Franklin Square/Elmont
CoMMunity uPDate infections as of Dec. 13, 2020
3,568
infections as of Dec. 6, 2020 3,291
HERALD
Commissioner election results
Covid vaccine comes to nassau
Woman donates burial plot
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$1.00
DeCeMBeR 17- 23, 2020
Vol. 22 no. 51
Seeking a more diverse school experience Muslims continue push for Eid holiday inclusion the October virtual Board of Education meeting, but were once again told that the board One by one, Muslim parents would not be making any deciand students took to the lectern sions about the school calendar. of the Sewanhaka Central High “They’re pretty much leaving School District board room last us hanging,” said Farhana year to describe how difficult it Islam, a New Hyde Park parent was for them to celebrate the Eid who is leading the effort to get holidays while also the Eid holidays — attending school, Eid al-Adha and and to ask the Eid al-Fitr — recogBoard of Educanized in the Cention to include tral High School Muslim observancDistrict. es on future school Islam began calendars. petitioning the They were told New Hyde Parkt h a t t h e b o a r d FaRhana islaM Garden City Park would consider the New Hyde Park mother Union Free School proposal when it District to add the finalized the 2020two holidays — 21 school schedule, but the board considered the most important soon had to focus its efforts on days in the Islamic faith — to its continuing education during a calendars back in 2018, but the global pandemic, and the Mus- elementary school board tabled lim holidays were ultimately the request until more absences never added to the school calen- of Muslim students were recorddars. ed on those days. Now, those Muslim parents Determining how many Musand students are renewing their lim students live in a school discalls for inclusion. They sent the trict could be difficult, however, board their thoughts on the mat- Islam said, because the U.S. Center in public-comment form for Continued on page 14
By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com
Christina Daly/Herald
Finding light in the darkness Rabbi Chaim Blachman lit the menorah on the fourth night of Hanukkah at the Elmont Jewish Center’s annual menorah lighting. Attendance was strictly limited this year due to Covid-19 protocols.
Offering the gift of giving
Elmont woman brightens holidays of needy families By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com
Growing up with seven sisters and three brothers in East Harlem, Elizabeth Forbes didn’t have much, and until she was 13, she thought that houses lined with Christmas lights and presents piled up under large evergreen trees were just fictions created by television producers. It wasn’t until 1994, when her family went to Queens to visit her
aunt and uncle, that she learned the truth. Forbes was overwhelmed by the sights as they crossed the Triborough Bridge and pulled up to a house with a bay window, she recounted, and when her aunt handed out presents to all of her siblings, she waited anxiously for her name to be called and prayed that there was a gift for her as well. As it turned out, there were three, and as she unwrapped each of them, she
was overcome with excitement and gratitude that someone had thought of her during the holiday season. Now, Forbes is making sure that other children in Elmont, where she lives with her husband and six sons, have that same experience. Inspired by her aunt’s generosity, and moved by the stories her neighbors told of the hardships they were facing, Forbes, Continued on page 3
t
hey’re pretty much leaving us hanging.
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December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
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FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020 Photos by Melissa Koenig/Herald
Anet Brown hAnded Jacob Lopez a gift at the third annual Santa’s Wonderland last Saturday.
Elmont children delight in winter wonderland continued from front 39, started planning her first Santa’s Wonderland event in October 2018. She reached out to Al Harper, then the Elmont School District superintendent, to find out how many families in the district were in need of some help during the holiday season, and spoke to local business owners about donating gifts. Her friends helped her run the event, and in the two years since then it has grown. Last year, Santa’s Wonderland was held at the Elmont Memorial Library, and several hundred families lined up outside the theater for the chance to get some ageappropriate gifts and eat some deli and bakery food. This year, however, the library declined to host the event, and it was held instead at the Elmont Fire Department headquarters last Saturday. “Nothing’s going to stop me,” Forbes said a few days before the event. “I am very determined” and it is “very dear to me to make sure we have it up and running this year.” She has lost her father, sister and an uncle to Covid-19, she explained, but would not allow herself to break down emotionally. Instead, she decided to devote all of her energy to her new Gift of Giving Foundation, which, besides hosting the holiday gift-giving event each year, also provides high school juniors and seniors with hours of community service. She is also considering setting up a scholarship program for 20 local high school students, and in October she contacted women around the world to create a platform for them to share their successes every other Wednesday night, when they can unwind, sip a glass of wine and enjoy some self-care. The women have
since thanked Forbes not only for the invite, she said, but also for the opportunity to hear women’s stories of overcoming obstacles. “I was able to heal other people,” she said, which “allows me to heal myself.” Forbes also directed some of her energy into wrapping 200 books, hats, scarves and other gifts that were donated by A2Z Auto Masters and Webair, in Garden City, over the course of two days before last Saturday’s Santa’s Wonderland, when they were all sorted based on age group and each child received a book, a hat, a scarf and a gift. “I have Santa’s Wonderland at home first,” Forbes joked, adding that everything had to be wrapped so that the Elmont children could get that same sense of excitement and gratitude she felt 26 years ago. “Christmas is about bringing that spirit, no matter what,” said State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who helped sponsor the event and handed out pres-
Andrew And wilson Forbes, above left, directed a family to the proper tables. elizABeth forBes greeted a young girl at the event, above. dAyAnA munoz, 11, with Santa and an elf, left.
ents that were larger than some of the children carrying them last Saturday, as Christmas music played in the background. “It’s just so wonderful to get out and feel like we’re doing something.” This year, Elmont Superintendent Kenneth Rosner identified 75 to 100 families who were in need this year, he said, and
called them to let them know about the event. That prompted Jonathan Raime to bring his 7-year-old daughter, Lianna, who said it was “very, very exciting,” and was glad she got to see Santa. “I think this kind of summarizes what Elmont is all about,” Rosner said, “helping families inside the school and out.”
New fire commissioner in F.S, Elmont incumbent re-elected
December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
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plishing his goals. In Elmont, meanwhile, incumbent Joseph Balletta will serve another fiveChris Howard, a seven-year mem- year term on the fire commissioners ber of the Franklin Square and Mun- board, after defeating challenger Jean son Fire Department, Duroseau, 339 to 240. defeated incumbent “I look forward to my Chris Gioia in the next five years looking Franklin Square fire out for my community commissioners race on and my members,” BalDec. 8, while Elmont Fire letta said. “I have a job to Commissioner Joseph do and I will continue to Balletta retained his do it.” seat. Balletta has been an “I’m very proud to active member of the serve my community Elmont Fire Department and firemen with dignity for 33 years, serving as and 100 percent committhe chief for three and a ment,” Howard said, half, and serving on the after receiving 340 votes fire commissioners Chris Howard to Gioia’s 290. “For a board for 15. He is also year with extreme ups the fire department’s and downs, this really treasurer. ended on a high note for me.” “I like helping out,” Balletta previHoward has lived in Franklin ously told the Herald. “That’s all I Square for 35 years, and has served as want to do is help out.” an emergency medical technician for During his time on the fire commis25 and as the chief of the Franklin sioners board, Balletta said, the Square and Munson Fire Elmont Fire District has Department from 2007 purchased new portable 2012. radios, kept the budget A s c o m m i s s i o n e r, in check and “never held Howard previously told back on training” for its the Herald, he would like recruits. Now that he is to grow the department’s re-elected, he said, he membership and boost would like to make the morale, while also training tower more retaining the de par tchallenging for the volment’s current memberunteer firefighters, look ship. There are only into getting a dispatcher about 100 active memfor the Elmont commubers of the Franklin nity and would continue Square and Munson Fire to fight with the Water Joe Balletta Department, he Authority of Wester n explained, and new Nassau County to lower recruits are required to rental fees on the fire respond to a certain number of calls hydrants. while also attending classes at the Nas“I’m fighting for myself, my neighsau County Fire Services Academy bors and my friends across the comtwice a week. munity,” Balletta said, noting that “We have to make certain changes after 15 years on the Elmont fire comto continue to do what we do,” Howard missioners board, “I think I gained said, adding that he would give 110 per- enough knowledge to continue to help cent of his time and effort to accom- the community.”
By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com
THAT’S A WRAP! Season 1 of Herald Inside LI
In August, Herald Community Newspapers launched a weekly webinar series called Herald Inside LI. Each episode of Herald Inside LI welcomed community leaders to discuss a range of topics and analyzed how industries and roles have changed during the pandemic. As we close out the year, we’d like to extend a THANK YOU to our sponsors, panelists and listeners.
HERE’S WHAT WE BROUGHT YOU THIS YEAR: AUGUST 12: K-12 Education: Back to School AUGUST 21: Higher Education: Back to School SEPTEMBER 3: LI Housing Market, Buy or Sell? SEPTEMBER 9: Lockwood College Prep Virtual Event SEPTEMBER 17: K-12 Education Update SEPTEMBER 23: A Fall Without Sports OCTOBER 8: Home Buying 101 OCTOBER 14: Health + Wealth Virtual Event OCTOBER 15: Pink Power: Breast Cancer Awareness OCTOBER 21: Next Steps in Nassau: An Update from Elected Officials OCTOBER 29: Economic Development NOVEMBER 10: Coping for Kids: Mental Health Awareness NOVEMBER 12: Not-for-Profit Summit NOVEMBER 19: Applying to College DECEMBER 3: Power of 5G Part I DECEMBER 10: Power of 5G Part II Missed an episode or want to re-watch? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all past episodes at LIHerald.com/Recordings. The first episode of Season 2 airs Thursday, January 7* at 10am to discuss the spike in prospective college students opting to stay local, rather than leave the area for their higher education. To sign up, go to LIHerald.com/StayingLocal.
To sponsor a webinar or for more information RICHNER contact Amy Amato at aamato@richnerlive.com or 516.569.4000 x 224
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FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
St. Francis Heart Center Care is Now at Mercy Medical Center.
When It Comes to Matters of the Heart, It Matters Where You Go.
For more information, visit CHSLI.org/PCI or call 516-62-MERCY.
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Led by world-class interventional cardiologists from St. Francis Heart Center, access to the lifesaving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure is now within easier reach at Mercy Medical Center. Within just 90 minutes, cardiac specialists will be able to open an artery, restore blood flow and save heart muscle. Because your heart should never have to wait for the best interventional care.
December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
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Bringing local sports home every week
Herald sports Nassau H.S. football approves 6 games By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com
Nassau County high school football, slated to begin practice March 1 of 2021, announced it will play six regular-season games, down from the standard eight, and also eliminate scrimmages and one round of playoffs. In addition, no Long Island championships will be played against Suffolk County, which will conduct only five regularseason games. “We’re preparing for the season as if it’s going to happen and will have some things to address such as transportation and spectators as we get closer to March,” said Nassau football coordinator Matt McLees, who noted the decision to pass on the LICs was made with all 50 programs in mind. “We like the model we’re using,” he added. “It was most important to play six meaningful regular-season games above all else. With the power rankings we use, at least six games are necessary.” Playing six games, as opposed to five, also gives each team three home games and three road games, instead of an unbalanced schedule, McLees explained. “The football committee deserves a lot of credit for the effort they put in,” he said. “In the end, all the decisions will benefit hundreds and hundreds of kids.” The season is scheduled to kick off Saturday, March 13, though McLees said some games could be played on the 12th if teams wanted to give up a day of practice. Freeport (Conference I), Garden City (II), Plainedge (III) and Seaford (IV) are the defending county champions. Freeport, which has captured back-to-back Long Island Class I titles, is the only one of the four not seeded No. 1 after losing some key contributors who transferred out of state to play this fall. Oceanside is the top seed in Conference I and will open on the road against Farmingdale. “I think the six games is good,” Oceanside head coach Rob Blount said. “It appeals to the majority of schools, rather than catering to the top of each conference with more playoff games. I hope we can get the season in. A small percentage of kids will continue to play in college, but most will play their last games. It’s something they will cherish for the rest of their lives.” Garden City, which has won four straight county crowns, opens at Carey. MacArthur, the 2019 runners-up in Conference II, is seeded second and will take on South Side in the opener. Other local matchups in Week 1 include Calhoun at Mepham, Valley Stream Central at Long Beach, and Kennedy at Elmont. “It’s always fun lining up against one of the other teams in our district,” Mepham head coach Anthony Cracco said. “We didn’t have the opportunity to play either of the Bellmore-Merrick teams last year so our seniors are really looking forward to it.”
Anthony Hughes/Herald
MEphaM aNd CarEY will renew their Nassau Conference II football rivalry on April 10. Plainedge, which nipped Freeport in the 2019 Rutgers Cup voting, kicks off at Lynbrook. Seaford opens at North Shore. The regular season is scheduled to conclude Saturday, April 17. The number of playoff teams in each of Nassau’s four conferences has been cut in half, from eight to four. The semifinals are scheduled for April 24, followed by the county championship games May 1-2.
eight teams switched conferences Of the eight programs taking on new conference rivals for the upcoming season, half were part of Conference III a year ago. Runner-up South Side jumps to Conference II, while perennial powers Wantagh and Lawrence, along with North
Shore, bounced to Conference IV. New to Conference III are Manhasset and Valley Stream South. East Meadow and Herricks are back in familiar stomping grounds in Conference I after competing in Conference II in 2019.
Jv remains on saturday mornings The majority of Nassau’s junior varsity football games in 2018 kicked off Monday afternoons, but last year the action returned to traditional Saturday mornings at the opposite location of that day’s varsity game. It’ll remain that way in 2021. Should any freshmen, sophomores or juniors not step on the JV field on a particular Saturday morning, they would be eligible to play in the varsity game.
10 games to watch ■
March 13: Garden City at Carey
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March 13: Plainedge at Lynbrook
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March 13: MacArthur at South Side
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March 20: Lawrence at Seaford
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March 27: Freeport at Oceanside
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March 27: Elmont at V.S. Central
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March 27: West Hemp. at Clarke
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April 10: Mepham at Carey
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April 10: Freeport at Baldwin
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April 17: Wantagh at Seaford
Hempstead Town’s IT’S FREE! Winter Movie Festival
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FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
Drive-in Theater COME T0
Fri
HEMPSTEAD TOWN’S WINTER MOVIE FESTIVAL
Sat
Sun
TOWN PARK POINT LOOKOUT
FREE WINTER DRIVE-IN MOVIES All movies will be shown at Town Park Point Lookout, 1300 Lido Blvd., Point Lookout
Almost Christmas Friday, December 18 5 p.m.
Donald X. Clavin, Jr. Supervisor
Frank Zangla Commissioner, Parks & Recreation
Saturday, December 19 5 p.m.
Frozen 2
Sunday, December 20 2 p.m. Council Members Dorothy L. Goosby Bruce A. Blakeman Anthony D’Esposito Dennis Dunne, Sr. Thomas E. Muscarella Christopher Carini
Kate Murray Town Clerk
Jeanine C. Driscoll Receiver of Taxes
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The Town of Hempstead is teaming up with Toys for Tots this holiday season. We are asking residents who attend one of these drive-in movies to bring an unwrapped gift to donate to Toys for Tots to help underprivileged children.
The Grinch
December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
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After the SweAring-in, Police Benevolent Association President James McDermott, right, at lectern, offered words of advice for the recruits.
Photos by Scott Brinton/Herald
NCPD swears in one of its largest cadet classes By Scott Brinton sbrinton@liherald.com
Nassau County officials swore in 185 cadets at the Police Academy in Massapequa Park last Friday morning — one of the largest classes to enter the county’s tough, seven-month officer training program ever. It was a socially distant affair, with 49 of the masked cadets seated on aluminum folding chairs in the auditorium of the former Hawthorn Elementary School, which Nassau leases from the Massapequa School District. The remaining recruits were separated in groups of 15 or 16 and spread out among surrounding classrooms to watch the ceremony via livestream. The county police force now stands at 2,259, without the new recruits. The cadets will study both in the classroom and through a series of intense simulations at various venues, which will imitate policing on the streets, including car chases, said one of the trainers, Chris Boccio, who grew up in Lynbrook. He stood by fellow trainer Joe Monez, of Mineola, in a hall as cadets sat in their classrooms nearby after the swearing-in. The two noted that the 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, compared to the minimum 639 hours that the state requires for basic police training. County Executive Laura Curran greeted the cadets during the ceremony. “Welcome to our Nassau County family,” she said. “We will have your back,” adding, “Your success is our success.” The age of the Hawthorn building was apparent in the auditorium where Curran spoke, with its dim lighting, worn linoleum floor and exposed heating duct above, wrapped in silver insulation. A $54 million, 89,000-square-foot academy is now under construction on the campus of Nassau Community College in Garden City and is expected to be complete in May. The current class will be the last to train at the Massapequa Park facility and the first to graduate at the new Garden City center, said Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, who grew up in Lynbrook
and now lives in Wantagh. He also noted it is the first to enter the academy amid a pandemic, and will be the first to graduate under new state policing reforms enacted after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, which stress the need for community policing that requires officers to understand and engage with people at the local level. At the same time, the reforms made the use of a chokehold a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison if an officer injures or kills a person, and opened police misconduct records to the public, among other measures. It’s also expected that the cadets will wear body cameras when they patrol the streets after graduation, Ryder said. The county and Police Benevolent Association recently came to terms on the requirement. Officers are to be paid a $3,000 annual cash stipend to wear the cameras. The union membership, county Legislature and county fiscal control board must still sign off on the agreement. Ryder, now in his 38th year in policing, said he “embraced the culture here” during his time at the academy in 1986, after having spent four years in the New York
cAdet MichAel ShAnnon was among the 185 recruits who were sworn in to the NCPD’s academy on Friday. Police recruit chelSeA Penn was joined at the swearing-in by her brother, Derrick Penn, an officer with the NCPD’s 8th Precinct.
Police Department. The NCPD’s culture, he said, is one “of community service.” Cadet Chelsea Penn, 26, who was not permitted by academy rules to give her hometown, said, “I’m a little nervous but super-excited” about starting police training. She had been at the academy since
early that morning and had gone for a run before the swearing-in. She stood beside her brother, Derrick Penn, 28, an officer in the 8th Precinct in Bethpage, who has been with the department four years. “She’s a perfect asset to this department,” Derrick said, smiling.
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events and activities
community update Ongoing
staff in an online gingerbread cookie workshop on Dec. 21. Registration is required to receive the link.
Holiday toy drive Sen. Todd Kaminsky is hosting a holiday toy drive to benefit Long Island children through Dec. 18. Donations of unwrapped gifts will be accepted at the senator’s district office, 55 Front Street in Rockville Centre. For more information, call (516) 766 - 8383.
Tuesday, Dec. 22 Make dessert dips Learn how to make dessert dips from a recipe on the Elmont Memorial Library’s Adult Services page. Registration is required.
Make holiday cards for Plattduetsche residents
Draw the ‘Avengers’
Children can pick up materials to make a holiday card for residents of the Plattduetsche Retirement Home from the Elmont Memorial Library now through Dec. 22.
Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can learn how to draw “The Avengers” characters in an online drawing session on Dec. 22. Registration is required to receive a link to the video.
Make a wooden snowman Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can pick up a craft kit of materials from the Elmont Memorial Library now through Dec. 23 to paint thier own wooden snowman. Registration is required.
Make melted snowman cookies Learn how to make melted snowmen cookies from the Franklin Square library’s baking coach. Simply visit the library’s website to learn how to create the cookies out of sugar cookies and assorted candy decorations. The recipe and video will be available throughout the month of December.
Thursday, Dec. 17 How New York created the holiday season Find out how New York City merged everything from Thanksgiving to New Years into a secular American holiday season that embraces all religions and cultures at the Elmont Memorial Library on Dec. 17 at 12:30 p.m. Registration is required.
Saturday, Dec. 19 See the holiday lights View and learn about New York’s Christmas scenes virtually at the Elmont
l l l l l
Saturday, Dec. 26 Robotic spirals lesson Courtesy PxFuel
Santa Claus is coming to town Members of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department will be driving Santa Claus around town on Dec. 19 starting at 5 p.m., and on Christmas Eve starting at 6 p.m. They will not be making any stops this year due to Covid regulations. Memorial Library’s “Holiday lights” presentation on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. Participants will view the famed Christmas store windows and the beautiful holiday markets that dot the City, learn the history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and the secrets of the famed Rockettes, hear stories about Santa’s reindeer and who the “real” Scrooge was. Registration is required.
Watch ‘The Grinch’ Town of Hempstead residents can enjoy a screening of “The Grinch” on Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. at the Point Lookout Parking Lot, 1300 Lido Boulevard in Point Lookout. All attendees must remain in thier vehicle for the duration of their stay, and if someone needs to use the restroom, he or she must wear a mask.
See Santa Claus Members of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department’s Engine Company 3 will bring Santa Claus around the community on Dec. 19 starting at 5 p.m. Members of Engine Companies 1 and 2 will be going around on Christmas Eve, starting at 6 p.m. They will not be making any stops this year due to the pandemic, and the route is subject to change throughout the evening due to the department responding to emergency calls. Any changes will be posted on the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department’s Facebook page.
The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5 in a live, virtual concert from the Elmont Memorial Library on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. Registration is required.
Watch ‘Frozen 2’ Town of Hempstead residents can enjoy a screening of “Frozen 2” on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Point Lookout Parking Lot, 1300 Lido Boulevard in Point Lookout. All attendees must remain in thier vehicle for the duration of their stay, and if someone needs to use the restroom, he or she must wear a mask.
Sunday, Dec. 20
Monday, Dec. 21
A Motown Christmas
Make gingerbread cookies
Soul Good vocalist Rhonda Denet will perform music by Smokey Robinson,
Teenagers in grades seven through 12 can join Elmont Memorial Library
Children ages six through 14 can learn how robotics, engineering, math and art can create geometric color designs in a live Zoom presentation from the Franklin Square library on Dec. 26 at 2 p.m. The students will use online tools, as well as materials that can be found at home, to make their own amazing designs.
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
Kwanzaa is on Dec. 26. Holiday recess for the Sewanhaka, Elmont and Franklin Square school districts begins on Dec. 23. Rescuing Families is collecting unwrapped gifts, hats and gloves for families in need. The Elmont Family Health Center is offering Covid testing on Saturdays only, by appointment The CityMD in Franklin Square is also offering Covid and antibody tests.
Northwell hosts 2nd Gun Violence Prevention Forum By Scott Brinton
Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords stood outside the Safeway supermarket northwest of Tuscon, Ariz., on Jan. 8, 2011, chatting with constituents about Medicare reimbursements, when a 22-year-old gunman opened fire, killing six and injuring 11, including Giffords, who was the target of the attack. A bullet sliced through the left side of Giffords’s head, and she was placed in a medically induced coma to ease swelling on her brain. When she awoke, she could not speak. She needed two months of speech therapy to mouth the words, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” according to USA Today. Nearly 10 years later, her speech is still labored. “Words once came easily, but today I struggle,” she told the audience at Northwell Health’s second Gun Violence Prevention Forum last Thursday, broadcast over the internet. Some 1,200 people from throughout the country registered for the event, which was intended, in part, to reframe the debate over gun control from a battle over the Second Amendment right to bear arms to one of public safety. The two-hour event featured a long line of speakers from the government, the medical community and private industry, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, long an outspoken proponent of gun control, and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat of Connecticut. Nearly 40,000 Americans die of gun
Former U.S. rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was nearly killed in a 2011 shooting, was among the featured speakers during Northwell Health’s two-hour virtual Gun Violence Prevention Forum last Thursday. Joining her was U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican of Pennsylvania. violence annually — more than a hundred a day — two-thirds by suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, said Americans must recognize that the country is — and has been for a long time — in the middle of a “pandemic of gun violence.” At Northwell’s first Gun Violence Prevention Forum, held last December in Manhattan, the health system pledged $1 million to fund gun violence research and prevention, and Dowling called on other major health systems across the country to join in the effort and provide funding as well.
Last December, Northwell established the Center for Gun Violence Prevention, headed by Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric surgeon and associate trauma medical director at Cohen Children’s Medical Center on the Queens-Nassau border. “We have to get behind the root causes” of gun violence, Sathya said at the Dec. 10 forum. To that end, Northwell is undertaking a major research study at three of its hospitals, asking patients questions about the firearms they might have in their homes to help determine their risk of injury by gun. The study is funded by a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
“Progress has been made, but there is so much more to do,” Dowling said, emphasizing that the intent is not to deny anyone the Second Amendment right to a firearm, but rather to determine what concrete measures can be taken to reduce gun violence nationally, including which ones must be enacted through federal legislation. High on the priority list, according to a number of forum speakers, is enacting a federal law to require a universal background check for anyone who purchases a firearm, without loopholes. Among the speakers supporting a universal background check was U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Langhorne, Pa., who appeared with Giffords. On gun safety, Fitzpatrick, a former FBI special agent, said Democrats and Republicans “can come together on areas that we agree,” including background checks, estimating that 70 to 80 percent of Americans support them. Other speakers, however, spoke of political paralysis in Congress, where special interest groups like the National Rifle Association, which opposes universal background checks, hold sway. That is why, Giffords said, Americans must remain politically engaged and apply pressure to lawmakers to act. After she was shot, she said, “I found one word, and I found another.” People can make their voices heard, she said, at the ballot box. “We can let this continue,” Giffords said, “or we can act. We can vote. We can be on the right side of history. Vote, vote, vote.”
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sbrinton@liherald.com
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Hofstra selects first female president By BRIAN STIEGLITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com
After a yearlong search with 270 candidates, the Hofstra University Board of Trustees has unanimously selected Susan Poser as its ninth president — making her the first woman to fill the role. Stuart Rabinowitz, who has been the university’s president for the past 20 years, announced his retirement at the end of last January. In search for his successor, the university formed a committee of 13 members, including representatives from the Board of Trustees, university faculty and Student Government Association. “In Dr. Poser, we have found a higher education leader of exceptional experience, a collaborative and visionary person, and a scholar of great depth and intellect,” said Board Chair Donald Schaeffer, who made the announcement on Dec. 9. Poser, who will begin her tenure on Aug. 1, recently spoke to the Herald about her experience in education, goals in her first year as president and plans for a postpandemic Hofstra. “I was really amazed by what’s going on at Hofstra,” Poser said. “It’s also incredibly well-managed financially and in a really great place coming out of the pandemic.” Poser lauded the advancements Hofstra made during Stuart Rabinowitz tenure, including the university’s partnership with Northwell Health to create the Zucker School of Medicine and Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. Analogous in Poser’s leadership was UIC’s acquisition of the John Marshall Law School, which established the first and only public law school in Chicago. What also stands out to Poser about Hofstra is its commitment to liberal arts and the humanities. “Students need to be encouraged to pursue a liberal
Courtesy Hofstra University
SuSAN PoSER wILL be Hofstra University’s ninth — and first female — president. arts education and also need to know that they could get a job with it,” she said, adding that Hofstra provides this to students through internship opportunities, five-year
graduate programs and experiential learning. Before her role at UIC, Poser was the dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law from 2010 to 2016 and the associate to the university’s chancellor for three years before that. Poser grew up in Manhattan and majored in classics at Swarthmore College, graduating with honors. She earned her law degree and doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. Before starting her academic career, Poser clerked for the Honorable Dolores Sloviter, the chief judge of the U.S. Court Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia. She also served as the Zicklin Fellow in Ethics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “I have had the privilege to work with the Hofstra University community . . . for many years and know that under her leadership, Hofstra University will flourish for years to come,” Rabinowitz said. Asked about her immediate goals as president, Poser said, “I know it’s cliché, but the first thing I want to do is meet a whole lot of people and listen to them and get a real feel for what everyone thinks of the university, how things are going there and how things should go moving forward,” she said. One of Poser’s main priorities as an educator is to embrace diversity and foster “a culture of inclusion,” she said. This is evident in the actions she has taken during her tenure at UIC, where no race or ethnicity makes up 50 percent of the student population. “I think we’ve learned that we’re very adaptable and resilient,” Poser said when asked what teachers and students could take away from the pandemic. Educators were forced to learn how to teach online and, Poser said, could benefit by incorporating these new teaching methods and virtual programs into their courses after the pandemic.
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Covid-19 vaccine is on its way to Nassau County
In a Truth in Medicine poll conducted by Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside in October, more than half of respondents said they would not take the vaccine or were unsure if they would, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, chairman of MSSN’s Department of Medicine and chief of infectious diseases. Recent national polls have indicated that the number willing to take it may be climbing, and is now closer to 60 percent. The vaccine, Glatt said, “is something that will be very important in stemming the terrible spread of this epidemic, and hopefully lead to the end of this epidemic.” David Nemiroff, president and CEO of Long Island Federally Qualified Health Centers, said there were already many people who were skeptical about vaccines before the pandemic, so it may be difficult to persuade everyone that this one is safe, but he believes public support will grow. Nemiroff said that his group of family health centers, with locations in Elmont, Freeport, Hempstead, Oceanside, Roosevelt and Westbury, has asked community leaders, including legislators and church pastors, to encourage people to get the vaccine. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, “and people should feel pretty optimistic about that.” The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines must be stored at temperatures well below freezing, while the AstraZeneca vaccine must be chilled. Northwell Health has obtained medical-grade freezers to hold the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, according to Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease physician at the health care system. Meanwhile, a smaller organization, like LIFQHC, will potentially have to partner with a hosptial like Nassau University Medical Center, in East Meadow, for vaccine storage. Jill Nossa and Mike Smollins contributed to this story.
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Nassau County hospital officials and elected leaders are moving fast to prepare for distribution of the first doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine after federal emergency-use authorization for it was approved last Friday. New York is slated to receive 170,000 doses in the first batch. The first dose in New York state — and perhaps the nation — was given at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, on the NassauQueens border, on Monday morning. It went to a 52-year-old critical-care nurse, Sandra Lindsay, of Port Washington. The pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have each developed vaccines that are more than 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 infections. Experts say that a vaccine or vaccines might be widely available to the public by April or May. In the meantime, the first doses will go to essential workers, in particular hospital employees, longterm care facility workers and emergency medical technicians, as per State Health Department protocols. Dr. Dave Neubert, the Town of Hempstead’s emergency medical director and an attending emergecy physician at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, said the town would be using Facebook Live town halls to promote the coronavirus vaccine to residents so they would be ready and willing to take it when it becomes available. Neubert said the sessions would help explain how the vaccine is administered and assure people that they will not become ill when they take it. None of the vaccines use the live virus, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccines, Neubert explained, give “your body the blueprint for making the antibodies without you having to be exposed to the infection itself.” Mercy Medical Center, in Rockville Centre, is expecting the vaccine to become available quickly for workers there. Dr. Jason Golbin, senior vice president and chief quality officer for Catholic Health Services, said, “Catholic Health employees will be selected to receive the vaccine based on risk of exposure to
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FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
By Caitlin O’Brien and SCOtt BrintOn
13
A renewed call for Eid inclusion amid push for diversity continued froM front sus does not ask residents about their faith, and many students who spoke at the school board meeting last year said they felt pressured to attend school on the holidays and miss out on their families’ festivities. Rafia Ahmad, a student at New Hyde Park Memorial High School, for example, said she was forced to attend school on Eid one year, and was drowning in homework when she got home. And Wali Owais, a sophomore at Elmont Memorial High School, said he did not believe the district respected his religion the way it respected others, adding, “I believe that Muslim students have the right to follow their religion.” Those who do take the day off may face repercussions, according to Floral Park Memorial High School student Rukshana Khan, who told the board last year that she once missed school to celebrate Eid, and spent two weeks trying to catch up on the work that she missed in her Advanced Placement classes. So, she said at the meeting last December, she had to beg her parents to let her go to school for a few hours on Eid the next year. In response, then board President David Del Santo said the district had suspended testing on those days, and noted that district policy excuses absences for religious observances. But, Islam said, more is needed, especially at a time when school districts
Melissa Koenig/Herald
MusliM parents and students petitioned the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education to include Eid al-Adfa and Eid al-Fitr on school calendars last year. They were supported by the Rev. Danilo Archbold, pastor of New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church in Elmont, fourth from right. throughout Long Island are promoting diversity. Valley Stream Elementary School District 24 officials, for example, recently adopted a new hiring initiative to diversify its staff, and the Elmont Union Free School District Board of Education adopted an anti-racism policy last month. It states that the district has a “responsibility to acknowledge that racism still may be embedded in our schools,” and the board must “stand committed to leading and advocating in ways which support
and advance more equitable and inclusive educational environments, free of racism, where every student, teacher, staff, parent and community member is treated with dignity and respect.” The Elmont district has already taken diversity into account in its book selection and lessons, board President Michael Jaime said, to be more representative of the student body, which is 41 percent Black, 30 percent Hispanic or Latino, 20 percent Asian or Pacific Islander and only
6 percent white. The district would leave it up to each school’s leadership to determine how they would implement the antiracism policy, Jaime said, and ensure equity in the classrooms. “It seems like a moment to kind of take advantage of,” Islam said of school districts’ move toward inclusion, adding that having the Sewanhaka district, one of the largest on Long Island, include Eid on the school holidays would “set the tone” for other districts to do the same.
Franklin Square schools closed as transportation staff quarantines By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com
All students in the Franklin Square School District were learning remotely on Dec. 14, as multiple transportation employees were being quarantined while they waited for the results of Covid-19 tests, Superintendent Jared Bloom announced on the district’s website. The transportation staff had been exposed to the virus, he said, and the district could not run its buses without the proper personnel. But, Bloom said, “there has been absolutely no exposure to students or building staff,” and all building staff would report to work on Monday except for transportation personnel, health aides and monitors. The news came only a few days after the Alden Terrace School in Elmont, as well as the H. Frank Carey and Sewanhaka high schools, were closed for several days due to new coronavirus cases. In a letter to parents on Dec. 9, Elmont Superintendent Kenneth Rosner explained that Alden Terrace would have to remain closed through Dec. 11,
after a staff member tested positive for the novel virus, and many others were considered close contacts. The building would be deep-cleaned during the three-day closure, he said, and all instruction would take place remotely until the school reopens on Dec. 14. The school’s graband-go breakfast and lunch program, meanwhile, would be held at the Dutch Broadway School from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Dec. 10. Additionally, Sewanhaka Central High School District Superintendent James Grossane posted on the district’s website that H. Frank Carey and Sewanhaka High Schools would be closed for the remainder of the week, after a student at Carey and a staff member at Sewanhaka tested positive for the coronavirus. The students would learn remotely during this closure, he said, and anyone participating in the district’s Career and Technical Education prog ram would attend those classes remotely as well. The buildings would also be deep cleaned, and the Nassau County Department of Health would conduct contact tracing.
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December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
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F.S. woman transfers burial rights to Covid victims mkoenig@liherald.com
When Deborah Salant heard that victims of the coronavirus pandemic were being stored in refrigerated trucks in New York City, she knew she wanted to donate her family’s two burial plots at Greenfield Cemetery to those who could not afford to bury their loved ones during this pandemic. She was not going to use the plots, which can fit four graves, she said, as she has no children of her own, and she plans to be buried with her grandparents and parents at the Nassau Knolls Cemetery in Port Washington. “I’m sitting on this cemetery plot I’m not going to use,” said Salant, a 66-yearold Franklin Square resident, and she thought donating it to a family who lost a loved one to the coronavirus would ease the family’s trauma because they would not have to worry about what could happen to their relative’s body. But when she spoke to a representative from Greenfield about transferring the burial rights to a family in need, Salant was surprised to learn that she would need to spend more than $12,000 on the site her great-grandfather purchased more than a century ago, and would not be able to transfer her rights to the property to a non-relative, under the Town of Hempstead code. Feeling dejected, she then wrote to
Town of Hempstead/Facebook
at a news conference with elected officials on Dec. 10, Deborah Salant spoke about how she donated two cemetery plots to families of Covid victims. town officials who own and operate the Uniondale facility, asking them to change the law during the pandemic, and was ready to plead her case at the Dec. 8 board meeting when town officials announced that they had already unanimously passed a resolution to allow people to transfer their rights to families of Covid victims and suspend all costs associated with the transfer. Her family’s debts on the property were also expunged.
“I was just speechless that they accepted this,” Salant said. “Walking out, I feel like I was shaking.” “She broke down in tears,” Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin recounted at a news conference about the new policy on Dec. 10, “but we gave her the applause she deserves.” The town is on track to double the number of funerals it held last year, he said, with state records showing that there have been more than 2,200 Covid-
related deaths in Nassau County since the pandemic began, and Clavin told Salant that her idea “is potentially going to help hundreds of people in this pandemic” by providing them with funerals at a townowned cemetery that are half the cost of funerals at private cemeteries. “You might say you’ll have an everlasting memory,” Clavin told Salant, adding that the town is “here to help people” and “here to do what’s right.”
Island Harvest to distribute food to those in need Hempstead Town officials handed out hundreds of boxes of food to Elmont residents in need last Friday, and announced a new program with Island Harvest to ensure that nobody within the town goes hungry as the coronavirus pandemic continues. “This pandemic has brought many challenges to our table, and one of the most serious is the abundant concern for food,” said Town Supervisor Don Clavin. “No one should struggle to obtain a meal. We aligned with Island Harvest with one goal in common: Ensure no one in the Town of Hempstead goes hungry during this holiday season.” The town board recently approved a $400,000 grant using funding from the town’s $133 million federal CARES Act fund for the food bank’s No One Should Go Hungry in Hempstead program, he said, which will run through the end of the month. The program will begin with Island Harvest distributing 4,500 health and shelf-stale food boxes to seniors at a variety of drop-off points and 15 lowincome senior housing sites. Seniors make up 16 percent of the town’s population and are the most likely to experience food insecurity, officials said, and the boxes will include food support resources for them, nutrition information and the contact information for Island Harvest Food Bank’s Community Empowerment Team, which can help residents apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Island Harvest will also hold four food distribution events over the course of two weeks to provide families and students with 4,000 boxes of healthy food,, such as
Photos by Peter Belfiore/Herald
island Harvest President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner spoke about food insecurity with town officials at a food distribution event last Friday. meat, fresh produce and dairy products. Additionally, the food bank will distribute 400 shelf-stable food boxes per week to the Long Island Federally Qualified Health Centers in Elmont, Roosevelt, Hempstead and Freeport. Many patients at these health centers are low-income, town officials said, and are at risk of becoming food insecure. “Supervisor Don Clavin and the town board have been invaluable partners in helping us provide much-needed food assistance to thousands of Town of Hempstead residents who have suddenly found themselves in the unenviable position of not having enough to eat,” Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank, said in a statement. “Thanks to their support and advo-
cacy, we’re helping make sure that no one goes without such a basic need as food,
volunteers Handed out food to families in need in Elmont. and on behalf of the people we serve, we thank them for their efforts.” — Melissa Koenig
Public Notices
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LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that an order granted by the Supreme Court, Nassau County on the 13th day of October 2020, bearing index #000536120, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 240 old country road, Mineola,
New York grants me the right to assume the name of Jessica Celine Gibbs. The city and state of my present address are Elmont, NY, The month and year of my birth are December, 2005; The place of my birth is Queens, NY; my present name is Jessica C Dennis 124118
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FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
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FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
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his large Hi-Rance features 5 bedrooms and 2 full baths. The main level includes 2 bedrooms and a full bath, EIK and private side entrance. The 2nd level of the home includes a large extended kitchen with skylight, formal dining room which is perfect for large family gatherings and a formal living room with hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings and tons of natural light. The large master bedroom has huge double closets and a private balcony. There are also 2 additional bedrooms plus a1 Full Bath. This could easily be a Mother/ Daughter with proper permits. Asking $595,000
IN BRIEF Douglas Elliman of Rockville Centre is proud to announce that Alexandra Porter has joined their growing team
Alexandra Porter, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson formally with Laffey Fine Homes in Manhasset, is thrilled to be selected as one of the newest agents to join the new office of Douglas Elliman in Rockville Centre. Under the leadership of fellow Sacred Heart Academy alumni, Donna O'Reilly Einemann, Alexandra will be working as a dedicated full-time agent targeting new buyers and home sellers in Rockville Centre and surrounding communities. Alexandra is local expert! She is a Rockville Centre resident, was born and raised in Garden City, and attended Adelphi University where she graduated with a BFA in Acting. She most recently was pursuing a career in the performing arts in Manhattan before utilizing the downtime she had during quarantine to pursue a Real Estate career. She became a licensed Realtor in August. She believes her unique experiences will give her the advantage she needs to stand out as an agent. She plans on applying the skills she's learned and nurturing the relationships she's built over the last decade to excel as a real estate professional. Alexandra loves taking on challenging work so that the client does not have to. She wants to be a superstar in the eyes of those who know her and that means working harder than anyone else. We are thrilled to have Alexandra's passion, humor, work-ethic, and commitment on our Team. You can reach Alexandra at 516.238.3455 or at alexandra.porter@elliman.com.
Mathias Coni Real Estate Sales Person Cell: 516-587-3283 Offie: 516-223-2525 Century 21 American Homes 2911 Long Beach Rd. Oceanside, NY
LUXURY CONDOS and CO-OPS NYC Living In RVC
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
OPEN HOUSES BY APPOINTMENT SUNdAY, 12/20/20 EAST ROCKAWAY
O
ND
CO
77 Maple avenue 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1,540sf, Terrace, Formal Dining Room, eat In Kitchen, Washer/Dryer pRICe: $679K
1 Thompson Dr, BA, 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Exp Ranch w/Open Layout in Waverly Park Area. Updtd EIK. O/S Prop w/Deck. Att Gar. SD#20 ............................ $599,000 101 Emmet Ave, BA, WATERFRONT! Rebuilt in 2010, 4 BR 3.5 Bth Split w/ Pool, Outdoor Kit & Deck. Open Layout. Private Mstr Ste, 2 Car Gar, SD#20 ................................................................................................. $1,250,000
HEWLETT
1657 Warwick Rd, BA, NEW TO MARKET! Outstanding 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col Built in 2012. Soaring Ceilings Throughout. Open Layout Perfect for Entertaining. Radiant Heated Flrs. Fin Bsmt with Hi Ceilings. SD#20 ................................................................................................. $1,250,000
WOOdMERE
946 Midwood Rd, BA, NEW! Renovated 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Colonial in Academy Area. Gran/Wood EIK, LR/Fpl, FDR & Den. Fin Bsmt. Gar .................... $899,000
402 MeRRICK ROaD
P
-O
CO
WOOdSBURGH
185 Bay Dr, BA, NEW! 5/6 BR, 4.5 Bth Exp Ranch on Parklike 1/2 Acre Prop. Guest Quarters, Full Bsmt, 2 Car Gar. SD#14 .................................... $1,450,000 891 Keene Lane, BA, Magnificently Renovated While Retaining Charm, Stone Cottage. 3 BR, 2.5 Bth with Tremendous Potential for Expansion. Brand New Mstr Bth. Over 1/2 Acre Property! Near All...................................................... REDUCED & MOTIVATED!! $999,000
HEWLETT HARBOR
3 Payne Circle, BA, 5 BR, 3.5 Bth Spacious Split on Beautiful Street in Cul de Sac. State of the Art EIK, 2 Dens, Bsmt, & 2 Car Gar. SD#20 ............$1,190,000 236 Richards Lane, BA, 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary Home on an Acre Of Resortlike Prop with IG Pool. Open Floor Plan. Full Fin Bsmt. Main Flr Master. SD14 .................................................................................REDUCED! $1,499,000
Realtors are encouraged to send briefs and photographs to: Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd.., Garden City, NY 11530.
1 Bedroom, 2nd Floor, updated Kitchen, Freshly painted, new Carpet pRICe: $259k
516-764-2601
1113513
1112423
Ronnie Gerber 516-238-4299
e s t. 1 9 1 1
REAL ESTATE
Open Houses
Open Houses
WOODSBURGH 185 BAY Dr, OPEN HOUSE BY Appt, 5/6 BR, 4.5 Bth Exp Ranch on Parklike 1/2 Acre Prop. Guest Q u a r t e r s , F u l l B s m t , 2 C a r G a r. SD#14...$1,450,00 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299
Buyers are enjoying lifetime low interest rates. Sellers are getting multiple offers at and above asking prices. Housing inventory is extremely low and buyer demand is strong.
Gus Allotti realtor ® 43 N. Park Ave
1099323
NYS Licensed Real Estate Salespersons
BestLiHomes.com • 516-418-3333
Call me for a free professional consultation.
Sherlock Sherlock Homes Homes
Melinda Beauchamp
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
516-790-6633 516-764-2601
lirealtorgus@gmail.com www.Century21SherlockHomes.com Each office is independently owned and operated.
Mobile: 516.721.7805
mbeauchamp@coachrealtors.com mbeauchamp.coachrealtors.com 1113386
HEWLETT HARBOR ba, 236 Richards Lane 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary Home on an Acre Of Resortlike, IGP, Open Floor Plan. Full Fin Bsmt. Main Flr Master. SD14...$1,499,000
2119 Bedford Ave. John Lawlor, CBR, SFR Bellmore, NY 11710 Michele Librett-Lawlor, CBR, SFR
REAL ESTATE
Now is the time to buy or sell a home.
Where Dreams Come Home
HEWLETT BAY PARK
NEW TO MARKET!! 10,000 Sq Ft Waterfront Property on an Acre of Parklike Grounds. 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary. IG Pool ................................. $4,650,000 70 Heron Dr, BA, 6 BR, Contemporary with Open Layout on an Acre of Parklike Property. Move Right in! SD#14 .......................................... $1,699,000 159 Meadowview Ave, BA, Stately 5200 Sq Ft Colonial Featuring 6 BR, 6.55 Bths on Acre Of Resortlike Prop with IG Pool, Tennis Ct, & Outdoor Kit. Fin Bsmt, 2 Car Gar, Fabulous Location in SD#14............................................................................. REDUCED!! $2,699,000
REAL ESTATE
1113385
HOME OF THE WEEK
314 Sunrise Highway Rockville Centre NY 11570
Melinda & Thor
HERALD
Homes
To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5
75 SEAMAN AVENUE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE o: 516.766.7900 | signaturepremier.com
HERALD
Market Place To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5
THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING? Contact one of our hardworking professionals today for all of your real estate needs!
516.431.0799
aboveallgutters.com
We look forward to providing home buyers and sellers with the highest level of personalized service and support.
1112911
Safe Roof and Exterior Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Repairs, Installations
947101
1106049 JUAN JARA Licensed RE Broker Associate Cell: 516-318-0142 Juan@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com CAMILLE GIARDINA Licensed RE Broker/Owner Cell: 516-318-1392 Camille@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com
www.AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com
1109112
We’re Keeping the American Dream Alive. 2949 Long Beach Road, Suite 8 • Oceanside, NY, 11572 Phone 516.766.8200
“Going Above & Beyond to find your Dream Home”
Rhonda Healy
Mention this ad and get
Apartments Wanted
EAST ROCKAWAY WATERVIEW! 3Bds, 2Bths, EIK, FDR, LR, Den, FBasement, Garage,,Large Yard. Zone X-no flood insurance. Too Much To List! 516-241-6075 MLS: 3271059/ Coldwell Banker
Mature - Single
FREEPORT 3 BDS, 2 Bath, Bright DR, LR, Finished Basement, Enclosed Yard, Detached Garage.. Credit Check, First /Last Months Rent $3100 Utilities Included 646-515-5131
HIRING?
Place Your Ad in the Herald Help Wanted Classifieds. Call 516-569-4000, press 5 to speak to an Account Executive.
Non-Smoking Woman Seeking 1-2 Bedroom Apartment with Long-Term lease. I Have a Steady Job at the Same Company for the past 20 years. I am Recently Separated and I am Looking for IMMEDIATE OCCUPANCY. I am Quiet, Responsible and Extremely Reliable. Please Contact me with any Opportunities at cassiesmom810@aol.com. I have Plenty of References that I would be happy to supply to you upon request.
Apartments For Rent CEDARHURST NO FEE Pr ivate Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For O n e B e d r o o m W h e n Ava i l a bl e. (516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978
Commercial Prop./Rent EAST ROCKAWAY: 131 Main Street 2nd Floor Offices. 100-1500 sq.ft. 24/7 access. Utilities included. Starting $350/ month. Retail Space 1350 sq.ft. $3,000/ month. OWNER 516-637-2182
One phone call, one order, one heck of a good price to run your ad in any state, or across the country.
Call the USA Classified Network today!
1-800-231-6152
on labor only
• Permits & Legalizations • Certified NYS Backflows • Licensed Master Plumber • Insured • FREE Estimates
OffiCe: 516-766-4583 Call/TeXT: 516-840-9432 A Fresh CoAt For A Fresh stArt!
1092109
House For Sale
Houses For Rent
10% Off
CAll JD PAINtING & reMoDelING CorP
Specializing in: • Interior/Exterior Painting • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Basements • Wall Paper Removal • Power Washing
516-297-1885
1110755
OneKey Multiple Listing Service
jairorzc58@gmail.com licensed and insured
FUTURE WINDOWS & SIDING 718-224-7079 917-945-7079 SPECIAL!
$189
Installed
FLAT ROOFS SHINGLE ROOFS
1109243
Verdeschi & Walsh Realty 1025 W. Beech St. | Long Beach, NY
HEWLETT BAY PARK NEW TO MARKET! 10,000 Sq Fet. Waterfront Property on an Acre Of Parklike Grounds. IGP, 5 bds, 5.5 Baths Comtemp., $4.650,000 Ronnie Gerber 516 -238-4299 Douglas Elliman
Dave marlOWe Plumbing, inC. DBA BOB PHILLIPS PLUMBING
Real Estate Salesperson, abR, SRS E: Rhonda.Healy.VW@gmail.com
Q. We’ve had construction on our home going for what seems like forever. We got stopped by the pandemic in April (after starting right before, in March), and didn’t really get going again until July. A building inspector told us the insulation didn’t pass, and there was no “fire stopping.” The contractor said he followed the plans. We looked at the plans and the permit, and it doesn’t say anything about fire stopping. First, why didn’t the insulation pass, and second, what is fire stopping? We’re about to throw in the towel. Help! A. You don’t need a towel to throw in or even clean up the mess; you just need to know that not all insulation is the same. Either the insulation was the wrong type or thickness, or it may have been installed incorrectly. In the past decade, the federal Department of Energy has issued more stringent guidelines on what thermal ratings must be onte eeper installed for floors, walls and roofs. Your state, following the DOE, sets codes based on regional requirements to save energy. If you look at the plans, there should be information about what R value was designed and approved. R stands for resistance, and is printed on each bale of fiberglass. If the insulation installed was a lower number or was jammed into a narrower cavity, that may be a reason to fail. Another common failure is using open-cell foam insulation when closed-cell, which has a higher resistance, and cost, was specified in the drawings. Another common error is when air gaps allow cold air to creep right through. I often see where fiberglass insulation is forced into the gaps around windows, and when fiberglass batting is compressed, it loses insulation value because the thermal resistance is in the air pockets, not the material. Due to the formulas and calculations we professionals have to provide “online” for each job, this is taken seriously, so if the installer ignored the required insulation, the inspector could not pass noncompliant work. I respect your inspector for trying to protect your interests. Fire stopping is an important safety factor in protecting occupants. All pipe and duct penetrations, by law, have to be sealed completely to prevent flames from drawing into cavities, seeking oxygen and rapidly consuming the building and trapping people inside. Anyone who builds must build legally, whether there’s a note on the plans or not. Although building officials like to see more and more informational notes to cover everyone in case of liability, site enforcement by inspectors is important. Your builder has an equal responsibility to follow all the laws. As a professional witness, I remember hearing a judge once state, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” Trying to say that “it wasn’t in the plans,” doesn’t relieve a party to the construction of responsibility for building to the letter of the law. So check for gaps, insulation type and markings to verify you’ve got the right stuff. Stay warm!
M
Over 100 Years Of familY Plumbing Oil to Gas • Toilets • Faucets • Repairs & Replacements Waste Piping • Water Piping
M: (516) 236-7269
We failed on insulation and fire stopping
Ask The Architect
*If your property is currently listed with another brokerage, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the listings of other brokerages.
1110798
December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
18
$999 VINYL SIDING Up to 1000 sq ft
L
© 2020 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.
19
Market Place • •
To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5
To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5
To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5
Switch To Electrolyzed Restructured Water It's Healthier For You, Your Family, And Your Pets!
UNWAN
conSuMer reportS:
1107248
It may not always be as pure as you think, and your tap water may be cleaner than you realize. What you need to know.
CARS, TRUCKS AND UNWANTED UNWANTED CARS UNWANTED CARS VANS. CRASHED OR CAR
the Best for Less!
QUICK CASH CASH QUICK CASH QUICK CASH FOR ALL YOUR JUNK
FREE ESTIMATES
ALFREDO’S CONSTRUCTION
Se Habla Espanol
in
Call For Fall Specials
senior Citizen Discounts
516-424-3598 516-807-3852
Free estimates
516-889-3200
631-255-8335
Expert Watch Repair
(516) 766-1666 FREE • Chimneys Repaired, Rebuilt & Tuckpointing ESTIMATES • Stainless Steel Liners Installed
SEAmLESS GuTTERS & LEADERS
HEATING OIL
WeNK
• Installed • Repaired • Cleaned • Vinyl Siding • Roofing • Trim • Over 30 Years Exp. • Lics./Ins.
HOME • COMMERCIAL
RELIABLE • 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE FAMILY OWNED FOR OVER 65 YEARS
PIPING & HEATING CORP.
516-234-4388 / 516-623-8447
Any Service Call For New Customer
1105410
(516) 379-2727
Carpentry & Painting Specialist
Residential and Commercial - All Phases
“Anthony & J Home Improvement, Inc.” Also specializes in ★ Kitchens ★ Bathrooms ★ Finished Basements ★ Flooring ★ Repairs ★ Woodwork/mouldings ★ Siding ★ Gutters
CALL FOR MORE INFO No service in Long Beach
1081114
CALL NOW FOR LOWEST PRICE
OFF
ALL CLEAR DRAIN & SEWER SERVICE
(516)409-9696 • (631)422-9696 Sinks • Tubs • Toilets • Sewer Lines
516-678-6641– Licensed & Insured 1066253
CLUTTER
1078401
Chimney King, Ent. Inc.
(516) 766-1666 FREE • Chimneys Repaired, Rebuilt & Tuckpointing ESTIMATES • Stainless Steel Liners Installed
Chimney Cleaning & Masonry Services Done By Firefighters That Care chimneykinginc.com
Fully licensed and insured Nassau • Suffolk • NYC
WWW.LIHERALD.COM
CRAZY? driving you
Sell your merchandise in no time! Email your Ad to the Herald and PrimeTime Classified Department at
sales@liherald.com to run a FREE "Finds Under $100"
1113433
wenkpipingandheating.com
1112267
Fully licensed and insured Nassau • Suffolk • NYC
FREE ESTIMATES • 4 HR EMERGENCY SERVICE
BRIAN CONNELLY
1112267
• Oil to Gas Conversions • Hot Water Heaters • Boilers All Plumbing & Heating Work For House Lifts • Licensed and Insured!
1108705
Chimney Cleaning & Masonry Services Done By Firefighters That Care chimneykinginc.com
Father & Son Owned
Free estImates...call anthony romeo
631-255-8335 CALL
Chimney King, Ent. Inc.
Call The WeNKS!
Exp. 12/31/20
BLACKTOP
BeSt priceS in town
• ConCrete • BriCk Patios • stooPs • stuCCo • Belgium BloCks • sidewalks • drainage ProBlems • Cellar entranCe • waterProofing • driveway sealing demolition • dumPster serviCe • Powerwashing • handyman rePairs
Licensed & insured
If Your Plumbing STINKS
the
1109793
Specializing
at
1103000
RYAN 516-695-4527 917-697-3647
1110703
Kitchens • Bathrooms • Painting Roofing • Sheetrocking • Plumbing Electrical • Concrete • Powerwashing Carpentry • Basements • Baby-Proofing Ikea Furn. Assembly • Computer Repairs
RUNNING CARS •NO TITLE • NO KEYS • NO PROBLEM PROMPT PROMPT SERVICE, CALL SERVICE, CALL PROMPT SERVICE 631-255-8335 FOR ALL YOUR FOR ALL YOUR JUNK FOR ALL YOUR JUNK CARS, TRUCKS AND CARS, TRUCKS AND JUNK CARS, VANS. CRASHED CARS, TRUCKS ANDOR VANS. CRASHED ORCARS TRUCKS, AND VANS. RUNNING VANS. CRASHED OR •NO TITLEOR • NO KEYS RUNNING CARS CRASHED RUNNING CARS • NO PROBLEM •NO TITLE • NO KEYS RUNNING CARS PROMPT SERVICE, CALL •NO TITLE • NO KEYS •• NO PROBLEM • NO KEYS • NO NO TITLE PROBLEM 631-255-8335 PROMPT SERVICE, CALL • NO PROBLEM
1111085
Over 15 Years Experience Licensed • Insured
$25
516-668-3607
QUICK CASH Cell:
www.lucyluulivingwater.com FOR ALL YOUR JUNK
COMPLETE RENOVATIONS
HANDYMAN SERVICE
lucy MenSAh
Email: gaby1234@optonline.net to own the Enagic Ionizer Machine. 1109488
Sunday, August 02,Too 2020Small!" 11:06:29 AM "No Job Get
1.99 Per Gallon
$
1112012
AlkAline WAter Sold
Is Bottled Water Safer?
OWA_Purge_BW_Bold
FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
HERALD
December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
20
HERALD
Stuff
To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 ANNOUNCEMENTS
Finds Under $100
Adoption
CAMERA BUNDLE: KODAK Easyshare V550 Digital w/Memory Cards, Batteries, C h a r g e r s , C a r d R e a d e r, m o r e . $80 516-794-4712
Single woman looking to build her family by adoption. Any ethnicity welcome, expenses paid. Please call (347) 470-5228 or my attorney: (800) 582-3678 for information
CROCK POT HAMILTON Beach 6qt. Both brand new. $15. 516-297-2420
MERCHANDISE MART
CRYSTAL WINE DECANTER with 6 glasses brand new,must see Paid $50.00 asking $25.00 (516) 579-9089
Antiques/Collectibles
DESK- SOLID WOOD (not veneers) 6 large draws. Excellent condition. 46"wide 27"ht $50 516 314-6535
We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 40 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid.. SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464
Wanted To Buy I BUY OLD AMERICAN MOTORCYCLES UP TO 1999. Please Call Dan 516-639-1027
FINDS UNDER $100
DISHES, IKEA BRAND New in box. Service of 6, Blue $35. 516-225-9191 DOLL HOUSE BEAUTIFUL, handmade, wood, 8 rooms plus bathroom, two story, all furnishings! $99 516-314-6536 DOLL HOUSE MINIATURES & ACCESSORIES. Accessories $2-$10. Furniture $10-$50. Call Joy Evenings, 917-743-7695 Leave Message GIRLS CLOTHES: SIZE 5, New with Tags. Jeans, hoodies, long-sleeve Tshirts Call/text 917-420-5814. $8
Finds Under $100
JEWELRY: BRACELETS, EARRINGS. Silver And Costume. $10-$30. Great For Gifts!! Call Joy Evenings, 917-743-7695 Leave Message
2 MIRRORS: 24X36 - color 1) gray 1) silve r, p e r fe c t c o n d i t i o n , $ 1 5 . e a c h 516-297-2420
LAPTOP CQ60- 215DX: Win-10 64X, 4gb Mem, 250gb HD w/case; $90 516-794-4712
B E N C H , B E AU T I F U L LY U P H O L STERED Solid wood. $85 516-225-9191
ORIGINAL TIFFANY ASHTRAY with certificate 4 1/2 " triangle shape, paid $100.00 asking $25.00 516-579-9089
BOYS CLOTHES: SIZES 3T-4, New with Tags. Gap, Old Navy, Macy's Call/text 917-420-5814. $7
PEA COATS: GAP Kids, Wool Boys, Medium, Navy Blue. Girls, Large, Red.. Each $25 516-825-0069
• To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 Finds Under $100
Home Improvement
AUTOMOBILE & MARINE
Autos Wanted
SHARK ROTATOR PROFESSIONAL corded liftaway Vacuum with accessories (3). $95 516-427-9021
BRIAN CONNELLY SEAMLESS GUTTERS
Autos For Sale
DRIVE OUT BREAST Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755
TV LG 32": Model 32LJ500B, Like New, Seldom Used. $60.00 516-221-5374 WIRELESS 5-IN-1 FAST charging station, multiple phone dock stand, charging pad, 4USB ports. $25 516-825-0069
CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/ Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641
SERVICES Electricians E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas. Services/Repairs. Violations Removed. Free Estimates Low Rates. 516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.
Handyman MIKE THE HANDYMAN: Light JobsPlumbing, Electrical, Specializing Vinyl Tiles, Gardening, Powerwashing, Painting. Interior And Exterior. Experienced. Reliable And Honest. Call Cell 516-225-8107; 516-837-3436
Helping you find a HOME or sell a HOME … a place to call your own.
Your Hometown Newspaper
To Place an Ad Call: 516-569-4000
HErald
HANDY DANDY NO JOB TOO SMALL! *Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761
*MICHAEL LO BAIDO CONSTRUCTION*
Cement Specialist, Brickwork, Interlock Bricks, Belgium Blocks, Stoops, Patios, Basement Entrances, Pavers, Waterproofing. Quality Work, Lic./ Ins. Owner Always Onsite Free Estimates 516-354-5578
Miscellaneous
Suburb or country, house, condo, townhouse or apartment, our Classifieds can help you find a HOME that fits your style, your budget and Real Estate needs... it’s a MUST SEE!
Call us today!
Cleaned, Repaired & Replaced Also Specializing in Roofing & Siding No job too big or small Lic. #H2709920000. Ins. Free Est. 516-234-4388 or 516-623-8447
•
Press 5
Crossword Puzzle
DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice R e m o t e . S o m e r e s t r i c t i o n s a p p l y. 1-888-609-9405 GET DIRECTV! ONLY $35/month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package.) PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918
Plumbing PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES! Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers. 24 Hour Emergency Response. 516-599-1011 PLUMBING & HEATING ALL TYPES Boilers, Bathrooms. Small/Large Jobs. Licensed. Call Chris 516-697-8001 or Tony 347-843-9243.
Tree Services T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE *Tree Removal *Stump Grinding *Pruning *Roof Line Clearing. Residential and Commercial. "We Beat All Competitors' Rates." Lowest Rates. *Senior Discount. Free Estimates. *516-223-4525, 631-586-3800 www.tmgreencare.com
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Careers/Training TRAIN AT HOME TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET)
Education COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)
Health & Fitness HEARING AIDS!! BUY one/get one FREE! High-quality rechargeable Nano hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Nearly invisible! 45-day money back guarantee! 833-448-0751. VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! 1-855-579-8907 WE HAVE THE HELP YOU NEED HHA, LPN, Nurse's Aide, Childcare, Housekeeping & Day Workers. No Fees to Employers. Call Evons Services 516-505-5510
BUICK ROADMASTER 1994: Leather Interior, Excellent Working Condition, Must See To Appreciate. $3750. 516-428-3915 MERCEDES BENZ E350, 2006: 4-Matic, 70K Miles, Excellent Condition. Must See! $12,000. 516-603-8697
Autos Wanted ***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highe$t Ca$h Paid$ All Years/Conditions! WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct + Ca$h. DMV ID#1303199 Call LUKE 516-VAN-CARS 516-297-2277 CARS, TRUCKS, SUVS & VANS WANTED. I Buying All Years, Running or Not! NO TITLE, NO KEYS NO PROBLEM! Same Day Service!! CALL CASH CARS GUYS 631-417-5040 Call us last,We will Match or Beat any Legit Quote!
Junk Cars Wanted
HIGHEST CA$H PAID All Cars Bought 24/7 FREE Pickup
Serving Nassau County 41 Years No Title, No Keys=No Problem ID Required. CALL US LAST!
Call us at 516-766-0000
To Place Your Ad in the Herald Classifieds. Call 516-569-4000, press 5 to speak to an Account Executive.
JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, It’s in the REAL ESTATE & MORE... Herald Classifieds ... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, To Advertise 516-569-4000 REALCall ESTATE & MORE... press 5 JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE &’sMORE... Answers to todAy puzzle JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE...
21
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ew York state is facing a $9 billion budget deficit due to the coronavirus pandemic, with severe cutbacks and tax hikes likely on the way. Although there should be some relief coming at the federal level once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, New York definitely needs to develop some new revenue streams, and fast. Nearly two years ago, I argued in a Herald op-ed that the state should legalize the recreational use of marijuana, and that Nassau County leaders Nick and residents BuglioNe shouldn’t be so quick to shoot the notion down, as they so frequently do. I also wrote that it was about time the state legalized sports gambling, an activity that so many people take part in illegally already. Not surprisingly, two years have passed and little has changed. The recreational use of marijuana is still illegal. And while the New York State
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Gaming Commission made sports gambling legal about six months after my first op-ed ran — you’re welcome — bets can only be placed at a handful of upstate casinos. Nobody is getting off their couch on a football Sunday to drive to the Catskills so they can bet that the Jets are going to lose again. Now, more than ever, we need to legalize marijuana and online sports gambling. Obviously, we desperately need the tax revenue. But more important, both are now legal in nearby New Jersey. Two years ago I pointed out that a friend of mine who lives in Jersey City was taking my bets all football season long. He still does. I send him cash through Venmo and text him my bets. He keeps a ledger, and at the end of the season we settle up. But two years ago, recreational marijuana use was illegal in New Jersey. Not anymore. In an Election Day referendum, New Jersey residents voted overwhelmingly to legalize pot. Now, before I propose this scenario,
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I would like to make clear that I don’t smoke marijuana. But if I wanted to, what would stop me from calling my friend and asking him to pick up some weed for me at his local dispensary? Maybe we could meet at Penn Station, have a bite to eat, catch up on our lives and make a quick transaction. And couldn’t any enterprising person who has a friend in New Jersey place an even larger marijuana order, pick it up and sell it on the streets of Nassau County at a markup? To be clear again, I’m not suggesting that anybody do this. I’m merely pointing out the obvious: Now that marijuana is legal in New Jersey, it is tantamount to being legal here. The stuff is going to pour in over the border anyway, so why don’t we join the party, so to speak? The same thing goes for online sports gambling. If people want to do it, they’re going to do it, regardless of what the law says. So let’s legalize it and cash in. I’m not alone in my thinking. I was heartened to hear Gov. Andrew Cuomo
he stuff is going to pour in over the border anyway, so why don’t we join the party, so to speak?
recently say he thought marijuana would be legalized soon. Meanwhile, State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, a Queens Democrat, likes his odds of getting State Senate Bill 17d passed, which would legalize online sports betting. Although neither measure would pull New York state completely out of its fiscal crisis, it’s safe to say that both would generate billions of dollars in revenue. Oh, but I can almost see the Nassau County curmudgeons seething as they read this. I sure felt their wrath two years ago, when I first weighed in. One Herald reader wrote in and all but called me a drug addict. I even got an email from Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, who wrote that, while she enjoyed reading my columns (I’m kind of a big deal), she respectfully disagreed with my opinion. Look, write your letters. Call me names. Say whatever you want to say. It isn’t going to change the fact that the recreational use of marijuana and online sports gambling are here to stay. So let’s legalize them. New York sure could use the cash. Nick Buglione is a teacher, freelance journalist and former editor of the East Meadow Herald.
Lost and found in the pandemic
think somewhere around the end of October, my husband and I ran out of things to say. Sitting across the dinner table from each other over plates of Costco soup and a homemade Greek salad with wimpy lettuce, our eyes met and … that was it. Our eyes met. At breakfast we had already covered news about the grandkids and news from the news. We have a rule about no TV during meals, so we ate in companRaNdi ionable silence, kReiss which felt both OK and a little sad. When you’re out and about, seeing friends, going to an office, getting your hair cut or your car serviced or planning a weekend away or going to weddings and funerals, there is an ongoing narrative to your days. Normal life is grist for the conversation mill. But these days we’re not cutting our hair or mingling or going shopping. We walk our dog, but don’t stop to chat with the neighborhood dog friends out for a stroll. Conversation requires material, and our material is growing
thin: “Did you speak to the kids?” “Do you want pepperoni or mushrooms?” “Did you sign the health care proxy?” We have lost more, too. Underpinning our lives is the sense that things will work out OK. We have believed in ourselves, that we can work through problems and survive life’s challenges and even tragedies. But the pandemic has eroded some of that confidence in ourselves and in the future. We wobble a bit from time to time. After 52 years of marriage, after decades of living in one community and creating friendships that form the fabric of our lives, that fabric is fraying, as friends are lost. At our age, we expect that people will get sick and some will die, but during a pandemic there is no satisfying way to grieve as a community of friends. Three dearest friends died since we began isolating ourselves, and we didn’t get to see them within weeks or months of their passing. We said what we could in messages and emails and photos, but one hug would have obviated the need for words. My grandkids, ages 10 to 17, are spinning in their own galaxies of online school and virtual reality and friend
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bubbles and much too much downtime and isolation. No one can give them back this year, and while they have learned patience and resilience, I wouldn’t suggest global pandemics to teach character building. I miss them. I find I work hard to catch their attention with nottoo-annoying texts and offers with homework and pitches for group activities and games. They’re a tough sell, and nothing virtual compares to seeing them face to face. It is important, I think, to be honest with ourselves and authentic with our kids and grandkids, not just cheerleaders for pandemic silver linings. I will say, however, that much has been found during this time. Reference the same patience and resilience, which all of us have had to summon. “New York tough” resonates these days. I am more disciplined about getting out and exercising, between clouds and raindrops, whenever I find a patch of blue. Just about every day, I move, somehow and somewhere, just to change the scenery and push away unwelcome thoughts. I keep close with friends nearby and far away, giving more time to more
e’ve lost time with family and dear friends, but found the time to try new things.
expansive emails and the sharing of photos and memories. It helps. All these threads weave the fabric tighter. I have started crafting books. What an incredibly satisfying thing it is to begin by folding papers and adding photographs and snippets of poetry and passages from old letters and collaging together something meaningful in an original book. It absorbs my free time, of which I have a lot. I appreciate the luxury of time to do art. What I also place in the “found” column is the challenge of baking complex desserts, like the cranberry lemon bars I made from a New York Times recipe. Every part, from the fresh cranberry puree to the lemon curd to the crust, had to be prepared separately and then composed. Now I have 24 bars in the freezer. Since I eat them only occasionally, they should last me until we get the vaccine. If you’re reading this, and since I am writing it, we are still here, and still riding this crazy wave. As a new year approaches, even as we grieve for what has been lost, it feels exhilarating to watch the first people getting vaccinated, offering us all the promise of a healthy 2021. Copyright 2020 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
N.J. just legalized pot. N.Y. needs money. Well, then, why not?
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Herald editorial
Franklin Square/Elmont
December 17, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD
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It’s time for America to come to its senses over guns
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istening to Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords speak, you’re quickly overcome by the urge to cry. The former congresswoman was once known for her incisive rhetoric, delivered with a magnetic smile. Then, at age 40, she was shot one sunny January day in 2011 outside Tucson, Ariz., while chatting with constituents in front of a Safeway supermarket. The 22-year-old gunman, angered by Giffords’s political views, had targeted her. Six died in the attack, and 10 others besides Giffords were injured. Giffords may have survived, but her speech did not. Her words once flowed easily, but now she measures each one, rehearsing phrases to string them together in coherent sentences before speaking in public. It is a miracle that she is able to utter a word. The bullet that struck her pierced the left side of her brain, leaving her unable to talk for two months. Through speech therapy, she regained the ability to speak, but only in short, labored bursts. That challenge was obvious during Northwell Health’s second Gun Violence Prevention Forum, a two-hour meeting of gun safety experts, medical practitioners, policy makers and elected leaders from around the country on Dec. 10. Giffords spoke alongside U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who supports a federal universal background check for firearm purchases, and whom Giffords, a Democrat, has endorsed for Congress. We applaud Northwell Health — in particular Michael Dowling, its presi-
dent and CEO — for taking a leading role in fostering dialogue about gun safety, while also funding gun violence research: Northwell put up $1 million last December to study America’s “pandemic of gun violence,” as Dowling calls it. We also applaud Giffords, who, despite the physical pain and mental anguish she endures, has been an outspoken proponent of common-sense gun laws that are intended not to take away anyone’s right to bear arms, but rather to enact safeguards — like background checks — to ensure that guns do not end up in the hands of criminals or those suffering from mental illness. No doubt, we need to understand the root causes of our nation’s crisis of gun violence, which kills an average of 110 people a day — two-thirds by suicide. With a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Northwell is conducting a major research study at three of its hospitals, asking emergency room patients about the presence of guns in their homes to assess their risk of injury or death by a firearm. Our nation desperately needs studies like this one. From 1996 to 2019, Congress, tied up in knots by the powerful gun lobby, refused to fund firearms research. Only recently, thanks to the monumental efforts of gun safety activists like Giffords, is Congress starting to parcel out research funds. In its 2020 budget, it earmarked $25 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence. Over the past two and a half decades,
letters How did we almost re-elect Donald Trump? To the Editor: Thanks to Randi Kreiss for being brave enough to write about the man currently in the White House (“We’re on Trump time for seven more weeks,” Dec. 3-9). I doubt he will ever go to prison, although I agree that he should, with almost 300,000 people dead. What a shame that he was almost voted back into office had we not pulled out all the stops to educate and organize. Happy to hear that not everyone on this island is a Trump supporter! CAROLANN PEREz Freeport
LIRR should rethink its plans To the Editor: In our new Covid-19 world, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Rail Road and New Jersey Transit must re-evaluate anticipated future ridership growth projections. The
roughly a million people have died by gun in this country, with about 170 mass shootings. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012 — in which 26 died, including 20 6- and 7-year-olds — Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, who was recently elected in Arizona to the U.S. Senate, founded a nonprofit, simply called Giffords, to raise funds for gun violence research, lobby government to enact sensible gun legislation and educate the public about firearms safety. Writing recently on Giffords.org’s blog, Kelly Drane noted that gun sales have surged during the coronavirus pandemic. We see this at any time of potential unrest in our nation — fear drives firearms sales to ever higher levels. In November, some 2 million gun sales were recorded — a 48 percent increase over the same month last year. More guns, Drane rightly noted, do not make us safer. Quite the opposite. We know that economic calamities such as the Great Recession of 2007 to 2010 increase the likelihood of suicide, according to the medical journal The Lancet. We also know that people who die by suicide are significantly more likely to use a gun than any other means. At the same time, according to Harvard University School of Public Health, more guns bring more homicides. Therefore, stemming our nation’s all-too-easy access to firearms should — and likely would — reduce gun violence. The best way to effect change, Giffords noted last Thursday, is to “vote, vote, vote.”
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ews about an FDA approval for the coronavirus vaccine is monumental, but we must not allow it to lull us into a false sense of complacency. This war isn’t over — in fact, there are still a few battles ahead. We are not immune to the nationwide Covid19 surge, and in the past month we have seen positivity and hospitalization numbers that are the highest they’ve been since we reopened in May. Our data is beginning to show a more even distribution of disease activity among all age groups across the county. This Laura virus doesn’t disCurraN criminate, and its reach is once again widespread across all our communities. I know that this has been a long and tiring battle, but now is not the time to let our guards down. We can’t allow Covid fatigue to get the better of us when we’re so close to the finish line. We have reached a clear point of community
spread that calls for increased vigilance from all of us. I continue to ask all residents to stick with the common-sense measures we know will keep us, and our loved ones, safe: Wear a mask, stay six feet apart and avoid unsafe gatherings. These simple measures can prevent us from going backward. Furthermore, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has said that Covid-19 will continue to disrupt lives until an “overwhelming majority” of people get the vaccine. Polls show, however, that as many as half of Americans have reservations about the shots. In response, Nassau County is launching the “We Can Do It, Nassau” campaign, a public-awareness campaign promoting confidence in the U.S. vaccine effort, emphasizing unity and patriotism and the importance of the vaccines to ensure that schools return to normal and we continue on the path toward a strong economic recovery in the county. The campaign is a tribute to Rosie the Riveter, the cultural icon representing women
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who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II. During the war, defense workers on Long Island turned out hundreds of military planes a month for Grumman, in Bethpage, and Republic Aviation, in Farmingdale. The county’s campaign seeks to remind the public of the extraordinary challenges that Americans — including Long Islanders — have overcome in the past and inspire residents to likewise step up for their country today. As county executive, I’ve made keeping schools and businesses open one of my highest priorities. As we manage the increase in cases because of the holidays and cold weather, the county will do everything in its power to keep education and commerce operating, but we need your help. Robust testing is key, and I am committed to continuing to assist schools in meeting testing requirements so we can keep our kids in school safely and keep our business community open through the winter. At the moment, hospital capacity isn’t a pressing threat in Nassau County, but
’ve made keeping schools and businesses open one of my highest priorities.
Letters same applies to any new proposed system capacity-expansion projects. Clearly, more people are going to telecommute from home on a permanent basis. Add the increasing crime and the declining quality of life in New York City, making working in Manhattan less desirable. Many Manhattan-based corporations, including some in the Wall Street area, are considering relocating some employees to satellite offices in the surrounding suburbs. The ridership growth for LIRR when the $11.8 billion East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal opens in December 2022 will be thousands less than anticipated. That start date assumes there are no more delays in the most recent project-recovery schedule. Our new commuting world calls into question the value of investing $8 billion or more in Governor Cuomo’s proposed Penn Station South project, comprising four new platforms and eight new tracks. LARRY PENNER Great Neck Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office.
Stay strong, New York To the Editor: The federal Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine last Friday, and New York received its initial allocation of 170,000 doses over the weekend. As part of the distribution, the state is setting up 90 cold-storage sites as regional distribution centers that are capable of storage at the required temperature. This vaccine distribution will be a massive
the trend is in the wrong direction. To save lives and prevent further restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, we must do everything we can to hold the line. At the peak of the pandemic, we had almost 2,600 patients hospitalized with Covid-19, and 505 of them were on ventilators. As of Monday, we had 419 people hospitalized, with 36 on ventilators. We expect those numbers to go up, and the county is ready to increase capacity for hospital and ICU units as needed. I’ve been in constant conversation with hospital executives to ensure preparedness for a potential surge cases as well as the upcoming pivot to vaccine storage and distribution. I know that the holiday season brings unique challenges, but if we follow the guidance of our trusted public health professionals, we can save lives and keep our businesses and schools open while we eagerly await the distribution of the vaccine, our light at the end of the tunnel. We have worked so hard to contain this virus — let’s not lose our progress now. Lauran Curran is the Nassau County executive.
Framework by Christina Daly
undertaking. At the same time, we will need to manage our hospital capacity and continue to stop the spread of the virus. The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war. We will get it produced, we will get it distributed and we will be successful. But it will take months for the entire vaccination process to be completed. Meanwhile, New Yorkers should continue to wear masks, social distance, and avoid small and large gatherings. On Dec. 10, I announced new metrics by which micro-cluster focus zones will be determined to help control Covid-19 spread and ensure hospital capacity. Red zone: A red zone will be implemented when a region, after the cancellation of elective procedures and a 50 percent increase in hospital capacity, is 21 days away from reaching 90 percent hospital capacity on the current seven-day growth rate. Orange zone: A geographic area will be designated an orange zone if it has a 4 percent positivity rate (seven-day average) over the previous 10 days, and it is located in a region that has reached 85 percent hospital capacity. Alternatively, a geographic area may also become an orange zone if the state Department of Health determines that the region’s rate of hospital admissions is unacceptably high and a zone designation is appropriate to control the rate of growth. Yellow zone: A geographic area will be designated a yellow zone if it has a 3 percent positivity rate (seven-day average) over the previous 10 days, is in the top 10 percent in the state in hospital admissions per capita over the previous week and is experiencing week-over-week growth in daily admissions. GOv. ANDREW CUOMO
Celebrating the holidays patriotically — Freeport
N. FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 17, 2020
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Let’s keep up the great work in Nassau County
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