once before. The place had good word of mouth, and the reviews said the service was friendly and the food was imaginatively prepared. Perhaps we should have lingered longer over the word “imaginatively.”

We were dining with one of our favorite people, our daughter, and my husband wanted it to be a special treat for her.

We were seated by one of the friendly staff, and he made a point of removing the white napkins and offering us black ones, saying, “These won’t leave lint on your black slacks.”

“I’m impressed, “ I said. “What a thoughtful accommodation.”

Don was perusing the menu. “I

know what I’m having,” he said, with great relish. “The tuna steak with bok choy and wasabi potatoes.” Our daughter said she would have the same.

I saw trouble looming on the horizon, and it had fins.

The waiter arrived to take our orders.

“I’ll have the tuna, cooked medium,” my daughter said.

The waiter looked pained. “We cook the tuna rare,” he said. “Medium, with pink on the inside, is as far as we’ll go.” She said that was fine.

But it wasn’t fine with the big guy. “I would like the same,” my husband purred, “but I want mine well done. I don’t do pink.”

The waiter looked stricken. “I’m sorry, sir, but the chef won’t cook it past medium.”

“I know how I like my tuna,” Don said, quite reasonably. “I won’t send it back because it’s too well done. I like it that way. It’s my dinner, and I want it cooked the way I want to eat it.”

The waiter fetched the manager,

who remembered us from the week before. “Sir, you sent your tuna back three times last week,” he said.

“That’s right,” Don said. ”Because it was raw each time, even though I ordered it well done.”

“I’m sorry,” the manager said. “But the chef won’t cook it past medium.”

“You mean to tell me that I’m paying for this dinner and I have to eat it the way the chef likes it?”

“Sorry sir.”

“I assume the chef is the owner,” my husband said.

“Yes, sir.”

“And he doesn’t care if he loses a customer?”

“No, sir. He serves his tuna purple in the middle.”

By now my husband was turning purple himself. He canceled the tuna and ordered a vegetable plate.

Our daughter suggested we try to reframe the situation.

“You’re so angry, Dad. Try to think of this from the chef’s point of view. He’s a food artist. He’s the Van Gogh of food, and you’re saying to him,

Randi is on a brief leave. This column was originally published Jan. 13-19, 2000.

“What’s with all the blue swirls? Paint me polka dots.”

The big guy wasn’t in the mood to reframe. “He can paint all the blue swirls he wants, but I don’t have to eat them. This guy is telling me that if I want to eat the meal I want to eat, I have to eat it the way he enjoys it.”

I see it as a control issue: Yes, you will. No, I won’t. The chef was a prima donna, an incarnation of “Seinfeld’s” soup Nazi. My husband couldn’t get the meal he wanted, which is, after all, the general idea of dining out, and he was right.

Scrambled eggs with ketchup, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, burnt steaks, matzo balls hard as hockey pucks: culinary idiosyncrasies are an American tradition. In the future, when we hear about a restaurant where there’s an artist at the burners, we will dine elsewhere.

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

RANDI KREISS

At a nearby restaurant, I saw trouble looming on the horizon, and it had fins.

Many of us Bronx Bombers fans wish George Steinbrenner was still alive.

opInIons Local news is good for business

It’s no secret that recent years have been tough on small businesses and on newspapers.

A bipartisan bill, the Community News & Small Business Support Act that has been introduced in Congress, would offer relief to both newspapers and local businesses.

For too many newspapers, help can’t come soon enough. Economic challenges have resulted in too many communities seeing their local newspapers being forced to lay off staff, cut back on publication days, or — worse yet — close. On average, two newspapers are closing each week. That hurts local businesses and residents in the long (and short) run.

However, despite the challenges, what remains true is that local newspapers make a difference in their communities.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at the numbers, and why America’s Newspapers has been pushing for the Community News & Small Business Support Act to be introduced.

A recent national study of 5,000 Americans older than 18 was conducted by the independent research firm Coda Ventures for America’s Newspapers, and provides compelling evidence of the importance, relevance and vitality of today’s newspapers in the American media landscape.

Readers told us that their local newspaper makes a difference. The study shows that 79 percent of Americans read/use local news “to stay informed” about their cities, counties and communities. They also said they rely on their local paper to feel connected to their community. To decide where they stand on local issues. To find places and things to do. To talk with people about things happening in the commu-

Letters

We need to hear much more from Peter King

To the Editor:

nity, because they find it enjoyable or entertaining, and to be a better citizen.

And, contrary to popular belief, readers across all age groups turn to local newspapers and their digital products to stay informed about their communities.

Readers also told us they need more local news from their community paper. As one survey respondent said, “Our paper keeps getting smaller. I would like to see more news items, what’s happening in town, what’s new in politics, etc. And they need to be quicker to respond to breaking news.”

All of that takes a committed, local staff — something the legislation, introduced by U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, of New York, and Rep. Suzan DelBene, of Washington, will help to make happen.

So, what would this legislation mean to your local community?

Local businesses with fewer than 50 employees would receive a five-year nonrefundable tax credit of up to $5,000 in the first year, and up to $2,500 in the subsequent four years, based on their spending with local newspapers and local media. Our study showed that six out of 10 American adults use newspaper advertising to help them decide what brands, products and local services to buy.

Newspaper readers also are almost twice as likely to purchase products in a number of important advertising categories than nonnewspaper readers, including automobiles, trucks and SUVs; home furnishings; home improvement products and services; and home services like pest control, plumbing and heating.

With this legislation, we expect to see more businesses being able to afford to advertise to consumers, which in turn helps communities thrive.

For local newspapers, a five-year refundable tax credit would help them hire more journalists to bring you more news. It’s a win-win for local communities.

Newspapers would receive a tax credit to be

used for the compensation of journalists. The credit would cover 50 percent of journalists’ compensation in the first year, and 30 percent of compensation — up to $50,000 — in the subsequent four years.

This tax credit would only be available to local community papers with fewer than 750 employees and, if they don’t invest in their newsroom, they don’t get the credit.

And these tax credits are only available to local newspapers. National newspaper outlets are not eligible.

The importance of local newspapers and local business is the reason Reps. Tenney and DelBene introduced the legislation. We are most grateful for their support.

We need your support, as well, to encourage legislators to enact this legislation. Please contact the offices of your senators and representatives in Congress and encourage them to add their support to this legislation.

These tax credits aren’t permanent — they will sunset in five years. But those critical five years will allow the newspaper industry the time needed to address the challenges that it is facing from Big Tech, which often uses newspapers’ content without compensation, as well as other technological and market challenges. Visit USA.gov/elected-officials for the contact information for your legislators.

More local reporting means more access for hometown news readers like you rely on. And stronger newspapers mean stronger advertising vehicles for local businesses.

On behalf of its approximately 1,700 newspaper and Solutions Partner companies, America’s Newspapers is committed to explaining, defending and advancing the vital role of newspapers in democracy and civil life. We put an emphasis on educating the public on all the ways newspapers contribute to building a community identity and the success of local businesses.

Learn more at Newspapers.org.

Dean Ridings is chief executive of the advocacy organization America’s Newspapers.

Re Peter King’s column last week, “At this dinner, true patriotism was on vivid display”: Mr. King’s columns have been mildly interesting, often nostalgic, but the deprive us of his greatest asset. As a former congressman with long experience as a respectable Republican, his informed opinion is valuable to Long Island. Recounting the Patriot Awards Dinner is interesting and nostalgic, but the present need for heroes is expressed only as wishful thinking. Noting the heroes and the 9/11 terrorists should not blind us to the present terrorist threat.

Candidate Donald Trump proclaims the constitutional right to do anything he wants as president. He further details the goals of his mission of “retribution,” involving destruction, uprooting, elimination and the like. His militant acolytes sign on, his team details the means by which they’ll establish an autocracy during

Hochul should sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act

If we are going to save the planet, we need to start by saving the bees. Bees and other pollinators are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat, but the global decline in honeybee populations has long been documented. Last year, New York beekeepers lost 45 percent of their bee colonies, one of the highest loss rates on record.

New York’s native bees and pollinators are at risk of local extinction. The fewer pollinators we have, the fewer fruits and vegetables we will be able to grow. We know bee populations are declining dramatically, yet there is resistance in New York to addressing the main culprit in these losses: neonicotinoid pesticides. They are toxic, and they are killing bees and harming Long Island.

Neonicotinoids, or “neonics,” are the most commonly used pesticide in New York and on the Island. They are best known for their harm to wildlife, but they are also being found in Long

Island’s groundwater. The Birds and Bees Protection Act, which both the Assembly and the State Senate have passed, addresses the core of New York’s neonic contamination problem by prohibiting the needless and replaceable uses of this toxic pesticide, thus eliminating 80 to 90 percent of the neonics entering the state’s environment. Now we need Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the bill into law.

In recent years, an avalanche of peer-reviewed science has emerged indicating that neonics are not only a major threat to the health of bees and other pollinators, but also pollute water resources, threaten birds and other wildlife, and raise concerns about human health impacts. Neonics may be the most environmentally damaging pesticide since DDT, and action must be taken now to address this growing threat to our environment, health, food and pollinators.

Neonics are highly water-soluble and can quickly move through soil into our waterways. Used on lawns and gardens, they can be sprayed at higher rates and enter our waterways as stormwater runoff. So it’s no wonder we are seeing

Letters

2025, his media broadcast the message, his donors unsheathe their checkbooks.

Surely the honorable Mr. King has some thoughts on these proposed alterations to the government he helped to preserve? Or on the character of some of those he served with? Or on the unusual tactics of Tommy Tuberville, Marjorie Taylor Greene or Jim Jordan? Mr. King must feel something about marionettes like George Santos replacing serious public servants like himself. Mr. King’s service is recent and thus still relevant, but it will become less so with time. The time to speak, to advise, is now.

BrIAN KELLY Rockville Centre

Protect chimps — and unborn babies

To the Editor:

re randi Kreiss’s column last week, “Chimps face N.Y. court test of personhood” (reprised from Jun 11-17, 2015): I usually don’t agree with randi, because we have different political outlooks and worldviews, but this time I do, because cruelty is morally wrong. There are exceptions such as war, but those are rare.

Her quote from Jane Goodall and reference to chimpanzees’ similar DNA were poignant. Why, then, don’t we all extend

the same concern to creatures that share 100 percent of our DNA — an exact match, actually? And these creatures look “just like a human baby,” because they are human, and in fact “persons,” regardless of what current laws say. But unfortunately, most people are like randi’s dinner crowd, who “just couldn’t care about what happens to chimpanzees” — or unborn human children.

I challenge randi to use her own logic to help defend the unborn.

And I will contribute to janegoodall.org.

JACK HOLLAND Baldwin

Some of us know what teachers go through

To the Editor:

re Mark Nolan’s column in last week’s Herald, “You have no idea with teachers deal with”: Yep — all sad but true. My wife is a retired first-grade teacher. It’s hard to believe that so much starts there, but it does.

Yes, teachers are well paid, but most of them really earn it! Thanks to them, and God bless them.

DICK CArDOzO Westbury

widespread contamination of the state’s rivers, streams, ponds, and marine environments. The alarming ability of neonics to contaminate water resources is particularly concerning for Long Island’s sole-source aquifer.

Imidacloprid, one of the most used neonics, is found in hundreds of products on the market. It’s used on lawns, turf, golf courses, gardens, farms, pets, ornamental plantings, and in households.

United States Geological Survey monitoring of Long Island groundwater in 2016 found imidacloprid to be one of the most frequently detected pesticides, present in approximately 31 percent of samples taken.

State Department of Environmental Conservation groundwater testing data revealed that imidacloprid was the most common pesticide found in Long Island groundwater, with 890 detections in 179 locations. Long Island is designated as a sole-source drinking water area, meaning that 100 percent of our drinking water comes from groundwater aquifers.

The ubiquitous and unnecessary use of these pesticides is damaging our

drinking water quality and threatening our health. Clean and safe drinking water is a basic human need, and neonics put that at risk.

There is growing scientific evidence of how neonicotinoids threaten human health. Several studies link neonic exposure to developmental harm, including malformations of the developing heart and brain. The longer we wait to ban the most dangerous uses of neonics, the longer we expose New Yorkers to this neurotoxin and amplify the adverse health impacts of chronic prolonged exposure. The Birds and Bees Protection Act targets the heart of New York’s neonic pollution problem. It would prohibit neonic-treated corn, soybean and wheat seeds as well as ornamental uses on lawns, gardens and golf courses.

The State Senate and Assembly passed the bill this legislative session. Now we need Hochul to stand up to the pesticide industry and the chemical companies who are hard at work, aggressively lobbying her to veto the bill. Protecting public health and saving the bees are in the public interest, which needs to be prioritized over corporate interests. We need the governor to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act.

Framework by Tim Baker

Guess what’s all the rage at Little Doll Studio? — Rockville Centre

Adrienne Esposito is executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

toxic pesticides are killing bees and are being found in L.I.’s groundwater.

aDrIenne esposIto